compost tea

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by digging, Apr 3, 2007.

  1. digging

    digging Junior Member

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    Greeting friends!

    I sure you've all talked about this in the past but I'm new to it so I thought others might be also! This subject was mentioned in a different post, so I though to just start a new one! I would love to hear from anyone who is using teas and know what they have found!


    What ingredients can be used?

    Most organic materials can be used to make tea. Teas
    made from animal manures are preferred for some applications
    but other teas also work. We still have a lot to learn
    about ways to brew tea. Some of the materials mentioned
    often are:

    animal manure fish emulsion kitchen scraps
    molasses citrus rinds grass clippings
    kelp comfry leaves weeds
    compost mushroom compost nettles
    seaweed worm castings urine
    cider vinegar straw animal bedding

    How is compost tea made?

    Quick tea can be made by mixing one gallon of finished
    compost with 5 gallons of water and letting sit for 10
    to 14 days. The ideal temperature for this is somewhere
    over 50 degrees. Probably temperatures of 80 degrees would
    reduce the time and increase the fermentation.

    Commercial tea production usually requires a tank with
    attached bubbler and enough heat to keep the mixture at
    around 70 degrees. This method requires 2-3 days.

    Home brew systems can be much simpler. Any tank
    can be filled with water and a started mixture
    added along with organic matter. In some cases it
    is enough to just dump in organic matter and let
    nature takes its course. This can take months.

    A very simple biodigester can be made from two garbage
    cans and works well for small urban sites. It provides
    both compost and tea. This is described at the
    Cornell composting site (see references).

    What are some common recipes?

    Simple Tea: 1. place aged compost in cloth bag and soak
    in tub with 5 parts water. After 2 or more
    weeks remove the bag.

    2. Mix 2 tbls molasses, 2 tbls seaweed extract,
    1 tbls apple cider, 1 gallon of water. Ferment
    for awhile.

    3. In late spring fill a barrel with comfry or nettles,
    or other greens. Place barrel in warm spot and
    wait till well aged and stinks. Strain and use
    liquid.

    4. Fill tub with 5 parts water to one part urine.
    let it age for two weeks in warm spot or use
    immediately.

    Complex tea: 1. Obtain a fish tank bubbler and method to keep
    tea container at around 70 degrees. Mix 5 parts
    water with 1 part compost, 4 oz of molasses, and
    kelp extract. Ferment and bubble for about 2
    days. Strain and spray on trees and plants.

    Digging
     
  2. digging

    digging Junior Member

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    Here's another interesting clip

    In fact, compost tea has also been demonstrated to have disease-reducing properties in plants. Compost tea is made by soaking mature (but not overly-mature) compost in water for three to twelve days. The tea is then filtered and sprayed on plants undiluted, thereby coating the leaves with live bacteria colonies. When sprayed on red pine seedlings, for example, blight was significantly reduced in severity.(82) Powdery mildew (Uncinula necator) on grapes was very successfully suppressed by compost tea made from cattle manure compost.(83) “Compost teas can be sprayed on crops to coat leaf surfaces and actually occupy the infection sites that could be colonized by disease pathogens,” states one researcher, who adds, “There are a limited number of places on a plant that a disease pathogen can infect, and if those spaces are occupied by beneficial bacteria and fungi, the crop will be resistant to infection.” (84)

    Digging
     
  3. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    digging,

    nothing is set in cement when making compost tea's.

    use all and anything that is available, because i used to have a lot of comfry available i have used that on occassions and i use the stir it everytime you walk past it method, no good for those that a bit of a pong might upset.

    at one permaculture show i went to one of their speakers was talking about cane toads and how to catch and control them then it got around to waht to do with the by then dead toad, one of his sugestions was that they made good compost tea, definately suggest an aerator going at all times for that one.

    using weeds is a common thing.

    len
     
  4. digging

    digging Junior Member

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    Has anyone found a large improvement in plant growth when using the compost tea??

    Digging
     
  5. Jez

    Jez Junior Member

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    Part of the benefit is also plant protection Dig...it helps them tolerate stress, drought, disease and pests better - especially when applied to foliage as well as the soil. It does increase available nutrients and help multiply beneficial microorganisms in the soil as well of course, but the increase in hardiness and overall health through foliar application is also very important IMO.

