Thread: Compost Tea
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Old 09-08-2003, 02:32 PM
Noydb
 
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Default Compost Tea

Who here makes & uses compost tea?

I am making my first batch right now and plan to use it Saturday.

I filled a 5 gal bucket with tap water and let it sit about 24 hours to
allow the chlorine to off-gas. Then I bought a small aquarium air pump,
some tubing and a 4-pack of airstones and got that all working and in the
bucket. Then I filled a large paint strainer bag with a couple shovelfulls
of compost and put it in the bucket with the elastic securing it to the top
of the bucket. To this, on a hunch, I added a couple tablespoons of dark
molasses to give the bacteria a 'kick-start'.

That was two days ago and the tea is a very rich brown color this evening.

I have four questions:
1) What spraying schedule do you use?
2) What do you do with 'spent' compost and the leftover tea? Back in the
compost pile? Mulch / watering can?
3) what results do you get / what changes do you notice?
4) what lessons have you learned about the mechanics of making good compost
tea?

My beans and cucurbits got wiped out last year by powdery mildew. I am
hoping to avoid that this year by spraying with compost tea. What say you?

Bill
--
Zone 5b (Detroit, MI)
I do not post my address to news groups.