How to Brew Compost Tea in a 5 Gallon Bucket to Enrich Your Garden

John from www.growingyour... shares with you how he brews compost tea with a 5 gallon bucket, air pump, air stone, and purified water. In this episode you will learn some of the benefits of compost tea and why it is a critical part of a successful garden. After watching this episode you will be ready to brew your way to a greener thumb today.

[@michaellaughlin9179]

Thank you for all your videos. Question. What do you do with the compost in the bag after you make tea? Reuse it or till it into your soil?

[@krakentacos]

What do you do with the brew material after it has been used? Can I put it in the soil or just throw it in the compost??

[@scorpiogirl39]

This video was way simpler and easier to understand than most of the others that I've seen. You made a way simpler tea than everybody else I've watched.

[@jakedornbos154]

Keep up the videos John!! I have learned so much from your videos and I love the open source theme that you and Josh follow. I feel the shift in consciousness that you and many others are a part of and it is this type of sustainable organic knowledge that we need to keep spreading. Keep making videos and obviously keep growing those greens!!!!!!

[@marcdavies6073]

These dual air pumps actually have two pumps inside. So to max. your output, you could have used a Y connector to have both outlets going into one stone. And the same on the other pump. I have them for the aquarium, and have replaced the plungers inside. I can't wait to try this out in my own garden

[@patricajanekimmel6821]

Hello , my name is Patrica , I recently purchased boogie brew and am excited to use this in my organic garden here in west coast Canada . I’ve decided to use rain water and in place of air stones an 02grow emitter . Comments greatly appreciated, thank you John !

[@justoneofmany]

Nice to see some old school content. The game has changed for sure but the info in the videos is still just as helpful! Thanks ✌️

[@frzzlfry66]

Thanks again for your time, John. Man, you really got lucky finding those things at your Dollar Store... I could be on the lookout for years at the one I frequent and NEVER come across those pumps and air stones, lol.

[@jc42089]

Great video John. I'm just getting into compost teas. I was wondering, if the teas are mainly for introducing bacteria and fungi, what do you do for the main supply of nutrients to your garden? Do you top dress dry amendments? I'd love to hear a good example feeding schedule for your garden for a season!

[@geraldthethird8082]

Your such a cool person Thankyou ! By the way my plants are turning yellow what do I do ?

[@LoveLightSalsa]

Awesome to receive your response! Sounds like I'm doing pretty good with what I'm feeding my dogs & rescue pups. Thank you for the info on Braggs. I will remove it from the mix. Thank you, again for answering and have a good one♥. Cheers, Gigi

[@alan30189]

John, Those air stones seem to be dual line air stones, so, you attach two lines to each output on the pumps, and attach those same two lines to each side of one air stone. You will get many more bubbles out of each air stone.

[@jazz61021]

Interesting in that the ad bar in your video clip is for Scotts! One of the most chemical dependent companies in the turfgrass business.

[@safepethaven]

Good info about the compost tea; even better, thank you for being a foster home. It's clear that Stitch loves and trusts you, John. Are you sure you won't adopt him yourself? Stitch seems well behaved, is very quiet; just wants to be near you. As a fellow foster home for rescues, I understand though that if we do all the adopting of our fosters, then eventually we're full up & cannot foster others that so desperately need safe transitional homes until they get their deserved forever homes.

[@schmitzpr]

Another Great Video. John, how often do you add the compost tea to your plants?

[@lynnbeckwith2021]

Great vid! How long is the tea good for and how should I store it?

[@kittyhawk1027]

I recall seeing your first video at this Nevada residence.. is this your new home or test gardening in different conditions? QUESTION: How to Build a Raised Bed Garden: Update after Growing Food for a Full Year: I enjoy your videos.. informative and especially liked your friends' garden. My question.. I see the irrigation set up for the raised beds (am working on my set up)... what and how do your friends water their grass without the water spraying onto the beds?

[@s1sweetser]

Great video. I have been thinking about making compost tea for a while, but always stopped short of aerating it. Thanks for explaining the key components are the microorganisms and not the necessarily the nutrients. I never understood that, which is why I never added air. Thanks!

[@tv76g]

How many times do you give that to your plants? And do you have to Ph your water(before or after)? Thank you great video!!

