Well, it's not exactly liquid nitrogen.....more commonly referred to as compost tea or manure or compost extract and it can be created from any composted manure or directly from rabbit or llama manure. Other manures should be composted or aged well before using to destroy pathogens and reduce the potential for nitrogen burn. As with any composted substance, it will contain a range of plant nutrients - rabbit and llama manures tend to have higher nitrogen levels than most with less ammonium. The proportions are not terrifically important nor is the length of time it steeps. What you are looking for a is dark colored liquid - essentally a water soluble fertilizer. Avoid steeping so long that an unpleasant aroma develops. This is indicative of an anaerobic situation, which can encourage the development of harmful bacterial properties. Here is a link that might be useful: compost or manure extracts

I remember finding a recipe on rose forum...Lets me see if I can find it now.. Here is one post I kept: Angela, I do what Pete does, just put a cup or so of alfalfa pellets under the mulch and close in to the base of the plant, and then soak with a little water. But, to get to your question, a good recipe to start off with is probably the original recipe for alfalfa tea, as described by Howard Walters, the Rosarian Rambler, in an ARS article: "Alfalfa tea is a great spring or fall potion that doesn't interfere with normal seasonal processes. Alfalfa tea releases a growth hormone that makes everything work better. Just add 10 to 12 cups of alfalfa meal or pellets to a 32-gallon plastic garbage can (with a lid), add water, stir and steep for four or five days, stirring occasionally. You may also "fortify" with 2 cups of Epsom salts, 1/2 cup of Sequestrene® (chelated iron, now called Sprint 330) or your favorite trace element elixir. The tea will start to smell in about three days. Keep the lid ON. Use about a gallon of mix on large rose bushes, 1/3 that much on mini's. And keep the water going. When you get to the bottom of the barrel, add water to fill it up again! One load of meal or pellets will brew up two barrels full, but add more fortifiers for the second barrel. You'll see greener growth and stronger stems within a week." I stir the "witch brew" almost every day...Keep it or 3-7 days, and then water everything with it- other plants besides roses will appreciate the "potion". Gardeners from upnorth recommend using it a few times a year, but I use it here a lot more often. I like to put a trashcan out in the rain, so it gets filled up. Then, add the pellets and wait for it to brew. Hope it helps :) Olya

I should know more then I do considering my age and career. That being said, there are several plant growth regulators, Auxins are the ones we are most interested in for rooting. A partial list would be Indole Acetic Acid IAA, Indole Butyric Acid IBA, Naphthaleneacetamide. They are as different from nutrients as birth control pills are from a Big Mac. The decision of what to go with from a manufacturer and user standpoint is not easy. Part of the problem stems from EPA clasifications and the nature of the hormone. Some are close relatives of things like 2-4-D, right, agent orange. As such some got classified as herbicides by the EPA and required the manufacturer to jump through a few more hoops. Certainly cost is another consideration and there is about a 10 fold difference in price for some of the compounds. The fact some act like herbicides should give you an idea of how potent they are. That is why you see people exchanging so much info about the strength to use. The strength you need to root a table leg will probably kill a daisy. Likewise using the strength you need for a daisy on a table leg will probably not have much effect. Some advantages you should know are things like stability. IAA is reported in the literature to be less stable then IBA. Great if you can keep things dry and out of the sunlight, bad if you want to keep a jug of prepared dip on the shelf. Likewise there is a certain style to the application as you have noticed. People have studied everything from long soaks in dilute solutions to quick dips in concentrated solutions to powders like Rootone. If you are using a propagation chamber with constant misting, the dilute stuff will probably wash off so you may want to go for high concentrations and a quick dip. If you are sticking something in the ground or a pot, powders and gels may be the way you want to go. The other variable with rooting compounds that was mentioned is IMHO one of the most important: The addition of a fungicide. I think someone here has said they find fungicide to be more important then the Auxin or concentration used. Some manufacturers even add things like Vitamin B-1. I personally do not have enough experience with things beyond Auxins and antifungals to comment on other nutrients. I know you want to stay away from anything that contains urea as a source of nitrogen when rooting! Simple is best. If you are rooting something like a Creeping Charlie or Spider Plant, just use water. If you are trying to root something tough that takes months to root and rots if you look at it crosseyed, then go for the big guns. The only exception to this may be a cutting that would be hard to replace. i.e. You got a single cutting from Grandma's apple tree just before the bulldozers leveled the farm to put in condos. If Grandma is still alive and hasn't sold off the farm, just wait until she prunes the tree and get 100 cuttings. Rick

Yes - I take it. I am Cdn. - I take one 100 mg Prometrium pill a day, plus one pump of Estrogel (the instructions on the pamphlet read 2 pumps but my doctor said just one). I have been on it for nearly 3 years - I didn't hit meno until age 57. There were no health considerations that would have affected my decision to take HRT - and in fact I take it because I was born with extremely dry skin so at 60 it sure hasn't gotten any better and the HRT really helps with this. I am just happy that I am able to take it - I am allergic to so many meds that HRT is all I take. I have very high body acid and do not sweat - the words "hot flash" do not apply - and I do not sweat - not even with the heat we had this summer. I can tell you though that the ability to take an anti-histamine, decongestant, sleeping aid - anything - would be preferable to me. I am one of those that wakes up in the operating room - and also locals wear off in 5 minutes. Procedures themselves do not scare me - it is the waking up part that does - or no freezing. So I will continue with my HRT until I am told otherwise.