Inoculation

Hi there,

I’ve decided to buy a pump so I can make compost/worm tea to inoculate my biochar, and I have a few questions please.

Previously, I’ve thrown a cup of organic chicken manure pellets into a 6 litre milk carton, filled that with urine and allowed it to dissolve before pouring it on dry biochar along with worm castings to inoculate.

My questions are.

If making worm tea in a bucket with a bubbler using rain water and castings, at what stage would I add dissolved chicken pellets and urine?
Will they help the bubbling tea process or hinder?

Secondly, people say that the microbes in the bubbled worm tea will die off within 6-12 hours of the bubbler being switched off, due to lack of oxygen. Will the microbes survive if added to the biochar immediately after the bubbler being turned off?

Third, more of a worm related question. Would adding a bit of the bubbled worm tea back into the bin benefit the bin? Would it provide additional food for my worms?

Thanks

Can anyone help?

I would make your compost tea, using regular methods.  You need enough time and oxygen in there to really build up all of the microbes.  I would add urine and chicken manure separately to the crushed biochar after you add the compost tea.  Those are all good inoculants. They just need to be made in a helpful way first. Then the microbes can live and grow in the biochar before you add it to your soil.

John S
PDX OR

John Suavecito wrote:I would make your compost tea, using regular methods.  You need enough time and oxygen in there to really build up all of the microbes.  I would add urine and chicken manure separately to the crushed biochar after you add the compost tea.  Those are all good inoculants. They just need to be made in a helpful way first. Then the microbes can live and grow in the biochar before you add it to your soil.

John S
PDX OR

Thanks John,
I've already begun experimenting, but have decided not to add urine during the brew stage.
Dave