Compost Tea risks?

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by Alpinejs

Reading this thread makes me think that compost tea is far more complicated than I want
to get involved with, so some questions before I give up on the tea idea.

I understand that chicken manure is too hot for tomato plants. True?


Would this work? Fill a burlap bag with chicken manure and submerse it in a 55 gal.
garbage can-like container filled with water and then after a few days, water the tomatoes with it. Is it
still too hot. Beneficial? Anyone done this?

It is very simple actually. Just compost the manure first. That solves 99.999 % of the issues in this thread. Then if you make tea out of it you are VERY unlikely to have any problems at all and are VERY likely to have huge benefits.

[Alpinejs]

Thanks for replying, Red, but time is of the essence and composting takes too
long. I leave for Canada in the spring and then have a short growing season
up there so no time to compost. If you think chicken manure is too hot for
tea without first composting it, how about straight horse manure in the burlap
bags?

BTW, I have about four composting projects currently going with horse manure
and am frankly disappointed. None have gotten "hot" and the same goes for
my processing of the strawbales. Last year the bales got very hot and this
year only the "room temperature". I tried adding blood meal and still no change.
Very frustrating.

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by Alpinejs

Thanks for replying, Red, but time is of the essence and composting takes too
long. I leave for Canada in the spring and then have a short growing season
up there so no time to compost. If you think chicken manure is too hot for
tea without first composting it, how about straight horse manure in the burlap
bags?

BTW, I have about four composting projects currently going with horse manure
and am frankly disappointed. None have gotten "hot" and the same goes for
my processing of the strawbales. Last year the bales got very hot and this
year only the "room temperature". I tried adding blood meal and still no change.
Very frustrating.

Horse is much better. They are what is called a hindgut fermenter (cecum fermenter) so the manure is actually being "composted" inside the horse near its back end after 90% of the digestive process is already finished. That is why horse manure from a healthy horse doesn't stink like chicken or other manures. If of course they are allowed outside! This way the urine soaks into the pasture and you collect just the manure.

But even if some urine is in the manure, it gets diluted with the water making manure tea. Nitrogen is good for growth as long as it isn't too concentrated.

I still say compost is better. But if you make your tea with aerated systems and make sure it bubbles long enough, you should be good.

PS If you try it and the manure tea stinks then throw it away. Put it between the plants in the walkways or something like that, but not on your plants. Something went wrong. It should smell good, just like good compost smells, or the sweet smell of a freshly plowed field.

I just collected 5 big bags of horse manure myself 2 weeks ago. I simply went into a paddock and scooped up all the manure piles with a scoop shovel and a rake. Took about 1 hour. That manure smelled soooo good! Reminded me of summer. I will be using that manure THIS year on my crops. I usually make very little tea though. I use the tea mixed with TomatoTone or other biological product as "special" water for transplanting seedlings. After that what is left will be mixed 50/50 with fresh mowed green grass clippings, given a week or two and then put around the base of my plants. (but not touching)

PS Sorry it took so long to answer, I just got a phone call that my mini cold frame for starting seedlings just arrived at LOWES. I will be starting my broccoli as soon as I pick it up. In a few weeks then my Tomatoes and a couple weeks after that my peppers! I can feel the excitement growing!

[kilroyscarnival]

Originally Posted by Redbaron

I use the tea mixed with TomatoTone or other biological product as "special" water for transplanting seedlings. After that what is left will be mixed 50/50 with fresh mowed green grass clippings, given a week or two and then put around the base of my plants. (but not touching)

That is a new one to me. Combo fertilizer/mulch? Or is there another reason you do that?

[Redbaron]

Originally Posted by kilroyscarnival

That is a new one to me. Combo fertilizer/mulch? Or is there another reason you do that?

Mulch is ultimately fertilizer, just slower to release. I do it to insure a slow steady release of organic sourced fertilizer all season long as it decays.

[RayR]

You should download and read The Compost Tea Brewing Manual by Dr. Elaine R. Ingham.
Excellent book, It will answer a lot of your questions.

[dice]

Different kind of aerator, less of a point source than an
air stone: http://www.marinedepot.com/Won_Flexi...ARASBW-vi.html

One may be able to avoid the cost of lumber for the compost
bin if one uses recycled wood pallets:
http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/images/bin_pallet.jpg

[Lidspinner]

I have a relative that grows medical marijuana in a medically legal state and he swears by the compost tea.....he got me to start using it on my veggies about 3 years ago and now I make a compost pile out of my very own worm castings that I get from my worm bins and I order different types of bat guano and add some kelp meal and feather meal...let that compost for a month or so then add a big scoop from a shovel into a 5 gallon bucket and use 3 medium size air stones and a few tablespoons of molasses and viola, you have tea......use the compost as a top dressing and the tea as a feeding then foliar feed every 3-5 waterings......your veggies will love you and will do things you never seen them do before.....

with the method I just stated I have grown some of the biggest and tastiest toms and peppers......I also give it to my sweet corn as a top dress and they love it.....my brocc and cauliflower eat it up also.....the only veggies that I cannot tell a difference with are mostly my root veggies like carrots and beets and onions....for some reason I have noticed no growth changes or anything like that....

I will never ever go back to feeding miracle grow or any other commercial fert again....this organic method is so easy and solves so many issues that you almost get bored with your garden because you dont have to sit out there and fight through problems......I have not seen but maybe one horn worm since going organic.....I hardly ever get beetles on my beans anymore where as before I was fighting them buggers every day......

IMO, organic growing and compost teas are truly a miracle and should be used by each and every person who grows their own veggies.....

P.S.......I know alot of people look down on people who grow marijuana medically in legal states.....but you truly can learn a TON from those websites that are dedicated to the growing community.....I have learned so many things about organic growing and teas from those sites that I have about 5 different sites in my favorites that I frequent about once a day during the veggie growing season and 99% of those stoners are more than happy to answer questions and help you out even if your only growing toms.....when I ask a question I simply state to them that I am growing veggies and I have never had a problem with anyone....they truly are a good group of educated people...they remind me alot of you all here, it seems they are truly there to help you with any issues your having growing. dont be afraid to migrate over to some of those sites from time to time when you get stumped and cant find the answer here....