[@NobodyUEverMet]

John, you're awesome! I watch compost tea bubbling by the door of my garage now, waiting for me to apply it (tomorrow). I have gardened for year with both my own compost (as a soil additive) and chemical fertilizers, and have had (somewhat) better than average results. This year I'm going All-Organic with compost tea and Azomite and can't wait to TASTE the difference. Peace and best wishes to you and your beloved; please, keep up the good work!

[@facingfacts7830]

Love all your videos. Thanks so much.

[@phantomcreamer]

BTW I love Science and John. Like two brothers I'm going to stand up for both of them, and if they conflict with each other, I will stand up for what I believe to be the right side of the particular issue.

[@momlisag64]

Hey John do you make your own compost tea or do you use the premixed all the time, Can you use rain water for the compost tea.I have city water which has chlorine in to so I try to use rain water for my garden as much as I can.

[@InLawsAttic]

What do we do with the left over tea in the bag if we don’t have a compost pile? Thanks John!

[@CcsGardener]

One thing about the pumps, normally both holes are independent, this means that each hole has its own magnet and ruber thing that produces the air, but the only way to know is by disassembling it. This is cose if it says that it pumps out 200l/h of air, each one is letting out 100l/h, this means that what you did may or may not work, the only way to know for sure is by opening the pump. you have to be carefull cose you may burn your pump, its better to be safe than sorry, but itsa great video!!!

[@kevinperry4551]

I just spent $20 on my air pump. Anyway, thanks, I'm all set. Quite nice of you to foster.

[@scrappinkutz4018]

Did it foqam? I also bought one and it didn't foam :(

[@Nerdybudy19]

Thanks for this very helpful vid!!!! I never thought it was this simple. Your vids are always easy to follow and your so cool for taking your time to explain and show us everything, so we could become a great gardener, ad grow our own foods.

[@gardeningtipswithphil2244]

Some fantastic tips you have in this video, Thanks John.

[@SouthernCoastalCookingTM]

I sure wish I could get that kind of deal on a pump, I want to try our compost tea recipe great video!

[@hollyfarnsworth6567]

i see round tubs behind you. i grow in round tubs also. how is the best way to plants your plants. and also trellis.. whats the best to use in round tubs. thanks john

[@FishinMoney-Darren]

Thanks John for the video How to Brew Compost Tea in a 5 Gallon Bucket. I keep a constant stew of compost/worm tea going in a garbage can in my back yard. it's been going for a year now. I just add new compost new water and molasses occasionally.

[@freewaybaby]

OMG.... AGAIN, came to refresh my mind... making sure I'm hooking up the stuff right with two bubbler stones and see my comment from 2 years ago, so I guess I really DON'T remember stuff as well as I'd like! Still wonder if you kept Stitch! LOL

[@heckyes]

Can you please show us how to make the ingredients ourselves for a Compost Tea? Lately I've just been using some compost and worm castings, but it can be done better than that right?

[@scarlettuwu9582]

Awwww such a cute pup 🐕 in this video !!!

[@nukerkills]

Kinda late. But if you get a dual outlet air pump, do not block one of the outlets!!.. Dual outlet air pumps have 2 diaphragms inside. 1 for each outlet. By blocking a outlet, your actually cutting down airflow out the one you leave open. Use line and airstone from both outlets.. In this video, he should of just used 4 lines and 4 airstones.. Rest of video, great job!!!

[@rzfbgjy]

i thought the same thing

[@nukerkills]

Yeah I have had many of these pumps apart in the past. 20 years of growing and 30 in the aquarium hobby. Do not ever block a line on a air pump!!!

[@jerryf3375]

Exactly

[@jerryf3375]

Actually if he'd of used a T and two more hoses he could have had twice as much air..

[@georgechin590]

agreed with you folks, there is 2 rubber cups and blocking one will super stress and that pump.

[@marcospalacios1241]

how long exactly or short is the life span of boogie brew packaged..? would be great to put that on the package. . .

