# Compost Tea - Spray Fertilizer Trial



## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

Since I could not find any studies or testimonials of people spraying their lawn with compost tea, I decided to do one myself. 
My setup. 
Ive got decently large 2 bay compost set up that gets filled with kitchen scraps, leaves, lawn debris, chicken bedding and droppings and whatever else I decide to put in there. 
The compost pile Ill be pulling from is about 6 months old and turned twice. 
Im using 4lb of compost in a tight weave net bag in a 5 gallon bucket with 4 gallons of water. 
The compost will sit in the bucket with an aerator stone running for 24-36 hours. 
After that time. I sieve the water thru a paint strainer and load it into my pump backpack sprayer (hardly gets use anymore now that I have a tow behind so I wont be upset if it ruins it) 
Ill spray the 4 gallons over 2k of lawn within a 12k section of lawn. Having this smaller section within the larger section should allow me to see if this section has any changes vs the non-treated area. 
I plan to spray this section every 2 weeks with the same formula and method. Ill update this thread as I go. 
All other lawn inputs will be applied to the entire area and will not exclude this 2k section. 
Note: I am sure I could make a better compost tea by adding other inputs, but I am trying to make this as simple as possible.

Summary:
4lb of compost 
4 gallons of compost tea / 2k of lawn applied bi-weekly
All other inputs the same


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

Picture taken on March 30th

First spray on March 30th


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## confused_boner (Apr 5, 2021)

Following


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## Notchy (Sep 5, 2019)

Following. Please post your experiences


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Following here too.


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Compost tea mentioned at 1:05:31.

He sounded skeptical. Good to see an experiment here on TLF.

https://youtu.be/IaYFW1u5Jfo


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## confused_boner (Apr 5, 2021)

ionicatoms said:


> Compost tea mentioned at 1:05:31.
> 
> He sounded skeptical. Good to see an experiment here on TLF.


great video/info, thank you!


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

Some photos of the VERY cheap and basic setup.


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

ionicatoms said:


> Compost tea mentioned at 1:05:31.
> 
> He sounded skeptical. Good to see an experiment here on TLF.


I agree he sounds skeptical, but I believe he is skeptical of the commercial viability of it, not the turf benefit of it. 
For someone who makes a couple yards of compost a year, it is relatively abundant and I can still use the byproduct after it is "steeped".

Still, seems to be a general lack of information available or case studies proving or disproving its usefulness.


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

Tea after brewing for 24 hours.


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## wiread (Aug 27, 2019)

I made a bunch 2 summers ago, used it on some new seedings and raspberries that I planted, but my mesh bag got a couple tears in it and, well I never replaced it so I didn't make anymore. I make it in a large 33gal trash bin. Where I pumped it out on my lawn I don't think is very good soil so not much OM to work with. I just took a bunch of samples yesterday to send off for a test to a local place (VAS/AgSource)

If I do it again this year I should do a test like you're doing


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

Ngilbe36 said:


> ionicatoms said:
> 
> 
> > Compost tea mentioned at 1:05:31.
> ...


We'll let's use logic.

What would happen if Compost Tea eliminates the need for Fertilizer?

Fert. Business goes down the crap shoot.


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

Picture taken 4/13 before second spray.

Green up has definitely occurred, but it is across the entire lawn with no noticeable difference between the treated and non-treated sections


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

Thick n Dense said:


> We'll let's use logic.
> 
> What would happen if Compost Tea eliminates the need for Fertilizer?
> 
> Fert. Business goes down the crap shoot.


I doubt that will happen anytime soon. Synthetic fertilizer is cheap and requires little work at the user end other than bringing the bags home, dumping them in the spreader and walking around the lawn.

Making compost tea is more effort than most busy homeowners want to get into. Not to mention in order to make enough compost tea for more than a half acre of lawn, you would need to make quite a lot of compost or buy it in bulk which is more expensive than buying bags of synth fertilizer.

Those of us who use compost do it for a number of reasons, but cost and convenience aren't the reasons.


