How to Make Compost Tea Like a PRO

[@MarkSmith-qk2rl]

People think I’m crazy when I show them pictures of my 9’ tomato plants ! They are loaded with tomatoes from bottom to the top ! I had to prune the tops because I couldn’t find the support for them past my 8’ of bamboo stakes. All grown with 100% natural fertilizer & compost tea ! I made my own urea from urine which is nitrogen the phosphorus was from self made bone meal and the potassium was from wood ash ! I use compost tea to water and spray every other week from planting to current ! I highly suggest for people to work outside the box and get away from synthetics. It’s amazing how much better the taste of my vegetables are.

[@nickit22]

Concerned about the bold usage of urine and bone meal 😳 blink if your not ok

[@MarkSmith-qk2rl]

@@nickit22 I’m dying ! 🤣🥸🤓🙄🙄

[@nickeubanks7675]

I would love to learn more about your process

[@m.aliabbaskharral3678]

Could you please make a video and post it on utube. Thanks

[@benbearkiller]

Same for me last year this year just let them grow back down to the ground. That’s what I did it worked perfect.

[@TheSimpleFarmLife]

The way you care for your animals at 4:10 is truly inspiring! 🐔💚

[@jordanhuguenard8315]

You can also used a organic potato, just bake it like you would normally do (NO MICROWAVE) and mush the potato flesh into the water, it's a more complex food that fungal foods thrive on, bacterial foods are foods that break down easily, so fungi absolutely love it 👍

[@washibonsai5307]

I am so grateful for your video!!! It cannot be anymore useful. It changed my whole garden here in the desert of Dubai. ❤ thank you

[@mandandi]

Compost tea made from goat manure has made a huge difference to my garden. The crops are doing so much better. I guess the soil in my plot is very nutrient poor. The trees now grow faster, the vegetables are greener and have bigger leaves. They are also more resistant to aphids. I water them once a week with the compost tea - 1 litre compost tea added to 4 litres water. Then I water with just water another day in the week. Even the cactus plant has started growing lots of shoots after being dormant for nearly a year. Next, I want to try chicken manure compost tea.

[@tictac8066]

Goats are always good, especially if they have a nice range to forage. and good diet

[@floriswou]

Nothing to do with the amount of nutrients, as most of these are in almost any subsoil (rock, gravel, sand clay etc). This is usually not the missing link. It's the plant availability of these nutrients, which mainly fungi and bacteria will harvest and bring to the plants in return of starches from the plant roots as exudates. By adding compost tea, you add soil microorganisms that will do this. Poor soil quality is usually the cause of lack of soil life. Increased organic matter will provide habitat.

[@jbuck1975]

If you read this, please tell me how you made goat compost tea. I've got a bunch of goat manure in the barn I was gonna be cleaning out and adding to woodchip piles, but would love some tea to water with

[@JohnSmith-pn1vv]

The best farming channel on youtube

[@SommaRob]

Greatly appreciated! I went overboard? Did a bubbler from a 32 gal Rubbermaid pail. (Another KZbin video) Bought the fish hydrolysate, humic acid, (still have the kelp and molasses). I will just spray every damn inch of my house. 1 acre, very little grass, mostly shrubs, ornamental grasses , lavender, sage, mint, helebores and generally plants deer won’t eat :) - yeah, at 30 gal a batch, my compost or even my vermicompost “juice” will be shared with my neighbors and friends. The “final” farm is only one year out now.

[@luombuoncuoi7091]

Thank you, my friend is Vietnamese, I am applying this technology to make manure thanks to your friend's videos, I have learned more

[@ninemoonplanet]

Only one thing to comment on, explaining humic acid would make understanding what it is in relation to the compost tea. Most people tend to ignore doing research, "too much trouble", so a quick explanation is better. I have a container garden, so I keep adding water, the extract all summer, and adding in mushroom scraps, bits of rotting twigs, sometimes coffee grounds (used) and have the air flow 24/7. I have to use it to keep the plants viable given the soil depletion every 2-3 days because of watering, rain, or plants using up nutrients. This week I have to again use it for the compost tea using worm compost. The change in temperature, season, and humidity will change the microbial life, and the soil biome. (All the bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and other organisms). I used a fairly strong tea on an apple tree with canker, hoping to reduce the damage. It does seem to be working, the one bad scar is being grown over by the tree, the canker areas are smaller, some gone. Compost tea won't "burn" which is extremely handy when using it to start seeds or cuttings.

