Jeevamrutham is an organic soil fertilizer and plant growth booster. It is used to improve soil fertility and microbial activities in soil.It is made by mixing cow dung, cow urine (of native cows) along with a few other ingredients and fermenting them.
List of ingredients
Cow dung : 10 kgs
Cow Urine : 7 litres
Jaggery : 1 kg
Flour (Bengal gram/ Green gram/ Black gram. For better results, make flour out of sprouted gram) – 1 kg
Soil free from chemical fertilizer and pesticide : handful
Water : 200 litres
Preparation
Take a big plastic barrel and fill it with cow dung, cow urine, jaggery, flour and soil. Mix them well. Cover the barrel with a sack. Using a piece of log, stir in clockwise direction daily. Since it is under fermentation, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ammonia and methane are produced. The sack allows these gases to escape. It will be ready to use in 2 days if it is summer, or 3 days in winter. The jeevamrutham thus produced should be used up in 5 days.
Usage
Jeevamrutham is a store house of microbes. Do not pour it into the roots. Instead, pour this mix into the shade of the plant at 12 pm when the sun is out. Mulchingthe ground where jeevamrutham has been added is compulsory. This retains the moisture in the soil. It also increases microbial activities in the soil.
Benefits
Jeevamrutham hastens the natural functions of the soil, there by increasing the growth rate of plants and their yield. Earthworm, inevitable to the fertility of soil moves up towards the top as a result of this. The elements in the excreta of earth worm are broken down into molecular form by the microbes in the jeevamrutham, so that, they can be easily absorbed by the roots. These microbes disintegrate wastes in the soil, there by making the soil more fertile. The upward and downward movement of the worms loosens up the soil. This creates a positive environment for the growth of the plants. It also helps plants to absorb nutrients from the soil.