Also saw you on Huws channel, ordered your book today 😀- very interested in experimenting! In the part of Aust where I live we have sandy soils often deficient in calcium and some key micronutrients. Saw some much improved yields on tomatoes this past summer with cal/ pho’s foliar spray made from vinegar and toasted eggshells ... bring on the FPJ ! 👍
Many have asked about using other forms of sugar for this recipe. Just like with baking the water content of the sugar is important to the fermentation process. It is suggested to use brown sugar, organic if possible, first to understand what is expected, and then experiment with other sugars.
Thank you! I ferment a lot of things & was thinking, "I bet the garden would benefit from ferments." Your book came in the mail and is exactly the missing piece I needed! I hand pull all weeds in our lawn, now I can do something with them! Can the soil digest the actual minerals in powder form? I make my own supplements so I have calcium citrate, magnesium citrate, etc.
I have a bucket of nettles ready to go and what I have on hand is organic sugar and molasses. I figure if I mix a little molasses into the white sugar, I'll have brown sugar and it should work ok. (since that's how brown sugar is made) Your book is on it's way but I can't wait to start fermenting...
The last stage of fermentation is vinagre. It is the ions of the acid that reacts with the minerals of the plant. How about just adding white vinagre which is made from corn or just add corn meal. Remember. From sugar you get rum, and from corn you get whiskey both methanol. If my hypothesis is true, and the organic molasses adds little to the value of the final result, than your saving are evident. Just sayin.
The book is on the way, looks fantastic with all those mixtures described in one place. Your films adds additional value as we can see those mixtures preparation step by step. Warm greetings from Poland !
@@nigelpalmer3439 oh yes. I've went though the ebook but paper will be easier to work with when making notes. I Hope more people will find out your work and the book as also Huwe Richards is recommendig your books
Hello. Thanks for the videos. I only know of you from Hughs videos. We currently have 2 massive barrels of smelly water. Bought your book it arrived today so look forward to making different batches to suit the plants and not having stinky water around.
I followed the recipe in your book and made a comfrey feed that I gave to my winter squash half way through the summer. Wow, how they started spitting out fruit! I have a lot left in the bottle but it now smells acidic? Is it still good? Probably the bottle was not tightly enough closed and air got in... I rexommend anyone getting your excellent book!
Very interesting. I just bought your book and I'll be picking some nettles first thing in the morning. Excited to experiment and see the effects on my plants.
I saw you on the Huw Richards YT channel. I bought your book, a little more complex than I had anticipated but intend to stick with it. I enjoyed watching your video.
Thank you for your interest in these important ideas. Some times these ideas seem complex and then things just come together. I have a you tube channel that shows how to make some of these recipes and a website with classes and discussions that will help support understanding the books contents if interested. Stay with it. Nature provides simple solutions.
How do you know when it's done? Just wait one week, no matter what? The brown sugar I added to the top was gone in 8 hours. Thank you. I loved the book.
I've been a home vegetable gardener for many years. Long ago I decided to my veggies in as simple a manner as possible. I simply add a couple of inches of compost to the surface of my garden at the end of every growing season. If I did things like this, would I notice a significant improvement?
I am an agronomic soil scientist. A word of caution about aqueous vegetative extracts "compost tea". First: the finish extract contains very little, if any, nutrient value in lab analysis. When compared to groups receiving an equal amount of water on the same schedule the two groups are indistinguishable. Secondly: these malto-lactic fermented solutions can be dangerous. E. coli, salmonella and even cholera have been incubated this way with deadly consequences in Korea and Taiwan. Compost does not have these issues and is generally recognized as safe and effective.
Thank you for your interest in these most important ideas. Making fermented plant juice is a true fermentation and is safe. The mineral analysis of many fermented plant juices may be reviewed on my web site www.nigel-palmer.com/data as well as in appendix E of my book. Eighteen elements are evaluated, found to be present in plant-based proportions, and in forms that plants may use directly as foliar sprays or drenches. The use of these amendments has profound effects based on the multitude of folks that have provided me feedback and my own experience. It is unclear what specific processes you are referring to when you use the term “compost teas” so it is difficult to comment on the nutrient value or relative dangers.
Have been enjoying your videos since finding them just a few days ago. Will be ordering your book shortly but I'm curious regarding the Dandelion, you only used the greens... I use both medicinally and would think the root would be fantastic for this also. Any opinion or reasons why not?
Yes. I use greens and stalk for fermented plant juices. Roots require a stronger reaction like tincture or vinegar extractions. I have other recipes for this as well.
Got your book and currently making FPJ from nettles. It has been fermenting for 3 days and is now growing beautiful while mold on the plant material. Is it still good to use?
