Stinky water in water butts

On the subject of stinky water butts, my allotment neighbour has a sack of comfrey leaves hanging in his water butt to make a comfrey fertiliser solution. I filled a couple of milk bottles with them today by dunking them in. That comfrey brew really, really stunk. I had to wash my hand half a dozen times in hand wash, washing up liquid and finally a weak bleach solution to get the smell off my hand.
 
Mottie said:
On the subject of stinky water butts, my allotment neighbour has a sack of comfrey leaves hanging in his water butt to make a comfrey fertiliser solution. I filled a couple of milk bottles with them today by dunking them in. That comfrey brew really, really stunk. I had to wash my hand half a dozen times in hand wash, washing up liquid and finally a weak bleach solution to get the smell off my hand.
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I've got a 200l drum I use for comfrey fertiliser.
I've never been inside a cow's arsehole, but I imagine the smell is similar.
Great plant feed though.


I don't go near it without pvc gauntlets, overalls, wellies etc.
 
opps said:
Having done some research...

It looks like Potassium permanganate will help, but yeah they both need to be cleaned first.

Other sources recommend dropping in some charcoal first.

It has also been suggested that a pair of tights will help to reduce the risk of crud entering.
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Well, first you'd have to get your missus to hand 'em over...



...and even then they wouldn't last long i'd say.
 
scbk said:
I've got a 200l drum I use for comfrey fertiliser.
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We've just started using it this season. Do you water it down, use it neat or anything in-between? Currently, I’m just putting roughly half a cupful in a 10 litre watering can.
 
I water it down, very roughly, slosh a bit in a watering can, maybe it's 5:1, who knows.

I'm sure if you read up on it they would say I'm doing it far too strong, but I've not killed anything with it yet. Probably safer doing it when the ground is damp anyway (after rain), or just before it rains.



Urine is a good fertiliser too, high nitrogen, that needs watered down due to salt content.

Comfrey is more balanced so better for plants with fruit
 
I rinsed my water butts out a couple if weeks ago whilst the levels were low. Stinking water with an inch of rotting leaves at the bottom. Washed them out, drop of jeyes fluid, rinse and now all sweet.

I have fitted a section of gutter brush across the down pipe to stop leaves getting in.
 
Old tights work really well to filter out gunk going in - they'll need checking and cleaning every few months, but in my experience, will last for years.
If it smells bad when you take the lid off, there is a simple solution....

...don't take the lid off!
 
Sure I'd been told by one of the old timers, water to comfrey feed is 50:1.

I'll be honest, I put a glug in the watering can, top up with water, and feed once a week, but only when tommies are fruiting.

Only plant it where you want it, as it takes over, leave a bit of root in and before long it's everywhere.
 
Local farmer often spreads very smelly stuff on his land - guess he knows what's what.
 
scbk said:
I've got a 200l drum I use for comfrey fertiliser.
I've never been inside a cow's arsehole, but I imagine the smell is similar.
Great plant feed though.


I don't go near it without pvc gauntlets, overalls, wellies etc.
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Just looked it up on the net. Apparently it can get into your body through cuts in your skin. Highly likely to cause liver failure and is believed to be a carcinogen. Yikes - I dipped my hand in it yesterday. :eek:
 
opps said:
It looks like Potassium permanganate will help, but yeah they both need to be cleaned first.
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You collect the water to save money, then spend even more money on loads of chemicals. Is this some kind of cabal ploy? Feels like it. I would uninstall the tank and be happy.
 
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