Questions about compost tea, botanical teas, and fermented teas....

Since the beginning of april I have been putting all of my fruit & veg scraps into small pits in the ground in my backyard.

Lots of scraps from broccoli, asparagus, peppers, melon rinds, some egg shells, apples, mangoes, grapes, etc etc etc etc etc....And every so often I put a thin layer of dry grass/weed mulch across the layer of food scraps. So there's alternating layers of food scraps and dry grass/weeds. Once it gets to ground level I start a new spot.

A couple weeks ago I dug into a portion of the first spot I started to take a look at it, everything appears pretty well broken down. And when I first started these basic "compost pits" there was a lot of worms & beetles & maggots and all sorts of detritivore activity going on.


So....Can I use this stuff for making "compost tea"? Should I wait longer or is it good to go?

What would be the best way to use it? Teas and top dressing?





About botanical/non-fermented plant teas.....I have a few male plants, can they be used as a simple botanical tea? Blending/shredding them up well and letting the blended up plants "steep" in water for a day or two, then poured into the soil of my other plants (females).




About fermented teas....From the sounds of it, from the bit of reading I've done so far, it seems as simple as letting plant material sit and "rot"/ferment in water in a lightly sealed container for usually 7 to 14 days.

Wouldn't this tea be anaerobic? And aren't anaerobic organisms, for the most part, detrimental to soil & roots?

How is such an anaerobic concoction safe for the soil/plants?





"Nutrient" wise...what's the difference between a botanical tea, where plant material is steeped in water for a day or two, and a fermented plant tea? Basically what does each have to offer?

I'm assuming there will be more available NPK in a fermented plant tea since the material has had time to get broken down along with other biological activity (which I'm trying to understand with the whole anaerobic thing going on).

And what happens if plant material is aerated in water for a week or two? Instead of letting plant material sit in "dead" water for a week or two like "fermented plant tea" calls for.



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Burying compost works well in sandy soil. The denser the soil, the more anaerobic it gets. Still not bad depending on how you use it.

Anything anaerobic, fermentation’s et al, I usually let oxidize before use. I’ll add it to the soil before planting and let it “cook”’. Air it out. OR use it in very diluted quantities.

The percentage of NPK increases due to off gassing of CO2. The quantity generally doesn’t increase.
It does break down to a degree before pickling where it’s preserved. Pickles, sourcrout, bokashi...

h.h. said:

Burying compost works well in sandy soil. The denser the soil, the more anaerobic it gets. Still not bad depending on how you use it.

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My soil is mostly sandy/a bit loamy.

I'm not really burying the food scraps though, or at least I'm not burying/covering the food scraps with more soil, I'm basically just filling the pits with food scraps and some grass/weeds mulch mixed in layers....I dug a small trench/pit that I toss fruit & veg scraps into, and every two or three days I put a small layer of grass/weeds mulch on top of the food scraps, then more food scraps on top of the grass/weeds mulch...Alternating layers of food scraps & grass/weeds built up until that portion of the pit/trench of filled up to ground level, once it is at ground level I just let it sit and break down and start a new pit/trench.

I turned over and took a shovel scoop out of one of the pits yesterday and it's nothing but soil at this point, no foul smell, just a sweet dirt/earth smell.



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I have some tarps set up with 6 mil plastic.

The first tarp collected water.

I put another tarp on top, and covered it with madrone leaves. I was thinking, to shade the water, so it evaporates slower.

Anyway, the water leaked into the top area where the leaves are.

The water is dark and looks pretty light nute-wise but I have a feeling it is a good mix. I have been using it to water a tomato & beet garden on the hill.

Now I just need to add some worms so they can multiply in the wet leaves.

Also the wild birds are loving the little pool of water. Taking wet bird baths etc.

http://www.alternative-energy-tutorials.com/aerobic-composting/anaerobic-composting.html

Organilush said:

My soil is mostly sandy/a bit loamy.

I'm not really burying the food scraps though, or at least I'm not burying/covering the food scraps with more soil, I'm basically just filling the pits with food scraps and some grass/weeds mulch mixed in layers....I dug a small trench/pit that I toss fruit & veg scraps into, and every two or three days I put a small layer of grass/weeds mulch on top of the food scraps, then more food scraps on top of the grass/weeds mulch...Alternating layers of food scraps & grass/weeds built up until that portion of the pit/trench of filled up to ground level, once it is at ground level I just let it sit and break down and start a new pit/trench.

I turned over and took a shovel scoop out of one of the pits yesterday and it's nothing but soil at this point, no foul smell, just a sweet dirt/earth smell.



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