I'm intrigued by this. I've been fermenting 4 gallon batches of dandelion weed tea that gets diluted at 1:10. The 1:500 or 1000 for this concentrate seems low, but if it works it works.
Leaf mold fermentation is an entirely different process than fermented plant juice. Each provides a different concentration of minerals, thus the different dilution rates. You can see the analysis of each of these processes either in appendix E of my book or on my website. www.nigel-palmer.com/data
Hi Nigel. This is the second time I have started the FPJ and I am convinced that it is already having a positive effect on my entire garden. Are there plants that should not be fertilized with it? I've left out the blueberries so far. Is it advisable to press out the plant remains after draining them with a mortar or pestle to get more liquid? The leftovers are very wet.
Do not press out plant remains. You could soak in rain water and feed to plants or further extract with organic apple cider vinegar. All remains end on the compost pile.
Hello Nigel, I also ordered your book yesterday and I'm excited!! Two questions; Can I also use molasses (from sugar beet) instead of the brown sugar? And what about crushing the greens a bit to make it easier for the juices to come out? Thanks a bunch and keep up the good work! 🌱👍
@@nigelpalmer3439 Looks like you're counting on the moisture already inherent in the plant material? I would love to do this with Stinging Nettle but at the moment only have access to dried plant material. Could I simply rehydrate it first or maybe this is a better time for molasses? I've been making an amendment with Black Strap Molasses which has.a good nutrient profile on it's own so wondering about using that instead of the sugar too.
Hi, forgive my ignorance but once the fluid is trained - do you just toss out the remainder of plant matter? What is the recommended disposal procedure of what is left behind?
Hello, I'm making my first FPJ out of nettles and dandelions. The one with dandelions is doing fine, but in the one with nettles after 4 days of fermentation I can see some air pockets and some white mold. Should I throw it away and start over or can I use it once the fermentation finishes?
I don't see purslane on your weed list on the website. Since it has such a high mineral and nutrition content would it be worth a try? It sure is tenacious and prolific.
I fermented tomato leaves and when I went to decant the juice there is mold on top. Should I still use this, skim off the mold or toss it and start over?
Mold usually occurs because plant material is not submerged under liquid. Use a glass of water to keep submerged. Push under to kill unwanted biology and keep going.
Hi Nigel. We have an abundance of both stinging nettle and ranunculus repens (creeping buttercup) on the land we steward. I plan to use the nettle for fermented plant juice, but I was wondering if we could use the latter as well. We have so much of it and I'm not sure what to do with it since it strangles out so many other plants. I'd rather not just chuck it out. Do you know of any use for it? Any way of redistributing the nutrients? Thank you for any help.
Why has nature grown this weed on the land? Suggest making ranunculus repens fermented plant juice and analyzing the liquid to learn what minerals are actually in it. It may be what is needed. (Analysis link - www.nigel-palmer.com/recipeanalysis) Then redistribute nutrients by diluting and watering.
None that I am aware of. The tools and processes to do so are defined in the book. I would help discuss and clarify these steps with you if interested. Many people report that the results are obvious.
I made the nettle extract last week. Now wondering is it ok to mix different plants together, I collected dock, comfrey and nettles this morning, I may as well try it anyway as I'm not very fussy about the exact composition? (I should have asked the question yesterday).
Plants may not be fussy about this either? Making individual plant juices for analysis and storage gives an opportunity to define mineral concentrations to influence plant phase growth (flowering/fruit fill) or facilitate photosynthesis efficiency. See appendix E of book.
Hi Nigel, thanks for the great info! I just saw your video on Huw's channel. I'm very interested in the book! Do you have the mineral composition for Tansy as a fpj? We have an abundance of it growing and would love to put it to better use.
Of course! Any plant material may be fermented and used. Analysis of the resulting material can be very revealing. Seaweed taken directly from the sea may have a lot more than just seaweed in it and may be better used as a mulch or extracted using vinegar depending what it actual has in it.
@@nigelpalmer3439 Thanx for your taking time to reply to my question I have a lot of stinging nettle and horehound growing in my backyard Keen to try these also Use seaweed as mulch around my fruit trees and add it as long term compost when invigorating my garden beds
Yes. The constituents in the resulting FPJ will probably be different. I include the date of fermentation on the label so that I can differentiate effects.
Would you recommend using a surfactant/wetting agent at all? I find my FPJ foliar spray just beads up on some plants, is there something you could recommend? Thanks so much, your book is my new garden bible :)
This is a fascinating subject of study. One could spend a lifetime immersed in the intricacies of water and never be bored. See page 78 in the book for surfactant discussions. Use rain water if possible.
