Compost Tea in enclosure

[baldegale]

hey yall, so im wanting to build something inside my 6’x3’ enclosure to grow some grasses for my few month old sulcata. i was gonna do outside the enclosure but id like to save space by doing it in the enclosure and using like a shelf system of sorts. however i was just going to have it drain into the substrate (organic top soil and coir mix) but i want to be positive that organic compost tea would be safe to drain directly into the enclosure. itll be made out of worm castings and molasses, will only be used ~1 time a week for watering to revive nutrients to the soil for the grass to continue growing for a long time after trimming

 

[jsheffield - In Memoriam]

I've used compost tea before, but never with molasses... my only concern would be that the sugars might attract fruit flies or increase mold growth.

I'm interested in how this works.

Jamie

 

[Maro2Bear]

I’m sure this will be perfectly fine. Any sugars in the molasses will almost certainly be gone by the time it reaches your substrate.

What kind of “organic compost tea” are you brewing up & straining into your substrate? Are you just using the ”tea” to fertilize plants you have in the enclosure?

 

[Maro2Bear]

Ogh, by the way, it’s really hard to actually grow grasses inside a Tortoise enclosure that is at optimal heat & humidity for a sulcata. High heat coupled with high humidity is not good for ”grass“ growth. Much easier to grow your grass separately and feed than attempt growing it in the enclosure with a hungry sully.

 

[baldegale]

I've used compost tea before, but never with molasses... my only concern would be that the sugars might attract fruit flies or increase mold growth.

I'm interested in how this works.

Jamie

i think likely the sugars in the molasses will break down before it really gets to the soil. the molasses is used as food for the beneficial bacteria in aerated compost tea

 

[baldegale]

I’m sure this will be perfectly fine. Any sugars in the molasses will almost certainly be gone by the time it reaches your substrate.

What kind of “organic compost tea” are you brewing up & straining into your substrate? Are you just using the ”tea” to fertilize plants you have in the enclosure?

itll just be worm castings and molasses with a bubbler for 24-36 hours. basically i have two 10”x20” tubs that have holes in the bottom, was gonna build shelves for them to sit on that also had holes on it so it could just drain straight through

 

[baldegale]

Ogh, by the way, it’s really hard to actually grow grasses inside a Tortoise enclosure that is at optimal heat & humidity for a sulcata. High heat coupled with high humidity is not good for ”grass“ growth. Much easier to grow your grass separately and feed than attempt growing it in the enclosure with a hungry sully.

yeah ive been thinking separately aswell, however he wouldnt have main access to the grass flats, but i would sporadically toss in some seed just so he can get some grazing enrichment. im just trying to use space efficiently honestly