Compost Tea Experiment, Feeding with and without, The results...Amazing !

[@TheKev7133]

I think what everyone is failing to realize is that he has already sup up his soil with everything it needs. When the soil you are planting is going to be full of good compost and mulch, it already have these great microbes living in them. Just give it water and sit back and let nature do the rest. Bottom line, the soil your plant in planted in will determined whether you are going to need lots of compost/tea/fertilizer or non. I never spend time with tea because I use compost horse manure and wood chip. I let a couple of tons sit over the summer and let the bugs and termites do the composting work for me. In the spring, I spread about 4inches over the garden before planting and have never use fertilizer or compost tea.

[@ozoneswiftak]

Hillbilly style. In the city ( weed) we use user frienly bottled fertilizers.

[@geenerheimer9266]

@@ozoneswiftak that's why you can't spell friendly

[@geenerheimer9266]

@Read A book nice, you come up with that all on your own?

[@fullcircle4723]

Absolutely. The added benefit of worm tea is its conditioning the soil as well.

[@Love-144]

Makes sense

[@TracyR4]

I know this is an older video, and I'm sure you've figured things out by now. But for those that have found this video , if you have city water, let your water sit in a bucket for 24 hrs so the chlorine evaporates out first. With my compost tea , I add compost and we have a guinea pig and used it's poo. Stirred it several times the first night then kept stirring the next day. Air pumps work so much better but if you don't have one, just keep stirring the best you can. My plants grew exponentially in 2 days.

[@simplex7096]

that wont make any difference, the chlorine that reaches the faucet already lost most of its power, and microbes will develop fast again or else no one would need to reclean their stuff after using bleach.

[@FrancisRoyCA]

I'm only an amateur gardener, working my way up to self-reliant farmer, but I'm inclined to agree with the author's conclusion: high quality soil, if rich enough, provides enough nutrition enough to allow the plant to maximize it's growth based on its genetics. Nutrition that exceeds the plant's needs is not likely to be used, and thus not reflected in the plant's growth. Consider that a well-fed human does not suddenly have energy spurts if they consume vitamins or a sudden influx of nutrition, nutritionally impoverished people do. I think that the comparison is reasonable, if not perfect.

[@Jayantakpanda]

Francis Roy My experience is that the most important thing is optimal soil moisture and optimal soil aeration are the most important factor beside the other requisite.

[@MarcMallary]

I say it's the placebo effect; the plain water plants might have thought they were getting compost tea.

[@philliponcarbs]

There is unrest in the forest There is trouble with the trees For the Maples want more sunlight And the Oaks ignore their pleas

[@tyclairep3744]

philliponcarbs I like that saying, I may steel it.

[@tyclairep3744]

Lol great minds

[@qpruleok]

Marc Mallary I'd say you don't know what you are talking about FULL STOP

[@paulk5311]

i like that your brakes are working fabulously. a half a stop is not good and is quite dangerous don't you think?

[@yes350yes]

10 days seems like too short of a period of time to make a conclusion, I would think at least a month for you to see any comparative results.

[@vids290]

yes350yes exactly!

[@philortiz7519]

A growing season with regular use. Its building soil microbiology. Like children it takes time to mature and show its true potential and effect.

[@kuiperbeltdropout8791]

@@philortiz7519 exactly, a wise man once said. "We are not feeding the roots, we are feeding the soil"

[@nobull772]

@@kuiperbeltdropout8791 me?

[@hassemaan]

4 days? you killed it.. sorry mate. not more then 24h and use an airpump!!!! and the compost have to be active!!

[@SuperLazyCat]

@Damnit Bobby its not about the npk its about the living microbes

[@furryangels6999]

OK there’s too many dumbasses on here... I’m not claiming to be a genius but... microbes matter for organic living soil, not as much for bottled nutes

[@unclephil4112]

@@furryangels6999 citation needed

[@unclephil4112]

The plants eat the microbes shit, not the microbes themselves. Go back to middle school science.

[@ObjectiveAnalysis]

Uncle Phil citation needed. The microbes eat the nutrients in the soil and convert them into plant available nutrients. So without microorganisms plants wouldn’t be here and neither would we. What’s that about middle school science? You might want to brush up on the consequences of using toxic synthetic fertilisers on your crops while you’re there. Lol.

[@Halopa60]

From what I understand,compost tea if prepared properly, will have billions of live microorganisms which have been exponentially increased from the original starter which contains the food they need and by the addition of oxygen. The presence of these organisms is indicated by a bubbly foam on top of the water and when you see this you will have an active tea to apply. This process takes me 24 hours usings a 50W air pump with three 4" aeration stones. The experts also state the tea should be applied immediately as they are aerobic and need oxygen. Therefore putting tea in plastic bottles and transporting may actually kill the microorganisms. It is best to make and apply in situ.