I got your book a month ago. It1s super interesting and will be my "bible" 😀 So, I grow microgreens and have tried out nettle juice when I sow. the result is rly good! 30-50 % better germination. And the yield too! Sunflower , peas and reddish seams to love it, but not brassicaes. It looks like the broccoli simply grow to fast and not get the time to mature, so they start decaying instead. Does that ake sense to you? I normally harvest those small greens after 9 days, but now they die beginning day 7?
Yes. You are an experimental gardener and learned that each plant is different requiring a different needs. There is no substitute for observation and experimentation. Suggest making a fermented plant juice of those broccoli greens and feed that FPJ to them in the future. Experimentation with the vinegar extractions will further diversify your tool box. Look forward to hearing of your additional successes!
Hi, I started my very first batch 5 days ago. After topping the plant material with sugar, I changed the jar, because the original one was only 1/4 full. I think, the sugar from the top ended up at the bottom of the new jar.... I covered the jar with some household paper and left it in a dark corner in the 30°C kitchen. Today I checked - there is a white mouldy layer on top - it smells slightly mouldy as well. Can I use the juice, or should I discard the whole thing? Or just top with sugar and wait a few more days? Would be grateful for advice!
Hi, I started my very first batch 5 days ago. After topping the plant material with sugar, I changed the jar, because the original one was only 1/4 full. I think, the sugar from the top ended up at the bottom of the new jar.... I covered the jar with some household paper and left it in a dark corner in the 30°C kitchen. Today I checked - there is a white mouldy layer on top - it smells slightly mouldy as well. Can I use the juice, or should I discard the whole thing? Or just top with sugar and wait a few more days? Would be grateful for advice!
I have not tried this. Could try a vinegar extraction as well. Suggest analyzing the results to see what you did if you do. Here is how. www.nigel-palmer.com/recipeanalysis
Hi Nigel! I've just bought your book and have started with the eggshell extraction. Now I would like to make a comfrey fermented extract but only have organic light brown sugar. Does it work, too? Thank you!
Hi Nigel, How long do you let it sit before you decanter? I am a vegan, are there other type of sugars you can use? For example, barley malt sugar. Thanks, Gaby
Plants, including weeds, gather minerals in different proportions than that which is in the soil. Weeds are natures mineral distribution system! As the minerals in the soil change so will the weeds. If you do not like the weeds growing somewhere add minerals to eliminate! For analysis of the mineral content of many ferments and extractions check out my web site, www.nigel-palmer.com/about-3 or my book Appendix E or D.r James Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical data base on line.
Any plant. The question then is what are the mineral proportions within the resulting FPJ. My book has an appendix with many analysis results. Check out the weeds that are growing in your garden and use those for making fpj. You can learn a lot about your soil by understanding the weeds that grow in it.
@@nigelpalmer3439 any recommendations on sources of info on additional weeds? I have tons of spurge in my yard, along with purslane, but didn't see either in the books appendix list.
I attempted to make fermented nettle juice but no juice formed. Is it just the leaves that should be used I.e. not the stems? Also is there any difference between using refined or unrefined brown sugar?
Hi Nigel, thanks for your video. I had came from Huw Richards channel and was actively looking for your channel. I have plenty of nettles in my garden but most of them have seeded and leaves are quite mature. Is it ok to use those or should I only use the tip of nettles that have not seeded(young leaves)? I made one batch just recently but had to squeeze the liquids out from the nettles. Much appreciated from the UK.
@@nigelpalmer3439 thanks will do! There isn't much juice(I think around 30ml) with just gravity even with 200g of nettles mixed with 170g brown sugar. Should I try putting more brown sugar to get more juice out? Thanks again!
@@louietsang1536 What temp is the ferment in? Might be too cold. For example, putting a ferment in the fridge would slow it down and putting in the freezer would stop it.
I made dandelion fpj and now I have a question about using it. Can I mix it with water the night before I spray and if so, how long can it be mixed with water before you use it?
Thanks for the information. When I went to use it, there's mold floating on top. I've been storing it in my garage in a glass jar with a lid. Is that normal? The temperature ranges from 40 at night to around 75 during the day.
@@christellewis1904 Depends on how much you have. Scrape off mold. Add more sugar or use it up and make some more. Apply to the entire ecosystem not just garden early in the morning when the birds are singing or earlier.
Hi Nigel, my first attempt at dandelion FPJ resulted in only a small amount of very runny medium brown liquid. I am in the U.K. and used Demerara sugar. I’m not sure where I went wrong. I harvested the dandelions whilst the dew was still on them and used flowers, stems and leaves which I chopped up (but not finely). Any ideas?
Nothing went wrong. That small amount of runny medium brown liquid is what you are after. It should smell something like miso. Remember, you will be diluting 1:1000 or 1:500. Make a larger batch next time.
