Creating Compost Tea For Your Plants

Creating Compost Tea For Your Plants


Compost tea is a nutrient-rich liquid fertilizer that boosts plant growth and improves soil health. Here's how you can make compost tea:

Ingredients:

Compost:

High-quality, organic compost is essential for making compost tea.  We either use our own compost or in a pinch you can use Black Cow.

Water:

Use dechlorinated water such as rainwater or tap water that has been left to sit for at least 24 hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate.

Molasses or Brown Sugar

Acts as a food source for beneficial microbes in the compost tea.

Aeration source:

This can be an aquarium air pump or a compost tea brewer that provides oxygen to the mixture. Here is what we RECOMMEND

Optional additives:

You can add other ingredients like kelp meal, fish emulsion, or worm castings to enhance the nutrient content.

Instructions:

Fill a Bucket of water at a ratio of around 1 part compost to 5-10 parts water.  We use a 15 gallon plastic drum.  For convenience, you can raise the drum on blocks and put a spout on it for quick empty.  

  

Add compost to to a porous bag or a flour cloth gathered together in a bundle and tied with a rope. 

  

Add the bundle of compost to the water and let it sink to the bottom. 

  

Add a tablespoon of molasses or dark brown sugar per gallon of water to feed the beneficial microbes.  Mix Well

  

Add aeration by using an aquarium air pump with air stones.  Let the brew aerate for 24-48 hours.   This will help the beneficial microbes multiply and thrive.

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Check the compost after 24-48 hours.  It should be brown and not stinky.    Strain the compost tea if necessary to remove any solid particles before using it.  Ours is always pretty clear.  

Dilute the compost tea with water to a ratio of 4 parts water to 1 part compost tea before applying it to plants.

 

Application:

You can use compost tea as a foliar spray or soil drench for your plants.
Apply compost tea every 2-4 weeks during the growing season to promote healthy plant growth.

Alternatives: 

In addition to the compost, you can also incorporate leaves, sawdust, kitchen scraps (organic not meat)  or garden debris in a bag as well as the compost.  

Notes:

Your compost tea should have an earthy smell, never sour or clumpy. If this occurs, discard it and start over.  Using Fish parts will give you a slightly different smell and may not be necessarily pleasant, but it works great!  

Warmer weather will give you faster results.  It may take a bit longer if the weather is cooler.  We keep ours in a shed with a lid on top but slightly open so it can breathe.  A mesh screen on top is ideal.  

We use mesh bags we get from Amazon.  Pictured below.  They are ideal for use with compost Tea.  You Can buy Them HERE.....

 By following these steps, you can create your own homemade compost tea to nourish and revitalize your garden plants. Happy gardening! 🌿🌼

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