Natural macerates to cure plants

Plants can be healed with plants, we can make many decoctions, infusions and natural macerates.

The plant world supplies an immense quantity of active ingredients which we are used to using for our health and our nutrition, but which we can also exploit to nourish, defend and strengthen the cultivated plants. Nettle, horsetail, mint, tomato leaves, tansy, tobacco, rosemary, garlic, onion, wormwood, comfrey and many other plants can be made into natural remedies to combat pests, fungal diseases, and various other plant problems. Preparations can also have a preventive and reinforcing function to allow plants to stay healthy and defend themselves against aggression. Let’s see in this article some preparations that we can use in the garden or in the garden.

How to transform herbs into natural remedies and macerates

To extract the properties that interest us from plants, water (cold, hot or boiling) is generally used, which also becomes the easiest way to distribute the extract obtained on the leaves or on the earth, often after a suitable dilution. There are four basic ways to extract the nutrients we are interested in: fermentation, maceration, preparation of a decoction or an infusion. Let’s see the differences and how to prepare each extract. For all recipes it is recommended to use rain water, free of chlorine. If only water treated with chlorine is available, it is necessary to leave it for one or two days in an open container so as to give time for this element to evaporate.

Extraction by fermentation

This method consists in leaving the vegetable parts in water for several days (up to 15), stirring occasionally to let in air and favor the fermentation process. For correct fermentation, temperatures between 15 and 25 degrees are required. You will notice bubbles, produced by the fermentation process. The preparation must be filtered and diluted in order to be distributed. It can be kept for a few weeks in a closed container, in a cool place away from light. A famous fermented one is made with nettles, which are left in water for 15 days when you want to use them as a fertilizer. The bad smell typical of fermented products can be limited by adding sage leaves one week after starting the process.

maceration

Very similar, but shorter than fermentation is maceration. In this case the vegetable parts must remain in water for only 24 hours at room temperature. The macerate is used immediately after filtering, if it is left longer the fermentation process will begin.

The decoction

For the decoction, as for the infusion, we need hot water. For the decoction, the chopped plant is boiled in water for 30 minutes. Before cooking it is useful to leave it in maceration for 24 hours. During boiling, the pot is left covered to prevent the liquid from evaporating. The lid remains on the pot until the decoction has cooled. It must be used within 48 hours to prevent it from losing its properties.

The infusion

The infusion is lighter than the decoction and is prepared in a short time. Also in this case the vegetable parts are chopped up and put in a pot with water. You don’t need a day of soaking, you immediately turn on the flame and wait for the water to have reached boiling temperature before turning off the stove. As soon as it is cold, the infusion is ready to be used. The rule of thumb is to use it as soon as possible.

Dosage of preparations for plants

For all the remedies mentioned above (fermented, macerated, decoctions and infusions) you can follow a standard dosage for their preparation. Per every kilo of vegetable we need 10 liters of water. So if you only want a liter of remedy you have to get 100 grams of herbs. The weight refers to fresh plants. If you use dried plants, 100 or 200 grams are enough for 10 liters of water.

Standard dosage ratio 1:10

• 1 kilo of vegetable
  
• 10 liters of water

A little more complex to remember is the dilution of the preparations to be done in the water at the time of distribution.

Generally speaking to wash down with a fermented put 2 liters of extract in ten liters of water. If you use it nebulized on the leaves, the dilution is 10% (one liter of preparation in 10 liters of water). The decoction can be used to water or spray even without dilution, but beware of sensitive plants. The infusion is diluted to 10%, that is, one liter of infusion is placed on 10 liters of water before being used as an insecticide on plants. The macerate is used with an undiluted spray against fungal diseases. These doses are general, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of both the healing plant and the receiving plant and the result obtained with the extraction, which will always be a little different. The advice is to experiment and observe.

Now let’s see some examples of excerpts from use in the garden.

Fermented comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

The consolidates it is a very useful plant in the garden, it grows easily, produces a lot of organic matter, which can be used as mulch. We can also ferment it in water to obtain a potassium-rich fertilizer. The comfrey leaves are cut, placed in a container with water and covered, without sealing hermetically. Fermented comfrey has a bad smell, so it’s best to choose a place where it won’t be too annoying. Stir every day and filter after two weeks.

It is used to prevent attacks by Colorado beetle (a beetle that feeds mainly on plants of the Solanaceae family, especially potatoes) and as a fertilizer for Solanaceae and cucumbers, always diluted.

Nettle macerate

One of the best known macerates in the garden is nettle macerate (Stinging nettle), it can be useful to us both as a fertilizer and as a natural insecticide. It all depends on the maceration times. The ideal time to prepare the nettle macerate it is May, even if nettles can be harvested at any time of the year.

