Blast Your Soil with Biology: How to Make 5 Gallons of Compost Tea

[@AlvinMcManus]

I've been using powdered ascorbic acid to neutralize the chloramines in my water along with a 2-3 hour aeration prior to adding the goodies. I am using a Bubble Snake (not stones) for the bucket. My brew bag is a 400micron bag that was 19 bucks and it's cleaned after every use. You don't use molasses, heh? What about liquid kelp? **Note the bucket should be below the pump to avoid any possibility of siphon action if you lose power during your brew. Just being prudent here. ** Thank you Troy for the easy to understand explanation of the process. This will help me brew better going forward.

[@UrbanWormCompany]

All great input Alvin!

[@moonbastic]

This is fascinating. I will probably never make tea, but I love learning about the process!

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Yeah, it's a commitment!

[@clem24u]

I made an octagon out of 45° pvc fittings and PVC pipe that I drilled a lot of small holes in. It is the diameter of the bottom of the bucket and is held in place with the pvc tubing leading down to the ring and the bucket handle. It all comes apart for cleaning if necessary. It works fantastic.

[@cindyskinner64]

Finally! A good use for the Bass-O-Matic from SNL 1970's!!! Really very useful video. Thank you!

[@garywillow6578]

Great video. I also make L.A.B serum and my earthworms ( I compost for a long time in my bins) love the milk curds and then the curds bloom into fluffy white clouds to colonise my bins.

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Thanks Gary! I’m going to have to look into this LAB serum stuff. Does that have to do with lactobaccilus?

[@garywillow6578]

@@UrbanWormCompany yes it is fermented rice wash added to milk to separate into lacto serum. So easy to make and the serum I drench my worm bin soil and the curds I lay on top. 24 hours and all the earthworms come up to feed. I use earthworms as I make living soil for my indoor garden and after composting everything I want I add earthworms and leave for a year+. Tried to introduce magic mushroom mycelium as I harvest this from my Welsh hills; but ended up with many Deaths cap mushrooms. Not quite what I was looking for.

[@insAneTunA]

I have the same pump. I have cut 2 pieces from a rubber playground tile and I screwed that on both sides to a piece of wood. And then I screwed the pump to that, and now the vibration and the noise is much less. I still prefer the piston style pumps over the membrane pumps despite the noise and the vibration because they are more durable and reliable and they use less power. At least to my experience. Although this type of capacity is more suitable for a rain barrel. It is a bit overkill for a 5 gallon bucket. I have better results with an air stone. They do get clogged up over time, but it is easy to clean with a wire brush and then they are as good as new again. I get much much more microbial activity with the finer bubbles compared to not using the air stone. Watch my video. I also have a bucket filled with wood chips mixed with green bio mass and some water but not completely full with water, a bit inspired by the Johnson and Su bio reactor, which I can recommend to learn about. I've let that ferment for a while and after a couple of weeks I added the water from that bucket to my compost tea brew barrel, and I put some new water in my bucket with wood chips. As I understand it the wood chip compost tea is producing even more micro organisms as the vermi compost tea. So that way I have the best of both worlds. At least that is the idea. At first the fermenting wood chips and bio mass stinks pretty bad, but the bad smell goes away, and after that you can keep reusing it. And when you add the water from the fermenting wood chips to your compost tea brew the bad smell will also go away after it has bubbled long enough. When the bad smell goes away it is also an indicator that you can use it. I am not a scientific expert at all. I am just trying some stuff, and I also learn a lot from other people. And when I get a good result I continue to do it.

[@antoniooswaldostoreljunior5039]

Thanks, Steve! Very many precious details.

[@lylecasteel365]

Great video! I have seen some people dilute tea down but I have put it on my garden full strength. Seems like diluting it defeats the purpose. I had no isues with grasshoppers all summer.

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Dilution allows you to spread the biology over a much larger surface area. More water equals more vehicles. Yes, you might get less biology per square inch but it's still a massive amount of biology.

[@stephaniechale6128]

Great video. Maybe you could set aside some water (1 or so cups) and mix the humic powder in to make a slurry? Then add it to the bucket.

