How to Make Compost Tea Like a PRO
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 30. 06. 2024
- An excellent microbial fertilizer, in today's video Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea takes us through his process of making compost tea commercially.
In this video we discuss: What you need to make compost tea, how to make compost tea properly, how to make a good compost tea, what to feed your compost tea, why we don't use molasses, and more.
Shoutout to Troy Hinke of Living Roots Compost Tea for his help (livingrootscomposttea.com/)
Follow Troy on IG: / livingroots. .
Items in this video:
Air Pump: amzn.to/3xzOIHT
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Microbe Food (fish fertilizer): amzn.to/3u6Pf1L
Compost tea Bag: www.gardenteacompany.com/400-...
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Sprayer (high end): amzn.to/3vvna4k
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People think Iâm crazy when I show them pictures of my 9â tomato plants ! They are loaded with tomatoes from bottom to the top ! I had to prune the tops because I couldnât find the support for them past my 8â of bamboo stakes. All grown with 100% natural fertilizer & compost tea ! I made my own urea from urine which is nitrogen the phosphorus was from self made bone meal and the potassium was from wood ash ! I use compost tea to water and spray every other week from planting to current ! I highly suggest for people to work outside the box and get away from synthetics. Itâs amazing how much better the taste of my vegetables are.
Concerned about the bold usage of urine and bone meal đł blink if your not ok
@@nickit22 Iâm dying ! đ€Łđ„žđ€đđ
I would love to learn more about your process
Could you please make a video and post it on utube. Thanks
Same for me last year this year just let them grow back down to the ground. Thatâs what I did it worked perfect.
Thank you Jess and Troy for sharing your knowledge and information.
So much knowledge here! And clearly acquired over the years from a sum of sources. Therefore I canât thank you guys enough for this video and your will to simply better peoples gardens and lives. Thats selfless!
Thank you so much for this. Best video on compost tea I've seen. Also, Thx for Living Soil Handbook, Jesse. It answers so many questions and gives me a whole new outlook. I am going to try to find Troy's What's Brewing podcast next
Thanks for the genuine, well stepped out video, lots of good tips and explanations. Legend!
Compost tea made from goat manure has made a huge difference to my garden. The crops are doing so much better. I guess the soil in my plot is very nutrient poor. The trees now grow faster, the vegetables are greener and have bigger leaves. They are also more resistant to aphids. I water them once a week with the compost tea - 1 litre compost tea added to 4 litres water. Then I water with just water another day in the week. Even the cactus plant has started growing lots of shoots after being dormant for nearly a year.
Next, I want to try chicken manure compost tea.
Goats are always good, especially if they have a nice range to forage. and good diet
Nothing to do with the amount of nutrients, as most of these are in almost any subsoil (rock, gravel, sand clay etc). This is usually not the missing link. It's the plant availability of these nutrients, which mainly fungi and bacteria will harvest and bring to the plants in return of starches from the plant roots as exudates. By adding compost tea, you add soil microorganisms that will do this. Poor soil quality is usually the cause of lack of soil life. Increased organic matter will provide habitat.
If you read this, please tell me how you made goat compost tea. I've got a bunch of goat manure in the barn I was gonna be cleaning out and adding to woodchip piles, but would love some tea to water with
Only one thing to comment on, explaining humic acid would make understanding what it is in relation to the compost tea. Most people tend to ignore doing research, "too much trouble", so a quick explanation is better.
I have a container garden, so I keep adding water, the extract all summer, and adding in mushroom scraps, bits of rotting twigs, sometimes coffee grounds (used) and have the air flow 24/7. I have to use it to keep the plants viable given the soil depletion every 2-3 days because of watering, rain, or plants using up nutrients.
This week I have to again use it for the compost tea using worm compost. The change in temperature, season, and humidity will change the microbial life, and the soil biome. (All the bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and other organisms).
I used a fairly strong tea on an apple tree with canker, hoping to reduce the damage. It does seem to be working, the one bad scar is being grown over by the tree, the canker areas are smaller, some gone.
Compost tea won't "burn" which is extremely handy when using it to start seeds or cuttings.
Seeds and cutting need completly different mediums to grow.
