Member discussion regarding the methods, varieties and merits of growing tomatoes.
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May 9, 2017 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Georgia
Posts: 31
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Compost Tea
Hello!
All my container tomato's are looking great! Have been feeding with Texas Tomato Farm fertilizer and they love it! I'm looking at compost tea's and since I just moved into my new house (hence the containers) I don't have any of my own compost. I was looking at amazon and found a few, but was wondering if anyone here can recommend a decent 'ready to go' compost tea available online? Will be using it as a drench. Here is the one I found: not sure if it's any good? https://www.amazon.com/Malibu-Compos...p?ie=UTF8&th=1 Thanks! Zeus |
May 9, 2017 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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I'm sure it's good stuff. For $14/pound, it ought to be. By contrast. there's a vendor at my market who sells compost off their farm for $20 per cubic yard, which is about 2 cents per pound.
So it just depends on if the money is an issue for you. I used about two cups of material to a 5-gallon bucket of water, 1 tbsp molasses, and two air pumps for about three days. |
May 9, 2017 | #3 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 2,052
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How much tea do you give each plant?
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May 9, 2017 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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I used it as a root drench for seeds, so it didn't take very much. Seed-starting media soaked in tea will sprout and grow seeds faster, that much was obvious to me. I didn't continue the experiment much further.
If you already have a good, rich, compost-laden soil, then the tea doesn't make a lot of sense to me. It would be most helpful for container plants, and those grown in soil that was less than ideal. |
May 9, 2017 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Georgia
Posts: 31
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Perfect, i appreciate it. For a 1st round i think it will work. Will add some unsulphered blackstrap molasses as well. Totally forgot about that and appreciate all the insight. Will start making some calls to find a decent source of compost. New to the area, so don't have my usual contacts.
Thanks! Zeus |
May 9, 2017 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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You're welcome. I'd also say to not skimp on the air pump. I used two dual-output pumps for one 5-gallon bucket. Bubbles/foam indicates bacterial success. Watch for it foaming out of the bucket and making a mess.
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May 9, 2017 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: May 2013
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 2,052
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Good points on the need for tea depending on the soil and containers. My soil is mostly caliche with a sand cover, close to concrete-like, so tea is an excellent additive as well as compost. I also use a lot of containers.
Zeus, I also use TTF and it has worked great for me for 3 years. |
May 9, 2017 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Georgia
Posts: 31
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Ha, YES, the TTF fertilizer has done wonders in literally 3 days for me. Was using one of the fox farm organic liquid ferts in the beginning as i like to go into the season realllllyyy easy, but the fox farm is obviously not a long term option because of the cost. I will never use anything besides TTF now. Stuff is amazing.
Zeus |
May 10, 2017 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Frisco Texas
Posts: 390
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this is the compost tea I use.
https://www.amazon.com/Supreme-Growe...upreme+growers |
May 10, 2017 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: San Diego-Tijuana
Posts: 2,598
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This is what I use, I just add a little molasses and some alfalfa meal and voila!
http://www.growersunitedhydro.com/pdf/200.pdf Worm castings, vegetable compost, kelp and minerals, about 18 USD for a little under 1 cu ft. I use about 1 cup per 7 gallon batch, so it lasts a while. If you have a hydro store near you, start lobbying for them to add it to their shelves. Great bang for the buck when compared to other ready-to-go brew kits, where you pay for convenience keurig style. |
May 10, 2017 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2017
Location: Georgia
Posts: 31
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this is all great! have the dual air pump and will start brewing tomorrow!
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