[@gustavofoss2280]

thats too much oxygen you dont need that much, a 10w dual airstone setup will do the same just fine, it just cant be depleted of oxygen.

[@nevinkuser9892]

@@gustavofoss2280 Depends on the size of the tank. An oil drum sized container will need a 50w pump. 10 watts won't even make it to the bottom of the bin, the back pressure will prevent any air from coming out.

[@PammysPC]

I don't know how the tea was made or what kind of tea even but I know in my garden I used rabbit tea. I use a 5 gallon bucket and filled it 1/3 full of rabbit manure and the rest water. Then I put the lid on and set in the summer sun for 3 days. Shaking the bucket twice a day. On the fourth day I pour it on. I had more veggies than a family of 7 could eat in a 6ft. X 6ft. garden. Cow tea didn't work very well for my garden but rabbit worked wonderfully. Hope this helps and thanks for the video.

[@MrWarriorofpeace]

You do know compost tea is used to increase microbial life if you have dug over your bed you will not see much of a change because the microbial life has already been so disturbed and it has to be done allot longer than 2 weeks to increase microbial life on a level that it will benefit the soil health :) the healthier the soil the healthier the plants :) the use of compost tea has increased the health of my no dig beds pretty radically, but i used a whole barrel over the space of 2 days and applied it once in the morning with a misting bottle and once in the evening directly to the soil with a watering can :) and it seems to have made my garden explode into life. Be interesting to see the results after a continued application, good on you for trying it out buddy :)

[@booswalia]

I don't believe compost tea is supposed to promote growth. I believe it helps the plants thrive in whatever conditions they are in. Those conditions determine the plant size. When ever I use it I always notice a boost in the plants overall health and appearance but not in size.

[@priayief]

+Shirley G Are you measuring "health" & "appearance" in some way that can be quantified or are you just offering an opinion? My instincts are to be skeptical of suggestions but that doesn't mean I can be convinced with some kind of objective proof.

[@booswalia]

+Captain Ron No measuring or experiments. Just 35 years gardening experience. If you add tea to soil that has no nutrients to begin with you won't see much improvement. Tea given to nutrient rich soil makes those nutrients more available to the plants. Just an opinion.

[@priayief]

+Shirley G Thanks for the reply. I've only been seriously gardening for about 10 years and most of what I've learned is from the internet. I've found that lots of opinions are offered (compost tea in all its variations, biochar, rockdust and the latest: micorrhizae). There's just too many opinions and not enough facts for the most part. So I do a little extra research on sites that do science-based field trials and any site I can find that is in the "edu" or "org" domains. Without this kind of research, I think I'd go crazy implementing all these garden myths. Over 10 years of gardening I've changed a few things based on what I've found on the internet: I've gone to raised beds, drip irrigation, no-till beds, "chop and drop" and growing comfrey for mulch and adding to my home-grown compost (with lots of fall leaves). I am the furthest thing from an organics-fanatic or eco-freak that you would ever meet (I would use synthetic fertilizers if I believed they enhance my soil - field trials have shown that they don't). I have two "go to" sites that I follow: AlbertaUrbanGarden and OneYardRevolution (they both participate and do field trials testing garden myths). If you want an example of the absolute worst site, try GrowingYourGreens - this is pseudo-science gardening at its worst! Cheers and happy gardening.

[@booswalia]

+Captain Ron I started out doing pretty much the same thing only I started with books. In the end, what I'm discovering is that the garden teaches you what you need to know for the location you're in. I follow those two sights as well. And just for the record I proudly wear the label of "organics-fanatic", "eco-freak". LOL!

[@mrgcars]

I feel the same way about gardening as you do Captain! I am new at gardening and I am too learning everything online or on youtube. I thought growingyourgreens was really authentic. I have tried a few things like wormcasting, rock dust and california humus and I have noticed some difference in some of my flower beds and shrubs. I haven't got into vegetable gardening yet but will in the near future. Experimenting in some basic plants first to see how I do. I also ran into this video. Vermicompost a Living Soil Amendment by AllisonLHJack. What is your take on this

[@gracetowne9144]

NOTE: Did you notice that the smaller cucumber was partly covered by a large leaf that prevented sunlight getting to it?

[@paulflute]

I agree. I also heard people on KZbin saying that Bananas are better for you than Mars bars so I decided to do a similar experiment. Over a period of 10 days I ate a banana instead of a Mars bar 3 times. I looked in the mirror both before AND after and I couldn't see any noticeable improvement in my health. My conclusion. While bananas may be better than Chocolate bars for some people it didn't work for me. Probably because my overall diet is so good. But it's not VERY scientific I admit.