[@uniquefashionjewelryboutiq4228]

Hi, thanks for your tutorial. I always watch your videos once you upload them, very useful great info. I tried to make warm-cast tea couple of times but I think it failed. What I basically did, I made sure to use water w/o Chlorine in 5 bucket gallon, I added 1/4 cup molasses, used aeration system to creat bubble, which is for introducing oxygen into the water. Then I added warm casting that I bought from good source. I left it with continuous arearion and stirring like 4 times throughout the whole process. My understanding for susccesful brewing / fermentation is to see a lots of gas on top of the bucket ( in 24-48 hrs) which sign of bacterial growth, which release that gas. But the two times that I tried I did not see any gas on top of the bucket. So please advise as you get a chance. Thanks. Vanessa

[@gardenhoeseeds]

yo Johnny! pissing in the wind by plugging those pump outlets. Thanks for all the info and great energy!

[@poppafish428]

Great vid, Bro ! How much compost tea per plant ?

[@masterbunny5]

For those wondering about how often you can use teas. It has been seen that AACTs (actively aerated compost tea, such that is shown here with the airstones) may be used an infinite amount of times without burning or other ill affects. With the AACTs, you're really adding microbial life to the soil when watering rather than just some NPK value. This microbial injection helps fuel the ecosystem within the soil. Any surplus microbes will just become dormant.

[@kelisurfs]

John, do you know the best filter for the garden hose to filter out the "bad stuff" you are talking about?

[@eyeta2]

Thanks John. Going to the Dollar Store today to look for the pumps. I received my order from Boogie Brew and also got their new garden water filter. It filters 35,000 gallons .I will install it on my drip system and see how things go. I have my first garden in place thanks to you, and it is going crazy good! Also did Stitch get a home? I have a 3 legged rescue poodle that we've had for a few years now. Smartest dog ever..Love from Texas... your video stalking fan...Terry

[@EHCBunny4real]

Can you use the runoff water from your a/c unit for brewing the tea? I have a food grade large plastic container that I capture the a/c's water. i just want to add your brew mix.

[@prophismusic]

I hear people often recommend brewing for 24-48 hours. Some others have said 36, and you mention 4 hours can do in a pinch. At most, how long could you leave a brew brewing? 3 days, 5 days? Is there a "window" , or could you keep a perpetual brew?

[@dotbiome]

Prophis I took a workshop with Elaine Ingham and she was saying the the duration of the brew should be determined by the amount of food added for the microbes, ambient temperature and oxygen in the air. Check out this link for more info. www.soilfoodweb.com

[@cd2308]

do you know if boogie brew tea is available for less than $100? I have both a wee garden and pocket book lol.I watched your video with Boogie brew and their ingredients and I would love to try it but whew! It is $119.99 on amazon!

[@sundogforlove]

Buddy. It is a ground fault circuit interupter. GFCI also refered to as a GFI. Love you vids. Do you have one on growing corn?

[@KevinFromMinnesota]

How often do you use the tea?

[@chrissis111]

I love your videos. They are really great. You said this is your hobby. I'm curious as to what you do for a living? Would you share with us?

[@organicgardening987]

Stitch is so cute!

[@facingfacts7830]

Awww...I would have adopted Stitch in a minute!

[@vibe3d]

Hello It is said that unaerated compost tea is harmful to plants, I'm wondering if it can be used as weedkiller. Do you think this is a good idea? Thanks.

[@migthefig]

Everytime I water my plants / garden Can I use tea each time? or should I alternate tea, and next time just water ? I do dilute my tea too when I water with it

[@headlightguy]

if you can get a hold of a CPAP machine i do recommend it in place of air pump

[@trailkeeper]

Your videos are very helpful, otherwise it seems hard to get a foothold in gardening/farming without some solid knowledge. Besides, even if we dont have a garden now, its good for some kind of disaster to know something about gardening/food production if we have the seeds available.

[@sremik]

How effective would a worm casting, bat guano and insect frass be? Would you recommend for me to use insect frass?

[@YvonnePerry]

I have a goldfish pond that has some algae in it. I've got a barley bale in it but it is still breaking down; therefore, we haven't seen much change in the algae level. My question is can I use the pond water instead of purified water to get the tea started?

[@leesuschrist]

What kind of dollar store sells air pumps for aquariums?! That's an excellent deal!

[@wilkus46]

That"s what i was thinking.

[@albrown1388]

A Dollar Tree store and a Family Dollar store

[@freewaybaby]

Came back to watch this again..... the archive of info! I know you're busy and may not answer, but just wondered.....whatever happened to Stitch? I hope you kept him.

