Worm tea is not worm percolate!
After a few weeks, a dark liquid may drip from the bottom of your worm composter. This fluid is called “worm leachate” and is also erroneously called “worm tea.
Also on this site the terms are (still) used interchangeably. And you might come across an old post somewhere encouraging the use and induction of worm leachate. Advancing insight leads us to be alarmed rather than pleased at a great deal of worm percolation these days. Especially if there is a sudden increase, it is a good idea to take a look at whether your worm composter might be too wet.
Worm tea is made by putting some worm compost in water, if you filter it you can spray it on the leaves of your plants. For extra bacterial growth, you can aerate the worm tea for 24 hours with some extra nutrition (sugar) but it is not necessary. This worm tea has a neutral pH and contains the right microorganisms to boost soil life. Or spray it on your plants for disease prevention.
Rainwater seeping through an otherwise functioning and aerated worm composter is also worm tea by this definition, but beware if it stinks. Then you have to throw it away.
Worm leachate
Worm percolate consists of :
- het vocht dat uit het keukenafval vrijkomt
- wormenurine
- in bovenstaande vloeistoffen opgeloste stoffen.
You dilute worm percolate 1:10 with water to give it to your plants. It is full of enzymes, bacteria and nutrients.
In your Balkonton Classic, the leachate can already be drunk up by your plants. Or it may have already been diluted with the rainwater that fell into your Balkonton.
The nitrogen in this leachate is delivered directly to the plants. So you have a chance of over-fertilizing if you give it to your plants too often. Even if you mix it with water 1 to 10 as recommended. Also, this leachate can be acidic and contain anaerobic bacteria. Do not store your leachate for too long but use it within 1 to 2 weeks. So that the anaerobic bacteria do not have time to gain the upper hand. The worm leachate is a good natural nutrient for your plants, but use it in moderation. If you suddenly have a lot of leachate, it usually means that your worm composter is too wet. Chances are the leachate is now very acidic so really dilute very well. Add some more cardboard to your worm composter and possibly some lava meal. With the wooden containers you have much less leachate because the moisture evaporates more easily here.
Worm tea versus worm percolate
Worm tea
- Maak je door wormencompost en water te mengen
- Extra voeding en beluchting kan maar hoeft niet.
- Bevat veel aerobe bacterien, goed voor het bodemleven en je planten.
- Mag je voor eetbare planten gebruiken
- Kun je op bladeren van planten sproeien tegen diverse plantenziektes
- Wormenthee verbetert het bodemleven door de aanwezigheid van bacterien, schimmels en protozoa
Worm leachate
- Is het vocht dat onder uit je wormenbak druppelt
- Kan wijzen op een te natte bak
- kan anaerobe bacterien bevatten, en daar houden planten niet van.
- Kun je niet op bladeren sproeien (als het te zuur is verbranden de bladeren)
- Bevat veel nuttige mineralen maar kun je als het stinkt beter weggooien
Movie: How to make worm tea (simplest way)
Follows:
- Video hoe maak je wormenthee (met beluchting en voeding)
- Filmpje: wormenthee tegen bladluis
- Filmpje: wormenthee experiment
- effect van wormenthee op diverse plantenziektes (wetenschappelijke onderzoeksresultaten)
- hoe gebruik je wormenthee (filmpje)
- hoeveel wormenthee heb je nodig