Seeds like rich soils.
Cuttings, until they develop roots, must be in very poor soil, with excelent drainage, the more sterile the better. There is no sterile mediums, all have some bacteria and fungus, but, the less the better. Otherwise they will...rot, compost...usually sand is optimal (not counting fabrics and plastics and other sintetics). Non nutritional organic mater, like peetmoss, or even barks, can be used if they drain well. Althou compostea is basicly just water with sugars and bacteria in it, is a no no for cutting. Only water, pure water is all it takes.
Very handy scenario. Thanks for pointing that out.
One of the most detailed videos on compost tea. Thank you.
This is an awesome tutorial and the explanations really help it all make sense!
I'm from Kentucky I'm just now getting hip to the organic side farming and I am absolutely in love with the idea I'm about to get the rest of the setup to start brewing today I've wanting to do the IMO but have to learn a little more about that though
I am so grateful for your video!!! It cannot be anymore useful. It changed my whole garden here in the desert of Dubai. †thank you
Thank you, my friend is Vietnamese, I am applying this technology to make manure thanks to your friend's videos, I have learned more
Great start to my Sunday before head to my garden â€ïž
Youâre the best kitty cat! So cute she follows you around.
Over the years I've heard it but, this presentation melds everything together nicely...
AWESOME tutorial with so many useful tips. Thank you both for sharing
i took notes lol
Your videos are always so helpful even though I donât do market gardening - just trying to grow enough for my family. :) I just bought your book and am excited to start reading it. :) My cousin (in-law) is Steve Groff - I think youâve done a podcast or something with him? I have his book and I am looking forward to learning even more from yours and thank you for your great videos! đ
This is so awesome! I want it make it to help my compacted soil. I love the podcast
Good vid:] I have been making compost tea for 4 years and it is now part of my garden for life! I like a more bacteria dominate tea for my veggies and try catering to the season if in veg or fruiting. Rain water has really made my teas better as well and one bucket if strong can be diluted to your rain reservoir for max supply:]
Love using different types of teas. Thank you for this.
Greatly appreciated! I went overboard? Did a bubbler from a 32 gal Rubbermaid pail. (Another CZcams video) Bought the fish hydrolysate, humic acid, (still have the kelp and molasses). I will just spray every damn inch of my house. 1 acre, very little grass, mostly shrubs, ornamental grasses , lavender, sage, mint, helebores and generally plants deer wonât eat :) - yeah, at 30 gal a batch, my compost or even my vermicompost âjuiceâ will be shared with my neighbors and friends. The âfinalâ farm is only one year out now.
I have a bucket of water off gassing as I watch...great info on feeding the tea. Thanks to Jesse, Troy & No Till for all the geek level soil science...why I started brewing! Did not know this key to getting the most out of whatever soil you have!
This was soooo helpful! I have been making the compost tea and needed the nitty gritty of exact reasons of why to feed certain things ie not molasses but fish stuff ( didnât know spelling đ) and soluble kelp. Great video as always!
Ps bought your book Jesse and only on page 34 and have underlined and starred a lot! Best gardening book ever and I have a lot on my shelf! Thank you a million trillion times for sharing your learning experiences in gardening!
Keep up the good work!
fish hydrolysate
lol he didnt even explain why not to use molasses just said there would be more then enough bacteria for the brew u want sugars for bigger yield in most plants coconut is really good as well and aloe
â@@growztreez1545they say to never exceed over 2.5 tbsp of unsulfured molasses per 5 gallon bucket to keep the bad microbes in check. I don't go over 2 just to be safe.
What a timely video. Im just feeding my peppers and tomatoes now
Awesome Video as Always!!!
Amazing content Jesse! Thanks!
Really useful video! Thanks so much for this!
The best way to describe what is taking place with compost tea is that it acts like a nutrient converter. It will facilitate the conversion of insoluble nutrients into soluble nutrients faster so the plant can actually use them within its lifespan. Worm casting if fed with a high carbon diet will increase the amount of fungi plus add a natural growth hormone. And also it works best in depleted soils or poor soils. If your soil is already good it can be used as maintenance instead of a fertilizer boost.