[@srantoniomatos]

Seeds and cutting need completly different mediums to grow. Seeds like rich soils. Cuttings, until they develop roots, must be in very poor soil, with excelent drainage, the more sterile the better. There is no sterile mediums, all have some bacteria and fungus, but, the less the better. Otherwise they will...rot, compost...usually sand is optimal (not counting fabrics and plastics and other sintetics). Non nutritional organic mater, like peetmoss, or even barks, can be used if they drain well. Althou compostea is basicly just water with sugars and bacteria in it, is a no no for cutting. Only water, pure water is all it takes.

[@papapetad]

Very handy scenario. Thanks for pointing that out.

[@robertling9872]

Thank you Jess and Troy for sharing your knowledge and information.

[@dandan8333]

Over the years I've heard it but, this presentation melds everything together nicely...

[@Barbaralee1205]

You’re the best kitty cat! So cute she follows you around.

[@flatsville1]

For those of you who are confused, Humic acids do in fact feed soil fungi. Via a simple web search- >>>Rich in carbon, Humic acids are excellent food resources of beneficial soil fungi which are critical for mineralization of nutrients otherwise unavailable to plants. The Humic and Fulvic acids contained in humates act as natural chelating agents binding to nutrients in the soil. Plant roots absorb these humic acid/nutrient compounds and effectively increase the efficiency of plant uptake of nutrients and decreasing nutrient losses through leaching. In combination with fertilization, it allows you to get the most out of your nutrient management program and may even reduce the amount of fertilizers applied. It will contribute to improving soil quality, texture, water holding and capacity while breaking down clay lattices and reducing sodium build up in soils. By using a dry granular humic acid, you are applying humic materials which benefit the soil for extended periods of time.

[@kathypope3010]

Thank you so much for this. Best video on compost tea I've seen. Also, Thx for Living Soil Handbook, Jesse. It answers so many questions and gives me a whole new outlook. I am going to try to find Troy's What's Brewing podcast next

[@paullueders5218]

Thanks for this wonderful vid Jessy. Troy really knows his shit! I make about 35 yards of compost every season and late, this past summer I made 33-gallon jugs of fish hydrolysate. I get my fish scrap from a commercial fish house on Lake Superior . Can't wait till spring to combine these for making veggie tea. Thanks again.

[@WyndalGreyOfficial]

I'm from Kentucky I'm just now getting hip to the organic side farming and I am absolutely in love with the idea I'm about to get the rest of the setup to start brewing today I've wanting to do the IMO but have to learn a little more about that though

[@ifailu1]

One of the most detailed videos on compost tea. Thank you.

[@clb50]

Man, one of the best video on making compost tea yet. My only question, how long do we put the air pump on and how do we know when it's ready? Thank you!!

[@ChickieNobs]

did anyone answer this? i also missed it in the video... or it wasnt mentioned...

[@TheEasyLifee]

Right away. if using a bubbler, right away, 12hr, 24hr, kind of like the tea people drink. I think I've heard longer than 24hr is not Necessary and may do more bad than good.

[@HayseedsWormFarm]

The best way to describe what is taking place with compost tea is that it acts like a nutrient converter. It will facilitate the conversion of insoluble nutrients into soluble nutrients faster so the plant can actually use them within its lifespan. Worm casting if fed with a high carbon diet will increase the amount of fungi plus add a natural growth hormone. And also it works best in depleted soils or poor soils. If your soil is already good it can be used as maintenance instead of a fertilizer boost.

[@corymiller9854]

Good vid:] I have been making compost tea for 4 years and it is now part of my garden for life! I like a more bacteria dominate tea for my veggies and try catering to the season if in veg or fruiting. Rain water has really made my teas better as well and one bucket if strong can be diluted to your rain reservoir for max supply:]

[@Mrjboomseedco]

I use water from my indoor pond for all my greenhouse and indoor plants and fruits it work’s incredibly since it’s got so many good qualities in it

[@cirrusphere]

Awesome Information. Thank you for your time and knowledge

[@ReeferCheifer13]

So much knowledge here! And clearly acquired over the years from a sum of sources. Therefore I can’t thank you guys enough for this video and your will to simply better peoples gardens and lives. Thats selfless!

[@BlackPaw-q3d]

Great video😊 Can someone tell me why we need the bag?why not just put the compost straight into the barrel?

[@paulmcwhorter]

I live in a slum in East Africa, and work on demonstration farming projects for productive, sustainable agriculture. The challenge I face is, I can not run to the store and buy humic acid or suluble kelp. Is there any garden plants that could serve as fungal foods? Pounded Comfrey? Pounded Alfalfa? What could I grow to serve as a fungal food?

