Compost tea?

[CathyA]

Anyone here into making compost tea? I can't decide if it's worth the effort or not.

[Float On]

It would be worth the effort.
I don't. Only because I'm a lazy gardener and my compost is on the ground in a homemade 2 sides pallet piles. I'm not about to pay for a tumbler. Now if someone wanted to give me a tumbler I'd take it.

[awakenedsoul]

Anyone here into making compost tea? I can't decide if it's worth the effort or not.

Definitely. I just made a batch the other day. The plants LOVE it! I have an old fashioned compost pile, behind my shed. I shovel some finished compost into a bucket, fill it with water, and let it sit in the sun for a few days. I stir it with a stick. I water that mix down and feed it to my vegetable garden and flowers. It's amazing. The plants stretch and reach upward after being given a dose of that tea. I'm going to go make some later this morning. Let us know how you like it if you make some, CathyA...

[catherine]

Thanks for the tip awakenedsoul. We have a tumbler, an EnviroCycle, and they tout that you get "compost tea" that seeps into the base, which has a little spigot on it. However, I've read that that isn't "tea"--it's actually leachate and can be bad for plants because it may be bacteria-ridden.

I've always wanted to know how to make REAL compost tea, so thanks for the recipe!

[CathyA]

I've read all sorts of info on it. I just want to do it as simply as possible.....no bubblers, no unsulphured molasses. I considered making a bucket with a spigot, but then thought........heck, I could just stir it a lot and scoop out the liquid..........so I think that's what I'll do. I've read that if it doesn't get enough O2, it gets anaerobic and that can hurt your plants. Have you ever run into that awakenedsoul?
Especially with my stock tank veggie gardens, I want to fertilize the plants, but wanted to make it myself.

[lessisbest]

I make it because I catch the liquid from my small ComposTumbler and my Garden Tower (http://www.gardentowerproject.com/). I'll add a little to the watering can and fill it with water from a rain barrel. It's especially good for planters where the water tends to run out of the bottom, along with the nutrients in the small amount of soil.

[awakenedsoul]

I've read all sorts of info on it. I just want to do it as simply as possible.....no bubblers, no unsulphured molasses. I considered making a bucket with a spigot, but then thought........heck, I could just stir it a lot and scoop out the liquid..........so I think that's what I'll do. I've read that if it doesn't get enough O2, it gets anaerobic and that can hurt your plants. Have you ever run into that awakenedsoul?
Especially with my stock tank veggie gardens, I want to fertilize the plants, but wanted to make it myself.

CathyA, No, I've never had any problem. I think people make it more complicated than it is. I just make sure I have plenty of browns in the compost pile. I like straw and leaves. Once my large bucket of compost tea has been sitting in the sun for a day or two, I scoop it out with a recylced plastic container. I fill it about a quarter of the way with compost tea. I fill it the rest of the way with water, and use it on all of my plants. I've never spent any money on composting, and I've had great results. There used to be an excellent forum on Gardenweb called Soil, Comopst, and Mulch.

[Tussiemussies]

It is so sad that Garden Web is gone, what a fantastic website that was!!!

[Tussiemussies]

Awakened soul, when you make your compost tea, has the dirt disintegrated into the water? I heard indoor herb plants love it too...

[CathyA]

Tussiemussies..........Gardenweb is NOT gone! It's now just part of Houzz. Check it out! I visit it a lot. It's a great resource place for trees/birds/gardens/water gardens.....and Soil/Compost/Mulch!
Awakenedsoul..........thanks for reminding me Gardenweb has that particular forum. I tend to just visit the same ones over and over.
You're right too about people making it so complicated..........I think it's just a way to make money off of something else!
Thanks for those instructions. I would have just put it on full-strength. :(

Lessisbest...you mentioned containers that lose water quickly........even though I have cut back on the number of holes I drilled in my stock tank containers, water still runs out quickly. I'm thinking of plugging more of those holes up. I also have concerns about if I should cover them up in winter with tarps......since I imagine that all the nutrients are constantly running out of them when it rains.

[Tussiemussies]

Hi Cathy, it's weird last time I went to Houzz, there was no sectioning on gardening maybe I missed it! I still miss Garden Web though...it seemed so great.....

[CathyA]

Try this link, Tussiemussies, and click on "garden forums" in the selection to the upper left. You might have to register again though.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/cornucop/

[Gardenarian]

I use "worm tea" - the run-off from our worm compost. Great stuff. I've done compost tea in the past and it's great, especially for roses and fruit trees.

[lessisbest]

Lessisbest...you mentioned containers that lose water quickly........even though I have cut back on the number of holes I drilled in my stock tank containers, water still runs out quickly. I'm thinking of plugging more of those holes up. I also have concerns about if I should cover them up in winter with tarps......since I imagine that all the nutrients are constantly running out of them when it rains.

When I prepare my own pots, I line them first with a piece of coconut liner (I buy it by-the-foot) and that helps quite a bit. In the spring I top off the pots with compost and blend it in to add some nutrients.

In the Garden Tower, you put worms in the center and feed it vegetative scraps that make compost and worm castings. The worms work their way through the soil in the container and that aerates it, and delivers nutrients to the plants. I'll also just pour the compost water that collects on the top of the container and it makes its way down to the plants.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks Cathy, I found it!!!

[CathyA]

Yay!

[Float On]

Well, I never thought to scoop some in a bucket with water. I just may give that a try since I do have some big free buckets.

[awakenedsoul]

Well, I never thought to scoop some in a bucket with water. I just may give that a try since I do have some big free buckets.

Yeah, it's easy, and it's free. I think it works just as well. I save my old jerky dog treats containers from Costco, and use one of those to scoop out the compost tea from the bucket.

CathyA, I think so, too. I'm sure our grandparents did it without buying expensive materials. For me, having a large pile has really helped. (3 feet by 3 feet.) It heats up quickly. I just water it at night, so that it's like a sponge.

I have a lot of red wiggler worms that show up in my pile. I think that really helps, too. It's like adding some of Gardenarian's worm tea, without the the worm bin.

[awakenedsoul]

Thanks for the tip awakenedsoul. We have a tumbler, an EnviroCycle, and they tout that you get "compost tea" that seeps into the base, which has a little spigot on it. However, I've read that that isn't "tea"--it's actually leachate and can be bad for plants because it may be bacteria-ridden.

I've always wanted to know how to make REAL compost tea, so thanks for the recipe!

My pleasure. It's very easy to make. I love it.