Compost tea

[Weed]

Have you ever tinkered with making compost tea? A buddy went fishing a few days ago and caught 10 Bluefish...they ranged between 38"-45". He sliced me off a nice filet for the grill and brought me the carcasses in a cooler for compost. I spent half a day chopping and grinding them and wound up with 9 gallons of puree, which then got funneled into milk jugs and into the deep freezer. I think I attracted every fly in Gloucester county!

I burned up my old yard sale blender in the process on the bodies and buried the heads and tails. The first batch of compost tea is underway and brewing with plenty of jugs at the ready. When my leaves arrive next week, I plan to make a few double 55 gallon batches to inoculate them. Standard 55 gallon batch includes a 5 gallon mesh bag filled with soil from various places from the woods, a gallon of fish puree and 16 oz. of molasses to feed/multiply the bacteria for a 3 day brew via the air pump. The molasses I get for under $6 a gallon, so that's my only out of pocket cost.

What gets used on the garden gets diluted @ about 5:1, plants first, then the mulch within rows (worms) until the batch is gone. it all gets used up once I shut the air pump down to avoid it from going anaerobic. No science or schedule...I'm just winging it - but avoid doing it more than once a month.

(I'm getting lazy Martin!

[Weed]

A few pics of the setup...pump provides a good rolling boil!

[Weed]

A few a few more pics

[themotherhen]

That is a really neat setup! Good job!

[paquebot]

I've often stated my position on compost tea and manure tea. It's great stuff but like using a howitzer to kill a fly. Everything in the process is normally done at no cost by the microherd in the soil. Those who say that one can get more out of the base forgets something. The sum of the whole can not exceed its parts. Also, the process is one which initially removes the soluble nutrients which is mostly nitrogen. Phosphorus and potassium take longer. For example, in the OP's setup, when it's all done fermenting, the fish bones will still be almost intact and that's where the phosphorus is. But do I like it? I sure do and I used to use it in the form of the leachate which drips from the tumbler. I just can't justify any costs involved in making it.

Martin

[Weed]

Most gardeners making tea are doing it mainly to feed their crops, I'm the oddball who has been trying to make the worms happy .  I realize I'm not changing the NPK value, whatever nutrients that are in the ingredients when I begin - is what I end up with in the end.  But my primary goal since buying the property has been to build topsoil as quickly and cost effectively as I can on a large scale.  Nutrients aside, it's the good bacteria I've been after to better decompose the 6" of shredded leaves I throw down each spring.

I did begin shifting a bit more focus over to the crops last year with the tea, since the garden is now loaded with worms and the soil seems to be alive and healthy.  I was hoping there was some out out there with a balanced recipe I could give a try. Regarding the fish bones that didn't get puréed totally, robbing my recipe of the phosphorus...maybe I could add a few cups of bone meal to the mix?  I have no clue how balanced my tea is, but I'm satisfied with the soil improvement and the plants/worms seem happy.