Awesome Information. Thank you for your time and knowledge
LOOOVED IT! Great tips :)
THANKS!
Thanks for this wonderful vid Jessy. Troy really knows his shit! I make about 35 yards of compost every season and late, this past summer I made 33-gallon jugs of fish hydrolysate. I get my fish scrap from a commercial fish house on Lake Superior . Can't wait till spring to combine these for making veggie tea. Thanks again.
where do you get 100 yards of raw materials to make 35 yards... that's a nice pile for one guy
The best farming channel on youtube
Thanks! This is very helpful!
You can also used a organic potato, just bake it like you would normally do (NO MICROWAVE) and mush the potato flesh into the water, it's a more complex food that fungal foods thrive on, bacterial foods are foods that break down easily, so fungi absolutely love it đ
This was a fantastic video. Thank you.
I use water from my indoor pond for all my greenhouse and indoor plants and fruits it workâs incredibly since itâs got so many good qualities in it
Thank you for informing on compost Tea.
Man, one of the best video on making compost tea yet. My only question, how long do we put the air pump on and how do we know when it's ready? Thank you!!
did anyone answer this? i also missed it in the video... or it wasnt mentioned...
Right away. if using a bubbler, right away, 12hr, 24hr, kind of like the tea people drink. I think I've heard longer than 24hr is not Necessary and may do more bad than good.
Great info! Thanks! đż
Thank you so much for this video! More like this! â€
Love this idea
very cool. I went and bought a tube for my compressor, cleaned out a 5 gallon bucket, and put in some compost to get it started.
Beautifully doneđ
Thanks
Hey Jesse
Nice video ..I was preaching this compost teas a few years back in a conversation !
Bacterial , fungal and nutrient teas
Been studying and practicing for the past 15 years ..your temps and brew time are critical!
So many trucks to share with trial and error !
Teaming with microbes is a good starter book for people out there !
Keep up the great work đ
Be well
Bk from Pa
"Teaming with microbes" Great book!
so since you have 15 years of experience.. would you mind sharing some of that experience? is it even necessary to use this practice? what about people who grow food without this that decide it isn't necessary because their food is growing nonetheless??
@@Haqqali The idea is to increase the biology in our soil , due to highly depleted soils lacking the correct balance of minerals..
You can top dress or do a combination of both topdressing and teas , root drench and foliar .
This practiced correctly will create nutrient dense foods using no chemicals.
If the soil is rich in biology the soil web will occur where organic matter in the soil will be eaten and converted into energy for the plant .
( Simple explanation) this is how nature grows with no assistance!
Having a living soil you also need to keep something planted at all times.
Let the plants feed from the soil , don't force feed your plants .
Be well !
@@gmaster716 sorry let me be more clear. there are so many methods that are way simpler than making compost tea to feed your soil without using industrial fertilizers. my personal favorite is using fetid swamp because of its simplicity. while its not used for applying bacteria or fungi (it only has anaerobic microbes), it gives the nutrients for the microbes and the plants in the soil already. the same goes for almost all fertilizers that i can think of. as long as you don't use anything that harms soil life and instead add dead material that is considered organic matter, the soil will be fed. i can think of compost tea as a fertilizer but why would i use it when i have other simpler methods? ok it has good microbes but why is it not enough to feed the microbes already in the soil? thus why i'm asking someone with 15 years of experience with this, what difference has it made, using this method. or should i say, in my situation, where i assume my soil is healthy and alive even when not using compost tea, what would i improve by using compost tea. because i can think of one year i was actually practicing this method but i simply stopped when i didnt notice any difference.
Well said. Thank you.
Thank you. Everyone says the timing depends on temps. Is there visual or odor indicators to help verify? How about a timing temp chart? Example: Todays bacterial tea brewed only 12hrs at 100f and yet it looks like it does when is ready. All foamy and light brown with a reduced sent.
Awesome Video! Prolific Nature Nurturing Vibes!
Great job as olways!!!
My formula is much easier- pull 5 gallons of weeds, fill the bucket with water and steep for two to three weeks- Then strain the water out of the bucket and into a 55 gallon barrel (of well water)with a hose at the bottom of the barrel for watering.