[@petersawyer8044]

Nice to see a real gardener at work. Confirms what we gardener's already know, that well prepared soil, properly enriched with compost, will require no further feeding.

[@Quinnlawl]

compost tea has a very sort shelf life. You have to use it the same day. You made yours several days ago which means that the microbes ran out of food and ate eachother, leaving a very small amount of microbial diversity at the time of application

[@GunnerGibbons]

you have to get the tea to the plants within an hr of turning your bubbler of or ask the good alive stuff starts to die which is why you had the results you had. other than that your vids are brilliant and thank you.

[@peverill64]

I see nothing wrong with this video....Why do people have to make rude comments....Is was stated it was just a try and not really controlled experiment ....Nice garden and cheer for doing the video.

[@helloman1976]

The best way to tell if the tea is active or not is to look for foam on the top of it. I believe it's called "biofoam" but either way it'll be a bit foamy on the top. The foam comes from the microorganisms gassing and it's a surefire way to tell they are there without a microscope. It's much like brewing beer when you get a nice foam layer, microorganisms again. One other thing to note is if your soil is full of microorganisms already you won't see much difference. The plants will only take what they need and if they already have what they need and you add more you'll either stunt them or they'll simply not use it. In other words, you may already have your plants maxed out and adding more isn't going to do much as you observed. A good thing to list in the description would be how you made the tea exactly, for example, did you use black strap molasses and did you use an air-stone and air pump?

[@TyeGuy110]

Very helpful to know, thank you!

[@KlatuBaradaNicktoe]

Thanks for the info.

[@dean2581]

Foam does not indicate that the brew is ready...only way to know is to use a microscope...thinking foam tells you is a common myth

[@helloman1976]

Dean The foam is indeed an indication that what you are doing is working. You can also look under a microscope if you want but what we are dong here isn't in a lab and, being able to count and identify microbes would be a whole new level of "hydroponics" that 99.9% of people aren't interested in doing. The method he's using above is simple and the foam is an indication of microbes and gassing. You don't have to agree but that is indeed fact. Without gassing there are no bubbles and foam and without microbes there is no gassing. This is an inferred process, not a scientific process.

[@dean2581]

helloman1976 it's all guess work unless you have a scope. I can show you teas I brewed that have little bubbles but under a scope they show tons of microbe activity. "7/ You can tell that your ACT is finished or ready to use when it forms a head of foam. More bunk! But this does have a bit of foundational truth. Foam can be formed by proteins in the water created by microbial activity, however this is not a reliable indicator. Foam can also be created by saponins (aloe vera, alfalfa, yucca) or just by adding molasses or by worms which might have made it in there. I have examined very foamy ACT microscopically which was practically devoid of microbes and ACT with no foam at all which has been swarming with microbial activity. The best bet to tell when ACT is finished is to use it between 24 and 40 hours, smell it to make sure it has not gone anaerobic (you’ll know) and that most of the foods you added have been consumed. It should smell earthy or somewhat like mushrooms. I’m not sure how this myth got started but it sure took off. " microbeorganics.com/

[@HigzyTeflon]

You're supposed to use the compost tea within 24-48 hrs., NOT "4 days later."

[@shamanbeartwo3819]

I have been taught to use it within 4 hours after turning the bubbler off.

[@albundy2580]

@@shamanbeartwo3819 it takes 18 hours for oxygen to deplete. After that the microbes start to die off and its pretty much useless

[@DannyTillotson]

I think he meant its been bubbling in water for 4 days and then he brought the bottle to his plants.

[@Larry342516]

Your garden looks excellent. Have you ever tried rabbit manure tea? Put in the hot sun in morning and use in the evening. Plants will look like they grew in the tropics. No matter how great your soil is you will benefit from this tea. Thanks for the video.

[@rgolianeh]

Compost tea, I know for sure helps the plants to look healthy and Green. And it also works as a pesticide.

[@attermire2109]

It's only real purpose would be to boost or replenish natural aerobic bacteria levels in the soil, where it might be lacking if the process has broken down for some reason, but if your soil is as well looked after as Dan's is, You wouldn't be seeing a blind bit of difference, because everything's working as it should be anyway.

[@imightjustmakeit]

4 days? have you done any research?

[@johnifly]

You have to give it more time than just ten days! I'd give it at LEAST a month! And since you said you already have compost and soil amendments in the soil already, that's why they are growing the same. Now if you had one plot of the garden where there was poor soil with no soil additives put in and one with, THEN you would notice a difference. They ALL look like they are growing VERY WELL and are VERY HEALTHY! AWESOME garden!

[@priayief]

Thanks for your video! I'm with you on this one. I prefer to spend my efforts on a good, healthy soil rather than messing around with aerators and mixing a bunch of stuff together to make tea. Compost, humus, mulch, water. Veggies grow and thrive.

