Compost leachate - is it any good as a liquid feed?
People often collect the leachate from the bottom of compost bins and apply to their plants. But is it any good i.e. is it as nutritious as you think? Is it dangerous? By definition, leachate (sometimes referred to as 'liquor') is water that peculates through a solid and 'leaches out' some of it's constituents, which means it doesn't get subjected to any high temperatures. I received some funding in 2020 to have the leachate from my Ridan In-vessel Composters scientifically tested, and I'm sharing the results with you as an typical example of what you can expect from your leachate.
NOTE: compost leachate/liquor is not compost tea! Leachate forms as part of the breakdown process. Compost tea is where mature compost is soaked/stewed in water to release the nutrients from the compost and then used as a liquid feed.
What's leachate, microbiological tests, funding: 00:00-02:24
Report contents: 02:24-03:32
NPK results, what is % w/w?: 03:32-04:07
List of macro nutrients and their role in plant growth: 04:07-04:23
Comparison to commercial liquid feeds: 04:23-04:54
Microbiological analysis: 04:54-05:35
Agar pictures - e choli & salmonella: 05:35-06:04
Report conclusion: 06:04-07:35
My thoughts on leachate as a liquid feed: 07:35-09:14
What I'm doing with collected leachate and why: 09:14-10:26
Compost tea, the next step: 10:26-11:35
Пікірлер: 18
Bro. You're legit
Cheers!
This was so incredibly helpful for my green waste management review as part of my traineeship at work. Thank you for sharing your results!
@Plate2PlateCompost
8 ай бұрын
That's great to hear, really chuffed it's helped you progress at work. 👍
@Plate2PlateCompost
8 ай бұрын
Ps you can find the full report at the bottom of this Web page www.plate2platecompost.com/plate2platescience
@ThomasShitneck
8 ай бұрын
@@Plate2PlateCompost This is great thanks. Great stuff you guys are doing up there!
CO2 pasturising would be interesting as the leachate is acidic anyway. Maybe add sugar and yeast and brew it in a pressure vessel.
@Plate2PlateCompost
Ай бұрын
That is an interesting thought. It never occured to me to brew it like beer! However, I want to keep everything aerobic, and putting it on the compost heaps is working fine, and I've decided not to sell this as a product. If you try this though, please share the results. I'd be really interested to know how it works out.
Nice! Cheers for that
@Plate2PlateCompost
9 ай бұрын
No problem, you can find the full report using the link below. Page 5 as the list of macronutrients and the role they play in plant growth: www.plate2platecompost.com/_files/ugd/7ff858_c0f83909ae6c499288ba016ad3208a45.pdf
Thank you! Very helpful
@Plate2PlateCompost
Жыл бұрын
No problem, remeber that leachate is quite acidic so will need diluting (can't remember if I emphasised this on the video).
Thanks for some analysis based testing. Ditto on no one doing lab analysis and how variable it is based on what goes into it. I do vegetable and plant Bokashi in addition to hot compost piles and have similar questions and want to see other than anecdotal you tube videos. Do you let it stay in the compost and wash out or process and add lime if you have low ph. I think i will dump the little amount of leachate into my compost piles
@Plate2PlateCompost
6 ай бұрын
I add it to my first windrow, which is still a raw (ish) compost and gets up to 80 degress C. The temps kill the pathogens and the nutrients stay in the compost. I'm sure some gets washed out as this windrow gets turned another two times and is open to the elements. The pH is realtively stable between 6.5 and 7. Compost made from food/garden waste tend to be neutral when mature, so I don't add lime or anything else.
Hi ! I’m using my leach tea for my blue berry plants which needs a low ph . It also works well on all my other plants
@Plate2PlateCompost
2 ай бұрын
Fab, do you dilute with water? If so what dilution factor do you use?
Is there a cheaper easier self-managed way to get some basic analysis (eg NPK?)
@Plate2PlateCompost
9 ай бұрын
Hi, you can buy basic NKP testing kits online that are reasonably cheap. They tend to be colorimetric tests for pH and NPK and they can vary greatly in terms of quality. For example, the chemicals supplied might be full in one kit and half empty in another! For this reason I prefer to buy from companies that supply labs, as the chemicals are in measured pouches and have a turbidity test for potassium (I think its potassium??, it's been a while). The down side is they are far more expensive. When I need them I use these: www.philipharris.co.uk/product/environmental-science/field-studies/hanna-hi-3895-soil-test-kit-40/b8r07699?PMAX&gclid=Cj0KCQjwmvSoBhDOARIsAK6aV7iOEDpL8J-j0h-2-Xcm6BiApt8UxCULbWFqwnn6yvDiRhjMEcJrIUAaApmVEALw_wcB Happy experimenting!