[@industrialathlete6096]

@17:16 Replay. Compost extract is easier to make and will increase the fungal nature of the soils applied to. For further validation, play youtube videos of a young farmer in Kansas(USA) Young Red Angus. He raises corn(maize), wheat, as well as having a cow herd!

[@anzac90vap]

Thanks for the genuine, well stepped out video, lots of good tips and explanations. Legend!

[@ENTrop3]

As a now reformed black molasses brewer, thank you for this video

[@chrismofer]

very cool. I went and bought a tube for my compressor, cleaned out a 5 gallon bucket, and put in some compost to get it started.

[@ewilen]

Hi, one of your french viewers here :) Here is what I don't get, Elaine Ingham is saying you can make your own humic acid from your compost just by running water through it with a filter. That means humic acid is already present in compost right, so why should we buy and add in the mix something that's already existing in the compost we use for compost tea ? What am I missing ? Huge thank's for your videos by the way

[@kathynix6552]

I agree I think it’s a waste of money. Just trust the process. By getting your own humic acid within your own compost you know what is in every input into your garden.

[@Ginger_McElfresh_Art]

I am guessing, unless they are different somehow, that adding the bottled acid would help deplete the chlorine and chloramines if you didn't have time to let it dissipate. 🤔

[@suestoddard4889]

This was soooo helpful! I have been making the compost tea and needed the nitty gritty of exact reasons of why to feed certain things ie not molasses but fish stuff ( didn’t know spelling 😁) and soluble kelp. Great video as always! Ps bought your book Jesse and only on page 34 and have underlined and starred a lot! Best gardening book ever and I have a lot on my shelf! Thank you a million trillion times for sharing your learning experiences in gardening! Keep up the good work!

[@giant9833]

fish hydrolysate

[@growztreez1545]

lol he didnt even explain why not to use molasses just said there would be more then enough bacteria for the brew u want sugars for bigger yield in most plants coconut is really good as well and aloe

[@alexlanuza1990]

​@@growztreez1545they say to never exceed over 2.5 tbsp of unsulfured molasses per 5 gallon bucket to keep the bad microbes in check. I don't go over 2 just to be safe.

[@springwatercropshop4706]

What a timely video. Im just feeding my peppers and tomatoes now

[@homelife8597]

Great start to my Sunday before head to my garden ❤️

[@Shortcake39553]

AWESOME tutorial with so many useful tips. Thank you both for sharing

[@tictac8066]

i took notes lol

[@michelezebell3133]

Excellent presentation!

[@up2u7]

I also make organic compost using Swift droppings. The result is very good..my vegetable growth is very fast😊👍

[@B01]

Thanks for posting! Really enjoyed the presentation. Few comments, just info I've picked up along my organic journey 😇 tldr soak airstones in vinegar, maybe don't squish and bash the highest concentration of microorganisms, kelps great but fish/humic are too! 03:59 Soak the stone in vinegar, run for a quick sec. Problem solved. Been using for a year or two and no issues with any stones. Obviously I can't say stones work any better since I don't microscope my teas just yet (soon enough lol) but it seems to generate far more bubbles than just open ended hoses to break that surface tension. I'd also be interested to know if pressing the delicate organisms and squishing them during the brewing process actually helps or not (microscopy work required of course) since only bacteria are resilient to that type of physically disturbance. Even just rainwater surprisingly can damage certain microorganisms within the soil food web (protozoa, fungi, nematodes are all unbelievably delicate), so I'd be surprised if bashing them in the strainer doesn't have a detrimental effect. Personally I just give the bucket a good shake, as that's how Dr. Ingham seems to prep her soil samples. As gently as possible, shaking them. I figure this would translate into the least amount of damage for our teas as well 🤓 There's a few microscopy vids on YT can see some poor ol damaged fungal hypaes, nematodes etc after being disturbed/disrupted even just slightly. Def wild to actually see the effects of mishandling, I truly can't even fathom what tilled vs non tilled looks like under the scope, when just mishandling a soil sample can damage so many microorganisms (again, not rly bacteria, its everything else lol) Kelp i think depends on the type to be considered specific Fungal food? Like kelp meal maybe, but liquid kelp or seaweed is far higher in pH and may not be catering towards fungal life as it would seem to be bacterial mostly. Interestingly enough, you can usually figure out what the amendments method of feeding/breakdown is by it's pH values. Does the amendment have an Acidic pH? Then it's usually fungal preferred food. Does the amendment have an Alkaline pH? Almost always preferred by bacteria..Oyster shell is around 8 pH meaning its not very much preferable to fungi, very much so towards bacteria. Will there be random fungi who like it? Perhaps!! Who knows, anything's possible haha but in terms of it's standard application? Def bacteria all day. You see this with nearly any organic amendment out there tbh. What breaks down peat? Fungi. It's pH? 4 lol can see this in majority of amendments out there. hope it helps!