[@kristiworden737]

Since they multiply quicker in hotter temps, could you brew in the greenhouse for a shorter period, then if applying outside in cooler temps, let it acclimate to that temp, and then spray? This way you have the shortest brew time. Would that work, or does it really need to be brewed in the same temp? Thank in advance 😊

[@dronefish9629]

I can't see Troy without laughing about the title of his worm chow with 'Chef Troyardee' video.

[@DaKineGardenStuff]

When is a good indication that your garden would benefit from the high biology from compost brew? How often should the brew be applied?

[@DaKineGardenStuff]

@@UrbanWormCompany What does a visible clitellum have to do with compost tea? I am confused.

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Sorry! That was meant for another video comment. As for an indication, I am not sure, but your soil and plants will likely always benefit from a good tea application. And you can't overdo it with tea as it will not burn your plants like regular N fertilizer. You might look for wilting or yellowing as an indication though.

[@insAneTunA]

Another indicator could be when you have a lot of aphids and caterpillars. Let me explain it, because it is a bit complicated. In the most ideal situation a healthy plant that grows in the most ideal soil for that plant with the most ideal external conditions and the most ideal amount of water, is able to produce enough sugars to protect itself against aphids and other insects. Aphids and other insects are simply unable to digest the amount of sugar that healthy plants produce. If you have insects it is an indicator that the plant and the soil is not healthy and as a result the plant is not able to get enough nutrients. In other words, then your soil is "bad". The plant that is under attack from insects might look healthy, and your soil might look good, but when you measure the sugar content from the plant that is under attack it will show that it is less compared to the sugar content from a real healthy plant. So when you apply the tea, there is a good chance that the insects will disappear, because there will be enough micro organisms to convert enough nutrients for the plants. The micro organisms turn nutrients into plant available nutrients in exchange for sugars that they get from the roots from the plants. It is a symbiotic relation. Plants cannot just extract all the nutrients that they need from the soil. They need the micro organisms to do that for them, and only after the micro organisms have converted those nutrients the plants will be able to use that. Especially pots and hanging baskets and planters benefit from it. At least that is my experience. I use it for my entire garden, including the grass lawn. I have tried commercial liquid fertilizer for my hanging baskets, it worked for some flower varieties, but not for all. And I have a mixed basket so that wasn't working. After applying the worm tea a couple of times the flowers that were dying are recovering. So I call that a win.

[@insAneTunA]

@@DaKineGardenStuff Another indicator. If you have planted fruits your fruits will taste much sweeter.

[@klew5988]

​@insAneTunA compost tea absolutely will not get rid of pests and bugs eating your plants. While it may be true that if bugs have the choice they will choose the more unhealthy plants, it doesn't mean that feeding your plants a tea will improve its health enough to kill off any pests. Plenty of great things compost tea does for plants. Pest control isn't it. You're thinking of brix levels

[@anthonylux1838]

Steve - Thank you for your September 18, 2022 video titled "Blast Your Soil with Biology: How to Make 5 Gallons of Compost Tea". I have viewed many compost brew videos, but I learned things from Troy that I have never heard before. So valuable . . . Thank you for making the video, Steve!!! Just three questions for Troy. If he had amended the brew with kelp (contains hormones that promote root growth) and molasses (to feed bacteria moreso than fungi) how much would you dose for that 5 gallon pail. Lastly, does the brew require dilution upon application? I have burned plants before, but I did not utilize your recipe. Thank you for your kind consideration, Steve.

[@KarenCampbell-qh1xt]

How do I know if the wood chip mulch on top of my bed has fungal mycelium or salt build up on top?? I have a vermicompost bed in my raised bed. I am in the desert where salts can build up. Thank you for your good work!

[@sgillcomp12]

What a mess? You gotta be kidding me, This is hilarious :)

[@theresarothenberger2264]

Will fish emulsion work as well! Thanks for all your time and info.

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

Excellent Steve!! We always enjoy your and Troy's thoughts! Looking forward to doing this ourselves. You referenced temperatures, how long into the fall/winter would apply the tea? And when would you start applying it in the spring? Thanks for the tip on air stones aswell. Cheers from Victoria Canada

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Thanks CCG! There's not a "bad" time to apply tea, but I would do it outside of extreme temperatures. You may also want to do it when you've got some plants growing that would immediately benefit.