[@growingyourgreens]

Yes, please go to noahspets*org and fill out an application and submit it to be considered to adopt stitch. He is not yet listed on the web site. He is not recommended for families with children. He does seem to get along with other pets. He doesnt like to be alone, but will tolerate it. He sleeps alot of the time. He is fairly well house trained provided you take him out a several times a day. He's a good lil guy.

[@canderson2526]

I have heard of some areas that don't allow collecting rainwater. Gray water can be of use to those people,though some effort & cost would be involved to set that up.Even a few galvanized trash cans can collect an amazing amount of water if lined up under a gutterless roof's dripline. Then when rain stops, replace lids to prevent evaporation & mosquitos, dust or debris from getting in. If those cans sit in the sun, the water will be too hot to use without cooling it off to soil temp, at least.

[@wliantono]

I just bought a bag of Earthgro Steer manure blend from Lowes. Can I use it alone for compost tea? If it has bacteria, how do I grow bacteria in it? Add molasses like others suggest ?

[@AymanELSawa]

is brewing compost tea dangerous?? I read that because a person doesn't know what bacteria is in their compost and feeding sugar to the compost could make bad bacteria like e. coli grow. Please advice

[@gunsfishand4x4]

hey i use this method too! i posted a video response to you!! this is truly the best way to fertilize and nutrify your garden!

[@anyuisbjoern]

what is bountea? the one from the alaska giant grower! Can you make a 101 on gardening series where you explain simple little stpes in gardening like composting, womr comosting, pruning, watering, little videos topic related?

[@ms.anonymousinformer242]

Is there a way to remove clohrine without using filtered water? It takes my distiller 5HOURS to make 1gallon, and my pro pur gravity filter about 1-2hours for only a gallon and we drink that water quicker than we can make it ! I have been using outside hose/tap water all the while wondering if there is a better way to filter it, that isn't super expensive or time consuming. (?)

[@ragheadand420roll]

Put it in the sun a day ...Use a berkey ✌🏻

[@kennethpayne2019]

Where did you find the dollar air pumps,tubing and air stones???? I looked at the Dollar Tree and they did not have them?????

[@seongdobbins547]

John, How often you apply compost tea to your vegetable?

[@justinthewater]

John, How do you remove all the chlorine and flouride in your water, assuming it is coming from a municipal source. Chlorine will kill all the healthy microbial activity in your soil and it seems you have quite the opposite happening. Water source? Quality? Cheers

[@iluvmusic375]

Best video you've ever done John; informative, inspiring and with an adorable dog in it too! :D wish I could get that boogie brew here in Australia

[@postagerequired]

Great video John. Thank you. The one question that always comes to mind when making and using compost tea. Is there a concern about the spray getting ON the veggies and flower heads? Thank you in advance for your answer. Cute little guy you're fostering. : ) He sure was interested in what you were doing.

[@robh788]

FYI, I ripped apart my dual pump and each outlet had its own rubber pump feeding each outlet so all you'll do by plugging up one outlet is stress out the motor. Brew on!

[@eeuuggiinn]

Hello everyone! I've read that vermicompost leachate is anaerobic and can contain many harmful pathogens. I brew Actively Aerated compost Tea every week for our garden and use our vermicompost as the base. Do you think the leachate could be used in the A.A.C.T? I'm hoping the oxygen will kill off the anaerobic microbes. What do you think?

[@Enriquesanchez0]

For what I read on Jeff Lowenfels' book Teaming With Microbes, "anaerobic conditions foster pathogenic bacteria and, worse, kill off beneficial aerobic bacteria"

[@kennethpayne2019]

Where do we get air pumps for $1 ? I have looked and not been able to find them at the Dollar Store.

[@armanflint]

I think it does when you thin it out & use it as a foliar. You are supposed to spray it when the sun is not directly on the plant, so early in the morning or late in the evening is when you are supposed to apply the foliar. Pouring it at full strength would probably work but you are supposed to mix it with 4:1 water/tea ratio. The brew takes about 3-5 days to brew and in those days you have different kinds of bacteria that are present. You also have to be careful about the chlorine & chlormines

[@SteveNVegas]

great video john

[@taram7408]

@Multiplayer thanks!! That link was extremely informative.

[@MaYbYl8eR]

I have a question. I've heard that using store-bought bags of composted cow manure to make compost tea will leave large deposits of salts. If this true?

