Lid or no lid - it's your choice :-) Many give it at least a week to let all the goodies leach out but that is not a requirement either - 4-5 days should be fine. You can add the fish if you want but it is only going to have the effect of doubling up the tea. It doesn't contain anything more than the tea does. Same with the Epsom salts - unless you have a magnesium deficiency, there is no point in adding as it wll not do anything else for your plants other than supply Mg (despite all those recommendations and wonder stories you find online), which they require in only very small amounts.

The Myth of Epsom Salts

I am no expert on alfalfa tea but can relate my experience. For years I just threw some alfalfa meal around my plants and am not sure it did any good. I also use the Tone type of plant food...Rose Tone or Holly or Plant or even Citrus Tone . That has alfalfa in it. But last year I made the tea for the first time. It makes sense to me that more of the good stuff in the alfalfa will get into the tea than if it is occasionally wet on the ground.

I made my tea in a huge Rubbermaid type of rectangular tub and I put the lid on loosely so no animal would fall in. I made my tea in cool weather and let it steep about five days, stirring every day. I used alfalfa cubes. It never stank , in fact it smelled good, like fresh hay. Maybe it was because of the cool temps, and maybe it had something to do with the large surface area of the rectangular tub, and it not being so deep. Deep in a vertical trashcan it seems to me more anaerobic bacteria might grow.

Anyway from what I gather the stink is not part of what is good about the tea. I was pleased to see a lot of basal breaks after using the tea. I'm wary of putting any food on new bare roots. I did use the tea on potted plants.

Is it necessary to put some sort of aerator in the brew, or just let it steep? I would like to try some for mine too.

You can aerate it by hand, by giving it a good vigorous stir 2-3 times a day, or use a pump...an aquarium air stone works great. The longer you steep it, the more aeration you need so that it doesn’t go anaerobic. :-)

Thank you, Perma n’ Posies! :)