Many have asked about using other forms of sugar for this recipe. Just like with baking the water content of the sugar is important to the fermentation process. It is suggested to use brown sugar, organic if possible, first to understand what is expected, and then experiment with other sugars.
Hi Nigel! Purchased your book here in the UK and have begun making the wonderful natural aids for our allotment, I’m making the FPJ but struggling to find organic brown sugar, any help please 😊
@@kristinamariaszalontaymlle974 The moisture content of the sugar has an effect. Using Org Brown Sug fist gives a base line with which to compare other sugars.
I do not mix plants when making FPJ for many reasons, but you can. Difficult to repeat, actual mineral content unclear, uses not intuitive. (FPJ of tomatoes will be good for tomatoes...)
Hello from Panama. Very interesting, hope someday get your book! Thanks for sharing this valuable information. What other plants can we use for this type of fermentations?
@@nigelpalmer3439 I don't know what chelsea gren is, I mean you tube videos, activate the subtitles to see them in Spanish. Thank you . the book is already translated into spanish ?? Thank you
I saw you on Huw Richards channel and was impressed. YT found this video for me! Great wisdom, thanks.
Great book. I have it. Yay
Yippee!
Also saw you on Huws channel, ordered your book today 😀- very interested in experimenting! In the part of Aust where I live we have sandy soils often deficient in calcium and some key micronutrients. Saw some much improved yields on tomatoes this past summer with cal/ pho’s foliar spray made from vinegar and toasted eggshells ... bring on the FPJ ! 👍
I also saw you on Huws Channel and bought your book ...great stuff so exciting thankyou
0:17
Blown away by your book. Its way more than the title suggests. The first section on models is an education in itself! Thank you!
If you like this discussion you may be interested in the online workshop. Check out my website for comments from others.
So glad I found this video! I just saw you on another channel talking about the nettles and he mentioned dandelions. My yard is full of them!
This is very useful, thank you.
👌👍👍Thanks, Nigel.
I also saw you on hews channel, so great , thank you
Love your work. Thank you.
Thank you!
Many have asked about using other forms of sugar for this recipe. Just like with baking the water content of the sugar is important to the fermentation process. It is suggested to use brown sugar, organic if possible, first to understand what is expected, and then experiment with other sugars.
Thank you! I ferment a lot of things & was thinking, "I bet the garden would benefit from ferments." Your book came in the mail and is exactly the missing piece I needed! I hand pull all weeds in our lawn, now I can do something with them! Can the soil digest the actual minerals in powder form? I make my own supplements so I have calcium citrate, magnesium citrate, etc.
@@RootsOfEden911 Yes
I have a bucket of nettles ready to go and what I have on hand is organic sugar and molasses. I figure if I mix a little molasses into the white sugar, I'll have brown sugar and it should work ok. (since that's how brown sugar is made)
Your book is on it's way but I can't wait to start fermenting...
@@SerialSpinner-ss Suggest skipping the molasses.
The last stage of fermentation is vinagre. It is the ions of the acid that reacts with the minerals of the plant. How about just adding white vinagre which is made from corn or just add corn meal. Remember. From sugar you get rum, and from corn you get whiskey both methanol. If my hypothesis is true, and the organic molasses adds little to the value of the final result, than your saving are evident. Just sayin.
The book is on the way, looks fantastic with all those mixtures described in one place. Your films adds additional value as we can see those mixtures preparation step by step. Warm greetings from Poland !
Thank you. I hope you enjoy the book!
@@nigelpalmer3439 oh yes. I've went though the ebook but paper will be easier to work with when making notes. I Hope more people will find out your work and the book as also Huwe Richards is recommendig your books
thank you
Just like 5 seconds ago I ordered your book. Got turned onto you by Huw.
Great. I hope you enjoy it!
Hello. Thanks for the videos. I only know of you from Hughs videos. We currently have 2 massive barrels of smelly water. Bought your book it arrived today so look forward to making different batches to suit the plants and not having stinky water around.
I followed the recipe in your book and made a comfrey feed that I gave to my winter squash half way through the summer. Wow, how they started spitting out fruit! I have a lot left in the bottle but it now smells acidic? Is it still good? Probably the bottle was not tightly enough closed and air got in... I rexommend anyone getting your excellent book!
Should still be good. Thank you.
Very interesting. I just bought your book and I'll be picking some nettles first thing in the morning. Excited to experiment and see the effects on my plants.
how did your experiment go, does it work
@@captaincook3693 Yes, it did very well. I've been trying the spray on vegetables and other plants. Peas responded well to it.
I saw you on the Huw Richards YT channel. I bought your book, a little more complex than I had anticipated but intend to stick with it. I enjoyed watching your video.
