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Easiest Compost Tea

 
pollinator
Posts: 230
Location: CW Ontario, Zone 5
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I'm looking for some suggestions on the most simple way to make compost tea.  How lazy can I be and still have some nice liquid fertilizer food for my plants :)  ?
 
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Location: Arkansas - Zone 7B/8A stoney, sandy loam soil pH 6.5
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Depends on how well you want that tea to work for you.

Ultimate lazy would be get a large bucket or barrel and put in two shovels full of finished compost, fill to 3/4 of the way to the top, stir and let sit for 2-3 days then scoop out the liquid, leaving the solids behind, dilute and use.
This is not going to give you large numbers of fungi and bacteria but it is the ultimate in lazy.

Better  method, use something to contain the compost such as a cloth bag or old pantyhose, etc. drop in barrel fill 3/4 full with non chlorinated water or de-chlorinated water, stir twice a day into a vortex, finished in 3 days and ready to dilute and use.

Best method, use a compost containment as above, fill barrel 3/4 full of no chlorine water, add 1 cup molasses and stir to dissolve molasses into the water, suspend the "tea bag" half way in the water, add an air stone connected to an air pump and plug in, let brew 3 days, agitating the barrel 4-6 times a day.
take "tea bag" out of the brew and dilute and use.

All dilutions are 10:1

Notice that the more work it is (to a point) the better your results will be because you are promoting bacterial and fungal growth, there will also be other, important beneficial organisms as well.
Instead of a bubbler you can build and use a vortex barrel/ tank which will do all the stirring for you but you will need a fluid pump and air injector (very simple to make with a tube connected into the vortex piping)

Redhawk
 
Simon Johnson
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Thanks for the tips Bryant!
 
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