    Personally, I think an aerobic (oxygenated) compost tea is the best way to go - you get more 'good' microorganisms that way than with an anaerobic compost tea.
     
  6. digging

    digging Junior Member

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    Well sign me up!

    Look out I'm going to become the 'poop tea' making lady!

    Digging
     
  7. sammiiz

    sammiiz Junior Member

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    I often make what i call "poo brew" - and the garden loves it.
    Guess it would be the same as compost tea (forgive my ignorance here :oops: ) in a sense...

    I only live on a small property, so i make it in small quantities, but i have my recipe now for making a really lovely and stinky liquid fertiliser out of my chook's manure.
    I make it up in bottles for friends of mine who put in an order for some more "poo brew" :lol:

    But after reading that, perhaps i could add things to my brew, like comfrey leaves etc, to make it even better.
     
  8. Tamara

    Tamara Junior Member

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    Aerated compost tea

    Hello.

    I made my first batch of aerated compost tea recently.

    small bubbler
    aquarium heater set to 25 degrees
    One sock with compost in it (next time I will probably let it float free...)
    5 Gallon bucket filled with rainwater (or bubble off tap water for a few hours)

    put all together and bubble for 24 hours. I used a lid and jumper to maintain temp.

    I use a small pump pressure spray bottle to het the tea onto the garden. I ended up straining it in as it was blocking the spray otherwise.

    I used fine spray as well as spout to get onto plants or grass.

    Does it work?
    Well, my brussel sprout seedings look sensational - a beautiful green leaf, surviving despite caterpillars.

    I also have a controlled experiment out the front of my place. Two verges, both mowed at the same time by my super phosphate using neighbour.
    I stopped the compost tea at the boundary, and I intend to add more as soon as I make another batch. Time will tell.

    On anaerobic teas, I use tomato plant cuttings, a bit of comfrey, tansy and the old duck water in a big plastic bin. It stinks but I use it on my tomatoes to good effect. I also dash it about to attract flies for the ducks..pooo!
     
  9. digging

    digging Junior Member

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    That's great news!

    Please keep me up dated because I'm just coming up on my gardening season!

    Digging
     
  10. digging

    digging Junior Member

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  11. Sonya

    Sonya Junior Member

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    We use a vermicast solution based on David Murphy's book Organic Growing with Worms. Solid worm castings, molasses, fish emulsion, water, aeration, 24 hours... we apply it to all our plants so it's hard to have a controlled experiment to see the difference. But we have noticed, that a week or two after we apply it, the plants are better able to recover from a very hot day. Leaves are more erect, deeper green and the plants don't seem to get as stressed on a hot day.

    I Brixed some produce from the garden the other day and found our pumpkins were of 'premium quality' according to their brix reading as were our passionfruit. Aside from the vermicast solution we use humus and solid worm casting direct in the soil whenever we plant out, and Natrakelp solution when transplanting seedlings.

    I know some permaculture people are doing experiments with compost teas at our local uni. I must ask how it is all going when I see them next.

    Sonya.
     
  12. digging

    digging Junior Member

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    I have a question how does one do a brix reading? I have heard about the veggies grown with aerated compost tea have much higher values, I take it that's a sugar reading?

    Digging
     
  13. macthedog

    macthedog Junior Member

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    Hi Digging,

    'Technically' Brix is the % of solids dissolved in the plant sap. And the higher the Brix reading the higher the sugars and nutrients in the plant.

    I think you need a Brix metre to take get a measurement. The ones I've seen are small hand held jobbies - you put the sample (a wee bit of the sap/juice from crushed plant matter) on a glass 'plate' at one end and look through the eyepiece at the other end. There is a prism in the middle that measures the refraction of light through the sample and gives the reading.

    There are metres/refractometres on ebay for about $33
     
  14. Tamara

    Tamara Junior Member

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    I have found a massive difference in plant growth using compost tea. I have set up a control site to experiment on - and the difference is astounding. It is on my front verge - the neighbour mows it at the same time as his side and it gets the same amout of rain etc.
    recent pics at:
    https://www.flickr.com/photos/boodicusdu ... 250212430/

    I use a 5 gallon bucket, a sock of my 18 day compost, an aquarium bubbler and an aquarium heater to keep it at exactly 25 degrees. I add molasses and bubble it away for 24 hours, then spray using a small hand pressure spray.

