Compost tea question

Greenthumbs256

Greenthumbs256

Well-Known Member
Hey guys I been doing my compost teas for some time I always went by the rule is it smells bad it is bad. But this time I have Gotten a new pump much more bubbles and I also added neem meal, could the neem meal be the reason it stinks so bad. I've never used it before.
 
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Gumdrawp

Well-Known Member
Greenthumbs256 said:
Hey guys I been doing my compost teas for some time I always went by the rule is it smells bad it is bad. But this time I have Gotten a new pump much more bubbles and I also added neem meal, could the neem meal be the reason it stinks so bad. I've never used it before.
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I made a batch that was bad after 24 hours of brewing, not sure what was up though so I'm also interested in this. I assumed I introduced some bad bacteria somehow or there was a pocket that wasn't getting enough oxygen.
 
SouthCross

SouthCross

Well-Known Member
Gumdrawp said:
I made a batch that was bad after 24 hours of brewing, not sure what was up though so I'm also interested in this. I assumed I introduced some bad bacteria somehow or there was a pocket that wasn't getting enough oxygen.
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The tea has to be churned up enough that it almost splashes out the container. I use a 55watt air pump, 3/8" line, and a 4" air stone for five gallons of tea. I use a 10.5 gallon trash can to mix it in. I also use a mixer with drill to help churn up anything that may not be suspended in the water.

If the tea doesn't look like it's in a washing machine. It's not being agitated enough. It'll go bad.
 
G

Gumdrawp

Well-Known Member
SouthCross said:
The tea has to be churned up enough that it almost splashes out the container. I use a 55watt air pump, 3/8" line, and a 4" air stone for five gallons of tea. I use a 10.5 gallon trash can to mix it in. I also use a mixer with drill to help churn up anything that may not be suspended in the water.

If the tea doesn't look like it's in a washing machine. It's not being agitated enough. It'll go bad.
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I use a 45 L/m air pump with 2 4" cylinders for like 2-3 gallons of tea. most of the time I'm good, like 2 batches I had to dump and remake. Your setup is a lot more intense than mine I assume you brew guanos or something heavier like that? I usually only make beneficial teas but recently started making alfalfa and kelp teas. Both bad batches were alfalfa teas so I figured either it was a carrier of something already or it settled too much. I'm not usually the cleanest guy but something about bacteria just makes me ocd about cleaning after brewing, also why I'm not comfortable brewing poop teas or anything like that.
 
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DirtDigginChick

Active Member
I know that neem cake seeped in water will have almost fatty layer to it after after a couple days, and rot after a couple weeks, but not immediately. It does tend to have a strong smell of grilled tofu to it at all times to me though. I've mixed it with liquid kelp before and that was one helluva smelly room for a couple hours but it dissipated pretty quickly, considering how strong it was when I sprayed.
 
Greenthumbs256

Greenthumbs256

Well-Known Member
Gumdrawp said:
I use a 45 L/m air pump with 2 4" cylinders for like 2-3 gallons of tea. most of the time I'm good, like 2 batches I had to dump and remake. Your setup is a lot more intense than mine I assume you brew guanos or something heavier like that? I usually only make beneficial teas but recently started making alfalfa and kelp teas. Both bad batches were alfalfa teas so I figured either it was a carrier of something already or it settled too much. I'm not usually the cleanest guy but something about bacteria just makes me ocd about cleaning after brewing, also why I'm not comfortable brewing poop teas or anything like that.
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I do sometime add Jamaican or Mexican depending on veg or flower but I try to keep my teas simple unless I see a deficiency then I add something accordingly. But I have also been playing with seed sprout tea. I have plenty of cover crop so I use the seeds sproud them blender it up strain it and add to my tea right before using it.
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
Greenthumbs256 said:
Just thought it might be good I usually just use kelp and alfalfa with ewc, compost and molassas
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I'm not a Neem fan. For anything.....Neem has a known anti-bacterial property that will effect living soil bio's. Both bacteria and fungal growth! I won't even use it in soil builds (My choice).

If your doing tea and adding kelp meal to the brewer. Your reducing your living bio count by 40+%..(through limiting growth).... Kelp meal in the soil build (will not limit bio growth in the media) and you can add kelp extract after you brew - if bio counts are important to you. Most alfalfa meals will not effect the end "count" but, actually may add a bit to the spectrum of bio's.

So, in my book it's skip Neem and Kelp meals in tea brewing. You can use other things in tea's to supply the NPK. Add Kelp extract after the brew for the Fulvic chain acids and vit's/amino's.

There's the often unreported information on brewing Kelp/Neem meals in teas..

If bio's do matter in your fert teas. Add some well composted cow/steer manure and increase the bio "spectrum" produced again...

In any tea brewing. I want all the bio activity I can get!
 
Dr. Who

Dr. Who

Well-Known Member
SouthCross said:
The tea has to be churned up enough that it almost splashes out the container. I use a 55watt air pump, 3/8" line, and a 4" air stone for five gallons of tea. I use a 10.5 gallon trash can to mix it in. I also use a mixer with drill to help churn up anything that may not be suspended in the water.

If the tea doesn't look like it's in a washing machine. It's not being agitated enough. It'll go bad.
Click to expand...
Vortex, Vortex, VOR,,TEX!
 
Greenthumbs256

Greenthumbs256

Well-Known Member
Dr. Who said:
I'm not a Neem fan. For anything.....Neem has a known anti-bacterial property that will effect living soil bio's. Both bacteria and fungal growth! I won't even use it in soil builds (My choice).

If your doing tea and adding kelp meal to the brewer. Your reducing your living bio count by 40+%..(through limiting growth).... Kelp meal in the soil build (will not limit bio growth in the media) and you can add kelp extract after you brew - if bio counts are important to you. Most alfalfa meals will not effect the end "count" but, actually may add a bit to the spectrum of bio's.

So, in my book it's skip Neem and Kelp meals in tea brewing. You can use other things in tea's to supply the NPK. Add Kelp extract after the brew for the Fulvic chain acids and vit's/amino's.

There's the often unreported information on brewing Kelp/Neem meals in teas..

If bio's do matter in your fert teas. Add some well composted cow/steer manure and increase the bio "spectrum" produced again...

In any tea brewing. I want all the bio activity I can get!
Click to expand...
Great info buddy thanks
 
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