Simple way to make Compost tea
In conversation with a group of people hailing from rural Nepal, the topic took a turn to fertilizers, compost and richer soil.
We were discussing ways of making compost and one of the hardest problems, when using conventional composting is that it takes a while for initial breakdown of organic material. This mainly occurs due to moisture that is present in the organic material, which needs to be drained out.
In conventional composting, organic material is kept in a sunny area, so that the heat evaporates moisture. The organic pile is turned from time to time to expose material to sunlight and heat. This normally takes a long time, anywhere between 2–5 months. There are ways to expedite the process, still it takes long and is a labor intensive process.
The same principle is applied to the modern electric digestors and composters that can convert material to compost within hours or days. Thermophillic bacteria are introduced in some varieties to accelerate the digestion process.
In all of these, the moisture is either lost to the air or very little of it collected. This moisture is compost tea and holds a lot of nutrients for both plants and soil.
Our conversation headed in that direction and one of the person, who hails from Dhankuta, a hub for agriculture and agricultural innovation in rural Nepal, mentioned about age old technique that is used in his home.
Organic waste, mainly fruit and vegetable peels, cut pieces to be thrown away are collected in a plastic bag. Once a reasonable quantity is collected, a tablespoon of salt is added and the plastic bag tied at the top leaving an air gap between the waste and tie point. Then this bag is either hung or layed in an area of ample sunlight.
In about a week’s time liquid collects in the plastic bag. This liquid is retrieved as compost tea that can be immediately used in plants. Since the liquid has been removed the remaining organic material can be put to composting. This converts into compost faster due to removal of the moisture.
This simple technique allows for 2 compost with 1 batch of waste and is a very simple method to work with.
Here is a video of my version of the compost :
