Weed Tea

I was trolling the Caudiciform group a little while ago, and in the middle of a post without any hint of something this worthy was this by Kaelkitty. I am all over the idea like a 6 week puppy:

Weed Tea is like compost tea but you use all your woody, prickly and gone to seed weeds which would cause you a problem if composted in the normal manner. We have two round black plastic rubbish bins down the back of the garden. They are 66 litre size (about 15 gallons). To start you half fill one bin with water. then every time you have weeds or any other annoying plant material you stick it in the bin and push it into the water and put the lid on. Once the first bin is full, start on the second. Leave the full bin shut for a couple of weeks.

This stuff stinks because of anaerobic digestion, so I don't recommend manufacturing it in small gardens with close neighbours, but the anaerobic microbes break down different chemical pathways and open up nutrients to feed not only the plants themselves but also the beneficial microbes in your soil and potting mix with flow on benefits for your plants. The "Tea" is ready to use once the liquid turns a dark blackish brown. To use it dilute it by about 4 or 5 times with plain water (until it is the same colour as weak tea - hence the name) and water it onto your soil in the garden or into your pots every two to three weeks. By the time you empty the first bin and start filling it up again the second one will be ready to use and so on ad infinitum. The smell dissipates rapidly once you apply it, as fresh air will kill off the methane producing anaerobic microbes quick smart leaving lots of simple chemical compounds to revitalise your plants.

The neat part of the whole process is the sheer amount of plant food you can produce by doing this. I have well over a thousand different plant species and cultivars spread over my bulbs, cacti, succulents, caudiciforms, fruit and vegetables, annuals, and perennial herbaceous plants - this stuff goes on everything! and it cuts down my usage of purchased fertilisers drastically.

BTW, don't bother quering Google with "weed tea" as it refers to another weed entirely, and tea to drink.

There are posts about this on the Soil & Compost forum as well.
My neighbour has been doing this for the past 15 years. This is commonly practiced in her country. From the looks of her plants, it works quite well. The only difference in her method of preparation is that she stirs it vigorously every day or so.

You'll want to stand back when you pop the lid - the aroma can be overwhelming.
LOL - keep the dogs out of it: they'll want to drink it & then roll in it!

And I understand after drinking they get sick with "not mentioning it for sake of tender GI tracts everywhere.".

Great information! I've inadvertently made 'weed tea' by allowing rain water to fill my weed bucket and then leaving it for a month. Whew! Lovely anaerobes!

Pix - we call that version "stink-lite"! The bucket did some off-gassing because it was open. The odor is exponentially foul when you open the lid. So heavy, it clings...yum.

Any specs on what kind of container? what about a sterlite tote? I would like to try this.

Depending on the volume you want, a drum to a bucket, your choice.

Thanks This aut to turn my DHes nose up Ha Ha

that sounds like a great idea......... and heaven knows we all have plenty of weeds to contribute to this project! lol