Natural Inputs Guide

What it does: A liquid extract of finished compost, brewed by steeping compost in water. Teeming with bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, it delivers a living inoculation of beneficial microbes directly to roots or foliage.

How to use: Fill a bucket one-third with finished compost, top up with unchlorinated water, and leave for 24–48 hours, stirring occasionally. Dilute 1:5 with water and apply as a soil drench or foliar spray. As a foliar spray it builds disease resistance, particularly against powdery mildew, early blight, and botrytis.

What it does: The most complete natural fertiliser available. Worm castings contain immediately plant-available nutrients, beneficial microbes, growth hormones, and enzymes - without the risk of burning roots that synthetic fertilisers carry.

How to use: Work a handful into each planting hole at transplanting time, or top-dress around established plants and water in. For worm casting tea, steep a cup of castings in a bucket of water overnight and apply as a soil drench. Even a small amount makes a measurable difference.

What it does: A potent liquid feed made by steeping high-mineral plants - particularly comfrey, nettle, or dandelion - in water. Comfrey is extraordinarily rich in potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus; nettle adds iron and silica; dandelion contributes calcium and copper. This is essentially a free, homemade fertiliser of remarkable quality.

How to use: Pack leaves into a bucket, weigh them down with a stone, cover with water. Leave for 2–4 weeks, stirring every few days. The brew will smell strongly - this is normal and a sign it is working. Dilute 1:10 with water before applying. Use during fruiting and flowering when potassium demand is highest.

What it does: Finished compost used as a surface mulch rather than dug in. On the surface it feeds soil biology through slow leaching, suppresses weeds, regulates soil temperature, retains moisture, and builds organic matter over time as earthworms pull it down. This is how nutrients move in a forest - from above, slowly.

How to use: Apply 2–3 inches across the soil surface in autumn or early spring, keeping it a few centimetres away from plant stems. Repeat annually. No digging needed - let earthworms do the incorporation. Over years, this practice alone transforms soil structure fundamentally.

What it does: Partially decomposed autumn leaves, inoculated with fungal communities. Unlike compost, leaf mould is low in nutrients but extraordinarily rich in fungal mycelium and soil-improving organic matter. It dramatically improves water retention in sandy soils and drainage in clay, and feeds mycorrhizal networks that support plant root health.

How to use: Rake autumn leaves into wire cages or black bin bags with a few holes, and leave for 12–24 months. The result is a dark, crumbly, slightly earthy-smelling material. Use as a mulch, mix into potting compost, or incorporate around perennials and fruit trees where fungal communities matter most.

What it does: A foliar feed and root drench rich in trace minerals, cytokinins (growth hormones), and alginates that improve soil structure. Seaweed does not provide significant nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium - its strength is in the micronutrients and biological stimulants that strengthen cell walls, improve stress tolerance, and enhance disease resistance.

How to use: Use a commercial liquid seaweed extract diluted per packet instructions, or steep fresh or dried seaweed in water for 2 weeks. Apply as a foliar spray every 3–4 weeks through the growing season, or as a soil drench at transplanting to support root establishment. Particularly valuable in seedling stages and during periods of heat or drought stress.

What it does: A fine white clay mineral that coats plant surfaces with a thin, white film. Insects dislike the sticky, abrasive texture and the visual disruption the coating causes, reducing egg-laying and feeding. It washes off in rain and is completely non-toxic to all organisms.

How to use: Mix kaolin clay powder in water per packet instructions and spray thoroughly over foliage, fruit, and stems. Reapply after rain. Particularly effective against apple maggot, codling moth, squash vine borer, flea beetle, and leafhoppers. Apply before pest pressure rather than after - it is primarily preventive.

What it does: A plant-derived oil extracted from neem seeds that disrupts insect hormone systems and acts as an antifeedant and growth regulator. It also has antifungal properties effective against powdery mildew and early blight. It degrades quickly in sunlight, leaving no persistent residue.