[@clivesconundrumgarden]

@@UrbanWormCompany excellent, thanks Steve 🤜🤛

[@kellyhammel7722]

We are in a drought should I wait until we get some moisture in the ground before I apply the tea to the lawn. Thanks

[@kellyhammel7722]

Do you dilute the worm tea if you put it in a sprayer for application?

[@coupleofcruisers1710]

Great Vid! Just ordered my Bin, Thanks Steve! Troy, do ever use Biochar in your Brew? Trying to add more Carbon in my tea base.. Thoughts?

[@malcolmyoung7866]

Hello Steve, Great video. If you have any Vermicomposting left in your mesh bag at the end of this process is it okay to return it to a worm bin for true worms to ‘recycle’ once dried off? Waste not want not! Another ‘bone’ question what time of year is it best to apply this liquid and how to apply it. I imagine that one ‘made’ it’s best to use immediately so that the microbes etc within are at their most beneficial? Early days for me regards Vermicomposting but learning so very quickly.. Thanks to you and Troy for giving us such great info…

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Thanks Malcolm! Absolutely, you can return the spent castings to your bin or even put them in your garden. And as for the best time of year to apply, I would imagine there's no bad time but I'd want to apply when there aren't extreme temps. And yes, use immediately to make sure the tea doesn't go anaerobic.

[@707thizzn]

Love the video. So quick question, is it a bad thing if you put to much food in the bucket where it causes over flowing bubbles? I was alwaya taught that you want the bubbles AND over flowing.

[@UrbanWormCompany]

I don't think it's a bad thing but too much food in the form of molasses will cause a huge boom and bust in your microbe populations.

[@KrazyKajun602]

Do you use the 5gal as is or do you dilute it so much with water to cover the required area?

[@joanncrespo683]

thank you great job

[@paulacorey2148]

How long is the worm tea active after brewed?

[@brentfellers9632]

Do you have to remove the castings from the water? Could you just let it boil without the bag?

[@UrbanWormCompany]

You could let it continue to brew I suppose but there would be some much sediment in the tea that it would likely clog whatever sprayer you might have planned to use.

[@AndrewSemple]

Informative always. Not a good idea to use a pond pump (motor in the bucket) for the same reasons as the air stones?

[@fbryce1ify]

isnt the pump beside the bucket?

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Thanks Andrew, yeah I'd probably use a pump that remains outside of the bucket itself.

[@SaulUrena-w1l]

I hope everyone tries compost tea. At least for a full grow, a watering or two isn't enough to give some final judgement.

[@chileanita1]

I was taught to use molasses for a food source while brewing. Can you explain the difference and/or benefits of these sources? Molasses is more accessible to me.

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Molasses or other sugars tends to produce a boom and bust in bacteria. Where foods like kelp meal provide a much slower, steadier food source. Kind of like the difference between simple sugars and complex carbohydrates.

[@timcoates3821]

Once you are ready to put out onto the garden do you dilute the tea? And what ratio please. I have done a simple brew no pump, jut let some worm castings sit in a bucket overnight, then added some molasses and stired it a bit

[@farrukhaziz3946]

1 part tea to 10 parts water works good

[@dento4865]

What's the best way to store the tea if I don't use all 5 gallons at once? How long does it last in the bucket?

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Hi Denton, I'd have to ask Troy but you probably want to use it within 12 hours or so. The aerated tea has such a high biology count that the microbes consume the available oxygen very quickly.

[@kamranarshad1203]

Hi, could one use a normal organic garden compost as a starter bedding material for worms? or they wont like it? the idea is to start with this normal compost and then put it the worms and then start feeding the bin kitchen scraps .....

[@UrbanWormCompany]

I like compost as a habitat, but I'm less positive on it as a bedding as there is not enough available carbon. I think it could be included in a bin, but it won't offset the nitrogen-rich food waste you'd be putting in the bin.

[@techwithchris007]

can i use this right after it was mixed or is the air pump and brewing neccessary?

[@UrbanWormCompany]

You would get *some* benefit to using it after a short mixing but you get a much larger population of microbes with the brewing.

