Does anyone use compost tea?
gsevens
14 years ago
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asarum
14 years agodiggingthedirt
14 years agoRelated Discussions
Does anyone use the compostable bags from Lee Valley?
Comments (2)Bought some to run a trial, haven't got around to using them yet. Below is a link to Transform Compost, they have done trials on two different biodegradeable bags. Lloyd Here is a link that might be useful: BioBag trials...See MoreCompost tea does it do any good?
Comments (11)"Then I googled "compost tea scientific studies" hoping to find the perfect recipe, what I found was that all the data suggests little to no evidence of any beneficial reason to use any kind of compost tea." Keep in mind that a lot of this research is for large field plantings, not the home garden. To the commercial grower...every time you prepare something, buy something, run a piece of equipment through a field, labor, etc...that's a money input into a crop. If an additional input doesn't produce a profit output, it's useless to them...especially if it's not crop crucial. Compost teas don't add to or organic matter...most farmers don't need the benefit of extra microbial populations...and overall if you're going to bother to spread anything on a large field you're better off with compost alone or other organic matter additions which add to the soil structure as well provide the other compost benefits. To the home gardener...a compost tea can supply concentrated additional nutrients, boost microbial activity, and there's very little cost/labor loss for managing a small plot. The home gardener can do just fine without using a compost tea...but there's very little disadvantage to making/using one except over-doing it. Btw, if you're even going to bother with a compost tea...you might as well make one that's more that just compost for best effect. Seaweed, or another nutrient dense addition, makes the whole thing worthwhile over simply trying to make a concentrate out of pure compost. Also, apply to soil...not the leaves...it's such a waste to go through the trouble of making up a batch of tea only to apply it to leaves. This post was edited by nc-crn on Sun, Aug 25, 13 at 18:18...See MoreOT'ish - Does anyone use Compost Teas?
Comments (26)Dear Marianne, There are many different types of compost teas out there. Some are going to be much more beneficial than others, and some have the potential to even do damage to your plants and garden, based on the types of organisms you are selecting for. This is why oxygen plays an important role in making compost tea. Most beneficial organisms prefer aerobic conditions, while most harmful organisms (think of salmonella, e. coli., etc...) prefer anaerobic or low oxygen conditions. Have you ever reached into compacted soil and noticed it had a horrible smell? This is from the anaerobic organisms that are thriving. It's the same way with compost tea. One of the first rules, if you're not going to do testing in a lab, is to make sure that your final tea smells earthy or has no smell at all. If it stinks....don't use it! As for the recommendations I've seen on this thread. Some of the teas, for example the alfalfa tea, select primarily for protozoa. You will get bacteria and protozoa, but you won't get the fungi. Fungi is particularly important because it provides much of the disease suppressive qualities. There's a lot to learn on compost tea, feel free to email me with questions, but the best starting points I believe are "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels, and Soilfoodweb.com, I'll include the link to the appropriate spot on their website below. Good luck!!! Here is a link that might be useful: All about the Soil Food Web...See Morecompost tea?
Comments (3)Likely to be too rich for succulents. Many succulents growers use little if any fertilizer. Am guessing this will be too much fertilizer for them, resulting in too lush foliage which will change their look, perhaps not for the best....See Moreasarum
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14 years agoellen_s
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