Plants Need Tea, Too!

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The Big Three

Plants use three main elements — nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (known by their chemical symbols, NPK) — for growing green leaves, making seed and fruit, and growing cells. The standard labeling always lists these three essential chemicals in this order, N-P-K.

• Nitrogen (N) is necessary for aboveground growth of plants. Nitrate, the compound produced when nitrogen combines with other elements to produce a salt, produces green leaves. Ammonia nitrogen (NH3), the compound produced by nitrogen and hydrogen, is used by plants to produce fruit and seeds. Ammonia nitrogen is a gas and volatilizes into the air. If there is too much nitrogen, plants have rapid growth but tend to be weak, which makes them break easily and be more prone to disease. When there is not enough nitrogen, plants are stunted and foliage is yellow, not healthy green. The best organic sources of nitrogen come from plant and animal by-products such as alfalfa pellets (2.45 percent), blood meal (10 to 14 percent), bone meal (2 to 4 percent), fish (8 percent), ground poultry feathers (15 percent), manure (varies) and soybean meal (7 percent). We choose alfalfa, fish and aged manure for making fertilizer tea. If you feel hesitant about manure-borne bacteria, stick with alfalfa or fish.
• Phosphorus (P), or phosphate, helps plants transport and assimilate nutrients. During photosynthesis, it helps the plant produce sugars. Plants cannot grow or fight disease without it. Phosphorus is crucial for plants to develop healthy root systems, set fruit and mature. For the organic gardener, soft rock phosphate (20 percent), bone meal (15 to 25 percent) and fish emulsion (7 percent) provide the highest percentages of naturally occurring phosphorus. We use bat guano (5 to 6 percent), fish emulsion or fishmeal to nourish our plants in phosphorous. 
• Potassium (K), commonly called potash, enables plants to develop strong, thick stems, healthy roots and large, plentiful fruit. Potassium plays a leading role in plant sugar production. Manufacturing sugar helps a plant protect itself from intense heat and cold, and aids in disease resistance. Compost and manure are good sources for potassium, as are kelp (2.25 to 6.5 percent) and natural minerals like greensand (7 percent) and granite dust (3 to 6 percent). Hardwood ash (10 percent) is rich in potash but dries the soil and may create an overly alkaline soil if used in large quantities. For a nutritive tea rich in potassium, we prefer kelp and aged manure.

Trace Elements

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