[@wellant5064]

Oh wonder - the cucumber without the shading leaf in front grows better ;))

[@angelaefferson4409]

When I water my veggie plants i always use rain water never from the sink , they seem to really love the stuff , this spring I'm making compost tea with rain water , I'm useing a air pimp as will

[@chrisfry7915]

Anyone who would say you are uneducated is just jealous of your garden. :) I enjoyed the video and maybe the tea was not correct, but the compost police need to get a life.

[@10us101]

+chris fry amen to that

[@lighthead6275]

lol @ compost police.

[@schwubs]

chris fry God forbid that anyone educates him.

[@alan30189]

At 4:24 you are comparing the cucumber without the tea in the open, with one with the tea covered by a huge leaf! What the hell? You had to pull the leaf aside to see the plant! That is not a good comparison.

[@RothBot_AI]

I was thinking about making tea, and came to the same conclusion as you, your video is what I needed...Quality soil is going to produce a healthy plant, it is easy to apply compost to a garden, however a lawn you can't work the soil, applying compost like you would a garden doesn't work, so in that case I believe, using reason and logic, a tea would benefit. I couldn't wrap my head around the difference between compost and compost tea, and that is because there is no difference, it is the same thing in different form. From the look of your garden you are an expert gardener, these people that criticize, I'd like to see what they have gong on....these people live their live in a biased state, disregarding reason and logic fueled by hype

[@yashveer1x]

Hi. So the difference between compost and compost tea is that with compost tea you are trying to get the microbes to multiply more. You can add fertilizer but that's different. This is more of a soil amendment.

[@themuse11]

compost tea reaches it maximum at about 24 hours of brew/aeration time. after that, the micro-organisms start dying off, so it wouldn't be any different than dirt water.

[@DJBLUBerry]

Hey muse thanks for the tip on the tea I have been trying to find out the shelf life of the microbes for a few weeks now. And dude who asked what or why does the microbes die lack of airation, not enough food or life cycle?

[@bobotrank2504]

Absolutely incorrect. You need to read Teeming With Microbes.

[@awood8964]

wrong actually, a constant source of food will provide the microbes sustainable living for several weeks

[@DJBLUBerry]

Im pretty sure I took that quote directly from a page about Organic Gardening. And Im reading Cultivating Exceptional Cannabis By DJ SHORT and He even says Quote "Its very important to use the tea immediately and not allow it to stand too long or Stagnate" Direct quote. Maybe im wrong maybe I have missed understood but I dont think I have.

[@wikked805]

Whats the best way to keep the microbes aerobic and fed?

[@MrCipres0]

how did you make the tea? do you think using seperate bins altogether will show a difference? 1 of the benefits of compost tea is adding fungi that can grow distribute nutrients as long as the mycelium may grow. it is possible that by adding these to your soil via compost tea the benefits were distributed through your entire medium. also realize that the claim to major success with tea is that it reduces environmental stress allowing for maximum growth. ie cold resistance, pest, its not a fert

[@BJJandBS]

So did you try it again or just dump it because your soil is apparently rich enough as it is?

[@the3dguy2]

i think its got to do with compost quality.. the compost in your pots must already be quite good, and how much more does that plant need?

[@seasons0123]

Interesting... I use coffee grounds and those work awesome as does coffee itself. I also use tea leaves as soon as I have steeped the tea. Let it cool and put it on the plants it works great. I don't have time for this slow brewing stuff. But if you have it rich enough that could be the issue. Thanks for the video. Results are amazing is miss leading.

[@johnrutledge1803]

your spring onions that had the compost tea were greener than the others. Is there a difference in the taste, also did you not airate your tea ?

[@Houseislife]

I also wanna know the NPK ratio of the tea... part of the benefits may just be that the compost tea plants are just getting more fertilizer than the controls.

[@Dell04BQ]

What are you aerating the soil or the compost tea which is in a sealed container? Not sure I understand what or why you'd be aerating anything.

[@tj21bem]

The cucumber plant watered w/ tea received less light and was planted beside a nutrient-hungry squash. The plain watered cucumber plant was less cramped, plus its neighbors were nitrogen fixing beans/peas.

[@belverkungol]

Two things that come to mind straight away: how did you prepare the compost tea? and did you continue to water the plants with chlorinated water (which will kill soil microbes that you added)? There is a lot of room for error. Saying that, if your soil is already teaming with microbes, maybe the compost tea was just unnecessary as you say.

[@priayief]

+belverkungol Sorry to tell you this, but chlorinated tap water has absolutely no effect on bacteria in garden soil - at least, no effect that will affect plants.