Water as normal a few times during the season-the plants in my test plot grew 4times as large as the untreated and roughly four times as productive - easy peasy!!
I think that would be fermented plant juice, not compost tea
@@zephyrr1522 True - in compost tea the beneficial microbes are aerobic and can only live if there is oxygen in the water.
Lul
So you had what, a 6 foot tall Cherokee purple tomato plant and you sprayed it with magic potion and it got 4 times bigger? That's amazing that it grew 24 feet. That's as tall as a two story house.
Great info! Thx!
Well done!
Hi, one of your french viewers here :)
Here is what I don't get, Elaine Ingham is saying you can make your own humic acid from your compost just by running water through it with a filter. That means humic acid is already present in compost right, so why should we buy and add in the mix something that's already existing in the compost we use for compost tea ? What am I missing ?
Huge thank's for your videos by the way
I agree I think itâs a waste of money. Just trust the process. By getting your own humic acid within your own compost you know what is in every input into your garden.
For those of you who are confused, Humic acids do in fact feed soil fungi.
Via a simple web search-
>>>Rich in carbon, Humic acids are excellent food resources of beneficial soil fungi which are critical for mineralization of nutrients otherwise unavailable to plants. The Humic and Fulvic acids contained in humates act as natural chelating agents binding to nutrients in the soil. Plant roots absorb these humic acid/nutrient compounds and effectively increase the efficiency of plant uptake of nutrients and decreasing nutrient losses through leaching.
In combination with fertilization, it allows you to get the most out of your nutrient management program and may even reduce the amount of fertilizers applied. It will contribute to improving soil quality, texture, water holding and capacity while breaking down clay lattices and reducing sodium build up in soils. By using a dry granular humic acid, you are applying humic materials which benefit the soil for extended periods of time.
This was a great save worthy share worthy quick how to and reference! I watched several of his lectures but then I realized it was spilling out into a 10 session video stream - and I didn't have the time in life right now with two new children, moving out of country etc to dig into that the way I used to have. So I really appreciate the concise this is what you need to know Troy! One question: Do you sanitize your 5 or 50 gallons in between uses to prevent anything crossing over, or is just solarizing it fine?
I rinse well and clean with water and possibly environmentally friendly soap.
@@troyhinke3355 Oh that's it! Thank you
Can I use this in my gardens/property spring, summer and fall as an opportunity to generally feed the soil not necessarily feed specific plants?
Very good vid! Thanks.
Kool vid. When would one use compost tea versus compost extract?
Thanks for posting! Really enjoyed the presentation. Few comments, just info I've picked up along my organic journey đ tldr soak airstones in vinegar, maybe don't squish and bash the highest concentration of microorganisms, kelps great but fish/humic are too!
03:59 Soak the stone in vinegar, run for a quick sec. Problem solved. Been using for a year or two and no issues with any stones. Obviously I can't say stones work any better since I don't microscope my teas just yet (soon enough lol) but it seems to generate far more bubbles than just open ended hoses to break that surface tension.
I'd also be interested to know if pressing the delicate organisms and squishing them during the brewing process actually helps or not (microscopy work required of course) since only bacteria are resilient to that type of physically disturbance. Even just rainwater surprisingly can damage certain microorganisms within the soil food web (protozoa, fungi, nematodes are all unbelievably delicate), so I'd be surprised if bashing them in the strainer doesn't have a detrimental effect. Personally I just give the bucket a good shake, as that's how Dr. Ingham seems to prep her soil samples. As gently as possible, shaking them. I figure this would translate into the least amount of damage for our teas as well đ€
There's a few microscopy vids on YT can see some poor ol damaged fungal hypaes, nematodes etc after being disturbed/disrupted even just slightly. Def wild to actually see the effects of mishandling, I truly can't even fathom what tilled vs non tilled looks like under the scope, when just mishandling a soil sample can damage so many microorganisms (again, not rly bacteria, its everything else lol)
Kelp i think depends on the type to be considered specific Fungal food? Like kelp meal maybe, but liquid kelp or seaweed is far higher in pH and may not be catering towards fungal life as it would seem to be bacterial mostly.
