So...I have some onions that I'd like to fertilize organically, but I'm not really sure quite how to go about it. I have some compost that's finishing up right now (I don't have any finished compost at the time), and I was thinking about steeping it in some water and using that as a fertilizer. Would that be wise, or am I off my rocker?
Edit: If it matters at all, my compost is made up of fruit and vegetable kitchen scraps, coffee grinds, grass clippings, some weeds, chopped leaves (with twigs), and some random paper products (coffee filters, cardboard, etc.).
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rainbowgardener
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That would be fine. You have a couple options. I make compost infusion sometimes, which is just compost steeped in water for a couple hours, stirred frequently.
Or you can make AACT (see big long sticky at top of this forum) which is steeped for 24-36 hrs with an aquarium pump/bubbler to keep it oxygenated.
In either case add some molasses to feed the microbial life and use de-chlorinated water.
What you don't want is to leave it steep un-oxygenated for a long time. Then you get anaerobic bacteria which are stinky and possibly pathogens.
The AACT which I just finally got around to doing this year for the first time(s) is amazing stuff. You will actually see a noticeable difference in your plants with one application (or at least I did with my seedlings).
Or you can make AACT (see big long sticky at top of this forum) which is steeped for 24-36 hrs with an aquarium pump/bubbler to keep it oxygenated.
In either case add some molasses to feed the microbial life and use de-chlorinated water.
What you don't want is to leave it steep un-oxygenated for a long time. Then you get anaerobic bacteria which are stinky and possibly pathogens.
The AACT which I just finally got around to doing this year for the first time(s) is amazing stuff. You will actually see a noticeable difference in your plants with one application (or at least I did with my seedlings).
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mattie g
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Thanks, rainbow.
I made AACT last year (or at least my initial attempts at it), and absent a whole lot to compare it to (since I'm only a couple years into gardening), it worked really well with my tomatoes and peppers. My main concern was using the unfinished compost, as I've read a lot about how using unfinished compost as an amendment can tie up nitrogen in the soil.
My rationale was that, since it's being steeped and added as a liquid, the nutrients in the tea would be absorbed much more readily by the onions, rather than getting things tied up in the soil itself. And by the sounds of it, I'm not completely off base!
I made AACT last year (or at least my initial attempts at it), and absent a whole lot to compare it to (since I'm only a couple years into gardening), it worked really well with my tomatoes and peppers. My main concern was using the unfinished compost, as I've read a lot about how using unfinished compost as an amendment can tie up nitrogen in the soil.
My rationale was that, since it's being steeped and added as a liquid, the nutrients in the tea would be absorbed much more readily by the onions, rather than getting things tied up in the soil itself. And by the sounds of it, I'm not completely off base!