[@niccotton4058]

Hey thanks for your tips. So you would just put the compost in the strainer, stir it up a bit, let it sit and then take it out again rather than squishing it out? And also what would you suggest as fungi food then? (oystershell or is it the opposite? sorry im not quite sure in how you phrased it haha) Chheeers Nic

[@B01]

​@@niccotton4058 typically I use a similar but smaller fabric/cloth bag, although I think his method of draping it across top is definitely gonna be better than just a smaller bag (basically giant tea bag) off to the side like I have it. His surface area would be far better. I just shake the bucket side to side. Nothing too crazy, as I usually make it inside. So not like it's going splashing all over, nothing quite so violent hahaha I stay away from stirring or anything else aside from just a shake. I always stir in the molasses (or whichever food source I'm going with) first though, that's for sure lol But even a gentle squeeze and yeah, I wouldn't expect it to be very great for the little guys. I get the concept, and I too sometimes break up the chunks for more surface area, but I do it only *before* starting the process and don't touch after the tea starts brewing. Far as fungal dominant teas? Mushroom compost!! Haha that's a great one of course, along with humic acids, fish hydrolysate and a few others. Kelp is def one of them, but maybe not the best depending on type. Still gonna need a good source to feed both so can certainly use kelp. You'll notice the common theme with all 3 suggestions is that they are 7 or below on pH. Again, a neat way to tell a preferred food source heh kinda came up with that little trick (pH dictating an amendments preferable source of consumption).

[@jasontoolan3816]

Thank you. Everyone says the timing depends on temps. Is there visual or odor indicators to help verify? How about a timing temp chart? Example: Todays bacterial tea brewed only 12hrs at 100f and yet it looks like it does when is ready. All foamy and light brown with a reduced sent.

[@gmaster716]

Hey Jesse Nice video ..I was preaching this compost teas a few years back in a conversation ! Bacterial , fungal and nutrient teas Been studying and practicing for the past 15 years ..your temps and brew time are critical! So many trucks to share with trial and error ! Teaming with microbes is a good starter book for people out there ! Keep up the great work 😃 Be well Bk from Pa

[@cuznclive2236]

"Teaming with microbes" Great book!

[@Haqqali]

so since you have 15 years of experience.. would you mind sharing some of that experience? is it even necessary to use this practice? what about people who grow food without this that decide it isn't necessary because their food is growing nonetheless??

[@gmaster716]

@@Haqqali The idea is to increase the biology in our soil , due to highly depleted soils lacking the correct balance of minerals.. You can top dress or do a combination of both topdressing and teas , root drench and foliar . This practiced correctly will create nutrient dense foods using no chemicals. If the soil is rich in biology the soil web will occur where organic matter in the soil will be eaten and converted into energy for the plant . ( Simple explanation) this is how nature grows with no assistance! Having a living soil you also need to keep something planted at all times. Let the plants feed from the soil , don't force feed your plants . Be well !

[@Haqqali]

@@gmaster716 sorry let me be more clear. there are so many methods that are way simpler than making compost tea to feed your soil without using industrial fertilizers. my personal favorite is using fetid swamp because of its simplicity. while its not used for applying bacteria or fungi (it only has anaerobic microbes), it gives the nutrients for the microbes and the plants in the soil already. the same goes for almost all fertilizers that i can think of. as long as you don't use anything that harms soil life and instead add dead material that is considered organic matter, the soil will be fed. i can think of compost tea as a fertilizer but why would i use it when i have other simpler methods? ok it has good microbes but why is it not enough to feed the microbes already in the soil? thus why i'm asking someone with 15 years of experience with this, what difference has it made, using this method. or should i say, in my situation, where i assume my soil is healthy and alive even when not using compost tea, what would i improve by using compost tea. because i can think of one year i was actually practicing this method but i simply stopped when i didnt notice any difference.

[@ChefIsaac925]

@@Haqqali kzbin.info/www/bejne/l4LVmnychLamiK8si=ur-73PNVGLjVMa_h he explains why

[@WynterDragon]

This is an awesome tutorial and the explanations really help it all make sense!

[@pigskinfanboy]

Love using different types of teas. Thank you for this.

[@jeffreygowen8208]

I didn’t hear in this video when you should be applying the compost tea. Should I be spraying a day before planting out a bed, a few days? Can I use it as a foliar spay? When is the best time to spay it to ensure healthy growth in my plants and soil biology

[@cacosta6294]

When THE sun goes down

[@harlowecustommicrogreens]

He said it can be used as a foliar or when beds are flipped.

