What is compost tea?
What is Compost Tea? Compost tea is a liquid produced by extracting beneficial microorganisms (microbes)—bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and microarthropods—from compost using a brewing process. A true compost tea contains all of the organisms that were present in the compost before brewing. Compost tea has long been used as a weak fertilizer, but in recent years, devotees of compost tea have shifted the focus away from the liquid’s ability to provide a small amount of nutrients and onto the microorganisms it contains.There are a number of ways to tell if compost tea contains pathogens: If you experience a foul smell coming from the compost tea, for example, it smells like rotten eggs, this could indicate that it potentially contains pathogens and that it has gone anaerobic. Properly aerated compost tea should not smell bad.The most common type of compost tea is aerated compost tea. This method adds oxygen to the mix to allow a larger population of microbes to be produced.There are a number of documented benefits to applying compost teas to soil and/or plants, including increased soil water retention, improved soil fertility, and reduced reliance on the need for chemical pesticides and fertilizers (Dearborn, 2011).Steps to making non-aerated compost tea: Add non-chlorinated water. Stir. Cover vessel with cloth or screen to prevent bugs. Let the tea ferment/infuse in an out-of-the-way place with above-freezing temperatures (ideally out of direct sunlight) for 3 – 10 days.
Can you drink compost tea?
While not technically a tea for humans, compost tea is a healthy elixir that protects and promotes the growth of plants. So while you can’t actually drink compost tea, you can use it to keep your plants—including tea plants—healthy and happy. Compost tea is a healthy supplement to your plants’ regular feeding regime, but remember it is no substitute for high-quality nutrients specifically formulated for indoor gardens.Effects of compost tea on soil properties. Compost tea contains rich organic matter and microbial decomposition products, including macronutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as humic acids and small organic acids. Applying compost tea can increase soil nutrient content and adjust soil pH.Too much water and the tea is diluted and will not be as viable. Likewise, too much compost and the excess of nutrients will foster bacteria, leading to oxygen depletions, anaerobic conditions, and smelly compost tea.Watering your plants with compost tea can also help make the soil more acidic organically. It is also a great way to feed your plants with fast-acting nutrients.Undiluted compost tea can be too strong for young plants and the nutrients it contains can actually inhibit seed germination. On the other hand, diluted compost tea can stimulate germination, so this isn’t to say don’t use it on seedlings, just make sure to dilute.
Does compost tea really work?
So does compost tea really work? No. Well, not really. It does give a feeding directly to the foliage of plants, even though plants can’t absorb all the nutrients through their leaves. Yes, you can add tea bags to your compost bin or garden — with an important caveat. Before composting your tea bags, it is important to ensure that they are made from biodegradable materials. An estimated 20-30% of tea bags on the market are composed of polypropylene, which is not compostable.You do not drink compost tea, but your plants will love you for it. Compost tea adds the needed microbes to create a truly diverse and dynamic soil. Brew a bucket of tea to delight every plant in your home or out in the garden. It is fun and easy to make.Tomatoes Love Their Tea In a 2 year study, an Italian research team has shown that aerated compost tea helps tomatoes yield more, resist disease, and helps them initiate more root growth.
Does compost tea smell bad?
First of all, compost tea should not have an unpleasant odor; it should smell earthy and yeasty. So, if your compost tea smells bad, there is a problem. There are many different “recipes” for compost teas but all of them have three basic elements: clean compost, inert water, and aeration. Brew for about 24-36 hours. Your tea is ready to use when you see a ring of bioslime around the edge of your container and a brownish foam on top. It should smell earthy, not foul. Use the liquid to water plants and as a foliar spray.Especially if you’re making an aerated compost tea, timing is everything. Many tea recipes involve aerating for 24-48 hours—but at that point, the brew must be used. If not used within a few hours, large losses of microorganisms will start occurring.Properly Storing Your Homemade Brew Freshly brewed compost tea can be stored for up to six days in a sealed and lightproof container.Be sure to use chlorine-free /chemical-water for all compost tea concoctions. Use dechlorinated water (from rain barrels, well water, or let municipal tap water sit for 24-48 hours to let the chlorine dissipate or add powdered ascorbic acid (vitamin C) to dissipate the chlorine faster).
Can I use compost tea every day?
Use compost tea every 2-4 weeks during the growing season. This schedule helps support healthy microbes in the soil without overdoing it. You can tweak the timing based on your garden’s specific needs and the plants you’re growing. Apply compost tea as a soil drench to your woody plants in the spring and again in the fall. Applications can be done every 2 weeks in the spring and then every month in the summer. Applications for annuals and perennials can range from once a week to once a month.Use compost tea every 2-4 weeks during the growing season. This schedule helps support healthy microbes in the soil without overdoing it. You can tweak the timing based on your garden’s specific needs and the plants you’re growing.You can never use too much compost tea and home brews will be weak. The best time to spray compost tea is once the weather starts to warm in the spring. If it is too cold the microbes will be inactive. Overcast days are much better for applications than sunny days.It’s much easier to spray 10 to 20 gallons of compost tea per acre than it is to spread even a small amount of compost per acre. For anyone using chemicals, compost tea and other biological amendments will give you vast financial savings over the cost of synthetic fertilizers that you’d be using year after year.
Which is better, compost or compost tea?
By Diluting Compost You Get Low Nutrient Levels There is no question that there are nutrients in compost including water-soluble nutrients that can easily make their way into a compost tea. But the punchline is, it’s not a very high concentration of nutrients, no matter how it’s made. Bacteria in the compost heap work best at neutral Ph, if the contents of the bin goes acidic (due to organic acids found in all plants), the compost will turn anaerobic, stink and slow down to a halt.Most finished composts are about neutral pH within a range from 6 – 8. However, the initial pH of home compost, being made with the usual mix of vegetable trimmings, food waste and other household compostable material, is likely to be more acidic perhaps between 5.Increasing compost pH (more alkaline) Seaweed, egg shells, bones, and shellfish remnants are organic wastes with alkaline pH. Wood ash and carbonates (dolomite and limestone) are also amendments used to increase compost pH.Compost contains essential plant macro- and micronutrients, including nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). These nutrients are mostly in slow-release, organic forms which are less prone to run off and cause pollution in water bodies, compared to inorganic fertilizers.Calcium carbonate in calcareous soils raises the pH, which is why its presence in soil limits phosphorus uptake. Compost tea is generally acidic due to its components and fermentation process.