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Do you make compost tea from your compost pile or worm compost bins?
What ingredients do you use in that tea and how effective is it?
Where did you get the recipe from and is it from a reliable source?
Are you making compost tea just to make it and hope it works or do you know what you are doing?
For you to be able to answer these questions, and many more, you may need to do a little record keeping when making the teas. Don’t just take the word of someone who simply wrote a blog article or made a YouTube video claiming that “this” is the tea to use, or “you have” to use this one ingredient in your compost tea. There are quite a few different recipes out there and just like anything online, it may not be the best option for your use.
I personally like to see and make some educated guesses on what I am making while I learn the process. I sometimes use a microscope to see what kind of microbes I have in the tea. Is it the most reliable way to see if your compost tea is good or bad? Probably not due to lack of education with microscopy and microbes. There is just so much out there to learn.
However, keeping a log could be helpful for a handful of reasons, even without a microscope. Did you apply the tea to plants and the plants died? Did you apply the tea to sick and diseased plants and it helped them? Which tea recipe did you use? How did you apply it? Where did you apply it?
If any of this matters to you, keep a log to help keep the guess work out.
What is Compost Tea?
Compost tea is a liquid fertilizer you create by extracting or growing microorganisms and nutrients from compost by seeping the compost in water, usually aerated. There are various methods of achieving this, but most usually include a couple additional ingredients to help feed and grow the numbers of bacteria or fungi, depending on your desired end result.
Compost tea is known to benefit the plants and soils by providing additional beneficial nutrients and microorganisms. It helps the plants grow, resist diseases, increases water retention, and more.
What are the 10 Reasons You Should Keep a Log?
There are many reasons why you probably should keep a log of the teas you brew, whether you are learning the process, experimenting with different recipes, or even diagnosing various problems with the tea or the plants. Here are some of the top reasons I feel you should keep a log:
- To keep track of the ingredients and proportions used.
- Different recipes require different ingredients and proportions. Keeping a log can keep this information organized.
- This can be helpful in keeping the recipes the same at all times, which can be important in getting the same results each time.
- To keep track of the brewing time.
- Just like the ingredients and proportions, brewing time is just as important.
- If you brew the tea for too little time, there won’t be as much benefit to the tea. If you brew for too long, the bacteria or fungi you are purposefully growing may begin to die off.
- To keep track of the temperature.
- Temperature has a big effect on how bacteria grow. It is important to make sure the water/tea is brewed within a certain temperature range.
- To monitor the PH levels before and after the addition of various ingredients.
- Plants grow best within a particular PH range. Just like any other fertilizer you add, you need to know what PH you are adding to your plants.
- Check the PH of the water before adding other ingredients.
- Check the PH after adding the ingredients and note how the PH may have changed.
- To create a reference guide for future use.
- The log can be used to go back and see what you have done with past teas and which ones gave you the results you wanted.
- To determine which recipe may be working best.
- Since there are quite a few different recipes out there in the digital world, you may be inclined to experiment with those or your own, and doing so, keeping a log may help you determine which recipe may be working out the best for you.
- To track the plants that the tea is used on.
- Sometimes you want to keep track of which plants you have added the tea to. This way you can determine if the plants are doing better or worse, or no change.
- To troubleshoot any problems you may suspect with the tea.
- Compost teas can cause problems if brewed incorrectly or a bad ingredient was introduced to the batch. Keeping a log may help narrow down the culprit.
- To track the results of using the tea.
- Certain plants respond differently to fertilizers and tracking the results may help you learn if you can tell the difference the compost teas are making. If you can’t tell the difference, the teas may not be working and it might be time to try a different recipe or add more tea.
- To simply have a record of the compost teas you make.
- It helps to document your progress so you can see how your skills have improved over time.
- It’s a great way to track your progress as you learn more about compost tea and how to use it properly.
- It can be helpful as you experiment with different tea recipes and come up with your own methods.
Make a Compost Tea Log
I have searched over and over the internet and the various composting books I have for a way to keep a record of the various teas I make. I have not found a single source giving an example of such a log. The closest I have found is in a book titled “The Worm Farmers Handbook” (Paid Link) and it only gives an example of logging how much compost you have used and what the temperature is, even though they talk about other aspects such as PH levels and some ingredients.
Here are the basic items I find necessary for a compost tea log:
- The date you started the process.
- PH of the tap water.
- The PH after adjusting the tap water.
- The temperature of the water.
- When you started the brewing cycle.
- When you ended the brew.
- The final PH.
- What ingredients you used.
- Any notes you want to add based on your observations before, during, or after brewing the tea.
If you don’t want to make your own compost tea log, you can subscribe to our newsletter to receive a free downloadable PDF of a Worm Compost Tea Log that I created to keep track of the items I feel are important.
Conclusion
Keeping a log on the compost tea you brew isn’t for everyone. Some people choose to make tea based on what others say to make and that is perfectly fine. But if you want to learn more and experiment with different recipes or know what is in your tea or even how it may be affecting your plants, keeping a log can be helpful. I find it fun and it helps me keep track of what I have brewed previously.
Using different recipes and brew times, I have experienced a different number of microorganisms when viewed under the microscope. Could it be a difference in where I pulled the compost from? Which composting bin? Was it dry or moist? There are a lot of variables that could determine the number of microorganisms that are extracted or grown in the tea. Maybe I should be checking the microorganisms in the compost I harvest for the tea prior to making the tea and then check them after making the tea. Either way, I enjoy the process and find it helpful for me and others.
Rick Simper has various hobbies, including woodworking, metalworking, composting, and gardening. He is an Architect full time and uses these hobbies to get away from the busy week of Architecture.