Seaweed Extract

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Ordphien

Can someone please explain worm tea?

lol I have a compost system (very small, on my back porch) where I put table scraps (not meat) into a small system of racks and soldierflies and worms break it down into rich, dark soil. During this process, they produce a a super dark, ultra rich liquid that collects at the bottom and is siphoned off with a spigot. Its very potent, so I just add some to my fertilizer mixture, mainly for micronutrients and (ideally) helpful microfauna.

[greengarden]

Worm tea is the liquid that comes out of a worm farm. Seaweed extract can be used with or without fertiliser. I use seaweed extract as part of my watering regime and throw a pelleted slow release manure based fertiliser on once every couple of months.

[Ordphien]

Originally Posted by isurus79

lol I have a compost system (very small, on my back porch) where I put table scraps (not meat) into a small system of racks and soldierflies and worms break it down into rich, dark soil. During this process, they produce a a super dark, ultra rich liquid that collects at the bottom and is siphoned off with a spigot. Its very potent, so I just add some to my fertilizer mixture, mainly for micronutrients and (ideally) helpful microfauna.

Ok.... next question.. can you direct me somewhere that will help me build a system like that if my own?
Or please explain how you built yours?

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Ordphien

Ok.... next question.. can you direct me somewhere that will help me build a system like that if my own?
Or please explain how you built yours?

I bought mine. Here is a picture of an identical system: Worm Factory 3 Bin Vermicomposter Kit: Best Worm Farm Composter Color Choice! on eBay!

I paid half the price though. It was several years back and I wish I could remember the brand. Just do some interweb searching and you should be able to find something for a better price. The soil is great for veggies and so is the tea! Definitely beats throwing fruit, veggie skins, coffee grinds, etc. into the general garbage.

[greengarden]

They are the sort of thing that people get and then get lazy and don't use so you might find one cheap on an auction site like ebay. Might be worth a look.

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by greengarden

They are the sort of thing that people get and then get lazy and don't use so you might find one cheap on an auction site like ebay. Might be worth a look.

Great idea! Craig's List would probably be of similar value.

[Wild Orchid]

Originally Posted by isurus79

I bought mine. Here is a picture of an identical system: Worm Factory 3 Bin Vermicomposter Kit: Best Worm Farm Composter Color Choice! on eBay!

I paid half the price though. It was several years back and I wish I could remember the brand. Just do some interweb searching and you should be able to find something for a better price. The soil is great for veggies and so is the tea! Definitely beats throwing fruit, veggie skins, coffee grinds, etc. into the general garbage.

In Canada, you can buy prepacked worm castings in a Garden Centre and just dissolve it. Probably available on EBay as well.

Worm Castings Fertilizer - Gardening Supplies - Compare Prices, Reviews and Buy at Nextag!

[Fernando]

You can make one yourself with no efford at all - small, but enough for feeding some 300 orchids!

The containers contained ice-cream - a plus!

a) the containers ensembled, upper has big holes (for the worms freely come and go), midlle has small holes for excess water to run off,
b) the kitchen and garden litter, some seaweed (!), very little all in all,
c) the transformed litter and a few red worms (eissenia)
d) the tea...sorry, just used it yesterday so this pic is not very educational...

Regards
Fer

[ALToronto]

I presume than none of the people using these products of decomposition is growing orchids inside the home. I can only imagine the smell.

[Fernando]

No bad smell at all. Composting has a 'mushroom'-scent, when well done. Half of my plants are inside, in the livingroom, and since I don't smoke any more, I'm very sensitive to odours - ¡no bad smell at all!
Composting has alway to fight against prejudice of beeing a kind of dunghill; as long as all is aerobic, there are no bad smells, and no wet rotting; even all the fauna - ¡and there is really a lot! - stays put in the containers.
If there would be a bad smell, that indicates something's going wrong, or that you have added meat, bones, etc. To much of citric waste can make a very fruite smell, that attracts fruitflies.

The worm-tea smells like walking in a forest, humus-like.

Fer