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RE: [compost_tea] Compost for tea



Steve and all others who responded... Thanks for the replies on my compost.. Sounds like I'm doing okay then.  I was just out tractor turning my very large manure and chopped hay piles.  As the steam was pouring off from the newly stacked piles I got to wondering...
 
At what point is compost best used for tea?  Seems like the microbs are really busy and awake during the early stages, but this might be the point where its more dangerous to humans.  But when its done 'cooking' I would think that microb activity is low.  Do these little guys go into a slumber or start to die off when the fresh goods are broken down?
 
But in short, at what stage is it best to use your compost in a tea?  After its cooled down?  Is there a temperature that was found best?  Moisture level?
 
Curious.
 
-Mike
Ellensburg, WA
-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Bridges [mailto:kimas@texasgrown.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 15, 2003 6:59 PM
To: compost_tea@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Compost for tea

Hi Mike,
Home-made compost, in my opinion, would always be preferable to commercially available compost if the home-made compost were a high quality compost. And it certainly sounds like your making a wonderful compost! Go with it.....
 
I've wondered about using commercially made bagged or even bulk compost in tea making. One would think that the bagged stuff would be less microbially active because it is in a bag.....the compost has been denied air, for how long, starving the organisms? And with commercially made bulk compost, it is usually made with very few ingredients. For instance, here you can get turkey litter compost, or cotton bur compost, or tree trimming compost, etc. Wouldn't a compost made with fewer ingredients be less nutrionally and microbially complete?
 
I would think that your compost, or any good homemade compost, would be better because of the variety of materials that go into the pile and the freshness of the compost when you use it.
 
Sounds like you need to get with Nehemiah and help him put a pile together!
 
Steve Bridges
Kimas Tejas Nursery
----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Bosko
Sent: Tuesday, May 13, 2003 5:07 PM
Subject: [compost_tea] Compost for tea

Ok, here are some of the questions I?ve been brewing in terms of home-stacked compost for tea.  I just spent an hour outside turning my pile ? it seems so rich, crumbly, smells so earthy and chock full of earth worms, I can?t imagine that its not good for tea.  But anyway, here goes the questions.  I?m curious what you think:

 

Q:

My piles are primarily composed of:

 

Brown matter: Chaff  timothy/alfalfa/grass mix hay (I grow myself ? no pesticides or chem. Fertilizers) + dry plant prunings + fall leaves + pine needles (regardless what people tell me, they break down quickly, the worms love them and I really think it helps my highly alkaline soils) + shredded newspaper (no color ink)

 

Green matter: Horse manure (low to no chems fed to my horses, worming is done at a minimum and only as necessary (rare))  + grass clippings + kitchen scraps + chicken manure (I only have 3 chickens so not much of that). 

 

Piles get roughly 3:1 brown to green materials

I turn my piles about once every 1 to 3 weeks. 

Try to keep them moist, but wicking from the hay does tend to dry it out on occasion.

Also, at times there are mucky wet centers if not turned w/in 2 weeks.

 

Without testing, are these materials okay for use in teas?

 

 

Q:

Worms -- sign of good compost for tea?

My compost is always full of red earthworms, lots of them.  After unloading many of them to my garden, they seem to multiply to their high level in no time.  I just hate the thought of drowning the little buggers if I were to be making tea out of it.

 

Q:

Mushrooms -- Sign of good compost for tea?

In the shady recesses of my compost area, that I tend to neglect turning, mushrooms are showing themselves.  Would this imply good fungal growth?  Good compost?  The bulk of my compost, that is turned often, doesn?t tend to get, or stay, wet enough for mushrooms to grow.  But they do so in the shady corners ? and I live in an arid region of WA state.

 

Q:

Moist, Crumbly, Earthy Smell ? Sign of good compost for tea?

As mentioned before, my piles when turning, smell earthy and sweet.  With all the horse manure we go through, I must be adding enough brown goods because the piles always smell earthy and crumble in my hands.

 

Just some of the questions I?ve been pondering ? I?m looking to make some teas on my own, with my own self made brewer ? but also am looking into the option of purchasing one too.  I?d just really like to use my own composts.

 

Thanks!!

 

Mike

 



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