[@belverkungol]

LOL well that belief explains why it didn't work for you, and why compost tea does work for people that don't use chlorinated water. You realise why chlorine is added in the first place right? to kill microbes, thus logically drenching your soil in chlorinated water will have a detrimental impact upon the soil biology. Any benefits from adding soil microbes will then be lost. It might not adversely affect plant health, but you are certainly not going to see the benefits. But if you can point me in the direction of resources that contradict this view I would be interested in looking at them. As not having to dechlorinate water would be a blessing.

[@priayief]

+belverkungol I know that I replied to you last week but I notice my post somehow disappeared. Effectively I advised that you check out AlbertaUrbanGarden for the effects of chlorinated tap water on veggie garden soil. Both this site and OneYardRevolution use an objective and scientific approach to gardening. Other interesting (at least to me) studies they've done are related to the use of compost tea, rock dust biochar and the use of treated wood for raised beds. Cheers.

[@belverkungol]

Hi, thanks for that. Interesting results on Alberta Urban Garden. I wish I could do some similar tests of my own. For the mean time I will continue to dechlorinate water until I'm sure. The standards here in New Zealand are not very high for water treatment. Fresh tap water often smells and tastes like swimming pool water (it can even be kind of harsh on your throat) and is even very different in different cities, but after either filtering or aerating for two hours it's lot better. Sure that is not a lab test, but I trust my senses more than some random guy on youtube. So if chlorine isn't the issue, it still raises the question of why compost tea didn't work for you? such as, how did you prepare the compost tea in the first place?

[@belverkungol]

It's a real shame that lack of 'actual' science on the topic. Saying that I think the experience of aquarium enthusiasts is testament to the potential negative impacts of using chlorinated water. If it kills fish, there is a very good chance it's going to adversely affect at least some part of the soil food web. Interestingly, they actually allow the water to sit for 24 hours before adding it to their tanks, rather than the 2 hours commonly used by gardens. I find it hilarious that you say "objective and scientific approach" when you didn't even outline your methods in any detail in your video. I still have no idea how you prepared your compost tea, so I can't address any potential errors that you may have made in the process. It seems that perhaps you are less interested in "objective and scientific" than you are in simply debunking something that you don't believe should or would work. Science (even amateur science) is dependent on robust and transparent methods. Simply doing an experiment and finding that it matches your hypothesis isn't good science. It's also critically important to eliminate all the variables that may have influenced you results.

[@JanColdwater]

I was doing compost tea way before it became big... U r right, u can tell when your soil NEEDS it.

[@kdoutdooradventures8614]

This gentleman ALREADY has soil that is enriched with all nutrients and composted materials needed for nourishment of all plants. So tea is not necessary. Just add composted materials yearly. I also, supplement my soils this way. . Year round healthy harvest. Sir you have a very nice garden.

[@skater9618]

You said its been bubbling for 4 days, thats too long from my experience and any microbial life will have run out of food to feed on during the brew. try it a 24 hour brew and notice a difference

[@kekaharris6618]

Yes but they done there job 😉

[@kekaharris6618]

Sme will have survives and will. Live in the soil and feed of plant carbs

[@daddyissues2962]

You beat me to it, 8years ago lol 👍🏾💨

[@gizmo33rd]

did you keep trying it and is so how did it look

[@chrissobierajski1111]

The microbes wouldn't die off. I for some reason bought a microscope a long time ago but it comes in handy now. You can have life teaming and growing in a airtight water bottle. When I first got my scope, I would play around with fresh and salt water. Both have microorganisms you can see with the naked eye and smaller that can live in those bottle for months and maybe longer. That teas microbes aren't dead. This mans garden is just amazing

[@jeffclarke5497]

Aerobic vs anaerobic. Beneficial vs potentially deadly.

[@swiv03]

interesting but not sure about the tea used here. I thought the whole point of compost tea was to oxygenate it! Was this done? Just a thought.

[@emjayunderplay]

I maintain a small worm farm where I brew vermicompost tea on a daily basis. For great results, continuously aerate the brew to supply enough oxygen for the beneficial microorganisms to thrive and multiply. If you want to take the tea to its highest potential, feed the the microorganisms with a tablespoon of molasses per gallon. Let it mix with the brew for at least 24 hours. Your main goal is to keep them alive for them to do their job in the soil. Serve within 20 minutes or else keep aerating.

[@johna8973]

it might help to Compare THIS crop to Previous ones ?

[@hatshirts]

An honest video. Thank you

[@GolfBros2020]

Have you tried it with apple cider vinegar? did you notice any difference?

[@mcdowellmatthew7]

Compost tea's are designed to be used in pot plants! What's the point in extracting tea,s from soil's, to then just go and feed it straight back into the same medium it's made from!! Tea's are also used to innoculate plants and increase microbial populations which already exist in plentiful numbers in soil!! People use it to "recharge" their soil/soiless mixes in organic gardening just to help the plant to maintain it's microbial population so a fair test would be to let your plants, in pots consume all the available nutrients in the soil and then start using the teas. Of course then you would see much different results!! Peace!

