Old Compost

i got 5 year old compost, is it good for tea compared to 6 month old compost? also are fresh grass clippings good in tea?

Well to be honest with you, I can't see why using 5 year old pile would be bad. Unless there us a putrid smell coming from it. How often were both piles airated throught their life??? Why I ask is because, if the rainwater never seeped to the bottom and sat stagnate at the top, it'll take abit more TLC on your part to have the "clean air" smell return. Also keep in mind that you may need to get your 5 year batch kick-started again with some red wigglers. View it like you are awakening all those microorganisms from their slumber. In regards with the grass clippings, I wouldn't make a tea with'em, but I would however compost the clippings. It may take more time than you'd want though, might I suggest making a small compost with some of the 5 year pile. Once composted (clippings) and those organisms are alive once again in the older pile, you can continue to add clippings to it. And you'll know when it is ready for making teas, when it smells "clean"or "sweet" (depending on what fruits were put in), and when any fruit/vegetable matter isn't visible.

Hope I was able to help you out with what little I know.

Rock on,

Buddy

did i screw up putting the grass clippings? i put 1 gallon of old compost, couple spoons of bone and fish meal. mollases, hand ful of grass clippings. i have lime, epsom salts, cottonseed meal. dunno its my first time making it. im using a 3 watt air pump and stone too.

cottonseed meal is not recommended for container growing, it is waaaay too acidic.

Good for blueberries, azalea's and other acid loving plants in the ground. Not so good for mj.

Wet

I can't see anything wrong with using old compost. I mix my compost together from one year to the next, the worms not seem to mind a bit. I also at times mix fresh clippings in with the ready to use compost along with some scraps from the kitchen (veggie scraps) just to help feed the worms and other little beaties living in the pile. The one comment earlier about cottonseed meal you have to be very careful for a couple of reason, acidic as mentioned and it tends to have lots of herbicide residue left in it. I killed many plants several years ago using the stuff, just call it a lesson learned.

Nothing wrong whatsoever with using well matured compost.
Compost is generally made by adding green materials - leaves, vegetable scraps, weeds, etc - and brown materials - potato peelings, tea bags, leaves etc - to a compost heap or bin and letting them mature for about a year. When it is ready you have a powdery, earthy smelling material that is nothing like any of the components that it is made of.