Aerated Compost Tea (forum)

amanda starts with ...
Hubble, bubble...decided to have a go at making my own microbe n fungi brew...

This is Day one.
I didn't have any hot compost so I dug deep into my woodchip brew and found a nice moist part with fungal hyphae - in it went.
1/4 cup of molasses (food for the bugs to get multiplying)
A small handful of "Olsen's Green Bio - soil rebuilder" - containing a 'composition of baccillus spp and fungi' (should do the trick!)
A handful of wet stuff at the interface between the soil and my straw pile (for my own soil microbes)
Some fresh kelp from the beach (trace elements)
A clod of pig poo...just because.
Rain water.

I guess I will just have to hope that the good guys do their thing and multiply.
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Time: 18th August 2010 1:57pm

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Original Post was last edited: 18th August 2010 9:52pm

About the Author amanda19
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amanda says...
Ok - @ 3hrs. Does anyone know how long these brews go for?
One site said 24hrs (longer than that and the "Bad Bugs" begin to grow - another said 3 days..? :-/

Apparenty the scum that is forming is a good thing...
It smells like a brewery to me!
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Time: 18th August 2010 4:51pm

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amanda says...
Now 8 hrs...(if anyone interested)...it smells great (at least) - very kelpy, earthy (yeasty maybe?) Anyway - a 'freshness' that just jumps out at you...(u will have to trust me with that explanation - not anaerobic anyway)

I have decided to use at 24hrs.
Without a microscope it's hard to tell if the fungi will be developed enough tho'.
Bacteria have a very short division and exponential growth phase..so they should be fine.
I will try to access a microscope in the meantime.
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Time: 18th August 2010 9:45pm

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About the Author amanda19
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amanda says...
Well, I am not sure if this has worked? I would have thought it would be more turbid looking than this?
It still smells fine, at 24hrs.
I'll hve to visit the school science class and borrow a microscope :)
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Time: 19th August 2010 1:03pm

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MiLK_MaN says...
Hi Amanda,

I started brewing compost teas last grow season for my chillies.

I put worm castings into a "hop sock" which is normally used for beer brewing. This way, all the solids remain confined in the fine netting, but the microbes get released into the rain water I use. I also add about 60 mls of both seasol and the fish fertilizer made by the same company, and also about 4 tablespoons of molasses.

You really do have to be careful about the compost you use. When it's brewed right, you definitely notice the sweet yeasty smell. When it goes wrong, my word do you know its gone wrong ;)

From everywhere that I've read, the brewing time will be dependent on temperatures and the amount of food for the microbes. I think the microbes need like 20 degrees for the optimum environment to multiply.

I think 24 hours is fine, just make sure you use the tea as soon as you turned the air pump off, otherwise it goes bad pretty quickly.


Time: 19th August 2010 3:24pm

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About the Author MiLK_MaN
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amanda says...
Thanks MiLK MaN! I wrapped the solids in some mesh material and (as there were 2 bubbler outlets) poked a bubbler in there too, and cable tied it all up..(will look for a hops sock!)

I was a bit put off by the info' on the Net about it all going wrong - and maybe breeding up the not so plant friendly bugs...that's why I cheated with the Olsen's bug gear..(I don't trust my hot compost making skills enough for this job!)

Thanks for your helpful comments - I was beginning to feel like I was talking to myself.... :-)))

Time: 19th August 2010 4:50pm

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MiLK_MaN says...
Hot composting is such a fine art, which is why I tend to prefer using worm farms.

I have a bit of a rotation system happening at home. I found a website that indicated the use of pre-composting (say 10 days of hot composting) in worm farms saw an increased consumption of the materials in the worm farm.

I've also got 2 bokashi bins, and the worms tend to like that as well providing you mix it with some bedding like shredded newspaper or wood shavings.

This will be the first year growing in the ground, I've also used pots, so will be interesting to see how my plants go being fed with compost tea and actually having room to move root wise.


Time: 19th August 2010 7:28pm

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About the Author MiLK_MaN
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amanda says...
Great MiLK MaN... I have a very productive worm farm, as it happens... :)
I grow them mainly to put into the garden - everything else a bonus. I will give the castings a go.
I only feed them bread and chook pellets, in the main (all my good stuff goes in the Gedys bins and to chooks)They go mad for chick starter crumbles. But maybe this diet lacking variety for the compost tea.

So - is it pre-composting without the worms first? (it would be too hot for them otherwise?) Thanks again..

Time: 19th August 2010 9:06pm

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MiLK_MaN says...
Yeah, the pre-composting is without the worms.

Unfortunately worms don't kill weed seeds, so some people pre-compost manures from animals like horses who also don't kill seeds in their gut.

I've been getting heaps of free coffee grounds from Starbucks recently, and the worms love that. It's free feed from my perspective, just have to watch out that it doesn't heat the compost pile up too much as coffee grounds has a fairly high nitrogen content.

I really do need to buy an acre somewhere, my small suburban block isn't quite living up to my gardening/composting/worm farming needs ;)

Time: 19th August 2010 10:16pm

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About the Author MiLK_MaN
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amanda says...
Ah - yes the chook food heats up the worm farm too...good in winter though - get heaps of babies that way :)

Didn't know that about the coffee grounds - I was worried they might be a bit toxic...

After the Gedys bins "finished" I throw a whole heap of worms in there and let them work it over. Maybe look into local dog groomers etc for free hair - great nitrogen supply too...?

Agree about the horse poo - have tried other manures - but worms seem to like it the best? A Horses gut wastes a lot of food hey!? Everything comes out almost whole except for grass...if only they "chewed the fat" a little longer like a cow.. :))

Good luck with your acre - sounds like u are ready for it!

Time: 20th August 2010 12:26am

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About the Author amanda19
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amanda says...
Hi MiLK MaN...as usual, chores have got in the way of my gardening - and I haven't had time to put my brew out yet....
I have kept the bubblers going and given it about 2 big spoons of molasses every day....hope to get it out 2morrow = day 4. It still smells great.

I guess this is all I can do?


Time: 22nd August 2010 8:51pm

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About the Author amanda19
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amanda says...
Tested the pH of a bit of wet gunk on side of the bin = 6.5 Got to be happy with that I guess!?
Anyway - finally got it out - so if everything dead in a week - you will all be hearing about it! :-O

Interesting that the pH of my anaerobic brews were about 9 (and not really usable)

Time: 23rd August 2010 3:50pm

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