[@furyus01]

Pot growers have made nutrient teas fat more popular no doubt. The tea itself is not designed for pot but for the soil. All plants would be better off in healthy natural soil. If I was to garden something besides pot I would definitely use tea.

[@OpinionatedMonk]

I aint no gardener but what you just said made the world, and everyone who read that, a little bit dumber. If people have shit soil, then you'll see a difference. But if people have shit soil, they have plenty more options than tea. Better options. Can't actually reply to your comment using logic, just realised.

[@mcdowellmatthew7]

Thats a bit funny! Wasn't trying to provoke a negative response from anyone - just giving my opinion which comes from hours and hours of research and 16 years of experience. I'm no great gardener but I do the basics well i guess, but whatever you do tea's absolutely do benefit soil ecology, despite the quality and price of the initial product. Tea's serve many purposes too, there are really good sites to get good information about how effective they are and the enefits tec... wortha read. I won't patronise you by telling you what to read but all I gave was an opinion which certainly didn't deserveyour initial comment, did it? I'm not into providing any incorrect advice, quite the opposite infact but you're one of those people who knows everything right? The type who, for example - if I'd said " i've done a sky dive from 13 thousand feet", your reply would ve something like "yeah, well I've done one from 14 thousand feet", I can see it now. No offence buddy which I somehow haven't managed but merry christmas to you and I wish you and your garnden, if you have one, all the best and success in the new year. Try not to be so judgemental of other peoples opinions. Peace

[@stevendonaldson1216]

***** good reply, hahaha!

[@falconsinput2226]

G’day mate, thanks for the video. Can I ask what ingredients in your tea?

[@bcideinc]

Also you tea looks like water. Did you add water to it?

[@robertharvey3702]

Is it wrong that when I read your British sounding channel name and then the video title I immediately figured you were being sarcastic. You did not disappoint! The real benefit of compost tea is from the microbial boost it gives your soil so I wouldn't expect to see fertilizer-like results from your application. To that end, not all compost teas are created equal because the source microbes (compost) you start with will only be multiplied by providing them a food source (molasses, kelp, etc.). Finally, as this is a microbial boost and microbes are very mobile in soil, applying the tea to the soil in any section of the bed will benefit all adjacent sections almost immediately and the rest of the bed eventually. I wouldn't be so quick to judge the compost tea application a failure, you may have just experienced it at a more macro level. Appreciate your content - your gardens look vibrant and healthy!

[@chadcaso]

Tea inoculates the soil with beneficial bacteria and other microbes. It creates a healthy living soil. If your soil is made of rich compost, then it already has a great population of microbes, which is why there isn’t a difference. Use it on crap soil and see what happens! Great video, great garden!

[@JJ-mw4bk]

Have you had your tea tested?

[@dice341]

Iam new to this type of gardening. I am just starting my rasied beds this year so the soil I have is poor. I will amend the soil year by year. My question would be is some say compost tea acts as a bug repellent.

[@Andrew82688]

Hmm maybe don't plant them in rich soil to begin with. Obviously adding compost tea isn't going to show any plant difference if they already have all the nutrients they need.

[@furryangels6999]

Andrew82688 exactly Which is what the guy said at the end. Which is why it was an experiment. But yes soil that has everything already in it obviously does not need compost tea. But it’s nice to use compost tea anyways just to make sure that your plants are getting all the nutrients they need

[@misetaemail7543]

You have made and showed a good point and like you said it could be related to the soil condition in the first place...Great vid!

[@azdeh1894]

10 days isn't enough time when growing, not taking into account your soil looks superb already. I am curious if you stored your tea after brewing or constantly had it bubbling because w/o oxygen it would just die..so for others out there, use it or lose it.

[@rjmhangon9959]

Did you keep the experiment going for longer than 10days. Seem short. I would have like to see the experiment for one cycle of fruit season

[@mrmalanansan]

hi can we use this compost tea everyday?

[@Lemonz1989]

I read somewhere that compost tea was originally developed in Germany as a spray for leaves to fight of pathogenic fungi by adding beneficial microbes on them to outcompete the fungi. :) I might be wrong, but it still sounds plausible. :)

[@davedaddy101]

Why did you write Amazing? If it didn’t work?_

[@heidimarion4832]

In your rich garden soil you have fungi in that act as a secondary root system growing out to seek nutrients and moisture from many meteres away. To do a garden test on lettuces etc. You'd have to separate the soil under the plants, too. Otherwise it's easy for the plants a few metres away from each other to benefit from your compost tea.

