In the worm world, there is tea and tea...

What comes out of a worm bin due to an excess of moisture is commonly (and wrongly) called worm tea or worm wee. But it is neither. It is actually a leachate. The excess moisture from the added food or water that seeps through the layers of the worm bin and gets collected in the bottom tray. That leachate can contain the good stuffs from the finished compost in each tray but also contains indigested food and because of that it contain some phytotoxic compounds. The leachate sometimes stay in the collection tray for many days and thus become anaerobic. If one insists on using the leachate then two things can help reduce the risks: use the leachate as soon as it is produced and dilute it 1 part leachate for 10 part water.

Proper compost tea is obtain by steeping some finished compost or finished vermicompost in water and aerate it by either stirring the mixture or using an air pump through some sort of air diffuser. This extracts nutrients and microorganisms out of the compost and keep the tea oxygenated. Adding some microorganism food (fish hydrolysate, molasses etc...) will feed the bacteria, fungi etc... and allow them to multiply.

Thank you for the vote!

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