[@lorenzobently6347]

Thank you for the great video. I wanted to ask if I have been making my worm tea wrong. A few videos have that I have watched used unsulfured molasses or raw agave. Shall I not use those two ?

[@andreagrowsthings]

Your videos are always so helpful even though I don’t do market gardening - just trying to grow enough for my family. :) I just bought your book and am excited to start reading it. :) My cousin (in-law) is Steve Groff - I think you’ve done a podcast or something with him? I have his book and I am looking forward to learning even more from yours and thank you for your great videos! 😊

[@andrewblack7852]

It’s imo 2. Meaning 1 is the microbes on medium ( the compost), and two is grown out and can be used in liquid. Another way is to capture the organisms directly from your area on cooked white rice. The rice is left on the microb rich location for 2-3 days . The rice now moldy can be mixed 1 to 1 with brown cane sugar to make a shelf stable army of microbes. Store in cool place . Mix a little bit in your water and apply, soil or foliar

[@tweety2147]

Does this work with fermented rice water ?

[@jaridkeen123]

Awesomeness, Im the first Comment Aloha mai Hawaii (Big Island)

[@tomfisher3117]

Thanks for a great video. So, I have about 18 cu. yds. of leaves coming later in the month. My garden is 1760 sq. ft., currently I have cover crop planted on it. What do you think of this plan: In the spring, I'm going to cut the cover crop, then spread 3" of leaves over it and cover that with 5.3 ounce weed fabric. I'll plant through holes in the weed fabric and let the leaves along with the cut cover crop decompose over the spring/summer. I already have some pretty good soil which started as hard clay. I want to continue to feed it and I have no place to store the leaves except on my garden. Am I crazy or might this work?

[@floriswou]

No weed fabric! Use cardboard or newspaper or similar and lay your leaves on top.

[@acultivatedspecies]

Thanks a bunch for doing this video. I’ve made some teas before, but I have a quick question. My irrigation is city water and it’s chlorinated. Am I working hard to add biology that my irrigation kills the next morning?

[@B01]

Tldr yes, you're killing them because chlorine is doing what it was designed to do. The deets: If it's chlorinated you are required to let it sit out for a minimum of 24 hours in an open container in a clean area. This isn't a "lots of ways to do something", it's a right way and wrong way scenario lol it's required to remove chlorine, the process is up to you tho...You may speed up the process with an air pump/airstone (don't need anything fancy for that purpose, a cheap $20 one will work just fine). If you have chloramine, which is more and more popular and used in more big cities nowadays, you must add a small amount of ascorbic acid. Chloramine is chlorine and ammonia bonded. Municipalities and water companies use it BECAUSE it doesn't evaporate like just normal chlorine (who wants their money to literally evaporate into thin air). So in order to break the chlorine and ammonia bond ascorbic acid (literally vitamin c powder) is the go to without distilling it or running through a good RO setup. Then both ammonia and chlorine will evaporate like usual in 24 hours (I think I read somewhere the ammonia itself is released much faster than the chlorine after the bonds broken)

[@dionvh]

I get your question because I have the same question, and this is my take on this; Yes you can add ascorbic acid to break up the chloramine molecules, BUT, I have a pretty big garden and I irrigate with city water at the moment too because I do not have enough rain water to irrigate my whole garden (dry Mediterranean climate). I think as long as I also add the biology to the soil and the underside of the leaves of the plants the chloramine and chlorine will maybe kill of some of the beneficial bacteria I add to the soil and plants but not all and I will still benefit from the added bacteria. I’ve read somewhere that chlorine does not penetrate very far in the soil, maybe just the top top layer and will not reach deep into the soil to kill off bacteria deep in the soil near the rhizosphere. For chloramine I don’t know if it works the same way. Hope anyone else has also experience/knowledge about this question and can shed more light on the matter. Thanks

[@B01]

@@dionvh you want to potentially continue to use a product which entire purpose of it's creation and use is designed to kill micro organisms, in your soil, which feed our plants by these very microorganisms? How does that compute? No offense but I'm sure you keep looking hard enough, you'll eventually stumble upon an answer that suits whatever you're looking for...I'm sure whatever article comes up will likely have missed the part about the most activity within our soil (outside the rhizosphere) happening within the top 1/2in to 1inch layer of soil 🤣 I couldn't have spelled it out any easier, and science doesn't care if you or OP agrees with it lmao but people who are preserving soil life and functionality don't use chlorine. I mean this is day one stuff you are arguing about here...... no one said it would kill ALL, but who tf wants to walk uphill all the time? The best is to use a water reservoir, dechlorinate and join us walking downhill instead of any of this "doing your thing and hoping some biology survives the decimating effects of toxic chemicals such as chlorine" as OP described

[@dionvh]

@@B01 sometimes it’s just not possible to discontinue the product (city water) and I am trying to make the best use of the situation I am in.

