Compost Tea recipes.
- Thread starter Aloha9808
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youraveragehorticulturist
Well-Known Member
You need a microbe source. Compost, or earth worm castings. Or Forest litter. Or even root balls from your outside garden. Whatever is around. Combinations are cool. 1 or 2 cups per 5 gallons of water.
You might need microbe food. Sugar like molasses, fish, soy or kelp hydrolysate, aloe, malted barley, yeast, fulvic acid. Alfalfa meal, kelp meal. Whatever you've got. Simple stuff for microbes to eat.
Teas for Microbes
Compost Extract. Put compost/ewc in strainer bag, then squeeze and work the big in your bucket of water. Microbes "fall off" the compost some you get low numbers of several kinds of microbes.
Aerated Tea. Mild version. Compost/ewc in water with about 4 tsp of microbe food. Brew for 24-30 hours. You'll end up with many, many of just the few most dominant types of microbes.
Stronger Aerated Tea. compost/ewc. 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tbps kelp meal, 2 tbsp Rock Dust. Brew 18+ hours then add 1/2 cup of insect frass.
You might need microbe food. Sugar like molasses, fish, soy or kelp hydrolysate, aloe, malted barley, yeast, fulvic acid. Alfalfa meal, kelp meal. Whatever you've got. Simple stuff for microbes to eat.
Teas for Microbes
Compost Extract. Put compost/ewc in strainer bag, then squeeze and work the big in your bucket of water. Microbes "fall off" the compost some you get low numbers of several kinds of microbes.
Aerated Tea. Mild version. Compost/ewc in water with about 4 tsp of microbe food. Brew for 24-30 hours. You'll end up with many, many of just the few most dominant types of microbes.
Stronger Aerated Tea. compost/ewc. 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tbps kelp meal, 2 tbsp Rock Dust. Brew 18+ hours then add 1/2 cup of insect frass.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
FFOF is a microbe source too. It has compost in it along with EWC and some organic nutes. Mix that with some molasses and bubble for 24-48 hours and you've got compost/nute tea.
MICHI-CAN
Well-Known Member
Drop That Sound
Well-Known Member
Some compost teas are more fungal in nature, which can be more beneficial at times. Can be made with humus and other woody debris from around your area, and added into your mix.
The last time I was making compost teas, I was using all kinds of stuff, even bat guano.
The most kickass tea I ever made was using part tutrle aquarium water, and stinging nettles, and pretty much tossing in all kinds of stuff like a witch doctor. EWC, bat shit, some old NFTG nutes in bottles that smelled bad, etc.. Couple teaspoons of blackstrap... I think it was mostly the nettles though, because the plants were so vibrant afterwords.
I definitely recommend using stinging nettle tea as the water source you brew the tea bag into.
The last time I was making compost teas, I was using all kinds of stuff, even bat guano.
The most kickass tea I ever made was using part tutrle aquarium water, and stinging nettles, and pretty much tossing in all kinds of stuff like a witch doctor. EWC, bat shit, some old NFTG nutes in bottles that smelled bad, etc.. Couple teaspoons of blackstrap... I think it was mostly the nettles though, because the plants were so vibrant afterwords.
I definitely recommend using stinging nettle tea as the water source you brew the tea bag into.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Guano tea is great, but it's considered nutrient tea. I prefer to top dress with guano. It's easier. I actually haven't even made a tea in years. Too lazy. I just mix dry amendments with some EWC or compost and pumice and mix it in and water.
Teas are great, but I'm too lazy anymore. I do cheat and add microbes like Rootwise to my water sometimes though. The top dressing probably works about the same, but not as fast. Could even be better since it's getting little doses of microbes constantly vs a huge dose with a tea. I don't know, but it sounds good,
MICHI-CAN
Well-Known Member
I find top dressing with my tea bases is actually better and does no harm as many a brew has done in my hot mixes.Guano tea is great, but it's considered nutrient tea. I prefer to top dress with guano. It's easier. I actually haven't even made a tea in years. Too lazy. I just mix dry amendments with some EWC or compost and pumice and mix it in and water.
Teas are great, but I'm too lazy anymore. I do cheat and add microbes like Rootwise to my water sometimes though. The top dressing probably works about the same, but not as fast. Could even be better since it's getting little doses of microbes constantly vs a huge dose with a tea. I don't know, but it sounds good,
Drop That Sound
Well-Known Member
I'm lazy too, and pretty much only grow hydroponically these days.
