Pasteurizing Worm Leachate

I know there's mixed opinions on using worm leachate, but I don't want to just dump it down the drain.  If the harmful bacteria is the main concern for not using it, can I just pasteurized it, dilute it, and feed it to my plants?  I see a lot of info about pasteurizing Worm Tea (which I'm not sure why you would do that), but I'm talking specifically about Leachate.  Maybe even take it a step further and oxygenate it after pasteurization?  Any thoughts?

I don't know much about Leachate though I have seen a few threads that mention doing this or that with it.

I found this topic in the zero replies so it doesn't hurt to make a few suggestions.

Do you have a compost pile?  Would Leachate be of value there?

Is there a reason not to water plants with it?  Seems like a valuable asset to me.

What are the reason for not using it?

I just dump it straight on my plants as fertilizer. I don't worry much about sterility in my soil.  I dilute with water and then just water the plants.  I suppose theoretically I might not put it on leafy greens I am harvesting tomorrow - more because it is a waste than because I worry about germs!

If I was inclined to worry about pathogens in my garden, the excrement of the many squirrels and rabbits and voles and other rodents that invade my gardens would probably be more concerning to me than the small amount of worm leachate I put on it.

Anne Miller wrote:I don't know much about Leachate though I have seen a few threads that mention doing this or that with it.

I found this topic in the zero replies so it doesn't hurt to make a few suggestions.

Do you have a compost pile?  Would Leachate be of value there?

Is there a reason not to water plants with it?  Seems like a valuable asset to me.

What are the reason for not using it?

I guess the reason is solely that I read harmful bacteria could mess up the biome of my potted plant soil.  I could dump it outside or in my outdoor compost bin I suppose but its winter time.  I was hoping to utilize it better indoors, via pasteurization or aeration.  I just can't find any info on doing so.  Thanks for the replies!  There's one way to find out I guess!

I haven't done worms though I assume this is a liquid produced during the operation.

I see no reason why this Leachate would contain harmful bacteria if everything is healthy.  

Does anyone know?

I think the dangers of leachate are nutrients from the food scraps plus anaerobic bacteria.
The Worm Tap  is a system that purposefully cycles aerated liquids through a worm compost bin.
The resulting liquid is worm tea, I'm not sure if they dilute it or not.
They use it strait as hydroponic nutrients.

I think if your leachate is pathogenic, things are too wet and anaerobic. Add char, sand, pumice etc to your bedding, and moderate the amount of moisture going in. You could also put in an aeration and drainage chimney of perforated pipe in. If you are still concerned, you could dilute and aerate it before pouring on soil. I put my compost (Johnson su style) uphill and amidst plants I want to absorb the runoff, and it seems to work well.

I have seen that video, I think he sets that worm bin up to his hydroponic system, which is ultra cool.  So I don't have a ton of moisture and I'm not saying that my leachate is pathogenic, however I also don't know.  Which is why I'm asking if it's wise to er on the side of caution and pasteurize it.  It's been months so far and the bin seems healthy, I have added wood ash to it to prevent some of the newer bins from getting too acidic (I may have over fed one of them at one point), but otherwise all is healthy.  But after all of this time, I still have not drained the leachate.  I'm probably overthinking it

Maybe I missed something, but I never have leachate to deal with and have been keeping worms in multiple bins for the past 3 years.  My first bin I put holes in the bottom to allow it to drain out only because that's what I was told to do.  I saw other worm bins for sale with spigots that people collected and used, but I never saw any significant amount of water pooling in the bottom.  Every other bin I created afterwards I didn't even both putting holes in the bottom.  One summer I put worms into a 55 gallon drum and was surprised a few months later to see the worms (red wigglers) LOVED the bottom section that was really wet (almost like sludge) which could have definitely used a draining.  This was just an experiment so I had left it alone mostly covered but some water still collected from rain.  When I saw this I was really thrown off.  Why are we worried about draining if they preferred it there?  It was practically anaerobic it was that wet (no smell though).

So no holes for me, and when I add scraps to my bins I usually stir it up from the bottom (wearing gloves of course).  The bottom layer is very thick and usually has the most worms.  I could probably squeeze out some water but when I stir it the moisture just mixes.  I've managed to keep things around this wet constantly.  I do often overfeed the worms, and occasionally I'll smell an area that's gone anaerobic.  That's when I add my shredded cardboard-- the biggest game changer for me.  Get a 12-paper shredder (minimum) and shred up those boxes (taking off all stickers).  Anytime the bin's a bit too wet I add a few handfuls.  Worms love cardboard.