composting question

[boxerfan]

I have a fellow Orchid enthusiast friend who has recently started composting. She decided to do this to provide nutrients for her Roses and her Orchids. Her daughter cautioned her against using compost "tea" on her Orchids, stating that it has bugs/bacteria to which she wouldn't want to expose her indoor plants. Does anyone have any composting for Orchids tips? The same daughter told her it would take about six months before the composted materials began to break down significantly. I told her that if anyone could help, it would be the Orchid Geeks. TIA, Lisa & friend, Beth

[orchids4me]

Is your friend composting with the red wiggler worms. Or is she using the tarp over leaves and scraps or one of those bins that have a crank on em to turn its contents ? There are so many way to do composting. As far as the material broken down I don't know but if using the worms, that's one way to get worm tea...... But don't confuse that with fertilizer. That's a whole other can of worms. (No NPk values).....

[sunshine]

There's a big difference between the needs of a rose and orchid. Compost is great for roses. Compost is used for a lot of different things in the garden.But I wouldn't think so for orchids. Orchid roots need to breath. Compost holds a lot of moisture. Think of phals packed in sphag at a big box store. When composting they recommend you don't throw diseased and bug infested plants in the compost pile.

[Hummer344]

It depends on how hot she lets her compost piles get. Heat will kill most organizims. Some compost piles, if done correctly, can get really hot and everything breaks down rather quickly. If, like me, she cold composts, I would not use the compost tea on inside plants.

[LouisW]

Im a big fan of compost. Check out the threads on compost tea. I am a believer!