[@B01]

@@dionvh if you have power you have the option to use a pump for drip irrigation if no power can get solar panel+battery for under$100 which will power it. If no sun, charge inside. Then can use water res to allow water to dechlor. If no money for power bank+solar panels use gravity fed system which you can make from a gallon water jug or any container and have it sitting above dripping down. If you use a hose, they make filters. If you use sprinklers or similar water system, there's filters. There's always a way...if you have the means and capabilities to distribute water, you can alter what you are distributing. That simple

[@chantallachance4905]

It is my 4 years with homemade compost tea IT WORK A lot of vegetables the plant is strong everything grow fast and it’s Free compost Did you put compost tea anytime in the soil like when we sow I now its all right but when the plant have fruit like tomatoes or peppers etc did you put compost tea on them to ? Some one put a mashed potatoes for starch in the bag with the compost…it work to

[@alexpresent8907]

This is so awesome! I want it make it to help my compacted soil. I love the podcast

[@tomswift2x]

I spoke with a friend today who learned of compost tea in Venezuela 33years ago.

[@tomswift2x]

Maybe it was an extract. I didn't know this science had a history.

[@bodyzoasispersonaltraining9186]

As a herbal and veggy grower. Molasses works wonders w flavors and potency

[@dailyhabitz]

How long do you prefer to oxygenate? And is it possible to swap the fish product with something else that achieves the same results?

[@fanjiang9317]

Great video! I am going to use compost tea this year instead of fertilizer.

[@cacosta6294]

I have a date farm in climate similar to low desert of Arizona , how often do You recommend to apply , and what other cares in such extreme heat

[@BarefootHugelkultur]

Wow! I would think 5 gals for a small backyard. Crazy cool!

[@inorom88]

I may have missed this but how long do you let the tea "brew" for? do you aerate it the whole time?..

[@alexmartinez3309]

yeah same... didn't get it either.

[@frankbrake7689]

Thank you for informing on compost Tea.

[@TheTexasHorseman]

Good morning! I have a good size aquaponics system and I pull solids off the system every week. I run them thru 2 stages of mineralization in two tanks with airstones and K1 bio filter media moving thru each tank. I have a microscope and would love to know more about how to tell when my compost tea is at peak potential.

[@inigomontoya8943]

Do you know any good channels for aquaponics?

[@TheTexasHorseman]

@@inigomontoya8943 best one I have watched for years is Rob's Aquaponics, RobBob. He's done a great job at demonstrating a wide variety of ways to do it on a budget.

[@okoorganics3830]

Thanks! This is very helpful!

[@Marshall_Weber]

Awesome Video as Always!!!

[@jamesnolan9651]

In mushroom growing, honey is used as a fungal food. 1tsp to 4cups water.

[@TheMujiFuji]

I have a bucket of water off gassing as I watch...great info on feeding the tea. Thanks to Jesse, Troy & No Till for all the geek level soil science...why I started brewing! Did not know this key to getting the most out of whatever soil you have!

[@SARJENT.]

Kool vid. When would one use compost tea versus compost extract?

[@erichufnagel3474]

I was told by a New Zealander who worked one teas for 6 years not to get into it but to instead go after compost extract since that can be replicated easier. It’s very difficult to get consistent bacteria with tea. I farm large scale so it’s very difficult to implement teas into the practice

[@ArthurDentZaphodBeeb]

The main problem with using compost tea in large scale farming is simply the ability to apply the tea before the microbes die - you can't store compost tea. You'd need huge amount of equipment to brew tea in sufficient quantity and apply almost immediately. For practical reasons, that's why large scale farms use extracts - can make extracts in ~20 minutes (vs 24-48hrs) -can make extract faster than you can apply the extract.

[@mycbr600rr]

My formula is much easier- pull 5 gallons of weeds, fill the bucket with water and steep for two to three weeks- Then strain the water out of the bucket and into a 55 gallon barrel (of well water)with a hose at the bottom of the barrel for watering. Water as normal a few times during the season-the plants in my test plot grew 4times as large as the untreated and roughly four times as productive - easy peasy!!

[@zephyrr1522]

I think that would be fermented plant juice, not compost tea

[@kenbourne8207]

@@zephyrr1522 True - in compost tea the beneficial microbes are aerobic and can only live if there is oxygen in the water.

