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Vermicomposting

Tea: VC tea, Worm tea, & etc.

barbararose21101

9 years ago

I searched for tea recipes first. Twenty seven results, including (probably ) TMI about molasses. Tim Wilson, the guy with the microscope, uses molasses . . . and lots of air. I had to read a lot both here and on The Logical Gardener, to learn that probably one aquarium pump and small airstone is not enough air for a 5 gallon bucket. If I have the "math" right, Tim seems to recommend a cup of Blackstrap molasses for a 5 gallon bucket.

The more modest arrangement ( one pump to 5 gal bucket) does make a "hard boil" which is what Ingam described as a goal. Since some say simply stir, there are lots of experiences and opinions.

Chuckiebtoo's routine in gallons is comparable proportion wise to Tim's -- near as I can tell. His, or similar advice should IMO stay near the top of the page and easy to find, because (I assume) we want to offer as good advice as we can on a highly variable topic.

Also I read & have been told that commercial Worm Tea is usually what is called "leachate" on this forum. Sometimes it is chemically stabilized and not comparable to Aerated Vermicompost Tea.

Tim wants Tea to be renamed Microbial Extrapolation !
That would at least reduce confusing it with commercial leachate.

CB2: Do you want to re post your recipe/advice
IF/AS IF it were a five gallon bucket ?
(Which , I think, is more common than using shoe boxes and gallon jugs.)

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Comments (5)

chuckiebtoo
9 years ago
Amazing that you thought about re-posts of tea stuff because as I was reading your post....before I got to that part....I decided I probably ought put that stuff back up.

I decided that when you mentioned the "cup of molasses". In case someone tries that before I get everything posted, DON'T USE A CUP OF MOLASSES!! You gotta use the foodstuff for the biology the process is producing as it is growing (a little at a time), and not a whole cup in total anyway.

Anyway, since I'm brewing AVCT pretty much continuously right now, I may just add some new stuff to some of the re-posts.

chuckiebtoo

M, D, P, Denial Rebuker
barbararose21101
Original Author
9 years ago
Probably I did the "math" wrong. Formulas fry my circuits.
I agree that a cup is too much for a 5 gallon bucket -- if for no other reason than cost. There seems to be a relationship between microbe density, food (molasses or ?? ) , and air.
So the percent (ratio ?) of actual castings to the VC would make a difference in microbe density in the aerating bucket.
Holding my breath for your recipe for a 5 gallon bucket ; )
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No... fish emulsion is a great fertilizer but has different effects than VC or casting Tea. The reason some of us use casting tea rather than just apply it straight and then water it in is twofold. Firstly using the tea form EXTENDS the vermicompost you have. You can treat many more plants with the same amount of VC. Secondly, one of the major benefits ov VC is not just it's use as a fertilizer or as a soil ammendment.(And it excels as both.) Rather microbial activity, both bacterial and fungal are magnified exponentially in aerated teas. There has been research to show that these massive increases in (especially bacterial) counts have a supressive effect on disease tranmission from the soil. One of the theories is that it effects chemotaxis, which is the attraction of bad bacteria to the developing root. If this chemotaxis is hindered then the root and therefore the plant is unnaffected. Some of this is part of the doctorial research of a woman at Cormell University. Personally, I have storing as much VC as I can for spring planting. A good portion will be sprinkled into my beds directly.. But I will retain enough to brew and apply frequent waterings of aerated teas.
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Do worm castings need to be fresh to make worm tea?
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You can brew worm tea but I have found a better method. It takes months to make worm castings. I have 5 worm bins made from Kitty litter buckets and 2 inside bins (rubbermaid containers). I have a lot of potted plants and hated tossing the spent potting soil (expensive) into the garden. I have 2 compost tumblers and when the exothermic reaction is done I add worms to speed up the process. All bins are raised and have collecting trays. The drippage is the best worm tea. I collect it daily using a turkey baster,bulb syringe, or toomey syringe if you have one. You can collect the tea long before the castings and pour it on your potted plants. I have a 5 foot cilantro that really loved it and have brought back many nutrient deficient plants. Recycling potting soil in worm bins really works too and the worms love them.
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No obviously you dont have to but since I want to foliar spray when I make tea its easier quicker. When Im done with the bagged vc I mix it in with any usable soil. When I separated the vc after use today to make tea I noticed there were small worms in the mix. I keep my harvested vc in a 5gal bucket so Im guessing these worms came from cocoons that I missed during harvest. I keep the bucket covered to try and keep the vc as moist as I can. Hopefully this will keep microbes active or ready to be active. The most noticeable thing Ive noticed so far of using the tea is many more blooms per plant. Im sure there must be other perks from it.
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The value of vermicompost for Compost Tea is that it is damp and full of life. Depending upon how damp the sample of compost is it could maybe double in price for the same volume. A logical way to purchase fresh vermicompost direct person to person would be to use gallon milk jugs with the top cut off and the handle still on or even half gallon paper milk cartons. This will allow oxygen to get to the still living weebeasties. Volume instead of weight might be a more standard measure for vermicompost since water can be added or dried out vermicompost not as valuable for some uses.
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smdmt
9 years ago
Would love to see chuckiebtoo's updates!!
chuckiebtoo
9 years ago
First, the reasons I switched from 5 gal pails to 1 gallon milk jugs:

1. I can brew 5-1 gallon jugs at a time...or less, if I want to. (Sometimes I just keep brewing continuously)

2. Because aeration bubbles are vertical, aerating a milk jug with 2 aquarium pump hoses disburses the O2 thoroughly thruout the brew. With a 5 gal bucket, it's harder to spread the bubbles evenly. (If I had 10 hoses in a 5 gal bucket, it would be difficult to have them spaced evenly) BTW, I don't use tea "bags", or O2 diffusers.

3. During the brewing process, I can take the hoses out, put a cap on the jug, and shake it up a little.

4. I COULD brew 5 jugs by staggering the start times (hence finish times). This is really useful if you wanna quit for awhile...or a couple of whiles.

BTW, I used the aquarium pumps to de-chlorinate the H2O for tea production but also for my wife to water her plants with.

Just started the brews in the pic @10AM. Tea time @10 tomorrow....

cb2
CarlosDanger
9 years ago
Wow cb2, the response to your post on teas has had some overwhelming response. I think you may be onto something about the forum getting a little bit stale. Or dis-interesting. Or obsolete.

Anyway, I've decided to try to brew some teas in gallon jugs soon.

carlosdanger

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