Equisetum decoction and maceration

Also the horsetailthe so-called horse tail it can be very useful for our plants. It prevents fungal diseases and strengthens the immune defenses of plants, also helping their development when they are growing (thanks to silicon and other elements).

Whey in the garden

Whey is a awesome liquid and easily found. For example, you can use the water from the mozzarella. It can also be self-produced by mixing the juice of half a lemon in due liters of milk, after a few hours you get a kind of cheese and mouthwatering (our whey). The cheese is very good, add a little salt and pepper and then let it rest for a day or two.

Whey contains i lactic acid bacteria which are probiotic organisms. These amazing bacteria are always beneficial, both aerobically and anaerobically. For this we can use whey to improve the fertilizing effect of many preparations and macerated. Il whey participates and promotes the creation of the biochemical cycle from the soil organic matterdetoxifying dangerous chemicals and improving the plant health. Those friendly microorganisms help inhibit fungal and bacterial attack on the roots and leaves of plants. In practice, it can be diluted in the water used for watering (a little is needed: 1 liter of whey per 100 liters of waterbut you can also put more serum), or spray on the leaves of the plants during sunset, at this time when it’s not too hot and we don’t risk drying out the live microorganisms of our preparation.

Lactic acid bacteria participate in the development of immune system of plants and soil. It can be used for vegetable gardens, flower beds, fruit trees, fastin short, for all plants. Often a waste from cheese production is easily found at no costas we have seen, it can also be done at home. A preparation to use and abuse without shame.

Self-produced foliar biofertilizer

To protect the leaves of our plants we can use a biofertilizer with brewer’s yeast and sourdough. Here is a recipe for a foliar fertilizer that will nourish plants by inoculating a range of beneficial microorganisms.

Inside an airtight container, let’s ferment together (recipe by Emile Jacquet):

Necessary material

• 40 kg of fresh manure, any
  
• 2 kg of sugar
  
• 200 g of fresh brewer’s yeast
  
• A little sourdough
  
• 3 liters of milk
  
• 2 kg of ash
  
• Chlorine-free water
• 1 bottle of water.
  
• 1 Watering hose of about 1 meter, which can fit into the water bottle.
• 1 can of 150L with opaque walls and an airtight cap.
  
• 1 Pass wall fitting
• 1 plastic bucket of 20 liters.

Procedure

1. Fill ¾ of the plastic bucket with warm water without chlorine. Dilute the sugar in it and mix by hand to make sure the water is not too hot. Add the brewer’s yeast and wait for it to bubble. Add some manure and mix.
2. Put all the manure in the bin and fill it half full with water without chlorine. Mix well
3. Add the ash. Mix
4. Add the milk and sourdough. Mix
5. Add the contents of the bucket.

At this point, close the container hermetically. After 40 days the preparation is ready. Strain the liquid e dilute it 1 to 10 with chlorine-free water and apply with a shoulder pump, spraying directly on the leaves.

More info can be found here: regenerate the soil by imitating the forest

Infusion or decoction of tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

Il tansy is a plant rich in essential oils from the typical inflorescence made up of yellow flower heads that smell of camphor. It also contains a toxic substance called thujone, which makes it effective against many insects. It can be used as a repellent or curative against the red and yellow spider mite, the whitefly, the altica, the codling moth, the caterpillars, the doriphora, the nocturnal, the white cabbage, the aphids. It should not be distributed on the plants when the sun is high (this applies to all treatments) and it is necessary to avoid harvesting the vegetables in the week following spraying because tansy is also toxic to humans. It is not phytotoxic for plants, therefore the treatment can be repeated several times.

The infusion is prepared by cutting leaves and flowers and placing them in a stainless steel pot with cold water, which we then bring to the boil. Once the temperature is reached, turn off the heat and leave it to cool with the lid on. Finally, it is filtered and used in a 10% dilution within two days. The decoction is obtained by letting the water boil for 20-30 minutes.

Francesca Della Giovampaola ed Emile Jacquet

Read also
Horsetail: make the decoction, infused and macerated
Nettle macerate for DIY plants
Snails in the garden, natural remedies
Aphids in the garden, what to do
How to keep animals away from the garden
How to protect yourself from insecticides
Natural remedies against mosquitoes
Peach bubble, natural remedies and treatments
April vegetable garden
Vegetable garden in May
June garden

Free guide
Download the guide to soil regeneration (pdf)

Books
Pest control strategies for the gardenby Joahann Gis, and The Castle
Caring for fruit trees without chemistryby Francesco Beldi and Terranuova

Book of the Wood of Ogygia
earth care, by F.Della Giovampaola, ed Mondadori (Amazon)
Caring for the Earth (Macrolibrarsi shop)

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