[@davidortega2102]

Lul

[@shawnsg]

So you had what, a 6 foot tall Cherokee purple tomato plant and you sprayed it with magic potion and it got 4 times bigger? That's amazing that it grew 24 feet. That's as tall as a two story house.

[@alexlanuza1990]

Sir, 11:25 chloramine does not evaporate from the water like chlorine does, it will still be present! Boiling does not remove chloramine either. The only way to remove chloramine is with an effective catalytic carbon filter.

[@golikaviani5879]

This was a fantastic video. Thank you.

[@420norwayakanorthbud7]

Compost tea is the best you can feed the soil with!! 👍

[@GarrettXHolder]

I just soak the stones and run them in some soap water and so far so good? Thoughts

[@soronos8586]

You can dunk the air stones in baking soda and hydrogen peroxide solution and they’re just fine.

[@christinehelmus8461]

Can I use this in my gardens/property spring, summer and fall as an opportunity to generally feed the soil not necessarily feed specific plants?

[@kaleyjanenigh]

Thank you so much for this video! More like this! ❤

[@Greenskies321]

I have a 5 gallon bucket underneath another 5 gallon bucket and the top one contains many holes for ventilation and is where I put my compost materials and red wigglers. I will add the compost tea to the top of it every few days and let it drip through down back to the bottom bucket and leeches a lot of different nutrients that way. Seems to help the breakdown process much faster too for the composted materials.

[@chrispfenning5871]

Jesse, do you have first hand details of the compost tea helping the veggie patch? Per JM, after bringing in Elaine, he didn't see any noticeable difference. Wondering how contextual spraying compost tea is as far as seeing results. I amend and foliar spray micronutrients but do not spray compost tea. Please share any results you have seen before and after spraying. Cheers.

[@mattde4606]

Assuming you already apply compost to your garden, if you instead take that same compost and brew up teas and spray that garden, you will see no changes/benefits/etc. Brewing does not create nutrition and the life it does create quickly dies once applied since the soil is already supporting life to it's maximum with the food and environment it has.

[@barrymcdonald9868]

@@mattde4606 I've heard that too, but maybe there's an incremental benefit with foliar application

[@mattde4606]

@@barrymcdonald9868 perhaps some but even in ag situations, after application they also keep the leaves of the crop wet for a longer period in order for any absorption to be maximized. I'd doubt home gardeners will be doing the same. The diluted teas will mainly just fall and rinsed down to the soil where roots will uptake as needed. I'd also be a bit concerned about what actual bacteria you are brewing up and spraying on your plants that you intend to consume the leaves of. Home gardeners have no idea what type of bacteria medley they are cooking up.

[@guitarguyjoefry]

I watched it twice I can't find where he mentioned about brewing the tea in the same temperature as where it will be applied. The temperatures change a lot in 12 hours. If you start brewing at 7pm so you could feed your plants in the morning it would be really chilly some nights while it reaches 60 or 70+ degrees during the day in mid Missouri. How about brewing for a full 24 hours? Is that too long?

[@anthonylux1838]

I watched it twice as well. I did not hear him mention how long he brews his tea. That temperature explanation seemed weak. I agree with you 100%. Temperatures here in the summer range from 54 F to 75-80 F for highs. It would have been valuable to learn how long he brews for optimal performance and I believe he failed to mention anything about dilution.

[@lindablack6055]

I may have missed something....did he give an idea of how long it takes to completion AND if this is used at full strength??

[@JimApplebury]

He did say 12 hrs. but didn't get very specific. I found your question because I was hoping for a little more of a specific answer.

[@JimApplebury]

Found a different answer from Troy in a Diego video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aaqco6OiZqmjorM

[@vanreesvellinga5601]

I also wonder how long it takes to have the maximum amount of microorganisms? Is there a way of measuring the amount of microbes?

[@rumi885]

Really useful video! Thanks so much for this!

[@heatherbottoms5813]

Well said. Thank you.

[@peterv3216]

Amazing content Jesse! Thanks!

[@garden2356]

THUMBS UP EVERY TIME WHEN THERE'S A CAT 🐱🐈 IN THE VIDEOS 🙂🥰

[@jolantaberdoz215]

How long do you brew compost tea?

[@cannaflex420]

Love the video but one thing that I went the extract style instead of air stones is due to the bad organisms inside of that air stone unless you use a new one every time there will be organisms we do not want in the end product. What's your opinion about this theory

[@mamiemw6418]

We’re trying to rehab our soil where thick underbrush was removed by a bulldozer for a necessary fire barrier next to our home. We’ve plotted off a veg garden and flower bed in the blank slate using a cardboard base and bags of organic compost and manure blends. Would a tea help to add different microorganisms back into the mounds? Or is there enough there from the bagged compost/manure? We used organic Moonure in the food bed, and a generic compost/manure blend (not organic) for the flower beds. Thanks!

