Comments on: Making Vermicompost Tea http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/ Red Wiggler Worms, European Nightcrawlers and loads of helpful Worm Composting Information Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:46:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Lola Ray http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-33792 Lola Ray Fri, 06 Jan 2012 05:41:36 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-33792 Just been vermicomposting a couple of weeks, but reading and reading--very interesting subject. Just getting into worm tea, and lots I don't quite understand yet--some articles are very technical and some are basic. I liked this; simple and understandable instructions on making the tea. About the molasses--most of the articles I've read definitely say use it; the microbes or whatever slow down their activity if they don't have the food. Can't hurt. Don't know how long it will take to get enough castings to make tea, but I will be reading! Just hope I don't kill my worms first! Just been vermicomposting a couple of weeks, but reading and reading–very interesting subject. Just getting into worm tea, and lots I don’t quite understand yet–some articles are very technical and some are basic. I liked this; simple and understandable instructions on making the tea. About the molasses–most of the articles I’ve read definitely say use it; the microbes or whatever slow down their activity if they don’t have the food. Can’t hurt. Don’t know how long it will take to get enough castings to make tea, but I will be reading! Just hope I don’t kill my worms first!

]]> By: Rich http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-31409 Rich Tue, 06 Sep 2011 03:40:12 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-31409 One of my big curiosities here is whether the Leachate from my dual-bin system would be okay to add in when I add my Molasses and other goodies? :-) One of my big curiosities here is whether the Leachate from my dual-bin system would be okay to add in when I add my Molasses and other goodies?

:-)

]]> By: Bentley http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-28076 Bentley Tue, 23 Nov 2010 18:16:12 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-28076 Very interesting question, Cianoy! By repeatedly using the same vermicompost you would definitely lose some of the "ooomph". Apart from microbes, there are also lots of beneficial compounds (humic acids etc etc) that provide vermicompost with much of its potency. As far as the microbes go (and don't get me wrong - they ARE very important as well), I would think that as long as there were some, and as long as you were providing them with some good "food" in the tea brewer, I would think you could up the numbers sufficiently. If vermicompost is in short supply, this might not be a bad strategy! 8) Very interesting question, Cianoy!
By repeatedly using the same vermicompost you would definitely lose some of the “ooomph”. Apart from microbes, there are also lots of beneficial compounds (humic acids etc etc) that provide vermicompost with much of its potency. As far as the microbes go (and don’t get me wrong – they ARE very important as well), I would think that as long as there were some, and as long as you were providing them with some good “food” in the tea brewer, I would think you could up the numbers sufficiently.
If vermicompost is in short supply, this might not be a bad strategy!
8)

]]> By: Cianoy http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-28001 Cianoy Fri, 19 Nov 2010 01:32:22 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-28001 Hi! I have a theory / question. I don't have a lot of worms yet so my access to finished vermicompost is quite limited. So I'm thinking....the main benefit of worm tea is the microbial content, right? What I did was to gather some, put it in an old stocking and just repeatedly dumped it in old water (just like Bentley). However, I've been reusing the vermicompost to mix up other batches. It shouldn't run out of microbes anyway, right? I also figured the microbes should be in the worm bin too. So if I left he stocking overnight inside the bin, would it also manage to get microbes from the bin? I'm just imagining microbes jumping from one place to another. Theories anyone? ;-) Hi! I have a theory / question. I don’t have a lot of worms yet so my access to finished vermicompost is quite limited.

So I’m thinking….the main benefit of worm tea is the microbial content, right? What I did was to gather some, put it in an old stocking and just repeatedly dumped it in old water (just like Bentley).

However, I’ve been reusing the vermicompost to mix up other batches. It shouldn’t run out of microbes anyway, right?

I also figured the microbes should be in the worm bin too. So if I left he stocking overnight inside the bin, would it also manage to get microbes from the bin? I’m just imagining microbes jumping from one place to another.

Theories anyone? ;-)

]]> By: Andreas http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-26900 Andreas Tue, 14 Sep 2010 17:04:05 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-26900 @Bentley Here is the link to the koi forum where i found the information. It's in german - but maybe google translator can help you out. ;-) http://www.koi-gehlhaar.de/koi/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4350&sid=68292e8c4f0f00d86b5c897015b90d72 There are some really nice pictures in this koi-thread. Like the following pictures which very intersting because they show what the worms really eat (he "harvested" all the worms in this culture to please his kois and the pictures show how the gardens of the woorms looks after the gardeners (eaters) have gone to worm-heaven for a few days.) http://www.zahlengenie.de/koi/Bilder/Wurmzucht/Pilz1203.jpg http://www.zahlengenie.de/koi/Bilder/Wurmzucht/Pilz1205.jpg http://www.zahlengenie.de/koi/Bilder/Wurmzucht/Pilz1204.jpg My current experience with the inoculate method: I had a box full of cardboard, zuccini and coffee and enough worm-tea to moisturise all the cardboard. I stired it up everytime i thought about it but at least everytime i put new coffee ground in the box. I worked on this box for about 3 days and put it in my vermiculture this morning. When i looked at it this afternoon i saw that quite a lot of the worms were already in this new layer. Maybe there were some other reasons for this but i am quite happy about the result. Maybe next time i will - in a somehow scientific way - prepare two boxes. One with worm-tea inauculation and one without. ooops..sorry for the long post :-) @Bentley
Here is the link to the koi forum where i found the information. It’s in german – but maybe google translator can help you out. ;-)
http://www.koi-gehlhaar.de/koi/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=4350&sid=68292e8c4f0f00d86b5c897015b90d72

