Worm tea, how many times a day

[flowerchild]

I have been brewing my own worm tea spray with worm castings. I just wondered how often you should use it? Do you mist everyday and water once a week or do you mist more then once a day? I make it with water and worm casting in a nylon stocking, I soak it for 24 to 48hrs. then I put in a spray bottle and mist with it, I read on line to add molasses and an air stone and bubbler, is this any better than what I am doing? Thanks for the opinions and the know how, I can always depend on you guys and gals for advice!!!!!! Cindy aka flowerchild

[justloveorchids]

I have my own wormery and use worm tea on all my Orchids but being in the UK the weather and climate even indoors is not suitable to mist orchids .....you risk Crown Rot .......been there done that .......Since Canada is much the same climate wise i would recomend you simply use Worm tea to soak your Orchids once a week

[tizzycat]

JLO - I wondered where you were, nice to see you

Are you Okay.


Flowerchild, I would agree - once a week is more than enough.

[jerrymeola]

Worm tea should be the liquid that comes from the worm bed not the soaking of castings.

Castings are very good fertilizer but does not have the live microbes that exists in the liquid. It is a better source of beneficial nematode, which eliminate the root cutting nematodes in a vegetable garden.

You could just sprinkle some castings on the plant medium and skip the soaking and spraying.

To get the liquid you would have to install a drain in the bottom of the worm bed. Liquid removed like this from a home unit has a shelf life of 2-3 days.

Whoever suggested molasses to you in the liquid was thinking to feed the microbes with it. In theory it would work but I have no idea what else you might be introducing.

The microbes are capable of forming a colony and reproducing in the plant.

In nature it is these colonies that makes plants survive.

Most people do not know that no plant can absorb nitrogen phosphorus or potassium. They require microbes to break them down into a form the plant can use. These microbes exist in most soil, but we use potting mediums that are just too sterile with our orchids. Eventually the plants will develop a microbe culture but using the tea adds them quickly. This is why so many people on this forum noticed a big improvement the first couple of uses.

I do not believe but I am not sure if there is any ceitanese in the castings which is what makes the worm tea a natural pesticide.

The recommendation for use is to apply at least once a month. Fortunately excess use does not harm the plant. The potting medium and plant can only sustain a certain number of microbes. More will just die off and less may just start to reproduce.

[flowerchild]

Thanks Jerrymeola. I guess when I get income tax back I will have to order the real mccoy eh? Any ideas where I can get some here in Canada? Cindy aka flowerchild

[LouisW]

Cindy, when the castings and the tea are raw the contain all kinds of beneficial organisms, including some bad anaerobic ones. This is where the aerator comes in. Pumping oxygen into the system eliminates anaerobic organisms which might cause rot or some other problems (pathogens, deseases, etc..). The molasses will provide food for the remaining organisms, which could multiply greatly by the end of your 24 hour aeration period. These steps are not required but they give the tea a bit of a supercharge and eliminate a few risks. Why not?

Oh and you said that you put that stuff straight into your mister and spray your plants with it right? I think what you get there is concentrate. It should be diluted with 4 parts water before you use it. Depends on how you make it though (or buy it).

[Joan]

I bought some worm tea and was wondering if it can be diluted with rain water. Should I fertilize along with worm tea watering? Should I use the tea weekly, monthly? How long a shelf life would the quart size bottle I bought have? Thanks for any help you can provide.

[Jirel]

I use a weak solution of worm tea every time I water. During winter when you water less often they get less fertilizer.

[Joan]

Is worm tea fertilizer

[LouisW]

The better question is what isnt worm tea.

Yes it is amazing fertilizer
and its insect repellent
and its pro biotic
and foliar feed
and...

[jerrymeola]

I do not consider worm tea a fertilizer. The lab reports on the tea from OurVitalEarth show less than 10 ppm of nitrogen, 3 phosphorus and no potassium.

Every batch they release has been lab tested to show complete digestion of all the organic feed.

What it is, is the microbes that are necessary to break down those chemicals into a form the plant can use. No plant in the world can use Nitrogen, Phosphorus or Potassium directly. They need microbes to convert it into a form they can use.

The lab report on the castings showed 9830 beneficial nematodes per gram and zero root cutting nematodes.

[oncidiumlover]

so jerry, are you saying that we should still use fertilizer as well? I just ordered some worm tea from our vital earth and it should arrive tomorrow, I was going to use it instead of fertilizer, are you saying that I should use it as well as fertilizer? And should you really mist the plants at night with it?

