Hi,
I am going to start making 5 gallon portions of compost and worm tea. But I gotta ask, is there a certain time to use it that would be most beneficial for plants? See, all my peppers and tomatoes are loaded with fruits now. I know the teas are beneficial regardless, but is it most beneficial pre-bloom? or it doesn't really matter?
How long do you typically brew your tea? Any standard recipe you could share? I've seen some recipes where people add a bunch of extra stuff to it.
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PunkRotten
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1989
- Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2011 8:48 pm
- Location: Monterey, CA.
Re: Compost tea and worm tea
I'm definitely no master gardener, but some things I learned from a master gardener's workshop this spring were:
- Start supplementing with worm casting tea around week 6 (after planting) to give plants a boost
- Her recipe was: 2 large handfuls of worm castings in a 5 gallon bucket of water, let sit 2 days, then strain with cheesecloth or floating row cover and use worm casting tea to water. I think it was suggested to use once a month, but for tomato plants you can fertilize with tea every week, and even use it to spray tomato leaves in the morning. If using in a sprayer, you can add an aspirin tablet in it to build up the plant's immunity and disease resistance.
Good luck!
- Start supplementing with worm casting tea around week 6 (after planting) to give plants a boost
- Her recipe was: 2 large handfuls of worm castings in a 5 gallon bucket of water, let sit 2 days, then strain with cheesecloth or floating row cover and use worm casting tea to water. I think it was suggested to use once a month, but for tomato plants you can fertilize with tea every week, and even use it to spray tomato leaves in the morning. If using in a sprayer, you can add an aspirin tablet in it to build up the plant's immunity and disease resistance.
Good luck!
Re: Compost tea and worm tea
If you make aerated tea you will brew it for 24-36 hours usually in a 5 gallon bucket with the inoculant in a sock. You will need a strong air stone or bubbler to both aerate and agitate the solution. You need to use it within 4 hours after taking it off the aerator
Non aerated teas will be good up to 10 days. It takes a little longer to brew 3-7 days.
Only use non-chlorinated potable water or rain water. You can add black strap molasses, fish meal (can of sardines), EM-1, compost, vermicast, etc, to the mix. Teas will be finished faster in warmer weather.
In non aerated teas there will be some aerobic organisms but dominated by bacteria and cilliates (anaerobic organisms).
Non aerated teas will be good up to 10 days. It takes a little longer to brew 3-7 days.
Only use non-chlorinated potable water or rain water. You can add black strap molasses, fish meal (can of sardines), EM-1, compost, vermicast, etc, to the mix. Teas will be finished faster in warmer weather.
In non aerated teas there will be some aerobic organisms but dominated by bacteria and cilliates (anaerobic organisms).