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## ptf18+6 (Dec 8, 2021)

I use the stuff around on all the badly battered (thank you builder) old oak trees we have on are new built house/property. My process is very simple. I purchase 40# bags of compost/manure that comes in plastic bags. Using a knife I quickly slash the bag with many 1" long cuts. I place the slashed bag in a 40 gallon (?) plastic (covered) container and fill the container with well water.

Leaving mixture "brew" for 2-3 days I end up with a dark "brew" that I pour around the many trees we were left. Been doing this since we moved in last April although I stopped during the winter months.

I spread the used compost around the various trees.

No idea if its doing any good although the grass/weeds around the trees really thrive.


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## San (Jun 21, 2021)

I have an Aerobin for composting, they state: The Aerobin 400 comes with a reservoir at the bottom to collect the leachate, which when diluted makes for great "compost-tea" liquid fertilizer.

I've never used the "tea", but I'm following along to see if I maybe should be...


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Thick n Dense said:


> We'll let's use logic.
> 
> What would happen if Compost Tea eliminates the need for Fertilizer?
> 
> Fert. Business goes down the crap shoot.


I feel like the continued existence of chopsticks disproves this argument. But in any case, the researcher is advocating for the use of compost as a soil amendment not as a fertilizer.


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## wiread (Aug 27, 2019)

I haven't studied all this in great detail, but just thinking about it. I'm sure the tea is beneficial in that it adds more microbes that are good for soil. But if there isn't sufficient organic matter in the soil to be broken down much of it will die off quickly. and once you establish a good balance of nutrients in the soil existing OM I have a feeling the need to spray any tea becomes unnecessary your soil food web should be cycling itself just fine.

But in getting an area to that stage i have to believe it would be beneficial if you're adding OM to bring the soil to a balance. Or adding compost to food plots I bet the tea is very beneficial. But tea over a lawn not in balance and without enough OM like many have, I can't imagine it has much for measurable benefits.


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## San (Jun 21, 2021)

I don't know anything out this. But just looked up the instructions on my Aerobin, they state to dilute the tea 20:1. And that's just from the extra water that comes down the bottom. Your tea should be extra strong I'd guess.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

wiread said:


> I haven't studied all this in great detail, but just thinking about it. I'm sure the tea is beneficial in that it adds more microbes that are good for soil. But if there isn't sufficient organic matter in the soil to be broken down much of it will die off quickly. and once you establish a good balance of nutrients in the soil existing OM I have a feeling the need to spray any tea becomes unnecessary your soil food web should be cycling itself just fine.
> 
> But in getting an area to that stage i have to believe it would be beneficial if you're adding OM to bring the soil to a balance. Or adding compost to food plots I bet the tea is very beneficial. But tea over a lawn not in balance and without enough OM like many have, I can't imagine it has much for measurable benefits.


I'm inclined to agree with this. Comparing compost tea to compost is like comparing fruit juice to actual fruit. You are getting fast release sugar and some nutrients in fruit juice, but it is nowhere near as beneficial long term and as nutritionally complete as eating whole fruit.


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

Deadlawn said:


> Thick n Dense said:
> 
> 
> > We'll let's use logic.
> ...


Well Its more of the deeply ingrained human programming where if I can't make money on it then I don't support. 
Not that it will actually happen.

Making compost is super easy and actually doesnt require all the work thats shown in videos.

Some people will always choose to pay conveniance.

I dont want to get to woo woo on everyone but I think there's some magic with the microbes rhat modern science doesnt understand. Like the experiments where you tell plants you love it and they grow better. 
Look up orgone energy.

The video I watched mentioned that they measure the amount of microbes in the tea. So dillution isnt a set ratio, its depenant on how well populated the compost is.
I'd think that at least in the midwest, its not hot enough to get the microbes thriving yet...


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## SnootchieBootchies (Mar 23, 2021)

some buddies of mine down south have been doing comparison of compost tea use vs non use in garden. They're not using syn ferts to compare, but difference between tea and no tea are pretty stark, but non are using on grass


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## balladinsurgency (Nov 23, 2019)

Intrigued by compost tea as a cost effective amendment for a large lawn, but skeptical for many of the same reasons expressed in this thread, I arranged for an online consultation with Todd Harringtonhttps://harringtonsorganic.com/about-us/

You can read up on him and Dr. Elaine Ingham but the upshot is these folks have applied the scientific method and documented significant results from application of actively aerated compost tea in conjunction with other organic best practices (some of which are farming/ranching specific and won't apply to us).