[jbigio]

I have been collecting my own worm tea from my worm farm for over a year now I use it diluted with every watering which when it come to mounts that's twice a day!. I keep an aerator in the collection bottle at all times. I still fertilize all the plants once a week and don't use the tea with the fertilizer. As for misting at night I truly feel we worry to much about night misting as well as worrying about watering and wetting the crowns. lets face it it does rain at night in the rainforest! and during the monsoon seasons they are wet virtually all day. I do try to not let water sit in the crowns which can cause rot. well that my two cents worth anyway this works for me and about 600 - 700 plants.
Joe

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by jbigio

As for misting at night I truly feel we worry to much about night misting as well as worrying about watering and wetting the crowns. lets face it it does rain at night in the rainforest! and during the monsoon seasons they are wet virtually all day. I do try to not let water sit in the crowns which can cause rot. well that my two cents worth anyway this works for me and about 600 - 700 plants.
Joe

Well it's all a combination of factors isn't it. It is probably an over generalization to say never mist your orchids, or always mist your orchids. You're quite right to point out that orchids do get rained on in the wild, but phals for example, grow horizontal or upside down in the wild allowing rain to run out of the crown. This in contrast to the way we grow phals upright in pots where the water sits in the crown if there's not enough air flow. And air flow (and temperature) too, I get rot when my air flow is bad or when temps are low. Cold and wet seems a bad combination for phals and paphs (most anyway). Still cold and wet is mandatory for other orchids (Draculas). When it's hot and dry misting can probably save orchid lives. It's a bit relative isnt' it, do or don't depending on a number of different factors.

[jbigio]

Originally Posted by kmarch

Well it's all a combination of factors isn't it. It is probably an over generalization to say never mist your orchids, or always mist your orchids. You're quite right to point out that orchids do get rained on in the wild, but phals for example, grow horizontal or upside down in the wild allowing rain to run out of the crown. This in contrast to the way we grow phals upright in pots where the water sits in the crown if there's not enough air flow. And air flow (and temperature) too, I get rot when my air flow is bad or when temps are low. Cold and wet seems a bad combination for phals and paphs (most anyway). Still cold and wet is mandatory for other orchids (Draculas). When it's hot and dry misting can probably save orchid lives. It's a bit relative isnt' it, do or don't depending on a number of different factors.

well put

[jerrymeola]

Oncidiumlover

The use of fertilizer with worm tea is a personal choice.

Phosphorus in commercial fertilizers destroy beneficial microbes in soil and potting mixes. If there are sufficient microbes in your soil your garden will do well but most of our orchids are grown in potting mixes that are too sterile. This is why I oppose 'bloom boost-high phosphorous fertilizers.

There is no plant in the world that can use fertilizer directly. It requires the microbes to break the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium into a form the plant can use.

When you are adding worm tea regularly, I think the amount of kill from the phosphorous is much less than what you are adding. I have no proof of this.

ECHO (Educational Concern for Hunger Organization) here in North Fort myers has done years of studies using worm tea for growing food crops in third world countries. They do not believe it is necessary to use fertilizer with worm tea. Of course fertilizer is very expensive or not available in third world countries where they do their project work. And all this is on food crops that is life or death for the people in these countries.

Growing orchids is not the same risk as growing food for poor families. I usually say orchids grow in spite of us not because of us. They take so much abuse.

Always when asking advice try to get the reasoning behind the advice.

misting to raise humidity I think is a waste of time. It does not last long enough to have any value.

I do not think watering late in the evening is as risky for fungal growth as most people fear, but it easy to avoid so why take even a minimal risk. If my plants are very dry and I could not get to water until after dark I still water. I just try to avoid it unless really necessary.

The misting with worn tea is a different reason. The live microbes die in UV light. You should avoid spraying in the middle of the day as too many microbes will die before they can establish in the potting mix and roots of the orchids. You would be better to spray early in the morning or around sunset. I find that spraying late in the evening still dries very fast and I have never seen a problem from it.

[Ron]

The misting with worn tea is a different reason. The live microbes die in UV light. You should avoid spraying in the middle of the day as too many microbes will die before they can establish in the potting mix and roots of the orchids. You would be better to spray early in the morning or around sunset. I find that spraying late in the evening still dries very fast and I have never seen a problem from it.

Hi Jerry.
Makes sense, if you have the conditions were it is hot and dry no harm will be done.
Unfortunately most of the hobby growers I know, do not have power to their orchid houses to run fans 24/7. this is were night watering and misting created problems.
I run 4 big fans in my orchid house 24/7 Often I will give them a good mist at late afternoon in summer If I have been away all day in hot weather, they dry quickly. No problem with the Phallies!
Good growing
Ron

[vcuchick]

Originally Posted by oncidiumlover

so jerry, are you saying that we should still use fertilizer as well? I just ordered some worm tea from our vital earth and it should arrive tomorrow, I was going to use it instead of fertilizer, are you saying that I should use it as well as fertilizer? And should you really mist the plants at night with it?

let me know what you think of the worm tea...i'm very interested to try it. You can be my guinea pig...hahaha

[oncidiumlover]

no problem vcuchick, I'm anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I'm hoping it helps my recently repotted sharry baby perk up. You'll be the first to know!

[cym 1972]

i use the worm liquid from my worm farm.once a fortnight.i also mix in seasol also known as sea weed.mix 250mls worm liquid to 10 litre watering can and 10 mls seasol.for cymbidium orchids during growin season and occassionally use horse manure in liquid form mixed in with worm liquid.i store worm liquid in 20 litre drums in a dark spot.hasnt effected worm liquid going off.