ecobites.com

Making your life greener - one bite at a time.

Through the ages herbs have been used in cooking for their flavor, in medicine for their healing properties and for their fragrance and cosmetic properties. However little has been written about their value to the organic grower.

Specific herbs may have one or many uses to the organic gardener. They can act as insect repellants, compost activators, DIY organic liquid fertilizers and good companion plants which strengthen those grown near them. They can also impart valuable nutrients into compost and enrich soil.

The chart here lists the 16 nutrients which plants need for healthy growth and shows where these nutrients are obtained - from the air, water, or soil. It is the soil that herbs play their greatest role, giving up their valuable source of nutrients either as decayed matter (compost) or as liquid fertilizer.

NUTRIENTS                                               SOURCES

Carbon and oxygen                                      AIR

Hydrogen and oxygen                                  WATER

Major Nutrients

1. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria which live in nodules found in the roots of legumes, combine the N in nitrogen: the air with other elements in the soil to make it available to plants.

2. Decayed plant or animal matter.

    Phosphorus
    Potassium

Secondry Nutrients                                 SOIL

    Calcium
    Magnesium                 Trace Elements
    Sulphur                 Iron
                                Copper
                                Zinc
                                Boron
                                Chlorine
                                Manganese
                                Molybdenum

Most of these minerals and nitrogen can be supplied in part by various herbs which are allowed to decompose in compost and are returned to the soil.

The following herbs provide the minerals and other nutrients required by plants for healthy growth:

NUTRIENTS                                             HERBS

    Nitrogen - Comfrey, clover, legumes

    Phosphorus - Alfalfa, valerian (this does not provide phosphorus, but stimulates phosphorus activity in the soil around it).

    Potassium - Tansy, couch grass, coltsfoot, comfrey, sunflowers, thistles, alfalfa, borage, celery.

    Calcium - Chamomile, comfrey, borage, lupins, horsetail, plantain.

    Magnesium - Horsetail, alfalfa.

    Sulphur - Plantain, broom, coltsfoot, garlic.

    Iron - Dandelion, horsetail, alfalfa, nettle, sorrel.

    Copper - Yarrow, nettle, garlic.

    Chlorine - Horsetail, couch grass, dandelion.

    Boron - Spurges (Euphorbia peplus, E. heliascopia, E.lathyrus, E.amygdaloides).

    Manganese - Garlic.

    Zinc & Molybdenum - Have not found any herbs containing these two minerals.

Deficiencies of these minerals are more likely to be found in soils which are very acid or very alkaline. If plants grown in very alkaline soil appear yellowish in spite of every attention, the mineral most likely to be deficient is iron. Iron is necessary for the formation of chlorophyl, the green coloring matter in the leaves, and a high level of alkalinity in the soil makes much of the iron inavailable to the plants. Try a liquid manure spray made with herbs rich in iron to correct this deficiency, or, if you prefer, use iron chelates.

The most common deficiency in a very acid soil is magnesium, also necessary in the formation of chlorophyll. Spray the soil with a solution made of horsetail or alfalfa to correct the deficiency and put plenty of these plants in the compost box to prevent any further deficiency. See the following recipes.

Nutrients stored up in plants may all be used to advantage in the form of a liquid fertilizer, which is srayed around the roots of plants, or used as a 'foliar-feed' which is sprayed on the leaves.

There are a number of herbs which are of great benefit to anyone who grows their plants organically and, in particular, to anyone who makes their own compost.

Using these herbs in the compost box does one of two things. The herbs will impart their own valuable nutrients into the compost heap and so enrich it, or the addition of two herbs in particular, yarrow and nettle, will help activate the compost and so decompose it in up to half the 'normal' time allowed - about six weeks instead of the usual three months.

The following herbs impart valuable nutrients into the compost:

COMFREY - Nitrogen, calcium
TANSY - Potassium
THISTLES - Potassium
NETTLES - Iron, copper, calcium
EQUISETUM - Calcium, iron, magnesium
DANDELION - Iron, copper
LUPINS - Calcium (used to reclaim sandy soil - L.luteus)
SPURGES - Boron (see Euphorbia varieties in the previous list)
VETCH & LEGUMES - Nitrogen
BORAGE - Potassium, calcium
SUNFLOWERS - Potassium
YARROW - Copper
PLANTAIN - Calcium
MELON LEAVES - Calcium

VALUABLE HERBS FOR THE ORGANIC GARDENER

Comfrey (Symphytum officinale)

1. Comfrey is rich in nitrogen, potassium and natural calcium and its chemical compostion is said to be almost the same as that of farmyard manure.

2. Comfrey decomposes very quickly and so is useful not only in the compost heap, but also as a green manure, chopped up and spread around the base of plants.

3. Comfrey has often been used to break up new, heavy soil, since its long roots grow deep down into the subsoil, making available valuable nutrients to the topsoil.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

1. Yarrow is particularly rich in copper and also contains useful amounts of nitrates and phosphates.

2. Yarrow is an excellent compost activator. Tests done in England show that only a very small amount of the plant is needed to 'send off' the compost. The most effective qunatity has proved to be one part yarrow to 10,000 parts compost, ie, two leaves of yarrow chopped finely and mixed through one cubic yard of compost.

3. It has been found that root excretions produced by the yarrow plant strengthen neighboring plants and help them to resist disease.

