Fermented tea made from Magnolia tree leaves

benjaminborggrechBvJQoHUp

I am new to gardening and read about fermented teas, as I didn't have nettles I thought it might be a good idea to use leaves from the magnolia tree.

It has been sitting for about 3 weeks now and I am going to try using it on the grass.

I used a 110L bucket and probably too many leaves in there....

Having time to think about it I don't even know what to do with all the leftover leaf material.

I think it would probably be a bad idea to put it in the compost bin so not sure what to do with it. Any idea or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. 

steephill

Magnolia leaves would have been better left on the tree to support its growth. However, you have used them now so you might as well make use of the results. The spent leaves would be fine on the compost heap, maybe mix in some cardboard or paper to provide a bit of balance.

benjaminborggrechBvJQoHUp

Thank you for the reply, the leaves came off due to trimming low hanging branch. (I do confess overall I have over trimmed it oops). Next time I will let them dry and use them straight into the compost bin. Dry leaves I guess count as brown material, would the spent Magnolia leaves also count as brown material? 

Emerion

I think leaves of any kind are counted as green, even if they’ve gone brown.  If it was originally woody, then it’s brown. Cardboard and paper are good sources of brown stuff for the compost. Preferably with no shiny, colourful print or paper attached.  

Obelixx

Nettles are used to make a "tea" because they are known to be high in nitrogen (N) and the resulting liquid is great for healthy leaf growth.

Comfrey provides a liquid which is rich in phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) which help keep plants strong and healthy and promote flowers and fruits.  Both these teas need diluting before using.

Other essential minerals such as magnesium also keep plants healthy but are needed in smaller quantities.  If you want healthy plants the best way to do that is to keep your soil healthy and that is done by good cultivation which includes adding compost every year to feed the micro-organisms that work away in the soil and make these nutrients available to plant roots.

Next time, just put unwanted leaves on the compost heap to break down.

Another "tea" can be made from garlic to help ward off aphids and butterflies and also keep slugs and snails off hostas - https://www.bowdenhostas.com/pages/Garlic-Wash-Recipe.html 

BenCotto

Don’t forget banana skins, Obelixx, as advocated by the bee loving Facebook users who, though unable to tell artichokes from elaeagnus, just know bananas are the panacea for all nutrient deficiencies because other Facebook users say so. 

Obelixx

Well, Ben Cotto, I have been known to bury banana skins below roses but have never made tea.

benjaminborggrechBvJQoHUp

What are you planting the banana peels under?

Obelixx

Roses.  Read it again.   They're supposed to be high in potassium.

These days I just put them on the compost or chop them up and give to the hens who love them.

BenCotto

Beetroot is richer in potassium than bananas but beetroot has a rubbish PR agency. Bananas get all the plaudits even though their NPK rating is only something like 0.5, 0.5, 2

Obelixx

That's good to know as I have lots of beetroot plugs to plant.  Love it - hot, cold, raw,  souped, curried, baked - anything but pickled!