This tea is definitely NOT for human consumption but your plants and seedlings will absolutely love it.
I’m talking about a liquid fertiliser made from alpaca manure and often referred to as alpaca tea due to its murky, tea like appearance. Alpaca tea can also be made by dunking/soaking hessian sacks of alpaca beans (poo) into tubs of water however, I much prefer to add the beans to a large tub of water and let it ferment for roughly 3 – 4 weeks.
So, how do you go about making this amazing natural product?
Well firstly, the alpacas help a lot and that goes beyond just producing said poo. Unlike sheep and cattle, alpacas tend to create poo piles making it super easy to collect. I just use an old pickle drum and quarter fill it with raw manure then top fill with water and secure the lid. I stir daily with a broom handle for the first week and then twice weekly for another two to three weeks. Once brewed, I use a sieve to strain the liquid in to one or two large containers before transferring to 1 litre bottles and 20 litre bulk containers. Then it’s pretty much ready to use but don’t forget about the slurry which can be added directly to your garden or your compost pile.
Why alpaca tea and how do you use it?
Alpaca poo is rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous but is gentle enough to be used directly on plants and seedlings without burning them. The alpaca tea is diluted to 1 part tea / 8 parts water meaning you effectively get 9 litres of fertiliser for each 1 litre bottle you buy. How’s that for value for money!!
What’s in it for us?
Importantly for us, it’s all about how can we turn our little farm, one which is way too small for commercial cropping, in to a sustainable, environmentally friendly venture. Recycling alpaca poo and turning it in to a highly nutritious liquid fertiliser is another baby step towards that goal….and it tidies up the paddocks!!
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