4. When yarrow is grown next to various culinary and fragrant herbs, it increases the yield of oils produced by these herbs and so intensifies their flavors and scents.

5. When yarrow is rubbed between the fingers and pressed onto a cut it will immediately stop the bleeding (in most cases).

Nettles (Urtica dioica)

1. Nettles are very rich in iron, copper and natural calcium. These nutrients, which the nettle removed from the soil, are replaced when the plant is composted and dug back into the soil.

2. Nettles, like yarrow, help neighboring plants to grow strong and resist disease.

3. Nettles also increase the volatile oil content of the plants grown next to them, especially peppermint.

4. Nettles also act as a compost activator. Their influence on soil can be seen around their own roots - it is always very rich in humus.

5. Nettles stimulate the activity of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil. A very rich liquid fertilizer can be made from nettles ( see recipes).

Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis and Matricaria chamomilla)

1. Chamomile is one on the richest plants in natural calcium.

2. English chamomile, which likes to be trodden on and makes a good lawn, has long had the reputation of being the 'plant physician', keeping neighboring plants healthy and disease-free and is reputed to be able to heal sick plants.

3. A tea made from chamomile flowers prevents 'damping off' in seedlings. Steep a handful of flowers in a pint of cold water for several hours. Water over the seed bed.

4. Any tea left over can be poured over the compost bin since the lime in chamomile acts as a sweetener and helps to prevent the compost smelling.

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinate)

Dandelion is very rich in iron and also contains amonts of copper, potassium, sulphur and manganese. Audrey Wynne Hatfield said of the dandelion "As a garden weed, the dandelion, like the nettle, absorbs about three times the amount of iron from the soil taken up by any other plant. It is a miser too, for copper, and for anything else worthwhile in the soil nutrients that it can lay its roots to." She went on to say that "the thieving dandelion is only acceptable to plants when it is composted, rotted down, disintegrated to make available its hoard of iron, copper, and other things they need. Or it can be made into a liquid fertilizer which can only remedy other plants' deficiencies."

The dandelion's biggest drawback as far as the gardener is concerned is that it is charged with ethelene gas, which hinders the growth of neighboring plants and causes them to produce premature, dwarfed fruit.

Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)

Horsetail is a rich source of silica and contains a number of useful minerals, including iron, magnesium and calcium. The stems of this plant are so hard that simply steeping it in boiling water until it cools is not sufficient to draw out its valuable nutrients. (See recipes.)

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

Tansy is very rich in potassium. Dorothy Hall says of it "Tansy is one of the most mineral rich of all herbs. It is a great plant for the organic gardener. Its value in the compost bin is enormous. Bulging with potassium and assorted resins, oils and acids, its leaves provide many elements otherwise lacking. Whenever you cut back the plant, and cut it back you can many times even in one season, strop the leaves from their fibrous stems, add half to the compost bin and mix it well in, and keep the other half to dry."

Dried tansy is used to repel ants, flies, fleas and other insects. Always be sure to bruise the leaves first to release the insect-repelling oils.

Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)

Valerian is important to the gardener because of its ability to stir up and increase phosphorus activity in the soil around it. It also attracts earthworms.

Elderberry (Sambucua nigra & S.canadensis)

It is said that if a compost heap is made under an elderberry shrub or tree, the excretions from the tree roots, together with the fallen leaves, will assist fermentation and will help to produce especially good compost.

DIY LIQUID FERTILIZER RECIPES

Horsetail Spray

Gather plants in the early morning before they are affected by the sun. Cover a handful of the fresh plants with a pint of water and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, keeping it covered while cooling.

Strain the liquid free of bits that might clog up the spray and dilute with four parts of water. If using as a foliar-feed, add a dessertspoon of  biodegradable detergent and stir for 10 minutes. The soap helps the liquid to adhere to the foliage. This is not necessary if it is to be sprayed onto the soil. This mixture should be used as soon as it is made.

Nettle Spray

Steep a bunch of nettles in some cold water and in three weeks they will be completley digested and ready for use. This liquid is used (a) as a fertilizer, (b) as an insect repellant - it keeps black aphis on broadbean and plant lice under control - and (c) it can be sprayed onto plants to help make them more resistant to disease and harsh conditions such as drought.

Bio-dynamic Horsetail Spray  (Preparation 508)

This is the recipe from Audrey Wynne Hatfield

This is infused from the stems that arise after the unbranched brownish shoots bearing the spores have disappeared in late May (in Europe). the succeeding branching shoots, like little pine trees, are the richest in the silica and may be used fresh or dried.

To make the spray, cover 1 1/2 ozs dried horsetail with four quarts cold water, and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 20 minutes only then, remove from the heat and cool, covered for 24 hours.

Next day, strain the liquid from bits and use it, if fresh plants are used, put two good hand fulls in a pan and cover with water.

Simmer for 20 minutes. Allow to cool and infuse, covered, for 24 hours. Strain and dilute with two parts water to one part liquid.

Dried horsetail can be obtained from health food stores and herbalists. This recipe is also a particularly effective fungicide for deterring black spot on roses and mildew on any plant. It also prevents mint rust and the rust which attacks the mallow family.

Recycled from Sage newsletter and was originally a talk given by Sonia Blauensteiner to Sage Herb Society members.

We would like to hear from gardeners who have used these herbs as fertilizers to respond with their own experiences or criticisms.