Brewing and Using Vermicompost Tea

Larry D.
#1. December 23rd, 2010, at 9:04 PM.

I found that my worms love the spent castings.I use a paint strainer bag at the beginning of the tea brewing.Then when i am done with that part of the process,i dump the bag of used vc in the bin.The next day when i check it out,the used vc is full of worms!
I neglected my strawberries,and now they are looking rough.But at least they are still alive.When we had a freeze i shut down my well,and forgot my strawberry drip tube was cut off too! Live and learn,as the saying goes!

Mark from Kansas
#2. December 24th, 2010, at 1:40 AM.

Thanks Mike!

Michael Wellik
#3. December 24th, 2010, at 3:07 PM.

Thanks Guys. I meant to mention paint strainer bags. Most times I use one. They are sold in big box stores in 2 and 5 gallon versions. If you’re going to apply the vermitea with a watering can or sprayer you need to strain it to get out the large pieces. Spraying vermitea on plants is an excellent way of introducing competing organisms to the leaves to suppress pests.
Mike

Heather Rinaldi
#4. December 26th, 2010, at 3:18 AM.

Hi Mike,
That is almost exactly as I make tea too. Looking forward to loads of strawberries next summer! Hope you are doing great–we’ve missed you around these parts.

Michael Wellik
#5. December 27th, 2010, at 5:36 PM.

Hi Heather:
Thanks for asking. I’m doing well despite the snow storm over the weekend. Would love to hear about your experience with the use of tea on strawberries. Production in the second year tends to be double the first year production, or more. You should have loads of berries in the spring. Good luck.
Mike

Kator
#6. December 28th, 2010, at 11:56 PM.

My wife is starting strawberry plants for the first time next spring, and sharing your experience here and on your website has provided great intro for beginners. Thanks Mike!

Anna
#7. January 2nd, 2011, at 6:56 PM.

Thanks, Mike. I definitely prefer your method to buying the $4,000+ compost tea machine I just saw in a catalog :O!

Frank
#8. January 2nd, 2011, at 11:31 PM.

Hi Anna et al,

Regarding compost tea and brewers:

They are not all created equally and ideally their results should be tested by a soil science lab skilled at testing the brew for microbial life(http://www.oregonfoodweb.com/) to make sure what you are brewing and using is actually what you think it is in terms of growing microbial life. Google Dr. Elaine Ingham, and you will be off and running to learn what I am writing about.

Brewers also come in 5 gallon sizes for much less than the $4k you mentioned ( under $200). Check out the 5-gal brewer here:

http://www.earthfort.com/

I highly recommend, before any tea is brewed, that you read Teaming with Microbes by Lowenfels & Lewis. It is a great intro to the soil food web and compost tea and its use.

It has inspired me to pursue a business in that direction. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Regards,

Frank D in Simpsonville

Michael Wellik
#9. January 3rd, 2011, at 12:48 AM.

Frank is absolutely right on all his points.

I own Dr. Ingham’s book “Compost Tea Brewing Manual” and “Teaming with Microbes”. Both are very valuable resources. I was disappointed that Dr. Ingham’s book doesn’t say a lot about vermicompost tea brewing specifically. Don’t take any of this wrong, there is a lot of very important information there done very scientifically.

Elaine did do comparisons between various brands and there were differences in laboratory results. What is really needed is a comparison for field results. Do the differences translate to more/less pest numbers, yield, etc? Maybe with replicated tests with a large population sample differences would separate out? If so, what are the economics? Is it worth paying more for a professional brewer? The jury is still out on all of these questions and I don’t know of anyone who has addressed those questions.

I owned one of the professional brewers. I went by Dr. Ingham’s result comparisons in choosing the product. As a matter of fact, I have a dealership to sell them. I paid a lot of money for it even at dealer pricing.

After a lot of testing, I didn’t see a noticeable difference between the results for my homemade brewer and the professional one. I’m not talking about differences in lab analysis. I’m talking about what I actually saw on my strawberry crop. I had an opportunity to sell the professional unit so I did.

The two gallon version is just for winter brewing for a small number of rare varieties that I germinate. In season I use a 5 gallon homemade brewer using multiple air pumps and a 35 gallon tank with some heavy duty air pumps. The only real difference I saw between the professional unit and my homemade unit is the power of the air pump. I’m sure there’s a lot of science that went into developing the professional units and I’m sure that a lab analysis would be very enlightening. I’m very happy with my homemade brewers and really can’t justify spending a lot when a DIY unit does the trick.

Frank
#10. January 3rd, 2011, at 2:49 PM.

Hi Michael,

It’s great to see another fan of the Soil Food Web crowd!

Your points are excellent. Thank you. When it comes down to it, if the plants are healthier and produce more and the only difference between plants is the tea that gets administered, it does not matter what the tea is brewed in; expensive or cheap something is working right.

+Frank