Interestingly enough, you can usually figure out what the amendments method of feeding/breakdown is by it's pH values. Does the amendment have an Acidic pH? Then it's usually fungal preferred food. Does the amendment have an Alkaline pH? Almost always preferred by bacteria..Oyster shell is around 8 pH meaning its not very much preferable to fungi, very much so towards bacteria. Will there be random fungi who like it? Perhaps!! Who knows, anything's possible haha but in terms of it's standard application? Def bacteria all day. You see this with nearly any organic amendment out there tbh. What breaks down peat? Fungi. It's pH? 4 lol can see this in majority of amendments out there. hope it helps!
Hey thanks for your tips. So you would just put the compost in the strainer, stir it up a bit, let it sit and then take it out again rather than squishing it out? And also what would you suggest as fungi food then? (oystershell or is it the opposite? sorry im not quite sure in how you phrased it haha)
Chheeers
Nic
â@@niccotton4058 typically I use a similar but smaller fabric/cloth bag, although I think his method of draping it across top is definitely gonna be better than just a smaller bag (basically giant tea bag) off to the side like I have it. His surface area would be far better. I just shake the bucket side to side. Nothing too crazy, as I usually make it inside. So not like it's going splashing all over, nothing quite so violent hahaha I stay away from stirring or anything else aside from just a shake. I always stir in the molasses (or whichever food source I'm going with) first though, that's for sure lol
But even a gentle squeeze and yeah, I wouldn't expect it to be very great for the little guys. I get the concept, and I too sometimes break up the chunks for more surface area, but I do it only *before* starting the process and don't touch after the tea starts brewing.
Far as fungal dominant teas? Mushroom compost!! Haha that's a great one of course, along with humic acids, fish hydrolysate and a few others. Kelp is def one of them, but maybe not the best depending on type. Still gonna need a good source to feed both so can certainly use kelp. You'll notice the common theme with all 3 suggestions is that they are 7 or below on pH. Again, a neat way to tell a preferred food source heh kinda came up with that little trick (pH dictating an amendments preferable source of consumption).
I also make organic compost using Swift droppings. The result is very good..my vegetable growth is very fastđđ
You can dunk the air stones in baking soda and hydrogen peroxide solution and theyâre just fine.
Aww love the kitty cat!
Great video! I am going to use compost tea this year instead of fertilizer.
How long do you prefer to oxygenate? And is it possible to swap the fish product with something else that achieves the same results?
Hi Bruvas Just a quick question from NZ would you use FAA and FPJ for microbe food or is that not the go .Is there any point cecking the pH? Thanks for the great video once again
I have a date farm in climate similar to low desert of Arizona , how often do You recommend to apply , and what other cares in such extreme heat
I may have missed this but how long do you let the tea "brew" for? do you aerate it the whole time?..
Thanks for a great video. So, I have about 18 cu. yds. of leaves coming later in the month. My garden is 1760 sq. ft., currently I have cover crop planted on it. What do you think of this plan: In the spring, I'm going to cut the cover crop, then spread 3" of leaves over it and cover that with 5.3 ounce weed fabric. I'll plant through holes in the weed fabric and let the leaves along with the cut cover crop decompose over the spring/summer. I already have some pretty good soil which started as hard clay. I want to continue to feed it and I have no place to store the leaves except on my garden. Am I crazy or might this work?
No weed fabric! Use cardboard or newspaper or similar and lay your leaves on top.
Great video! thanks! :D
interesting video. i'm gonna try it. but one part i didn't understand. what for acids can i ad in my compost tea?
Awesomeness, Im the first Comment
Aloha mai Hawaii (Big Island)
Weâre trying to rehab our soil where thick underbrush was removed by a bulldozer for a necessary fire barrier next to our home. Weâve plotted off a veg garden and flower bed in the blank slate using a cardboard base and bags of organic compost and manure blends. Would a tea help to add different microorganisms back into the mounds? Or is there enough there from the bagged compost/manure? We used organic Moonure in the food bed, and a generic compost/manure blend (not organic) for the flower beds. Thanks!
