Advice needed on compost tea

F

FermentFred

Active Member
Fatleg77 said:
Also when I pulled the tea today it had a yeasty smell that I wouldn't say was bad and it definitely smelled full of life so to speak it had foam on the top which I hear is a good indicator but I'm also thinking that this whole smell issue may be relative to someone's perception if that makes sense. And if you steep the tea which does not create aeration would it not get the negative smell that everyone is talking about even though I see people using aerated and non aerated teas just kind of hard to make sense of it all
Click to expand...
frankly don't worry about anaerobic conditions or aerating teas, it isn't entirely necessary especially if you agiate the mixture a lot when filling the bucket, you'll have plenty of oxygen for a short term ferment, which they say helps promote aerobic "helper microbes" that aid the beneficial anaeronic microbes like lactic acid bacterias, yeats, and purple non-sulphur bacterias. I routinely do JADAM style JMS, jadam microbial solution, which is just water + boiled potato or another carb source like molasses + healthy local soil e.x leaf mold, compost, etc. as an innoculant and occasionally with a pinch of natural sea salt for extra minerals or other nutes to help the microbes along. Let sit for 1-3 days until it seems the most active and bubbly and apply 1:10 on established plants or during transplant, or directly as a soil prep, compost booster, seed soaking solution, etc. At least that's what the JADAM guys reccomend, I've sprayed it directly onto all kinds of plants in my garden along with JLF (jadam liquid fertilizer, aka stick a bunch of weeds, wild grasses, old crop residues like stems, leaves, rootballs and shake from harvests; add water and a handful of healthy local soil and let sit for weeks or months, longer the better, little to no stirring required) at about 1:200 or so, I do 3tbsp a gallon, and they all perk up and love it.

As you described it the anaerobic JMS style of compost tea tends to get a nice yeasty smell at its peak, although JLF tends to end up smelling like a petting zoo or straight up manure once it's really had time to digest. I wouldn't drink it but boy do the plants love it. If you're curious about anaerobic ferments I'd defintely recommend the orange JADAM book, the youtube JADAM lectures, and vinny pinto's book and websites on EM and SAM, along with anything on bokashi
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top