Compost Tea Ingedients?

I put this in my tea - bat guano, alfalf meal, molasses, kelp meal, store bought seaweed 8-10 squares(left over from making sushi), turkey compost, store bought earthworm castings (started my bin a few monthes ago can not harvest yet) , then I realized that both the castings and the compost had been "sterlized" so thinking that I need microbes and that they had been sterlized out I bought the cheap steer manure compost from Lowes and added it.

STUNK for a few days (aerating with aquarium pumps) read on a University site that it should smell earthy kind sweet not foul, so I let it go a few more days anyhow I ran out of molasses and used corn syrup (molasses is just to feed the microbes I believe) ..............wondering will this work and I am adding to many ingredients?

Am I making this harder than it has to be....sorry its my first time and I am more than a little anxious.....How long can you keep it going can I add dechlorinated h2o and make weaker and weaker patches or should I keep it going and more ingredients or at some point should I stop and clean the container?

My mother and brother keep teasing me about my cauldron but that does not stop them from taking more than I want to part with home...........I know generally I am a generous person but when it comes to my plants I am very possesive they have established yards while I am just getting started...

MQN, Until your worm compost is ready, couldn't you use compost in bags from the garden store, it looks like everything else you used should work, besides the air stones use an aquarium heater. I have a 26 gal garbage can. heated to 75-80degrees f. it usuallyis ready in 3 days, when I get lots of foam I know its done. I have 21/2 acres so I go through a lot. I am buying my mollases at the feed store in 5 gal bucket for $12.00 that lasts severel years. but at the grocery store I was paying $3.00 for 12oz. and that was only good for one batch. also I put compost, alfalfa in old pillow case like a tea bag. then I'm not straining the liquid when it's done. good luck, hostajim1

if you don't need a whole lot, you could try the brwer and innoculant from this place...

http//www.gardensalive.com

they also sell the stuff (microbes, i think) separate...

be sure and keep enough for yourself! :-)

I guess I am lazy. I just throw every thing in a pile and water and stir when I feel energized. Last year at this time I bought 6 bails of cheap hay and made a square with them. Here are some of my different bins. Some require more work than others.

http://www.sirinet.net/~gmcowan/worms.htm

It has pictures of the hay bail compost bin. I didn't put worms in it but it didn't take long for the worms to find it. When I harvested the bin 2 months ago the contents were black and had the most pleasent earthy scent. I just moved the hay and bin contnets to the garden to finish composting. My dad had a tax business and had about 500 pounds of old out of date forms and other sensitive material. I shredded the (for your eyes only) stuff and through books, reems of paper in card board boxes. I put in a 2 inch layer of fresh horse manure to give the microbes a jump start. Now it is just sweet earth.

I am in the present designing a jet type harvestor from an old clothes dryer and 50 gallon drums. Can anyone give me any ideas, (good or bad) will be appreciated..