Compost Tea Making: For Organic Healthier Vegetables, Flowers, Orchards, Vineyards, Lawns
Compost Tea Making is the first comprehensive, practical guide to creating compost tea for farms, orchards, vineyards, lawns, and gardens. This essential reference book explains why compost teas have such powerful, beneficial effects for all plants. The global compost tea revolution is in its infancy.
Readers will begin to grasp the importance of rejuvenating the microbial life in our agricultural soils world-wide. Seasoned with the authors incurable dry humor, elegant prose, photographs, and interviews with professionals, this book demystifies the often-confusing ideas and techniques used to make compost teas.
With simple recipes, techniques, and equipment, the actual making of compost tea is easy.
Learn why compost teas are so powerful and effective–How to brew compost teas–Compost tea applications–How to put together a simple compost tea brewer–How to make compost specifically for compost teas. How to create worm castings for compost teas–How to build practical, movable worm bins–How to combine EM products with compost tea to increase its potency.
Hi
I have heard that compost tea is good for my garden, but I must admit to being rather confused after surfing through the various opinions about how to make it. I am interested in your book, Compost Tea Making. Why should I buy it? Give me a sales pitch!
Thanks
Dr. Marv
Hello D. Marv
Sales pitch…not my strong suit, but I will tell you what I did.
When I began making compost teas I realized that there were, frankly, no good books on the subject. After researching it, and interviewing professionals, I assembled the information that was available into a straight forward, no fluff- but-readable guide~~~Compost Tea Making~~~. At the time, I was working for a company that sold worm and composting products, which put me right in the middle of current research. We would get phone calls every day with questions from customers. Therefore the chapter on worm composting is really some of the best, most current info available. Some of the worm books that I was selling every day date back to the 1950’s. I would have liked to make the chapter on EM products more extensive, but then it would seem like a sales pitch for that company so I kept it short & sweet.
My pitch is really just the simple truth~~~compost teas with healthy soils are the wave of the future.
Thank you Marc for this fantastic book!
An inspiring read, well researched and has everything you need to know about making your compost tea.
After reading the book, I could hardly wait to get into making some and have just applied my 8th batch! It’s easy to make and well worth the tiny effort involved…… it has done wonders for my vegies and flowers this year.
Tomatoes, squash, peas, onions etc. are the healthiest and most robust I have ever grown. In fact, every garden, including the flower gardens look way more healthy and abundant than ever before…. they’re singing!
Because it’s so easy and inexpensive to make, I’ve been applying it full strength to the soil and mostly making two 5 gallon buckets at a time, using the ‘basic balanced bacterial/fungal compost tea’ recipe on page 85.
A big patch of deep green clover where I wash out the white buckets the tea was brewed in, shows how effective it is for grass and lawns as well.
Also applying it to my orchard and the trees are obviously loving it.
Thank you Marc for sharing the knowledge….
Cheers for microbes!
Belinda
Thanks. It is really nice to hear the success stories, some of which are amazing, considerng the difficult situations compost teas have helped with. The general theme is: The most dramatic effects of compost teas are observed by those who use repeated applications of them. Makes sense eh?
Hi Marc, there appears to be an infestation of pot worms or tiny white worms in composts. Could this be an issue regarding the quality of compost liquid for compost tea applications?
Thanks
Tony.
Hi Tony
Those little white “pot” worms are considered benificials. They disappear towards the end of the process in my worm bins. They should be gone in a finished compost pile as well.
I would be curious as to the actual species name(s) of the little squirmies, and any other info about them because they are rather prevelent in my worm bins.
Marc
Hi, your book is fantastic. I recommend any person that is serous about growing plants to buy it, study and implement according.
Do you make different kids of tea depending on different growth stages of the plant? (I.e. For growing plants a microbial tea while during flowering a fungi dominate tea? Do the nutrients you add in the tea during the brewing process (fish emulsion vs. guano) result in a larger variety of microbes or does it affect the nutritional value of the microbes itself? Where can I purchase EM 1?
