Compost tea

[dhrynio]

Ha, no I am actually in Poland. I am from the states but live here with my Polish husband. So it is a bit more of a challenge to do some of the things that are not really done here. Just getting the vermiculite I wanted to use was a challenge.

I am learning to meld the methods of my home country and the methods used here. Which is good because I learn a lot from both, it can just be frustrating when I want to do something (like a worm bin since it seems like a fun thing to do and I know my kids would love it) but getting the materials is difficult.

 

[ChanellG]

I am sure someone there is doing worm composting. You just have to figure out where you can get the stuff you need. Where do farm and feed supplies come from in your area? That could be a good place to start.

 

[headfullofbees]

I swear by it. It has changed the texture and structure of my very heavy clay soil beyond recognition:

I fill an old type black waste bin (garbage can for our US members) with water from my water butt. (You can use tap water, but you must leave it overnight to de-chlorinate).
I attach an aquarium air pump to a 6mm hose and add a bubbler stone. Start the air bubbling through the water.

I then make up a "tea-bag" (an old pillowcase) as follows:

Three-quarters fill with home compost, add a couple of handfuls of first-cut grass cuttings, 1 dessertspoon of fulvic acid, 3 dessertspoons of worm castings, 3 fish oil capsules, 4 dessertspoons of molasses sugar.
Tie it up with some rope, and tie the rope to one of the bin handles, making sure there's enough slack to fully immerse the "teabag" in the water.

Allow to bubble for three days, and Bob's yer Uncle!

 

[headfullofbees]

Ha, no I am actually in Poland. I am from the states but live here with my Polish husband. So it is a bit more of a challenge to do some of the things that are not really done here. Just getting the vermiculite I wanted to use was a challenge.

I am learning to meld the methods of my home country and the methods used here. Which is good because I learn a lot from both, it can just be frustrating when I want to do something (like a worm bin since it seems like a fun thing to do and I know my kids would love it) but getting the materials is difficult.

It's easy enough to build your own wormery

http://www.the-gardeners-calendar.co.uk/Features/Compost_Heap/DIYWormery.asp

Worms LOVE cardboard, you will very quickly get all the worms you need if you put cardboard down on your plot.

 

[ChanellG]

I swear by it. It has changed the texture and structure of my very heavy clay soil beyond recognition

That's quite a recipe there. I did some reading, and spoke to someone who produces compost for sale. I never did try it though because it was getting late on and about to turn cold. May give it a shot once thing warm up a bit more. Have been using diluted coffee and banana peel water.

 

[dim]

this is how I make the compost tea, and I apply it to all plants and vegetables at gardens that I maintain:

you need a 5 gallon bucket

an aquarium airpump that produces 45 litres of air per minute (minimum)

2 airstones

an aquarium heater set at 20 degrees C

fill the bucket to 3/4 full with rainwater or unchlorinated tap water (if you use tap water, let it rest in the bucket with the air bubbling overnight to remove the chlorine)

add 2 heaped tablespoons of organic unsulphered black strap molasses (can be bought off ebay or from health stores)

8 cups of vermicompost (worm humus)... avail off ebay or from your nearest hydroponic store

8 cups of normal garden topsoil (or if there is a forest/wood nearby, use some topsoil from there)

1 cup of volcanic rock dust (available on ebay) ... you can get a 10kg bag of verve volcanic rockdust from B&Q for £5.98 here n the UK

1 cup of alfala (avail off ebay) ... (there is a new product called rootgrow rootfood which consists of humic acids, fulvic acids trace elements etc) ... this is not the older rootgrow Mycorrhizal fungi

1/4 cup of bat guano (composted bat poo) (avail from ebay or your nearest hydropnic store)

let the whole lot bubble for between 24-36 hrs and apply to your veg and plants as a soil drench, but you have to use it ASAP once you have switched off the air supply as the beneficial microbes start dying after 2hrs when the air pump is switched off .... I use it undiluted ....

you can add loads of other ingredients such as fish hydrolosate, seaweed extract, algae etc

I have been using this for several months with good results and I use it undiluted ... I use a watering can without the rose (lots of info on youtube and google)

here is a guy who has several world records for growing giant veg and who has mastered the art of brewing actively aerated compost tea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iL2mnf_r ... r_embedded

_________________

 

[Pat]

Now that spring is here and it will start to warm up I think I will give that recipe for compost tea a try. My soil is rather depleted, needing some help.

 

[headfullofbees]

Chanell G

You don't need to wait for warmth, you could make a batch now for your soil and a batch later for you plants.

 

[jennywrenwrites]

I keep my rabbits for compost tea and I use the used shavings in my garden. They say you do not have to do anything to rabbit poo!

 

[ChanellG]

Chanell G

You don't need to wait for warmth, you could make a batch now for your soil and a batch later for you plants.

Waiting for warmth was more about being outdoors and the slow growth over winter. I still haven't made any compost tea, but the banana water and diluted coffee seem to be helping. At least, they certainly don't seem to be hurting anything. I've scaled back though on my garden efforts, so it's a little hard to tell.

 

[Shellyann36]

When we had ducks we made duck poop soup. We had two ducks Daisy and Donald. They were quite the characters and they enjoyed a small kiddie wading pool. We would take the water from the pool and water the plants with it. Instant compost tea! It worked out so well. I really miss those ducks. We moved and after letting them out they found a pond that was several hundred yards away (I honestly did not think they would find it) but alas they moved to the pond and would not come back home.

 

[ChanellG]

Aw, at least you know they were happy in their new home! I don't want to deal with critter poop in my garden. In fact, I am thinking about having separate herbs for me so I can keep the caterpillar poop away from my food plants. I'm just not willing to take that kind of a chance with bacteria.

 

[Shellyann36]

I keep my rabbits for compost tea and I use the used shavings in my garden. They say you do not have to do anything to rabbit poo!

Yes I have often heard that rabbit poo can go directly to the plants.... interesting idea about the shavings. Do you put the shavings on particular plants or just all over in general?

 

[Rosyrain]

I would be concerned abou the smell, is it odor free? It sounds like it would work well in the garden if there were no bad smells associated with it.

 

[Ashanti Duggins]

A good friend of mine swears by the compost tea he makes and uses. He grew up on a farm so I trusted that he may know what he's talking about. He once told me that compost tea actually prevents Root failure and increases the nutrient levels in your plants as well. Oh and it saves you water.