There are some really nice pictures in this koi-thread. Like the following pictures which very intersting because they show what the worms really eat (he “harvested” all the worms in this culture to please his kois and the pictures show how the gardens of the woorms looks after the gardeners (eaters) have gone to worm-heaven for a few days.)
http://www.zahlengenie.de/koi/Bilder/Wurmzucht/Pilz1203.jpg
http://www.zahlengenie.de/koi/Bilder/Wurmzucht/Pilz1205.jpg
http://www.zahlengenie.de/koi/Bilder/Wurmzucht/Pilz1204.jpg

My current experience with the inoculate method:
I had a box full of cardboard, zuccini and coffee and enough worm-tea to moisturise all the cardboard. I stired it up everytime i thought about it but at least everytime i put new coffee ground in the box. I worked on this box for about 3 days and put it in my vermiculture this morning. When i looked at it this afternoon i saw that quite a lot of the worms were already in this new layer. Maybe there were some other reasons for this but i am quite happy about the result. Maybe next time i will – in a somehow scientific way – prepare two boxes. One with worm-tea inauculation and one without.

ooops..sorry for the long post :-)

]]> By: Bentley http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-26899 Bentley Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:07:38 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-26899 KIOMARS - I'm not really sure why you are not seeing fungal numbers. I suspect the folks at Soil Foodweb Inc or similar organizations would have a much better idea than me! ------------------------ ANDREAS - This all sounds interesting. Just out of curiosity, where did you read about the koi person? KIOMARS – I’m not really sure why you are not seeing fungal numbers. I suspect the folks at Soil Foodweb Inc or similar organizations would have a much better idea than me!
————————
ANDREAS – This all sounds interesting. Just out of curiosity, where did you read about the koi person?

]]> By: Andreas http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-26877 Andreas Sun, 12 Sep 2010 20:24:53 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-26877 I read in a blog of a guy who is cultivating compost worms to feed his koi fishs that he is using the worm tea of its culture as a "bacteria starter kit" for fresh worm food. He is pouring a lot of water over its worm box every few days (which is not for gaining compost but just to feed the koi) to keep it wet and he collects the "worm tea" that is dripping out after this action. When preparing new worm food he is pouring the worm tea over the vegetables and card boards to settle the bacteria-cultures directly on the new stuff. Now after i have read this (and found it logical) i use the worm tea of my can-o-worm (a closed plastic system with a tap) to inoculate the new worm food with the bacteria and fungus of the worm-tea and store the freh food for a few days outside the worm house to prepare it for faster utilization by the worms. It's actually also easier for me to keep the new-food "aerobic" this way as i can stir it up to bring air inside without disturbing the inhabitants of the worm-box. I just started this practise so i don't know well it really works. I read in a blog of a guy who is cultivating compost worms to feed his koi fishs that he is using the worm tea of its culture as a “bacteria starter kit” for fresh worm food.

He is pouring a lot of water over its worm box every few days (which is not for gaining compost but just to feed the koi) to keep it wet and he collects the “worm tea” that is dripping out after this action.
When preparing new worm food he is pouring the worm tea over the vegetables and card boards to settle the bacteria-cultures directly on the new stuff.

Now after i have read this (and found it logical) i use the worm tea of my can-o-worm (a closed plastic system with a tap) to inoculate the new worm food with the bacteria and fungus of the worm-tea and store the freh food for a few days outside the worm house to prepare it for faster utilization by the worms. It’s actually also easier for me to keep the new-food “aerobic” this way as i can stir it up to bring air inside without disturbing the inhabitants of the worm-box.

I just started this practise so i don’t know well it really works.

]]> By: Kiomars sayyadian http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-24243 Kiomars sayyadian Wed, 27 Jan 2010 05:17:20 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-24243 I am not able to grow fungi in my compost tea. I use best vermicompost and add some seedcotten meal, mollases and fish powder or without fish powder. Finally I can see many bacteria and protozoa but without any fungi. would you please help me Why fungi not able to boost in this solution ? I am not able to grow fungi in my compost tea. I use best vermicompost and add some seedcotten meal, mollases and fish powder or without fish powder. Finally I can see many bacteria and protozoa but without any fungi. would you please help me Why fungi not able to boost in this solution ?

]]> By: Mark http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-21671 Mark Tue, 16 Jun 2009 21:53:50 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-21671 Just a clarification, gypsum is calcium sulfate, not ground lime (calcium carbonate). If you are organic, you can't use drywall, also gypsum, because of the possible chemical contamination. Best to use mined gypsum. Mark Just a clarification, gypsum is calcium sulfate, not ground lime (calcium carbonate). If you are organic, you can’t use drywall, also gypsum, because of the possible chemical contamination. Best to use mined gypsum.

Mark

]]> By: Bentley http://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm-tea/making-vermicompost-tea/comment-page-1/#comment-20671 Bentley Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:09:19 +0000 http://www.redwormcomposting.com/?p=193#comment-20671 Thanks, Mary - glad to help! 8) Thanks, Mary – glad to help!
8)

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