questions on compost tea

[carokann]

so i have a decent pile of compost in my backyard thats been there for a couple years. if i make a tea out of this will it provide all the nutrients the plant needs for its entire life?

 

[Gr33nCrack]

it will provide some nutrients, i am currently brewing some compost with grass clippings. Your best off to get an aquarium pump, tubing, and an air stone. Also add some molasses about a tablespoon per 5 gallons water, and let it all brew for 24 hours

 

[carokann]

im going to do it without an air pump, ill just stir it occasionally. i added some fish meal, i dunno if that will do anything. will the compost tea add beneficial microbes?

 

[siccmade420]

yes but putting an airstone in will greatly increase the beneficial microbes imo

 

[Wetdog]

im going to do it without an air pump, ill just stir it occasionally. i added some fish meal, i dunno if that will do anything. will the compost tea add beneficial microbes?

It should if it is a good pile.

If no airstone, get another bucket and pour the brew back and forth a couple times a day. That will work getting O2 in the tea.

Wet

 

[RasAdam]

the majority of the benefit of compost tea is not in the nutrients it contains but rather the life. Bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes. You can supplement basic compost tea with additives such as bat guano, alfalfa meal, fish emulsion etc.. depending on what stage of the life cycle of your plant you are in. The most important part of brewing tea is that you have adequate oxygen for your aerobic bacteria.

 

[carokann]

even if the microbes dont multipy in the bucket, im still getting the microbes though right? the microbes multiply in the soil then?

 

[svchop889]

even if the microbes dont multipy in the bucket, im still getting the microbes though right? the microbes multiply in the soil then?

the main point of making the tea is to multiply the microbes so that the microbes support your plant through their waste, their waste is much easier for the plant to utilize. so you take the compost as a source of microbes and give it food the molasses and you areate the mixture in water so that higher concentrations of microbes are attainable. if your not going to aerate the mixture in some way, you might as well just put the compost on top of your soil and water it in.

 

[carokann]

oh, can u give me a link to one of those air pumps?

 

[rucca]

its just a little fish tank air pump. you'll need a pump (20 gal should do fine) some tubing, and an air stone or 2. a pet store/walmart will have all the stuff you need.