Are Compost Teas Always GOOD?

I have soil that I have building, re using, growing for almost a year, it is chock full of goodness, I add 1 Gallon EWC per cubic foot everytime I re ammend. I also make my own compost, and use that for the worm bin as beddiing, and recycle all my plant materials, stems, leaves etc. Is making compost teas good or even necessary for this soil, as I think it is very rich, and microbial as is. Heres my Soil Mix, and my compost tea mix, that I have been using, reason I ask, I actually think they do better when I feed regular water versus giving them a tea. I don't want to overfeed, or make even more nutrients available by increasing microbial activity, releasing some of these locked up nutrients.

TEA

5 GALLONS RAINWATER

[x]1 CUP EWC
[x]1 CUP COMPOST
[x]1 CUP FUNGI OATMEAL
[x]1 CUP GUINEA GUANO
[x]1 CUP HORSE MANURE
[x]1 CUP COMFREY (FRESH & BLENDED)
[x]1 CUP DANDELION (FRESH & BLENDED)
[x]1 CUP COFFEE GRINDS
[x]1/4 CUP BLACKSTRAP MOLASSES
[x]1/8 CUP KELP
[x]1/8 CUP ALFALFA
[x]1/8 CUP SOYAMEAL
[x]1/8 CUP INSECT FRASS
[x]1/8 CUP FISHBONE MEAL
[x]1/8 CUP GLACIAL ROCK DUST
[x]1/8 CUP DIATOMACEOUS EARTH
[x]1/8 CUP FISH EMULSION
[x]1/16 CUP HUMIC/FULVIC ACID

*BUBBLE FOR 36 HOURS
*IN BLOOM REMOVE ALFALFA/SOYAMEAL


SOIL

NPK MACRO MEALS
[]1 Cup Kelp (1-0-2)
[]1/2 Cup Bone (4-10-0)
[]1/2 Cup Fishbone (4-18-0)
[]1/2 Cup Neem (4-3-2)
[]1/2 Cup Insect Frass (3-1-3)
[]1/3 Cup Alfalfa (3-1-2)
[]1/3 Cup Soymeal (7-2-2)

MINERAL
[]2 Cup Granite Grit (0-0-3)
[]1 Cup Diatomaceous Earth
[]1 Cup Glacial Rock Dust (0-0-1)
[]1/8 Cup Basalt (0-0-1)
[]1/8 Cup Azomite

CALCIUM
[]1/2 Cup Gypsum
[]1/4 Cup Dolomite

OTHER
[]1 Cup Dehydrated Molasses

BASE
1 CF = 8 LOOSE FILLED GALLON

5 Gallon Recycled Soil Mix
(33% Peat, 33% Organic Matter, 33% Perlite)

+
1 Gallon EWC
1/4 Gallon BioChar
1/2 Gallon Guinea/Horse Manure
1/2 Gallon Vermiculite
1/2 Gallon Expanded Clay

You have a lot of stuff in your tea recipe, definitely a nutrient tea. If you have a heavilly ammended soil, you should not need a nutrient tea. Have you ever done a bacterial tea? I use 1-2 cups of worm castings, harvested from my worm bin and some from the garden, under bricks and whatnot. Then either 1tablespoon of organic blackstrap mollases per gallon of water, or 1 cup of kelp meal to 5 gallons of water.

YOW !! That's not a tea, that's a gumbo !

You answered your own question with the comment about them doing better with just plain water..

Once your micro herd is established they self regulate and balance out as they and the plants see fit. Adding more usually just upsets the balance they've achieved and slows them up some till that balance is re-established.

*I* stopped using teas over 6 years ago and never saw any negative effects from not using them. Besides, they get fresh microbes every time fresh VC gets added. Your worm bin pretty much negated any need for teas. I know mine did.

Wet

Nice Strudelheim!

Maybe a little bacteria boost the weeks around stretch. Some bio available P leaning EWC or tea. Or not..

Your plants and soil will tell you better than me..

For me in my 5 gallon fabric pots, I find the pots are hard on the BioLife, too fast drying conditions. So my micro heard appreciates a little boost.

OPfarmer said:

Nice Strudelheim!

Maybe a little bacteria boost the weeks around stretch. Some bio available P leaning EWC or tea. Or not..

Your plants and soil will tell you better than me..

For me in my 5 gallon fabric pots, I find the pots are hard on the BioLife, too fast drying conditions. So my micro heard appreciates a little boost.

Click to expand...

Yeah, sometimes 'smart pots' aren't all that smart. Ran into the same *too fast drying conditions* and went back to hard sided containers.

Wet

Interesting on smart pots and drying and the effects on the herd. I'm in 7 gals and with the fan going on under canopy (and no mulch/haven't found what I want to use that can be recyled/not mix into soil itself). I may have to think about that angle some more... I use them mainly for the root pruning benefits and the fact they can be easily collapsed/stored when not in use so not overly attached to using them. Those air pots I would suspect have similar issue?

Probably need to figure out a mulch - that's probably not helping me.

NewGrower2011 said:

Interesting on smart pots and drying and the effects on the herd. I'm in 7 gals and with the fan going on under canopy (and no mulch/haven't found what I want to use that can be recyled/not mix into soil itself). I may have to think about that angle some more... I use them mainly for the root pruning benefits and the fact they can be easily collapsed/stored when not in use so not overly attached to using them. Those air pots I would suspect have similar issue?

Probably need to figure out a mulch - that's probably not helping me.

Click to expand...

I will take pics in am. I have a bigger long flowering auto, in a 5 gallon fabric pot that had it's fans yellow and fall off. Gave the plant a little liquid fish in super early flower, sugar and bud are fine.

Mulch with readily absorbable nutrients sounds real good. (I tossed a couple of handfuls of steaming recycling soil on.)