The key is quality compost inputs. To be certain you have to test the biology under a microscope then monitor the brew to ensure proper conditions throughout the cycle. Without testing there is a risk you could be brewing useless brown water, or worse, brewing harmful bacteria that are bad for plants and could be unsafe for humans.

This hobby has made me do crazy things but inspecting compost under a microscope is too much for me. So I just bought worm castings and food inputs from Harrington. Ive done a couple brews/applications but consider them mostly test runs, as the air and water temps were probably too cold for the microherd to thrive. So time will tell. I'm expecting it to take multiple seasons of consistent tea and OM amendments to see results.

He strongly advocated for transition to complete organic, stressing that herbicides and inorganic ferts are harmful to the soil biology. I have mostly adopted that but with horrendous poa a pressure and moderate poa T, I most likely will always use a fall preM.

Good luck to others who choose to go down this rabbit hole. It is quite an interesting ride…


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

Apologies for not making my bi-weekly update with photos last week. I did spray another round using the same steps and take additional photos. So far, still no visual differences at all.


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## confused_boner (Apr 5, 2021)

https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=35071

I just bought an ounce of this stuff, looking forward to trying it out


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## ionicatoms (Mar 8, 2020)

Ngilbe36 said:


> Apologies for not making my bi-weekly update with photos last week. I did spray another round using the same steps and take additional photos. So far, still no visual differences at all.


I'm glad you posted. It reminded me that I recently read that it can take 2 years for the benefits of compost tea to kick in. I also read that the variety/population of particular microbes make a difference, so experimental results may not be reproducible without careful controls.


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## SeanBB (Jul 11, 2020)

Am I wrong when thinking compost tea isn't just compost and water. There is usually a bacterial facilitator (usually in the form of suger) like molasses. I feel that just compost and water isn't going to do much.


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## wiread (Aug 27, 2019)

It's compost, water, aerators, molasses(no sulphur) vitC and brew for a few days


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## confused_boner (Apr 5, 2021)

SeanBB said:


> Am I wrong when thinking compost tea isn't just compost and water. There is usually a bacterial facilitator (usually in the form of suger) like molasses. I feel that just compost and water isn't going to do much.


The compost seeds the bacteria into the tea, which is why we aerate the tea to prevent anaerobic bacterial growth


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## Ngilbe36 (Jul 23, 2020)

SeanBB said:


> Am I wrong when thinking compost tea isn't just compost and water. There is usually a bacterial facilitator (usually in the form of suger) like molasses. I feel that just compost and water isn't going to do much.


Like @confused_boner said above, the compost itself is adding in all the good stuff. This probably would not be as beneficial if you were using a large scale bagged compost from a box store. Our compost has a very wide variety of stuff going into it.


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## SeanBB (Jul 11, 2020)

@Ngilbe36 I mean I get that, I've been making compost teas for decades. I guess I'm just saying that unless you add some sort of NPK component you are probably not going to see any change in the turf.


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

SeanBB said:


> @Ngilbe36 I mean I get that, I've been making compost teas for decades. I guess I'm just saying that unless you add some sort of NPK component you are probably not going to see any change in the turf.


The compost I got from my bulk supplier is about 1% N and less than 0.5% P and K. Tea is like fast release compost, but much weaker. The main advantage to compost is getting more organic matter in your soil.

I'm thinking a good analogy is this:

Synthetic fertilizer is like a sugary soda.
Compost is like eating whole fruit.
Compost tea is like drinking fruit juice.

Sure, the fruit juice is healthier than the sugary soda, but fruit juice is higher glycemic and has nowhere near the nutritional benefits of eating whole fruit.