Thank you for your interest in these important ideas. Some times these ideas seem complex and then things just come together. I have a you tube channel that shows how to make some of these recipes and a website with classes and discussions that will help support understanding the books contents if interested. Stay with it. Nature provides simple solutions.
How do you know when it's done? Just wait one week, no matter what? The brown sugar I added to the top was gone in 8 hours. Thank you. I loved the book.
Yes, wait a week. The process is forgiving, but this will do as long as the container and contents are at "room" temperature.
I've been a home vegetable gardener for many years. Long ago I decided to my veggies in as simple a manner as possible. I simply add a couple of inches of compost to the surface of my garden at the end of every growing season.
If I did things like this, would I notice a significant improvement?
Yes!
I am an agronomic soil scientist. A word of caution about aqueous vegetative extracts "compost tea". First: the finish extract contains very little, if any, nutrient value in lab analysis. When compared to groups receiving an equal amount of water on the same schedule the two groups are indistinguishable. Secondly: these malto-lactic fermented solutions can be dangerous. E. coli, salmonella and even cholera have been incubated this way with deadly consequences in Korea and Taiwan. Compost does not have these issues and is generally recognized as safe and effective.
Thank you for your interest in these most important ideas.
Making fermented plant juice is a true fermentation and is safe. The mineral analysis of many fermented plant juices may be reviewed on my web site www.nigel-palmer.com/data as well as in appendix E of my book. Eighteen elements are evaluated, found to be present in plant-based proportions, and in forms that plants may use directly as foliar sprays or drenches.
The use of these amendments has profound effects based on the multitude of folks that have provided me feedback and my own experience.
It is unclear what specific processes you are referring to when you use the term “compost teas” so it is difficult to comment on the nutrient value or relative dangers.
Have been enjoying your videos since finding them just a few days ago. Will be ordering your book shortly but I'm curious regarding the Dandelion, you only used the greens... I use both medicinally and would think the root would be fantastic for this also. Any opinion or reasons why not?
Yes. I use greens and stalk for fermented plant juices. Roots require a stronger reaction like tincture or vinegar extractions. I have other recipes for this as well.
thanks
You're welcome!
Got your book and currently making FPJ from nettles. It has been fermenting for 3 days and is now growing beautiful while mold on the plant material. Is it still good to use?
Plant material should be below liquid. Use weight to keep material. See step 3 page 135.
Thank you @@nigelpalmer3439
I'm intrigued by this. I've been fermenting 4 gallon batches of dandelion weed tea that gets diluted at 1:10. The 1:500 or 1000 for this concentrate seems low, but if it works it works.
Leaf mold fermentation is an entirely different process than fermented plant juice. Each provides a different concentration of minerals, thus the different dilution rates. You can see the analysis of each of these processes either in appendix E of my book or on my website. www.nigel-palmer.com/data
Hi Nigel.
This is the second time I have started the FPJ and I am convinced that it is already having a positive effect on my entire garden. Are there plants that should not be fertilized with it? I've left out the blueberries so far. Is it advisable to press out the plant remains after draining them with a mortar or pestle to get more liquid? The leftovers are very wet.
Do not press out plant remains. You could soak in rain water and feed to plants or further extract with organic apple cider vinegar. All remains end on the compost pile.
Hello Nigel, I also ordered your book yesterday and I'm excited!!
Two questions;
Can I also use molasses (from sugar beet) instead of the brown sugar?
And what about crushing the greens a bit to make it easier for the juices to come out?
Thanks a bunch and keep up the good work! 🌱👍
Molasses has too much moisture for this process. Use organic brown sugar. No need to crush leaves.
@@nigelpalmer3439 thanks for the reply!
@@nigelpalmer3439 Looks like you're counting on the moisture already inherent in the plant material? I would love to do this with Stinging Nettle but at the moment only have access to dried plant material. Could I simply rehydrate it first or maybe this is a better time for molasses? I've been making an amendment with Black Strap Molasses which has.a good nutrient profile on it's own so wondering about using that instead of the sugar too.
Hi, forgive my ignorance but once the fluid is trained - do you just toss out the remainder of plant matter? What is the recommended disposal procedure of what is left behind?
Add remainder of plant material to the compost pile or use as a mulch under a perennial plant. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Hello, I'm making my first FPJ out of nettles and dandelions. The one with dandelions is doing fine, but in the one with nettles after 4 days of fermentation I can see some air pockets and some white mold. Should I throw it away and start over or can I use it once the fermentation finishes?
Plant material must be under liquid and not exposed to air. If not enough liquid start over.
I will hopefully buy your book. Would this be the only fertilizer you need for all your veggie plants?
Depends on many factors. It is not the only one I use.