[@brotherbreeze8351]

I don't know if it will make a difference for you, but I have found that tap water doesn't work for the tea. I only notice a difference if I use rainwater for making my tea. Just a thought. Nice garden by the way!

[@PrasadGardenZone]

it works well if you use it after one day brewing. 4 days is too much..and use air pump for perfect tea..your sampling o 10 days is not enough at least a months study is needed.. I am completely satisfied with it uses after testing it for 3 months on my tomatoe and chilli plants.

[@ch1rayu]

you are supposed to use the compost within 1-3 hours after brewing it. Maybe that is the reason why. Also what did you use to make your compost tea. Maybe your process of making compost tea did not generate enough micro-organisms to make a difference.

[@specialk22tt]

Thanks for the video. You should really look into the square foot gardening method rather than those rows - it'll make your life a lot easier with a ton more yield per area.

[@Owninganallotment]

+Royal Poison Square foot gardening is great, I've just started using it and found it to produce great yields but you've got to get the soil mix right for the best results.

[@priayief]

+Owning An Allotment It works and I've been doing it for more than 8 years. There's a little bit of pain and cost at startup but once you've set it up, routine maintenance with good compost will give you great results ... no compost tea (or rock dust or biochar or epsom salts, etc) required.

[@oldtimeengineer26]

compost tea is usually applied to the leaves of the plant and then some drips to the ground early morning or late evening

[@MAnnielow]

But what did your compost tea made from? I hear you say you brewed it for 4 days? Bit long for the microbes to survive don't you agree? Think te tea should be used soon as possible and you had a cap on the bottle. Try again coz my plants have grown much bigger with the tea I water them with ever so often.

[@marcsworld1love]

of many things the tea does do is that it continues to feed worms, but otherwise, with a rich soil as you have a plant may only be able to absorbs much bennificial nutrients. if the tea had kelp, bat guano, chicken manure, old coffee grinds, and digarded vegtable and fruit which may not be in your tea, there may be a difference. when you make tea from what a plant is already growing in it like adding more of just compost, the tea is no different then the growing media, so the other additives more or less would most likely have different effects on control with water only and tea with kelp, different manure then in compost, some guano depending on what stage of growth plants are.

[@23lnp]

Can i make a tea that consists of worm castings, bat guano and molasses or would i need to add more ? Im in veg stage at the moment and have been using canna terra pro which already comes ready charged with perlite.

[@lukejones1244]

Have you tried a nettle tea experiment?

[@djzach9446]

Does it have to be tea or can you make it compost coffee?

[@watermelonlalala]

LOL. That's what they make Mr. Coffees for.

[@benice3117]

Try vermicompost tea! I bet you would see a noticeable difference with that. Like you said you already added compost to the soil so you wouldn't see a difference if you just added a tiny bit more with the tea.

[@hotrodmom86]

I'm going to try just adding worm castings to my plants and do my own experiments. Also I'll share some with my sister and see what she concludes. I'm pretty sure the root systems will be stronger if nothing else. I enjoyed your video! Happy💐 gardening. 👩‍🌾🍅

[@blustardave]

Hi..i have never heard of compost tea, until tonight..I use comfrey tea, and also in my compost heap. it works a treat. :)

[@HideorEscape]

Have you tried biochar? Use the tea to charge the charcoal to turn it into biochar then use the biochar chunks in the soil, mix it well or spread it on the top of the soil. This way the bacteria will have a home and the nutrients won't get washed out or evaporate in the atmoshpere.

[@abracadabragourmet]

He brewed his tea for 4 days, so did the organisms run out of food, did he use fish food and the right kind of molasses, etc to brew his tea. He didn't say how he brewed the tea so we don't know if it is even alive.

[@mrgalikanookis]

What's your recipe? I go this route: Compost from my bin, turkey manure and bison manure all in a cheese cloth. That goes into four gallons of water in a bucket. To which I add two caps of fish emulsions, two caps of liquid seaweed and two tablespoons of 100% molasses. Then, I aerate this with a fish bubbler for at least 24 hours until it gets active as shown by the enzyme build up on the top. Dilute this in into five or so gallons to spread on the garden. Works great!

[@bobbob-es3cp]

Could you just use black tea? Or coffee?

[@nick1f]

Yes, it is definitely tastier, if you are going to drink it yourself...

[@christophermanabat1934]

I think compost tea is best used for container gardens. Potting mixes usually have half peat moss & pearlite with little compost.

[@ultimateormus7903]

Just use more for outdoors

[@bubienguitars]

I can see a difference in the color! Compost tea made the color better.

[@armanflint]

I thin k if you have a good soil and you add compost to it as an amendment or top dressing, compost tea isn't going to do much. I tried making my own aerated CT for a few months adding in black strap molasses and 3rd stage compost... and I had the same results. The only thing I really noticed is that when you pour your spent compost back into the compost pile, it helps break down the compost faster. (IMO.)

