|
| I was watching on YouTube a recipe for compost tea made primarily from animal manures (cow, horse, etc.) I have free access to 4 manures...(goat, rabbit, cow and horse) and I just placed all 4 in a compost tea recipe). The concoction also included organic fish fertilizer, Biogreen, and a couple tablespoons of molasses. I dilute to about a 5-1 ratio and apply at the roots. Is any manure-based compost tea safe to spray on edible vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, rosemary, mint, etc? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Thu, Jun 21, 12 at 15:54
| Hmm, that's a good question. Now I am not a tea expert. But if the manures are not well aged and aerobically composted, there is almost certainly going to be e coli and such in them. So question 1 is, what do you mean by 'manures'. The big thing I don't know is that if you're using an aerated tea system, i.e. with air bubbling through, how long does it take for those aerobic conditions to knock down those bacteria, if they are there in the first place? Others will have to address that one. If you're making this up and using it instantly, no aeration and aging/brewing, then the age of the manure input is going to be everything. Finally, the amount of time between application and harvest is important for non-aged manure. 90 days is the accepted time period for fresh manure. If you're using manure COMPOST you should be fine regardless, although you should always wash off all veggies well. If you're using FRESH manure, harmful bacteria present, AND your tea-making method does not knock them down, you have a potential problem eating those veggies too soon. OK folks, correct me if need be. Rain suit on. :-] |
|
- Posted by blazeaglory 10 SZ22 OC Ca (My Page) on Fri, Jun 22, 12 at 1:36
| I agree...I would definitely try to compost the manure to a temp of 145 degF to kill any pathogens and bad bacteria. If not, you should WASH any vegetable before you eat it and dont eat anything prior to a certain timeline (3 months after spray I think?). I wouldn't worry about using it to drench the roots but for the "spray and eat" veggies I would think twice. You would be rolling the dice with fresh manure. Just do alot of washing after you harvest and cross your fingers. Usually manure is composted over several months before it is used to make tea. But if you know the animals that made the manure and know their diets I have heard that fresh grass fed animals are likely to have manure with no e. coli. IIIIIIIIIII dont know. Compost is the way to go. |
|
| There are compost teas and there are manure teas. Compost teas are made of compost while manure teas are made of manure, although some people seem to get those terms confused. Never make manure teas using fresh manure, it should be well aged and even then could have the disease pathogens in it. If making manure teas be sure they are aerated, since that is supposed to help quell the disease pathogens. All animal manures, even humanure, has the potetntial of having any of those disease pathogens whether the animals are fed a grass diet, are pastured, or not. |
|
- Posted by tropical_thought San Francisco (My Page) on Fri, Jun 22, 12 at 10:47
| Why not boil it before using? I heard if boiled and kept hot for like 30 minutes, but I don't know. I read this on how to kill pathogens. Why spray when you could add to the ground? That way it would not touch the leaves of the food, but maybe that is still not a good idea. |
|
| As far as I know, boiling compost tea would kill all the microorganisms, and considering they are the main point of spraying it in the first place... It sounds like manure tea, not compost tea. I wouldn't spray manure ON my edible plants. Aside from pathogen risks, unless the manures are well aged (except rabbit, which seems ok to use fresh), the may burn the plants. A soil drench might be an option. Do you make compost? I'd put the manures though the compost heap and make tea using finished compost and the other goodies you mention. There's plenty of debate about aeration, but whatever, I'd use the tea straight away to avoid anaerobic issues. |
|
| Is any manure-based compost tea safe to spray on edible vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, rosemary, mint, etc? From tea to table? May I ask why? Why would you want to do that? |
|
- Posted by blazeaglory 10 SZ22 OC Ca (My Page) on Sat, Jun 23, 12 at 0:31
| Alot of people use manure tea as foliage spray. They say it absorbs nutrients quicker than root and also absorbs a nigher percentage of nutrients. Thats what Ive read anyways, haven't tried it. I dont think I would want to on my edibles. Plumerias maybe but not my broccoli. |
|
| I dont think I would want to on my edibles. Which is why I asked ... the OP... |
|
| Like others have said...Skip the manures & compost them 1st before applying to edible gardens. Then they'll be black gold for you to plop a shovelful into a watering can to use after a few days. You can aerate it by stirring or adding more water if you use a larger 5 gallon bucket. That's what I've done for years, but not ever used the fish fertilizer or molasses added. We tried mixing up some manure tea in the fall and it wasn't worth the trouble and smell. Spread the manure on in fall and let winter rains and earthworms take care of the mixing for you. Manures are useful in the garden just not during the growing season unless composted 1st. Don't risk it, plus fresh manure attracts flies. Let it compost & smell like earth. |
|
- Posted by blazeaglory 10 SZ22 OC Ca (My Page) on Sat, Jun 23, 12 at 21:16
| Hey gumby_ct...I wasnt talking to you in my post per say but the entire thread. So dont quote my post and then shift the question back to the OP. You already know the answer to your question so quit beating around the bush and trying to be a smart ass and come out and say it already...So just say what your thinking instead of trying to trap the OP into some kind of situation where you make them look stupid for wanting to try something that might not be best for them. ITS NOT GOOD TO SPRAY NON-COMPOSTED MANURE TEA ON EDIBLES. How hard was that? |
|
| I never make assumptions - which IS why I asked the question, period. OP may have a very good reason. In response to you and "You already know the answer to your question so quit beating around the bush and trying to be a smart ass and come out and say it already...So just say what your thinking instead of trying to trap the OP into some kind of situation where you make them look stupid for wanting to try something that might not be best for them." I can only say "Get Some Sleep" GSS my friend. |
|
- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Mon, Jun 25, 12 at 19:02
| Not to jump in the middle of a good dogfight, but I have to agree that we often don't have the whole story. People often seem to be doing (or wanting to do) weird things until you ask them a bunch of questions to find out the background. OTOH I kinda wish I had just recommended against it in the first place. Might have saved a lot of electrons. :-p |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Soil Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.