[@manolopapas]

Thank you

[@Cyclonut96]

One thing missing in this really great video, is showing us how to measure under microscope the good and bad bacteria and choosing the best time to deploy. Does anybody know of a good video showing this, as I have a microscope that I could use for this purpose?

[@aprilbreen9207]

It’s more than bacteria you look for; it’s a complex ecosystem Dr Elaine Ingram teaches all this, if you really want to do your own diagnostics you can take her training There is much to learn on KZbin about this and many trained people who have taken her course.

[@Cyclonut96]

@@aprilbreen9207 is that a solution requiring a paymen?

[@aprilbreen9207]

@@Cyclonut96 Her courses are not free You could learn a lot of it from what is available on KZbin

[@IS-217]

LOOOVED IT! Great tips :) THANKS!

[@karenbecker4065]

I’m trying to dispose of noxious starthistle that started to flower. Definitely don’t want it to grow more star thistle not sure if the seeds are viable, so do not want to bury it on my property have about 5-55 gallon barrels. Would like to turn it into compost tea in order to rot the vegetation material to prevent it from ever growing again. Do you think this is a good idea? I have heard that Starthistle contains something that is dangerous for horses would that stay in a compost tea?

[@selberversorgernaturbelassen]

interesting video. i'm gonna try it. but one part i didn't understand. what for acids can i ad in my compost tea?

[@wadenicholls1859]

Hi Bruvas Just a quick question from NZ would you use FAA and FPJ for microbe food or is that not the go .Is there any point cecking the pH? Thanks for the great video once again

[@markfcoble]

Very good vid! Thanks.

[@Ultimatefitness360]

Can we take leaf mold in place of compost for fungal tea ??

[@earthkeepinggreen7763]

Beautifully done😊 Thanks

[@dadikkedude]

Could you use this to kickstart a new compost pile?

[@MrBazz420]

yes totally

[@nathanmoros9207]

Did he use the bubbler at all? Or explain how long to let it bubble before spraying?

[@harlowecustommicrogreens]

I thought I missed that part too. 12 hours I am thinking based on other things he said. But a straight answer on that would be helpful.

[@munchkin5674]

Would you please list the 3 ingredients that you add to the water in addition to the compost? Looking for correct spelling because I not quite sure what the fish stuff was. Thanks!

[@noraellen4623]

fish emulsion vs fish hydrolysate

[@munchkin5674]

@@noraellen4623 Thanks!

[@pendensproditor]

This seems like a more complicated version of JMS? The philosophy behind JADAM is to put these sorts of technologies into anyone's hands using ubiquitous supplies and ingredients in order to get "good enough" results. It may be possible to produce inputs like fish hydrolysate and humic acid yourself, but not as easily as just acquiring a potato and some sea salt. I'd be curious if this gets better results than JMS, and if that degree of improvement is actually worth the extra trouble.

[@shawnsg]

No it's a cult. Not JMS. I mean they are too but JADAM.

[@margaretdavidson5444]

I keep waiting for more video's. Is this site always down in the late fall and winter or is something wrong? Maybe I missed something. Concerned in Washington.

[@bobwilliams4528]

A little frustrated, every time I think on the right track with brewing tea, someone comes along with a new version. I don't know who to believe anymore. I use worm casting, a little lactobacilis, a little fish fertilizer and feed it with mallards and brew till it gets a nice foamy head. The fungal recipe seems to keep changing!

[@bobwilliams4528]

Spell check got me I feed it with molasses

[@shawnsg]

Just do whatever feels the best or is the most fun. Compost tea and all the other jazz is purely about making the person feel better. It's pseudoscience.

[@matthewlong2981]

I add a teaspoon of molasses too

[@RiveRRatt75]

Think of it as stages of development of the plant (NPK). In the early stages you want higher (N) nitrogen for growth. For flower or fruiting stage you want less nitrogen and more (K) potassium. As for (P) phosphorus it is used in early stages to help root development and late stages it helps with fruiting and flowering. Make your teas directed to the development stage of the plant.

[@neilrowe119]

Dr Elaine Ingham says Humic acid is the water that comes off compost if it passively moves through it... so if the sack of compost just sits there would it make humic acid and not have to add it?

[@srlsolutionsself-reliancet3247]

i grew up in emmaus PA home of rodale. i used to do video work for the institute.