WHAT IS COMPOST TEA?

Ever heard of compost tea? It’s a blend of organic matter that’s brewed to give your soil a boost toward optimum health.

WHAT IS COMPOST TEA?

Compost tea is a liquid produced by extracting beneficial microorganisms (microbes)—bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and micro arthropods—from compost using a brewing process. A true compost tea contains all of the organisms that were present in the compost before brewing. The brewed water extract should also have soluble nutrients from the compost.

BENEFITS OF COMPOST TEA

Compost tea is a good overall plant health booster (a little like vitamins for people), and healthy plants are better able to resist pests and diseases.

• Good tea improves soil health. A healthy soil is less likely to leach nutrients down beyond plant root zones. If soil is nutrient-rich, the need for fertilizer is minimized.
• Compost tea improves the water retention capacity of soil, which reduces the need for frequent watering.
• Soil structure is improved with regular applications of compost tea. (Good soil structure is important for nutrient and water retention and accessibility.) The biological components in a soil are what create its structure. For good structure, all organism groups in the food web—bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and micro arthropods—need to be present. When you add tea, you add these microbes.
• Compost tea helps loosen clay soils for air and water to move, and helps sandy soils retain water and nutrients.
• Plant root growth is stimulated by compost tea applications. Deeper roots retain moisture better and help to reduce runoff.
• When sprayed onto plants, compost tea adds beneficial microbes to foliage. By occupying leaf surfaces, these organisms prevent potential disease organisms from gaining a foothold.
• Compost tea combats the negative impact chemical-based pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers have on beneficial microorganisms.
• Unlike store-bought fertilizers, tea recipes can be developed and fine-tuned to target specific conditions and plant needs.

HOW TO MAKE COMPOST TEA

you can make your own! Compost tea can be made with or without aeration, and with or without adding supplemental nutrient sources like molasses that feed microbes. For best results, aeration and supplements are recommended, and the right compost is critical.

This sample compost tea recipe is good for vegetable crops: