Drip hydroponic systems produce bountiful crops of just about anything planted in them. Growers often purchase nutrient concentrates to use in their systems, but you can create your own nutrient solution for your drip hydroponic system by making compost tea. Whether you want to use compost tea in because it’s organic, because it's less expensive than a commercial product or just because you like to do it all yourself, the process of making compost tea is generally simple.
Compost tea can be made from any good-quality, well-aged compost that’s ready to be put on plants. The better your compost, the better the tea will be. Put the compost in an old pillowcase or a bag made from an old T-shirt. Tie the pillowcase or bag shut, and place it in a bucket of water. The compost needs to steep in the water for seven days, and the water needs to be stirred periodically during that period. The tea-making process can be accelerated by using an aquarium pump and an air stone to aerate the bucket's water, which becomes the compost tea. If the tea begins to stink, dump it out and start the project again.
An option is to use worm castings instead of, or with, compost to make the tea. Worm castings are small and nutrient-rich. One or more organic products also can be added at the start of the tea-making process to give the tea a boost of vital nutrients. Hydroponic suppliers sell the organic products, which include bat guano, liquefied seaweed and blood meal. After compost tea finishes steeping, the compost can be removed from the pillowcase or bag and either dumped back on the compost pile or mixed into garden soil.
Straining the compost tea well before trying to use it is necessary. Bits of debris left in the tea may clog drip holes in the hydroponic system and prevent the system from working. Several layers of cheesecloth placed in a colander filter most bits of organic matter from compost tea poured into the colander. An old T-shirt or old nylon stocking also can be used as a filter for the tea. Allow the tea to stand for several hours after it is filtered. If you see solids in the tea, then filter it again. Repeat the process until all solids are gone from the tea.
Nutrients placed in a hydroponic system are the sole sources of nutrients for the system's plants. When making compost tea, the results are inconsistent, and you’ll never be quite sure just what the tea contains when you put it in your hydroponic system. Using compost tea instead of a purchased nutrient solution in the system makes it harder to ensure the plants receive the nutrients they need. Troubleshooting problems becomes more difficult as well. Watch your plants closely, and act immediately if you see discolored leaves, stunted growth or other signs of nutrient deficiencies.
- Cal Recycle: Making Compost Tea
- Simply Hydroponics and Organics: Organic Hydroponics
- NYC Recycles: Using Compost to Create Compost Tea
- Totally Organic Hydroponics; Paul Wright
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