How to use: Mix per packet instructions (typically with a small amount of liquid soap as an emulsifier) and apply as a foliar spray every 7–10 days preventively, or every 5–7 days when managing an active problem. Spray thoroughly, including the undersides of leaves where pests hide.

⚠ Apply at dusk only. Neem oil is harmful to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects when wet. Applying after pollinators have finished foraging for the day means the oil dries before they become active the following morning.

What it does: The fossilised shells of microscopic algae, ground to a powder of microscopic razor edges. When insects cross it, it damages their exoskeletons and they dehydrate. It is mechanical, not chemical - insects cannot develop resistance to it.

How to use: Apply as a dry powder in a narrow band around the base of individual plants rather than broadcasting across the bed. Reapply after rain. Food-grade DE is safe for humans and animals but use a dust mask when applying.

⚠ Diatomaceous earth harms all insects, including ground beetles, beneficial ground-dwelling insects, and earthworms at the soil surface. Use as a targeted barrier only - never scatter it broadly across beds or on flowers where beneficial insects forage.

What it does: A naturally occurring soil bacterium that produces proteins toxic specifically to caterpillar larvae (Bt var. kurstaki) or fungus gnat larvae (Bt var. israelensis). It is highly target-specific and completely harmless to bees, predatory insects, earthworms, birds, and mammals.

How to use: Apply as a spray to foliage when caterpillar larvae are small and actively feeding. Bt is consumed as caterpillars eat and stops feeding within hours. It degrades in UV light within days, leaving no residue. Reapply every 5–7 days while pest pressure continues, as Bt only works on larvae that ingest it.

What it does: Microscopic roundworms that are parasites of soil-dwelling insect larvae - including vine weevil, leather jackets, cutworms, Japanese beetle grubs, and fungus gnat larvae. They seek out and kill larvae in the soil without affecting plants, earthworms, pets, or people.

How to use: Mix nematode concentrate with water per packet instructions and water into moist soil when temperatures are between 10–25°C (50–77°F). Apply in the evening or on an overcast day as nematodes are sensitive to UV light. Water well before and after applying. A single application protects for up to 6 weeks.

What it does: A water-based extract of raw garlic cloves used as a broad-spectrum pest deterrent. The sulphur compounds in garlic are repellent to aphids, spider mites, and many other soft-bodied insects. It is not toxic - it disrupts their ability to locate host plants.

How to use: Blend several garlic cloves with a litre of water, strain through cloth, and spray directly on affected foliage. Reapply every 5–7 days or after rain. For a more concentrated extract, steep crushed cloves in water overnight before straining. Safe to apply any time of day as it does not harm pollinators.

What it does: A broad-spectrum contact fungicide effective against fungal and bacterial diseases including peach leaf curl, blight, downy mildew, and bacterial canker. Copper disrupts the cellular processes of fungal and bacterial pathogens on contact.

How to use: Apply as a preventive spray in autumn and late winter for dormant diseases like peach leaf curl. Follow packet instructions for dilution. Fixed copper formulations are more stable and less likely to cause phytotoxicity than Bordeaux mixture in wet conditions.

⚠ Use sparingly and only when necessary. Copper is a heavy metal that accumulates in soil with repeated use and can harm earthworms, soil bacteria, and soil biology at high concentrations. Do not apply as a routine spray - reserve it for specific diseases where no other effective approach exists.

What it does: A naturally occurring mineral with antifungal and acaricidal (mite-killing) properties. Effective against powdery mildew, rust, and spider mites when conditions are appropriate. It works through direct contact and fumigant action at the leaf surface.

How to use: Apply as a dust or wettable powder spray when temperatures are between 10–32°C (50–90°F). Avoid applying in extreme heat - sulphur can cause leaf burn above 32°C. Effective as both a preventive and early-stage curative for powdery mildew. Use when pollinators are not active if spraying flowering plants.

⚠ Do not apply within 2 weeks of an oil spray (neem oil, horticultural oil) - the combination can cause severe phytotoxicity. Always observe the interval between oil and sulphur applications.