Fermented Plant Juice
I stumbled across a video a while back about Fermented Plant Juice also known as FPJ. I was a bit skeptical at first. It seemed too good to be true and just too simple to make. However, the theory behind it made complete sense to me. We all know plants love water-soluble fertilizers as they can tap into them right away. Whereas with granular plant food, it is slow release. It's like you never truly know how much fertilizer they actually get which can be frustrating. They often break down faster with the more watering they receive which could unload the fert at once into a concentrated area within your soil. If your plant isn't in that area guess what no fert.
We all see weeds or plants that we watch grow despite their harsh living conditions, poor soil quality, inadequate sunlight, etc. The concept in making this FPJ is locating those exact weeds/plants that grow prolifically as they are SUPER rich in nutrients. In my recipe, I go with what grows in my yard. I use white clover in bloom, purple dead nettle, broadleaf plantain, dandelions, and thistle.
In the first batch, I made I only used it on a few of my tomatoes just to test it out. I was not ready for these results. These are the tomatoes on week one vs week 3. I watered these plants twice per week with rainwater and 1tsp of FPJ per gallon of water used. So in total, these plants were fertilized with FPJ 4-6 times. (a few didn't need as many waterings)
Week 1
Week 3
So how do you make it?
Thankfully we won't be needing rocket science here guys.
All you need is a Jar, Brown sugar, and a couple of handful of weeds from your backyard.
Once you've gathered your plant materials, go ahead and chop them up with scissors. Nothing too fancy. Then you are going to mix equal parts of brown sugar with plant material. If you want to get technical then weigh them both out and make them equal. I do not measure anything while making this personally. Then once good and mixed, top the mixture with a small amount of brown sugar. Then place a lid on top, loosely to allow gases to escape. It is fermenting for 10-14 days so gases will build up. I check mine every 3 days. No need to stir but curiosity got the best of me and I stirred my first batch once. Do not fear when it starts to stink of alcohol. That means it is indeed fermenting.
Once you've allowed the 10-14 days to pass, strain all plant material from the juice. I throw mine in my compost pile for added NPK. DO NOT add that plant material to your plants. It is super concentrated and can/will burn your plants. Once it is strained, store it in a cool dark place in a glass mason jar or any glass bottle away from all light. Cover it loosely as gases will still build. Add 1 tsp to 1 gallon of water and preferably rainwater. I do not use this more than twice in one week on my plants. I am not sure if you actually can without burning them as there is NO way to tell the exact NPK ratio of this juice. The only way to tell is to experiment in your own garden as I did with this juice. Your next idea could be your best idea yet. If you try this out and use it more than twice in one week, drop a comment and let us all know how well it worked out.