[@postagerequired]

Thank you. : ) I am brewing with kelp powder in there. Smells funny when brewing! I haven't seen any fish appear in there swimming around, so, I guess all is fine. haha It will be fun watching how much this makes a difference to my plants. (my first year using it)

[@brianostrander8262]

Can the worm castings from my own worm farm be used to make compost tea, correct?

[@imalamboman12]

Yes sir

[@RVFreeDa]

So is rain okay to use?

[@oldschooloutdoorgrows7695]

I love the doggy

[@littlenugs9942]

I follow the guy bellow me. Nice find at the dollar store. California dollar stores sell aquarium items nice. Not here in Massachusetts

[@dave6733]

Does this help out with plant diseases??

[@LoveLightSalsa]

John, When you introduced Stitch the Chihuahua, your foster dog, I fell in L♥ve with you a little. I have been wondering if the little blond Chihuahua in several of your videos was your personal pet & if you feed him a Raw diet. My dogs & my two new rescue puppies,eat 99% raw. Meat/bone, organ meats & I mix the pulp from my veggie juice with ground meat plus liquid aminos, olive oil, coco nut oil, hemp seed, Diatomaceous Earth, and etc. What do you feed your dog or foster dog? Thank You!♥

[@chuguanyu]

Can I use regular tea or just throw tea leaves into the garden?

[@charliemendez9991]

It is not the tea for drinking. It is compost.

[@michaelhat]

what dollar store did you find airpumps in ???

[@ctm75]

What did you use to make those round plactic raised beds?

[@curandero2012]

What i read is that worm castings and sugarcane molasses is more than enough to make good quality compost tea.Why to put gypsum into compost tea is for me a question.

[@LoriYoungNow]

how soon can you use the compost tea? can you use it on freshly planted seeds?

[@kevinw45]

Wait till your plants have a well-established root system before using it, about 3-4 weeks. Because they're new plants, if you use it any sooner you could risk shocking them to death.

[@LoriYoungNow]

thank you, very important to know appreciate it!

[@gregdoh]

Lori Young I like to foliar feed my entire garden a few days after planting to help with microbial balance (bringing in the troops of good bacteria to fight out the bad). Wait 2 weeks, brew another batch and then water the soil. I've never shocked my plants doing this but I always wait 2 weeks before feeding anything into the soil. Good to know I'm not the only one who waits a few weeks to feed the soil. It makes sense. Cheers!

[@canderson2526]

The whole point of rain collection is to capture as much as possible, when it does rain, however much or little that is, reducing their water bill a bit by collecting & using rainwater. Using compost tea is a way of improving soil. If you don't have a garden, room to compost or make tea, maybe you don't need to collect rainwater. Some are helped by seeing how to set up air bubblers to give life to billiions of microorganisms,in a bucket filled with water & compost.

[@100whiteboy3]

What dollar store did you find the pumps at?

[@tazno1]

which dollar store did you the gear from?

[@mr.pedrobeltranpresents7681]

Distilled water would work?

[@Becoming0ne]

As always, this was inspiring John. I have heard that if you let it brew for about a week and just stir the water up as regularly as possible, it will aerate adequately for beneficial bacteria to multiply without a pump. Do you agree?

[@AaronBurnsVoT]

Yes good idea if you can and want to make the effort, but since unless you drop some serious effort/time into a system that can supply you throughout 100 degree plus weather for months of the year, John and me both wouldn't last on rain alone. Also room and zoning is an issue for rain collection.

[@pjanoo6973]

I add molasses to my compost tea and it gives the bacteria some food to thrive, i let mine sit for 48 hours. Works great for soil and hydroponics

[@rocbola]

Hey John, try adding some organic unsulfured molasses to your compost tea. It has some carbohydrates that help increase the population of microbes, in the tea and in the soil, plus some calcium and potassium.

[@Brokanglass115]

is this good on watermelons? and honey dews?

[@LEXXIGARDEN]

Hello John i know your about having nothing but plants that you can eat , BUT i just wanted to give you a heads up to everyone and you that at the lowes here in San Antonio All the Palms and Trees Including Fruit Trees are 75% OFF i just saved about 1,500 in Palms . Well Worth it though . Just giving you a FYI as a Gardener Myself .....

[@dkulikowski]

stymye, are worm castings considered 'manure'?