Organilush
Member
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.
.
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.
.