[@jeremoe1]

Nice video - quite an impressive garden, too! Very inspirational. Thanks for sharing.

[@halsteward1003]

Please explain the method for making of your tea. Did u add molasses, rock dust, ECT.

[@mariejosehaerkens]

How do you make this tea compost ?

[@dgale1023]

easy go to google type in making compost tea. Its a snap and it works great for me

[@qpruleok]

***** COMFREY TEA BEATS ALL FEEDS BAR NONE

[@dgale1023]

If you take a 5 gallon bucket of water....2 tbls of unsulfured molasses and a large handful of compost mix it up get a cheap aireator let set for 24 hours. You may nor have to let it set as long as I do but my house water is full of chlorine You may be able to fill the bucket full of water and leave it alone and the chlorine will dissipate somewhat but don't forget the rest and if you cant aireate it. I would jut mix and let set for a while and pour. It works well

[@dgale1023]

I buy unsulfured at Safeway

[@dgale1023]

just a local grocery store ( chain)

[@MichaelSmith-ne4oy]

Just saw this. First question would be whether this was aerated compost tea? Even then, 4 days is too long imo. I've watched videos where they actually put it under a microscope and maximum microbial content was between 48-60 hours. After that populations diminished. Also, compost tea should be used asap after the aerator is turned off, as aerobic bacteria and fungi start dying off. So lets say at 1 hour it's down to 50%, by the next day it's only a very mild organic soil drench or foliar spray. But all the benefits of supplying those microbes with compost and in my case worm castings, then feeding, aerating as best you can to promote growing all those aerobic bacterial and fungal populations to feed and enhance depleted soils are gone after a few hours. Not that your beds look like they need a boost. Cheers

[@jaythompson9510]

It sounded like you said that your tea was brewing for 4 days? From other videos I have seen you should not let your tea brew for more than 48hrs. I have never done this so I have no idea about the do's and dont's of this process other than what I have seen on youtube. Everything I have seen has indicated that you should use your tea between 18 and 48hrs.

[@angelsuniverse6021]

Beautiful healthy garden

[@shoopdeedoop]

Did you add Molasses? Since you already have lots of organic matter in the soil, then adding carbon might help. Also you should spray the leaves with the tea, not water the soil with it.

[@tucker2074]

Much respect on your garden

[@chevyferret]

My worm tea extract tested at PH 9.5 for some reason. I now dilute the tea with 50% water, add nurients as needed, then adjust the PH with white vinegar until it reads about 6~6.5. One would think compost tea would be acidic, but we cannot assume. Decent PH METER is about $30 on Amazon....So bottom line is if PH is too high does not matter what you do nutrients are locked out.

[@amwartwork]

u from. Yorkshire laddy?

[@mobayguy]

Personally, I've found it to work - Maybe 2 things different - The gentleman seems to be using a rich soil already and 2. Letting the tea "brew" for 4 days may have exhausted the mixture as the microbes are eating voraciously - Also curios to know what "recipe" was used. Cheers

[@Doubledig]

Thanks for your efforts and for posting the video. Even if you didn't get the results you might have liked it was a worthwhile experiment. Maybe look different approaches for later experiments. Good to see a video from a Brit about Com-post tea!

[@COLEEN322]

i heard used tampons are supposed to be very helpful for most plants?

[@COLEEN322]

***** apparently its the menstrual fluid that they so much love!

[@COLEEN322]

***** no it's the menstrual blood which the plant likes coupled with the smell of rancid rotten fish sends them fucking crazy!

[@WaltPark]

If your soil has "died" though, because you let it dry out, then re-innoculating with "tea" will start it again. Since your soil isn't dead, as you used compost, and kept it moist, the tea doesn't do anything. If you did the same experiment after drying/baking the soil, I'm pretty sure you'd see a large difference.

[@NeonToast]

The reason there is little to no difference is because you let the tea brew too long. 24 hours for a bacterial dom tea or balanced tea, 48 hours for a fungal tea. Any more and your tea will go monoculture. Not a good thing. Brew a GOOD tea, (one with plenty of aeration, plenty of complex carbs for fungi and simple carbs for bacteria, and one that is not brewed for too long) and you will see a HUGE difference in yield, heath, and rate of growth. have a great day.

[@billythebrainsoftain]

Yeah, your soil is excellent. I can almost smell it from here. My soil isn't really soil, it's clay, so I plan on making some compost tea and fixing it up. I'm positive I'll see a difference. From what I've learned, compost tea has two major benefits. Even if it doesn't help your soil and therefore your plants production wise, it is a great organic pest control. It works by creating a sort of bio-film by spraying it onto the leaves of your plants. Many pests and insects don't like it. Thx4thevid