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Compost Tea Maker
What are the characteristics of a good compost tea maker? What is it that you should be looking for when you decide to make compost tea?
To begin with, you require a container that holds water without rusting. So plan on a good plastic or fiberglass container – no metal barrels please. I use a plastic 5 gallon food grade bucket.
You’ll require a good aerator. Most folks doing it themselves seriously underestimate the amount of oxygen consumed by growing bacteria. Too small a pump and the brewing time will have to be reduced. Remember if you don’t provide enough oxygen – the good bacteria that require this to grow will be replaced by anaerobic (without oxygen) bacteria that are not what you want to put on your garden. Get the largest air pump you can find. Yes, it will look like the water is boiling when you set this going but that’s OK. Try to push the water around (with the aerator) so that there are no dead “corners” in the mixing tank. All parts of the water should be equally stirred up. Again, this prevents a bit of anaerobic bacteria from getting started. This is the reason we do not use square tanks – it is too easy to have a dead corner in a square tank.
Do not use small aquarium tubing for this purpose. It is too small. Use old hose and clamp it onto the outlets. You want to use the full force of whatever oxygen source you can find. Similarly, do not put an air stone on the end of the tubing. You don’t care how big the oxygen bubbles are. Most of the air exchange happens at the surface roiling – not in the bubbles. You want that surface to roil around – to bubble, bubble, toil and trouble – as much as possible. Forget the tiny stuff in your compost tea maker.
Yes, you need water but you need unchlorinated water. Chlorine kills off bacteria (that’s why they put it in the water) so you can’t use it straight from the tap or you’ll kill off your good bacteria. Either use rainwater or eliminate the chlorine from the tapwater. In my previous garden, I had city water but it was the kind of chlorine that would deteriorate with sitting. I had a 10 gallon pail (a plastic garbage can) that I filled and let sit. I dipped the water from it to the compost tea maker. If the chlorine in your city water is the kind that doesn’t deteriorate quickly, (the best place to find this out is the best local pet store that sells marine aquarium fish) then you’ll have to treat the water before making compost tea (again, the marine aquarium fish shop will tell you how to do this). You know have the bucket - the pump - the big tubing - the water. All you need is some great compost and food to let 'er rip. Click here for free newsletter or to ask about a compost tea maker
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