Hi Shawn
Good questions. The nutrients you add to compost tea brew encourage the growth of microbes of different types. The fish hydrolosate has a tendency to promote fungal growth, while the guano is good food for bacteria. These are general guidelines however, considering we know so little about ALL of the microbes and their continual mutations.
Your second question is particularly good, but one that I must admit to not knowing the answer to, especially when referring to plants in general. As we all know, different plants have varied needs. Shooting from the hip though, I would think that many plants would need a bacterial dominated tea during flowering, and possible more fungal teas during root development. It kind of makes sense doesn’t it?
What do you think?
Marc
Shawn
To purchase EM1, just click on the link on the top right of the front page of the Compost Tea Making website. The company name is TeraGanix. They market the original EM1 isolated by Dr. Higa. Make sure you read the othe posts on this site concerning EM1. It’s great stuff. I use it in conjunction with compost teas.
Marc
Thank you so much for your help. I have read your book many many times and am know studing your resources page. Question Can you over feed (“fertilizer”) with the tea? Would putting to much black molasses affect the growth and the yeild of the plant negatively? Is it possible to have pathogens in the soil even though it does not smell badly. Is the air lift system any different or less effective than using an airpump system. What happens if your meduim (castings) does not have enough microbs to start with and they are unable to absorb all the nutrients (molasses, fish hydrolysates, kelp ) when you are feeding your plants. Much appriciated.
Hi Shawn
Yes, you can over feed the tea. That is why the amounts of molasses and nutrients in the recipes in Compost Tea Making are specific and may seem rather sparse. The surplus can end up being food for less desirable organisms, and it really is all about balance as well–like anything else. I may feel that a cup of good coffee in the morning is good for my health, but not 6 cups during the day.
Yes, not all pathogens will smell strong–and it depends on the concentration as well. The list of human pathogens is long and growing.
I have never tried the air lift system, but I am sure it works really well. A great idea. Tim Wilson uses it in the commercial systems he has designed.
If your castings or compost does not have a high microbial content then your tea will take longer to brew, and/or since they do not dominate the fermentation quickly you could brew more other microbes from your environment–for better or for worse.
If there is still some molasses and nutrients left in the brew then one could only assume that they get digested by organisms in or on the soil. Which ones? Compost yea making, as laid out in the book is really endeavoring to keep a modicum of control on these fermentations.
Good questions
thanks much appriciated
Loved your book but would like to know what type of compost tea would be best for Sericea Lespedeza a legume bacteria or fungal ?
Hi, I am making vermicompost tea for my farm. I am making 200lts at a time and diluting it to make 800lts, then I spray it on my crops.
I use a aquarium filter with 1 long airstone. Do you think this is enough oxygen? If I am only making 1 batch (I have 2 drums) then I place the 2 airstones in the 1 mix. I don’t notice a difference either way.
I seem to be getting results. I have sprayed the crops 2 or 3 times over a 3 month period at 80lts per ha.
Do you suggest I change the dilution rate or increase the oxygen? How can you tell that you are getting it right.
I use 2 lts of compost, 1 lt of molasses, 300mls Charlie Carp fish extract and a small handful of urea in 200lts of water for 24 to 48 hours
Hi Vicki
It sounds like you are doing a great job already and need little in advice from me. A larger air pump and maybe a bigger diffuser may be in order. The air pumps designed for hydroponics come in many volume size–available online or at a grow shop. I set up a system in a 200 liter barrel with one that cost about $40 US, with a 25 foot garden soaker hose as a diffuser. For you that would be 6 meter X 13mm I.D.? hose. That worked well. You know how those hoses come with a plug on the end, so you just have to plum the pump to a standard hose thread size–whatever that is in your area. In the US, hose thread is unique, but deceptively similar to 3/4″ pipe thread. I would be curious to know if hose thread in a metric country is metric itself? On that note, if you buy online, it may be shipped from China, so make sure the outlet thread is correct for your area.
As far as dilution rate, it’s all experimental. If you are using it as a growth enhancer ( I avoid saying ‘fertilizer’) a light solution is all that is necessary, but if you are dealing with a tough cookie, like fungus, spray it on strong.
Good work!
Marc