How to make compost tea

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by ppp, Jun 6, 2008.

  1. ppp

    ppp Junior Member

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    I would be interested in hearing people's opions on making compost tea.

    My experiment..
    One week ago I made an old t-shirt into a "tea-bag" by sewing up the arms and neck.
    I then threaded some tie-wire through the bottom seam, to enable me to close it up.
    I walked into my chook yard, shovelled a good helping of chook poo in, and also shovelled in some compost.
    I then put this in a bucked filled with water.

    This morning I rediscovered my "experiment", from the nasty anaerobic smell, and put the liquid around my cabbages..

    How does everyone make their compost tea? Any hints, tips etc for me and everyone else out there??
     
  2. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    Generally speaking, you don't let it sit that long. Manure is full of bacteria. Letting it sit in the water for a week probably causes a type of fermentation. Fermented chicken poo (which smells bad enough when fresh) sounds like something that will really curl your nose hairs!

    Personally, I would prefer to use composted materials, let it sit for a few hours, and then use it all right away.

    Sue
     
  3. lionfish

    lionfish Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    From the ABC Gardening Australia website

    Pete’s liquid manure recipe

    The ingredients:
    Use roughly one third of a bucket of old cow or sheep manure – manure that’s almost compost.
    The same amount of compost.
    Two handfuls of chicken manure pellets.

    Place them in a porous bag, tie the neck and soak in 50 litres of water (use a garbage bin) for about two weeks to produce a brown-coloured liquid.

    Almost fill a standard 10-litre bucket with some of the brew. Add a tablespoonful of fish emulsion – a good variety is made from pest carp, a magnificent source of nitrogen, add a small amount of liquid potassium and the same amount of seaweed concentrate, which contains a wide spectrum of trace elements in suspension and is a superb source of micronutrients.

    This dark-coloured brew is far too strong on its own. It needs to be diluted. Almost fill a watering can with water then add about one litre of the liquid manure concentrate to get a dilution rate that’s roughly 1 part concentrate to 5 of water.

    The result is a pale, tea-coloured liquid which is perfect for quick-feeding winter vegetables, especially leaf-crops such as brassicas, silverbeet, Asian vegetables and lettuces. It can also be used around winter-flowering plants – always heavily diluted – such as daphne, sage-leaf buddleja, most ornamental leafy plants and Chinese Winter Sweet Chimonanthus praecox.
     
  4. Raymondo

    Raymondo Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    I prefer to aerate my tea. I have a small aquarium pump and a couple of airstones for this purpose. Aerated tea has a lovely earthy smell. I make it in much the same way as described above, adding the extras just before putting it out.
     
  5. ppp

    ppp Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    aerating it sounds like it might be more friendly to a suburban setting.. I might try it..
     
  6. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    Aerating I believe is the way to go .Nutri-Tech at yandina has details.Basically you get your super wizz bang best ever microbe and fungi packed compost and dissolve a handfull into a bucket of warm water and aerate it for 24 hours.I think keeping it above 25 degrees . This has similaritys with bio dynamics which I like!
     
  7. ppp

    ppp Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    next step might be to build a low-tech aerator.
    I'm thinking wind or water powered.
     
  8. Frank

    Frank Junior Member

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  9. gardenaholic

    gardenaholic Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    What would the difference be between worm wee and compost tea.
     
  10. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    I think its basically the same stuff.I once asked a worm farmer that question and he said the benefeits of worms was the time to produce the finished product and the labour the worms did for you.wonder how it would work if you aerated worm wee?
     
  11. Ojo

    Ojo Junior Member

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  12. ppp

    ppp Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    thanks ojo, good discussion on anaerobic Vs aerobic.. I can't bring myself to use an electicity run air pump though.. I'm going to have to come up with an alternative..
     
  13. garyb

    garyb Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    ppp,

    How about a solar pump? I'm not sure if they have the oomph for the task, but it may be worth considering.

    Regards, Gary
     
  14. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    Ive been thinking of one barrel with its top cut out inverted in a slightly bigger barrel full of water then submerged with a air line running out to your stones via a tap to control air flow.
     
  15. Ojo

    Ojo Junior Member

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  16. cat07

    cat07 New Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    we did a big experiment this weekend while brewing compost tea. the biggest surprise was aerating with air stones versus a submersible pump. turns out that the air stones actually cooled the water... cooler than the air temperature. the submersible pump heated the water, quite a bit more than the surrounding air. not only did we get significantly more bacteria and fungi in the brew, but they grew in half the time. makes sense i guess... most bacteria prefer warm environments.
     
  17. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    great work cat. May I ask what sort of pump?
     
  18. bazman

    bazman Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    I brought a cheap fish tank pump from the markets for under $10, they also sell the air pipe and air stones which are really cheap. Your local pet store will also carry them too.
     
  19. bazman

    bazman Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    In general I just wack in what ever weeds or organic stuff I have left over, flowering seed heads are one thing I always end up using, tip in a couple of buckets of worm wee and a liter or two of molasses, I also like to add a bit of the last batch to get it off to a flying start.

    I have had a couple of batches turn them selfs over, as the water raises and falls in the 44 gallon drum because it's so full of life. Smell great too :D
     
  20. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    Re: How to make compost tea

    Yes Baz all good info but Im specifically interested in cat07's experiment as I dont know of any submersible air pumps so am wondering if it is a water pump and therefore circulation rather than aeration? or did cat pump water up to drop back into the container to aerate??
     

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