I have no shortage of nettles and dandelions in the west of Ireland so here goes....
I don't see purslane on your weed list on the website. Since it has such a high mineral and nutrition content would it be worth a try? It sure is tenacious and prolific.
Absolutely. Great to eat in salad or make pesto with as well.
I made it according to directions. I am noticing some white mold floating in the top of my fpj. Do I just scoop it out or is it spoiled?
Still good. Scoop out, add more sugar. Use it.
Hello Nigel
I have just recently found your channel. It’s such a wealth of information! Approximately how long does it take to ferment dandelions?
one week
I fermented tomato leaves and when I went to decant the juice there is mold on top. Should I still use this, skim off the mold or toss it and start over?
Mold usually occurs because plant material is not submerged under liquid. Use a glass of water to keep submerged. Push under to kill unwanted biology and keep going.
I made some FPJ of comfrey and it ended up being very thick. Not quite molasses thick, but close. Is it supposed to be like that?
It may be. Try it and see if your plants like it.
Hi Nigel. We have an abundance of both stinging nettle and ranunculus repens (creeping buttercup) on the land we steward. I plan to use the nettle for fermented plant juice, but I was wondering if we could use the latter as well. We have so much of it and I'm not sure what to do with it since it strangles out so many other plants. I'd rather not just chuck it out. Do you know of any use for it? Any way of redistributing the nutrients? Thank you for any help.
Why has nature grown this weed on the land? Suggest making ranunculus repens fermented plant juice and analyzing the liquid to learn what minerals are actually in it. It may be what is needed.
(Analysis link - www.nigel-palmer.com/recipeanalysis)
Then redistribute nutrients by diluting and watering.
Have statistically significant experiments been done with controls to show that a 1000:1 or 500:1 dilution is potent enough?
None that I am aware of. The tools and processes to do so are defined in the book. I would help discuss and clarify these steps with you if interested. Many people report that the results are obvious.
I made the nettle extract last week. Now wondering is it ok to mix different plants together, I collected dock, comfrey and nettles this morning, I may as well try it anyway as I'm not very fussy about the exact composition? (I should have asked the question yesterday).
Plants may not be fussy about this either? Making individual plant juices for analysis and storage gives an opportunity to define mineral concentrations to influence plant phase growth (flowering/fruit fill) or facilitate photosynthesis efficiency. See appendix E of book.
Hello Nigel, do you have the book translated into Spanish?
Please ask my publisher Chelsea Green!
Could these ferments and extractions be used in hydroponics?
Yes.
Hi Nigel, thanks for the great info! I just saw your video on Huw's channel. I'm very interested in the book! Do you have the mineral composition for Tansy as a fpj? We have an abundance of it growing and would love to put it to better use.
No I do not, but if you make some you could submit for analysis and add it to the database we are putting together to share with the world!
Thanx for the video
Wondering if this will work with seaweed ?
Of course! Any plant material may be fermented and used. Analysis of the resulting material can be very revealing. Seaweed taken directly from the sea may have a lot more than just seaweed in it and may be better used as a mulch or extracted using vinegar depending what it actual has in it.
@@nigelpalmer3439
Thanx for your taking time to reply to my question
I have a lot of stinging nettle and horehound growing in my backyard
Keen to try these also
Use seaweed as mulch around my fruit trees and add it as long term compost when invigorating my garden beds
sir, is this brown sugar is normal sugar found in any super market, i m in uk. so can i find it in tesco , asda etc
yes
very interesting, what happens if you don't reduce the concentration in the liquid? Have you experimented with this in terms of impact on the plants?
No. Very strong. Not recommended.
I wonder. Can you use nettles that have flowers? or do the plant need to be young? (got your book a little late for this summer 🙂 )
Yes. The constituents in the resulting FPJ will probably be different. I include the date of fermentation on the label so that I can differentiate effects.
Would you recommend using a surfactant/wetting agent at all? I find my FPJ foliar spray just beads up on some plants, is there something you could recommend? Thanks so much, your book is my new garden bible :)
This is a fascinating subject of study. One could spend a lifetime immersed in the intricacies of water and never be bored. See page 78 in the book for surfactant discussions. Use rain water if possible.
I got your book a month ago. It1s super interesting and will be my "bible" 😀
So, I grow microgreens and have tried out nettle juice when I sow. the result is rly good! 30-50 % better germination. And the yield too! Sunflower , peas and reddish seams to love it, but not brassicaes. It looks like the broccoli simply grow to fast and not get the time to mature, so they start decaying instead. Does that ake sense to you? I normally harvest those small greens after 9 days, but now they die beginning day 7?