[@gilreitsma7348]

Not sure if it was mentioned, but what is the application rate for the concentrated 5-gallon brew?

[@michelbisson6645]

so how long last those fungi are they just dormant? do they live longer than bacteria?

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Hey Michel, I'm not actually sure how long fungi last to be honest!

[@theunskoch4256]

May i ask what type of air pump do i use sorry for the ignorance, do i get it at a hard ware store or pet store

[@UrbanWormCompany]

I think a pet store is your best bet here! For a 5-gallon brew, you only need roughly a 5-10 liters per minute pump.

[@gcranch9913]

Is the process any different with worm casings?

[@UrbanWormCompany]

No....

[@shrimpworms]

What's the name of the fish hydrolysate that yall were using?

[@UrbanWormCompany]

I'm not sure if we had a specific brand, but Neptune Harvest is a well-known brand

[@Josef_R]

Seems like you should throw the leftover strsined solids into your worm bin when you're done, right?

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Yep! That's a good way to recycle them.

[@lylecasteel365]

When you make tea, you add food for the bacteria, fungi, etc. -- would it be beneficial to mix those same foods in water to wet your bins? Wouldnt that increase the micorbial life in your bin by a lot?

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Your bin should already be a microbe-rich environment. That said, it's probably a good idea to add that stuff in when starting a new bin to jumpstart the populations.

[@tommillar8382]

Worms tea. Good garden ❤😢

[@AlvinMcManus]

All the dry humic acid products that I have been able to find have been granular and not powered. How do I get powdered? DIY or purchase? heh?😉

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Troy may have to come back to answer that one, Alvin!

[@AlvinMcManus]

@@UrbanWormCompany I'll just use the liquid Humic acid or the old ascorbic acid followed by a pH Up buffering liquid. I do suppose I could get a used Nutri Bullet blender and grind the granular serif, right? ✌🏼

[@beastyelmoboy1]

what else could be used as a food source?

[@life-eu]

Everything!

[@life-eu]

Everything!

[@pingpong9656]

That outer pipe is going to end up emptying out the whole bucket with the venturi effect...

[@catwalker6931]

Just wanted to note that litres are not gallons , but there are about 3.7 litres per gallon. So a 5 gallon bucket is approximately 16.9 litres . So do you want a bigger pump or just say for pump size ratio , match the litres as gallons

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Correct....liters are not gallons. But you want the pump (in liters per minute) to approximate the number of gallons you're brewing.

[@bennywalsh2038]

And US gallons (16fl oz per pint) are different to imperial gallons (20 fl oz per pint) So 5 US gallons are 18 litres.

[@danielgomes4754]

The pump is over kill, a fish tank pump will be better option. Also drill a few more holes at the base of the PVC.

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Yeah it is. We'd planned on doing the video with a 55-gallon barrel that day but switched to the 5-gallon bucket at filming time

[@dylanlinebarger8244]

If these two had a baby, he would be named Vincent Vega

[@russellharford806]

About how much is a butt-load?

[@Vermicompost]

Awesome video Steve & Troy!!! Lots of good info!! You guys would make for very entertaining lab partners in High School Biology class😂🤣😂🪱🪱🪱

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Ha! The only think I remember from high school lab is hooking up the bunsen burner to a water source and shooting little streams of water all over the class.

[@DrHalid]

👍🏿

[@DiMiTri-ys7ei]

That pump is so overkill.. all you need is a 15 dollar fish tank pump

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Yeah it is. We'd planned on doing the video with a 55-gallon barrel that day but switched to the 5-gallon bucket at filming time

[@jeffreythiel5315]

Just watching all the work spraying out the end of the hose / pvc pipe onto the ground makes this video a little odd Necessity is the mother of all inventions time to come up with something better than that hose pipe make a mess lose the tea on the ground 😅system

[@UrbanWormCompany]

Yeah, maybe a little too much water in this video!

[@BugRod64]

humic acid as a dry powder is very hydrophobic. the warmer the water or using a mixer will make it dissolve faster. and the amount of bacteria will be in the billions

[@benkermen8360]

Nope, not to loud.