Good job
THUMBS UP EVERY TIME WHEN THERE'S A CAT đ±đ IN THE VIDEOS đđ„°
Great videođ
Can someone tell me why we need the bag?why not just put the compost straight into the barrel?
Thank you
While searching on the chemistry of the boiled potato added to compost tea your video came up, (as a recommended source of information. Lol, you are on ai. P.S. I had already watched this video earlier today. Love you book Jesse!
Nice video!
Can we take leaf mold in place of compost for fungal tea ??
This is exactly how I've always done it. Just wanted to see someone else's message.
Content in this video is primo for beginners for sure.
509 WA
D West
I keep waiting for more video's. Is this site always down in the late fall and winter or is something wrong? Maybe I missed something. Concerned in Washington.
i grew up in emmaus PA home of rodale. i used to do video work for the institute.
That cat was just an under the belt punch. I HAD to click like :)
Would be interesting to see a before and after... đ
Cheers from Oklahoma brother âïžâïžâïžâïžâïž
I spoke with a friend today who learned of compost tea in Venezuela 33years ago.
Maybe it was an extract. I didn't know this science had a history.
I just soak the stones and run them in some soap water and so far so good? Thoughts
I live in a slum in East Africa, and work on demonstration farming projects for productive, sustainable agriculture. The challenge I face is, I can not run to the store and buy humic acid or suluble kelp. Is there any garden plants that could serve as fungal foods? Pounded Comfrey? Pounded Alfalfa? What could I grow to serve as a fungal food?
@17:16 Replay. Compost extract is easier to make and will increase the fungal nature of the soils applied to. For further validation, play youtube videos of a young farmer in Kansas(USA) Young Red Angus. He raises corn(maize), wheat, as well as having a cow herd!
I have a 5 gallon bucket underneath another 5 gallon bucket and the top one contains many holes for ventilation and is where I put my compost materials and red wigglers. I will add the compost tea to the top of it every few days and let it drip through down back to the bottom bucket and leeches a lot of different nutrients that way. Seems to help the breakdown process much faster too for the composted materials.
Would a micronized char be a nice addition to the brew or extract?
It is my 4 years with homemade compost tea IT WORK
A lot of vegetables the plant is strong everything grow fast and itâs Free compost
Did you put compost tea anytime in the soil like when we sow I now its all right but when the plant have fruit like tomatoes or peppers etc did you put compost tea on them to ?
Some one put a mashed potatoes for starch in the bag with the compostâŠit work to
If i were short in compost, could i take a part of the already brewed tea, to start a new brew? Or would that also not work like feeding more after 12hours of brewing?
A little frustrated, every time I think on the right track with brewing tea, someone comes along with a new version. I don't know who to believe anymore. I use worm casting, a little lactobacilis, a little fish fertilizer and feed it with mallards and brew till it gets a nice foamy head. The fungal recipe seems to keep changing!
Spell check got me I feed it with molasses
Just do whatever feels the best or is the most fun. Compost tea and all the other jazz is purely about making the person feel better. It's pseudoscience.
I add a teaspoon of molasses too
Good morning! I have a good size aquaponics system and I pull solids off the system every week. I run them thru 2 stages of mineralization in two tanks with airstones and K1 bio filter media moving thru each tank. I have a microscope and would love to know more about how to tell when my compost tea is at peak potential.
Do you know any good channels for aquaponics?
@@inigomontoya8943 best one I have watched for years is Rob's Aquaponics, RobBob. He's done a great job at demonstrating a wide variety of ways to do it on a budget.
I didnât hear in this video when you should be applying the compost tea. Should I be spraying a day before planting out a bed, a few days? Can I use it as a foliar spay? When is the best time to spay it to ensure healthy growth in my plants and soil biology
When THE sun goes down
He said it can be used as a foliar or when beds are flipped.
do you leave the strainer bag with the compost staying in the bucket or out of the bucket when aerating the tea
Compost tea is the best you can feed the soil with!! đ
How long do you brew compost tea?
That time of the day
Amazing
We have been brewing comfrey tee to good effect. Should this recipe be added in addition to the comfrey tee application or is it a better replacement?
Whichever makes you feel the best or you find the most fun.