Yes. You are an experimental gardener and learned that each plant is different requiring a different needs. There is no substitute for observation and experimentation. Suggest making a fermented plant juice of those broccoli greens and feed that FPJ to them in the future. Experimentation with the vinegar extractions will further diversify your tool box. Look forward to hearing of your additional successes!
@@nigelpalmer3439 oh! Of cause😎 I will make fpj of broccoli😎
Egg shell vingra is on day 5 and oysters is collected. Work to do! Funny🌱
Hi, I started my very first batch 5 days ago. After topping the plant material with sugar, I changed the jar, because the original one was only 1/4 full. I think, the sugar from the top ended up at the bottom of the new jar.... I covered the jar with some household paper and left it in a dark corner in the 30°C kitchen.
Today I checked - there is a white mouldy layer on top - it smells slightly mouldy as well.
Can I use the juice, or should I discard the whole thing? Or just top with sugar and wait a few more days?
Would be grateful for advice!
Hi, I started my very first batch 5 days ago. After topping the plant material with sugar, I changed the jar, because the original one was only 1/4 full. I think, the sugar from the top ended up at the bottom of the new jar.... I covered the jar with some household paper and left it in a dark corner in the 30°C kitchen.
Today I checked - there is a white mouldy layer on top - it smells slightly mouldy as well.
Can I use the juice, or should I discard the whole thing? Or just top with sugar and wait a few more days?
Would be grateful for advice!
The white moldy layer on top is from the plant material being exposed to air. Scrape of the mold, decant and use as explained.
@@nigelpalmer3439 Done! Thanks a lot for replying!
Would this work with seaweed? Adding same ratio of sugar? Thanks
I have not tried this. Could try a vinegar extraction as well. Suggest analyzing the results to see what you did if you do. Here is how. www.nigel-palmer.com/recipeanalysis
Hi Nigel! I have made Comfrey FPJ, and it has grown some round green mould spots. Could you help me with where I have gone wrong?
Thank you ☺️
Mold usually occurs because material is nut under liquid. Must have all material under the liquid. Use a glass of water as a weight.
Hi Nigel, will this process work with carrot tops, to then use as a liquid feed on carrots?
Yes. Analysis of carrot top FPJ in appendix E, page 186 of book. An excellent amendment.
@@nigelpalmer3439
Thanks Nigel!
Hi Nigel! I've just bought your book and have started with the eggshell extraction. Now I would like to make a comfrey fermented extract but only have organic light brown sugar. Does it work, too? Thank you!
The type of sugar used is important. I have not tried light brown, but the difference between light brown and brown may be inconsequential.
Hi Nigel, How long do you let it sit before you decanter? I am a vegan, are there other type of sugars you can use? For example, barley malt sugar. Thanks, Gaby
Moisture content in the sugar makes a difference. Try brown sugar first so you know what to expect then experiment.
What exact minerals are in the extractions and doesn’t the soil the weeds are growing in determine their mineral content as well?
Plants, including weeds, gather minerals in different proportions than that which is in the soil. Weeds are natures mineral distribution system! As the minerals in the soil change so will the weeds. If you do not like the weeds growing somewhere add minerals to eliminate!
For analysis of the mineral content of many ferments and extractions check out my web site, www.nigel-palmer.com/about-3 or my book Appendix E or D.r James Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical data base on line.
What other plants besides dandelions and nettles can you make fermented plant juice from?
Any plant. The question then is what are the mineral proportions within the resulting FPJ. My book has an appendix with many analysis results. Check out the weeds that are growing in your garden and use those for making fpj. You can learn a lot about your soil by understanding the weeds that grow in it.
@@nigelpalmer3439 any recommendations on sources of info on additional weeds? I have tons of spurge in my yard, along with purslane, but didn't see either in the books appendix list.
@@nhart9043 Purslane is excellent to eat of ferment. Check out James Duke database. See reference in book.
Hi… what about for us humans, can we also take some drops of it? Of corse the dandelion will be washed at the beginning of the process…
Never wash the plants prior to making fpj.
I attempted to make fermented nettle juice but no juice formed. Is it just the leaves that should be used I.e. not the stems? Also is there any difference between using refined or unrefined brown sugar?
Yes. See pages 134 through 139. Picking plants in the morning with the early morning dew on the leaves is important.
Hi Nigel, thanks for your video. I had came from Huw Richards channel and was actively looking for your channel.
I have plenty of nettles in my garden but most of them have seeded and leaves are quite mature. Is it ok to use those or should I only use the tip of nettles that have not seeded(young leaves)?
I made one batch just recently but had to squeeze the liquids out from the nettles.
Much appreciated from the UK.
Using mature nettle to make fpj is a great idea
@@nigelpalmer3439 is it a good idea to squeeze all the liquid out from the fermented nettles?
@@louietsang1536 No, do not squeeze.Gravity only.