    My garden has exploded - parsley a colour you can only imagine, brussel sprouts that are surviving caterpillars, and people can see the results out on the front verge.
    Tamara
     
  15. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    on this brix thing?

    ther would be an optimum level i would expect, like all things in nature in balance too little probably being as abd as too much of a good thing??

    for me ph or any of that matters little we just feed the soil, and the soil feeds the plants, that's at least how se see nature doing it. so ok if we observe that a plant isn't happy then we may take action to remedy that or as in all things natural we may plant something else.

    we start with a simple medium and let the nature of the soil system take over and then we plant our plants which do vry well with none of this pseudo science involvment.

    if we had the raw material ie.,. plant matter eg.,. weeds whatever? we would make a comnpost tea (done it before too much like work), but it would only go to the garden to feed the soil, but again it is another process in the work chain.

    len
     
  16. macthedog

    macthedog Junior Member

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    I agree Len - bigger/higher is certainly not always better. I'm sure there must be a mountain of research for various crops that suggest 'optimum' levels.

    Bernie
     
  17. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    g'day bernie,

    just it brings back the thing in growing natural organic, that feeding plants lots of hi nitrogen fert's makes them more attractive to the bugs, if plants are getting the right ratio's then your bug problems will be less so that is our measure stick hey?

    we feed the soil natural organic type matter and the soil bacteria converts this into exactly the measure the plants want, so making compost tea even is another man made process at the end of the day, we gt along quiet wqell without it, but that is not to say its use is needed in some circumstances at some time, but not all the time. and man made means there is a very good chance of over use.

    it's like worm wee and casting we now don't produce that stuff seperate from the agrden so as it is produce on site in the garden the plants get what they need surely?

    K.I.S.S

    len
     
  18. macthedog

    macthedog Junior Member

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    Hi Len,

    I ran across the brix metres when I got to know a bloke who is an ag consultant working on the premise of biological farming. He was using the brix measurements as a method of demonstrating to his clients the differences between produce and the effects of the inputs. In a culture where the paradigm relies on scientific measurement and evidence-based everything I reckoned this was a useful tool in his repertoire.

    But there is definitely no substitute for observation. I am quite a novice in the food gardening world and find observation one of the best teachers. I'm an avid reader but book-learning is only part of the equation - no substitute for getting out there and doing it and making the mistakes (Who was it said that a mistake is proof that someone tried to do something ??)
    I guess I garden by a mixture of application and instinct. By that I mean, as a novice there is knowledge that I don't yet have and I actively seek out via more experienced gardeners & farmers, books, forums etc. Then by putting that into practice I am gaining experience that helps to inform my instinct and hone it. It also develops my relationship with the land, the soil the plants the energy of this place etc

    I'm interested by how you mention man-made processes and make the distinction between using compost tea v's adding organic matter to the soil - both additions by man if I take it to its most simplistic.
    Am I on the right path in thinking the distinction is between feeding the soil with basic 'matter' for it to work with v's giving it a pre-processed (best description I could come up with :? ) substance ?

    Or am I just away with the fairies ??

    Bernie
     
  19. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    the way i see it and it goes along with manitoba fukuoka and i think the chinese way of thinking to "feed the soil - and the plants will feed you" or something like that.

    and yes the scraps from fresh vegetables and cooked from table waste etc, has man made content, but without adding another human process to it that product feeds the soil bacteria, microbes and worms who in turn make the locked up nutrients available to the plants.

    and then the part that realy grabbed me with the perma-c idea of gardening basically it is do as least as you need to, to produce as much as you need to, and digging along with compost heaps/bins & wormfarms, making compost 'T' all went out the window (used to do them all), and loving it if i was a drinker i'd say the ideal way for a beer drinker to garden.

    and that is why i always use the K.I.S.S saying 'Keep It Simple Stupid ' too easy.

    len
     
  20. macthedog

    macthedog Junior Member

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    Like the way you think len !

    My focus is definitely on feeding the soil - it just doesn't make sense to me any other way. And that was before I'd even heard of permaculture.
    I have a long way to go here but the journey is interesting and the food is getting better
     

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