Ya that makes sense, to just top dress. Then feed tea over that, to help break it down. My thoughts were to just mix it all together.
Wonder if one could just scoop up an excavator bucket full of ferns, worms, dirt and all right off the side of the hill on the property somewhere, under the trees.. add water and a cup of molasses, and brew it for 48 hours right in the bucket. Then dump the water off into a trough through a metal grate, and then go dump the bucket of muck back into the hole you dug it from, and smash it back down in?
Ya that makes sense, to just top dress. Then feed tea over that, to help break it down. My thoughts were to just mix it all together.
Wonder if one could just scoop up an excavator bucket full of ferns, worms, dirt and all right off the side of the hill on the property somewhere, under the trees.. add water and a cup of molasses, and brew it for 48 hours right in the bucket. Then dump the water off into a trough through a metal grate, and then go dump the bucket of muck back into the hole you dug it from, and smash it back down in?
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Your bases are just basic dry amendments. EWC, BioChar, Insect Frass, Kelp, Crustacean Meal, and whatever's in the Vegan Formula (Probably gypsum, Epsom, and a couple other things).
Drop That Sound
Well-Known Member
I'd feel kind of bad doing that though, like stealing microbes from the forest so i can grow weed. The movie Fern Gully comes to mind..
Selectively collecting forest debris, worm shit, bat shit from under the bridge by the river, and chopping old nettles down.. not so much though, I like that.
Selectively collecting forest debris, worm shit, bat shit from under the bridge by the river, and chopping old nettles down.. not so much though, I like that.
MICHI-CAN
Well-Known Member
Nature gives freely.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
If we all went to what's left of our forests and took dirt we'd fuck the forests up worse than we already have. I have a soft spot for this shit. I grew up in a heavily wooded forest area in the PNW, and now most of the forests and shit are parking lots, houses, and roads. The remaining little pieces of woods around where I grew up are fucked up and polluted now.
At least we still have some Federal Forests, but those are being neglected now too. I'm not a tree hugger, but I hate seeing the forests get destroyed.
MICHI-CAN
Well-Known Member
I was referring to a compost pile out back. Stop paying chem green for your lawn and our forest would be fine. WTF?
Hash Hound
Well-Known Member
Molasses, Stump Tea (microbes), and Dr Earth Tomato n Veg or Bud and Bloom, worm castings for veg.
thanks @pahpah-cee I forgot the bubble for 24 hrs.
thanks @pahpah-cee I forgot the bubble for 24 hrs.
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pahpah-cee
Well-Known Member
4.5 gallon of clean water. 2 cup compost (worm castings) 1/4 cup kelp meal, a dash (like a tablespoon) of molasses, dash of fish hydrolysate.
bubble it for 24 hours.Bubble it longer during winter.
bubble it for 24 hours.Bubble it longer during winter.
Nope_49595933949
Well-Known Member
What's the deal with nettles? We have a shit ton on our property.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
Why longer in winter? I have an aquarium heater to use to keep the water at a constant temp.
pahpah-cee
Well-Known Member
You answered the question. If your temps drop then the activity in your tea will slow down.
the best way to tell when your tea is ready is by smell. It’s also the best way to know when you went anaerobic.
PadawanWarrior
Well-Known Member
That's what I figured you were going to say. That's why I mentioned the heater,
.
Budzbuddha
Well-Known Member
One of the simplest I made was EWC tea ( worm tea ) - aerated with bubbler for 24 hours in RO with a tablespoon molasses ( granny unsulphered )
in a gallon container. Then ready to use.
There are some good bagged ones too , like boogie / xtreme tea and roots organic terp tea.
FFOF soil can be bubbled in a cheese cloth bag for tea or soil drench - left over medium recycled ( from cheesecloth ) put directly in solo cups for seed starting ( it works really well ).
in a gallon container. Then ready to use.
There are some good bagged ones too , like boogie / xtreme tea and roots organic terp tea.
FFOF soil can be bubbled in a cheese cloth bag for tea or soil drench - left over medium recycled ( from cheesecloth ) put directly in solo cups for seed starting ( it works really well ).