Compost Tea

About

Compost tea is like a probiotic immunity shot for your plants!
It’s made from dechlorinated water that’s aerated by a diffusion pump, steeped with compost and fed simple foods to multiply the microorganisms. The result is a concentrated solution that contains billions of beneficial soil microbes that provide nutrition and protection to the plant. Compost tea is a great alternative to fertilizers and pesticides.

Storage

It’s alive! But without ongoing aeration, oxygen-loving microbes can start to die off and those are the organisms you want. So, for maximum benefit, use your tea as soon as you possibly can. You can get away with waiting up to 24 hours, but it’s not recommended. If you must, be sure to store your tea somewhere cool and dark and give it a good shake every so often.

Application

Add compost tea into a watering can or sprayer.

Top off your watering can or sprayer with water. You don’t have to, but you may dilute compost tea with water up to the amount you need. Dilution helps spread organisms over a greater area. The more diluted, the less concentrated, and the more often you may want to spray. If you don’t need to stretch it, you may choose to not dilute compost tea at all - it’s safe and beneficial to use at its existing concentration.

The best time to water is in the morning, as plants are waking up.
Spray the plant so that the stem, branches, both the tops and bottoms of the leaves get coated (because insect damage and fungal diseases affect all sides of the leaves.) If it’s a fruiting plant, spray the flowers and fruit too.

If using a water can, just do your best to cover as much of the plant as possible. You may also want to apply compost tea to the soil or the mulch around your plants. This will introduce beneficial microbes to the soil, which is where you want them to thrive. Compost tea is safe and non-toxic but it’s not for human consumption.

BYOC(ontainer)

In an effort to reduce waste, cost and emissions, please bring your own container for compost tea. Could be a bucket, a growler, or any vessel that holds liquid. A lid or a cap will help prevent sloshing in transit, but try to slightly unscrew to allow for airflow, if you can.

Share

Show off the results! Take before and after pics to help document the benefits of compost tea by sharing before and after photos on any social media platform

Use the Hashtags: #CompostTea, #SoilFoodWeb and tag us on Instagram @FoodToPower