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## confused_boner (Apr 5, 2021)

@SeanBB @Deadlawn Another thing that is currently being looked into is the effect of microorganisms on nutrient cycling. Most of the P in soil is locked up in organic matter. If that gets broken down, you are effectively fertilizing your lawn via microorganisms


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## Deadlawn (Sep 8, 2020)

confused_boner said:


> @SeanBB @Deadlawn Another thing that is currently being looked into is the effect of microorganisms on nutrient cycling. Most of the P in soil is locked up in organic matter. If that gets broken down, you are effectively fertilizing your lawn via microorganisms


This is so with nitrogen as well. Or more specifically, as microorganisms feed, they actually take away nitrogen. Once the feeding is done, they die and release nitrogen back into the soil.


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## SeanBB (Jul 11, 2020)

@confused_boner first of all its hard to talk about this because I am distracted by your username LOL 😆

If you are making a tea and then diluting it to your yard and then again watering it in...I just don't see how it would be help as straight compost tea. Now when I make my teas I usually add in a carbohydrate (molasses) and other organic fertilizers - like guano, blood meal and others to get my NPK up. I blast that on air and feed it out to my veggies. From what I've read (and honestly sources mayter with this stuff because I don't feel it's been properly documented) you want to feed your fungal communities over your bacterial communities because bacteria usually dominates the conversation. In light of this I usually am very heavy handing on the fish fertilizer. Is my thinking wrong @Deadlawn ?


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

SeanBB said:


> @confused_boner first of all its hard to talk about this because I am distracted by your username LOL 😆
> 
> If you are making a tea and then diluting it to your yard and then again watering it in...I just don't see how it would be help as straight compost tea. Now when I make my teas I usually add in a carbohydrate (molasses) and other organic fertilizers - like guano, blood meal and others to get my NPK up. I blast that on air and feed it out to my veggies. From what I've read (and honestly sources mayter with this stuff because I don't feel it's been properly documented) you want to feed your fungal communities over your bacterial communities because bacteria usually dominates the conversation. In light of this I usually am very heavy handing on the fish fertilizer. Is my thinking wrong @Deadlawn ?


It's magic, I don't think you'd be wrong to add molasses or any sort of sugar. 
But I think science has this wrong. 
Fungal and bacterial communities give off energy which feed the plants. 
Think of Alge and and the sun. 
Tesla Said, Energy Frequency Vibration, remember ? 
Look up Orgone energy.


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## UDturfguy (7 mo ago)

"Since I could not find any studies…" there are countless studies. You didn't look very hard.


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## UDturfguy (7 mo ago)

And why not topdress the turf with compost you're making? That would yield far better results than a tea.


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## BubbaGrumpus (Jun 17, 2019)

Why not do both?


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

UDturfguy said:


> And why not topdress the turf with compost you're making? That would yield far better results than a tea.


Cause spreading coompost is a pain in the ***

Spraying compost tea is easy


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

I had a bunch of extra material from trimming everrything, just made up a little 5 gallon bucket of this... how long y'all think it needs to sit?

The method I am using is making the tea from live material that has been cut of, not compost itself. 
I plan on adding kitchen scraps to it as well.

I may get a bubbler but I think this will work without it... different for lawn vs garden.

a 5 gallon bucket will fill up my sprayer, maybe I'll get a 2nd one going for whole coverage.


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## confused_boner (Apr 5, 2021)

Thick n Dense said:


> I had a bunch of extra material from trimming everrything, just made up a little 5 gallon bucket of this... how long y'all think it needs to sit?
> 
> The method I am using is making the tea from live material that has been cut of, not compost itself.
> I plan on adding kitchen scraps to it as well.
> ...


Assuming it is being aerated, no more than 24 hours.


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## Thick n Dense (May 7, 2019)

confused_boner said:


> Thick n Dense said:
> 
> 
> > I had a bunch of extra material from trimming everrything, just made up a little 5 gallon bucket of this... how long y'all think it needs to sit?
> ...


I think in going to try attatching a pipe that goes from the outside air (top of lid) to the bottom of the container . 
Then add one of those exhausts they use for beer making 
When the tea bubbles from the microbe activity it will create a short vacumun and draw air in through the tube

Im too lazy for an electrinic bubbler

To be quite honest, this process isnt that different from beer from the 10k ft view


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