@@nigelpalmer3439 thanks will do!
There isn't much juice(I think around 30ml) with just gravity even with 200g of nettles mixed with 170g brown sugar. Should I try putting more brown sugar to get more juice out?
Thanks again!
@@louietsang1536 What temp is the ferment in? Might be too cold. For example, putting a ferment in the fridge would slow it down and putting in the freezer would stop it.
I made dandelion fpj and now I have a question about using it. Can I mix it with water the night before I spray and if so, how long can it be mixed with water before you use it?
The night before is fine. It may get funky after a couple days depending on many factors including temperature and process variation.
Thanks for the information. When I went to use it, there's mold floating on top. I've been storing it in my garage in a glass jar with a lid. Is that normal? The temperature ranges from 40 at night to around 75 during the day.
@@christellewis1904 Depends on how much you have. Scrape off mold. Add more sugar or use it up and make some more. Apply to the entire ecosystem not just garden early in the morning when the birds are singing or earlier.
what are the benefits of using this jucie in your garden?
Mineral proportions in plant available forms. See analysis of many. www.nigel-palmer.com/data
❤❤❤❤
Thanks! I wonder if raw honey could be used instead of the sugar? Since I’m a beekeeper, honey is more accesable for me...
The moisture content of the sugar matters, think about baking. I don't think honey would work because of its high moisture content.
@@nigelpalmer3439 Thanks, Nigel! Yes, the moisture content (~18%) in honey is definitely higher than in sugar. Maybe I will give it a try anyway...
@@andrejsbriedis4521 Did it work?
How long did you have to wait until you decanted it?
7 days
@@nigelpalmer3439 Thank you!
Hi Nigel, my first attempt at dandelion FPJ resulted in only a small amount of very runny medium brown liquid. I am in the U.K. and used Demerara sugar. I’m not sure where I went wrong. I harvested the dandelions whilst the dew was still on them and used flowers, stems and leaves which I chopped up (but not finely). Any ideas?
Nothing went wrong. That small amount of runny medium brown liquid is what you are after. It should smell something like miso. Remember, you will be diluting 1:1000 or 1:500. Make a larger batch next time.
@@nigelpalmer3439 Thank you! I was under the impression the liquid should have been darker and thicker.
can you use white sugar?
Many have asked about using other forms of sugar for this recipe. Just like with baking the water content of the sugar is important to the fermentation process. It is suggested to use brown sugar, organic if possible, first to understand what is expected, and then experiment with other sugars.
did you add any liquid after you added the top layer of sugar?
no
Can I use hemp leaves instead off nettle?
Of course! Any plant material may be fermented and used. Analysis of the resulting material can be very revealing.
What is this used for ad how do you take it?
Many uses. Feeding the soil biology feeds the plants which feeds ourselves!
Hi Nigel!
Purchased your book here in the UK and have begun making the wonderful natural aids for our allotment, I’m making the FPJ but struggling to find organic brown sugar, any help please 😊
Use what you can find and then keep looking. Brown sugar at least.
@@nigelpalmer3439 Will it not work with organic cane sur? 🤔
@@kristinamariaszalontaymlle974 The moisture content of the sugar has an effect. Using Org Brown Sug fist gives a base line with which to compare other sugars.
@@nigelpalmer3439 I was unable to purchase it, where I live, so I've tried making a batch with the organic cane sugar.
hi
i want to clarify about dilution. Is it 1ml for 500 ml water?
That would be 1:500, a good place to start.
can one use a mixture of plants?
I do not mix plants when making FPJ for many reasons, but you can. Difficult to repeat, actual mineral content unclear, uses not intuitive. (FPJ of tomatoes will be good for tomatoes...)
@@nigelpalmer3439 thank you very much for the reply.
Can this be done with comfrey, why did you use dandelions?
Any plant. Use what you have. Consider submitting amendment results for analysis. See website for more information.
Hello from Panama. Very interesting, hope someday get your book! Thanks for sharing this valuable information. What other plants can we use for this type of fermentations?
Any plant!
Can humans consume FPJ made with nettles?
I prefer to make a tea or include it in soups, casseroles or sautes and dehydrate it for use out of season.
We just cook nettles like spinach. They are delicious.
Tried some of your concoctions. My young cannabis plants are not happy. I believe the ph is all messed up. Flushing now
What did you do?
Pon subtítulos en español por favor .gracias
Please request from Chelsea Green.
@@nigelpalmer3439 I don't know what chelsea gren is, I mean you tube videos, activate the subtitles to see them in Spanish. Thank you . the book is already translated into spanish ?? Thank you
@@tonipm8090 Got it. I will try and do this.
@@nigelpalmer3439 Thank you
thank you