Compost tea was all the rage a few years ago, especially for organically minded gardeners.
It’s an organic strategy to amend the soil that is rather complicated—but those who have tried it in the garden, like it. For folks who like to do things from scratch, compost tea may be the ultimate DIY.
Regular additions of compost tea benefits soil structure, which has ripple effects for plant growth. Soil structure is how soil particles (sand, silt, clay) are arranged—whether soil is loose, compacted, lumpy, clods, or friable. Compost tea benefits soil structure by adding the millions of microorganisms that are in the compost tea. Microorganisms present run the gamut with bacteria, protozoa, fungi, nematodes.
Improved soil structure effects water retention. Increased water retention can decrease the frequency of irrigations. Heavy clay soils are loosened, benefitting the root zone as water penetration aeration is increased. Roots can penetrate deeper into the soil, thus, requiring fewer irrigations.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac (almanac.com) provides one recipe.
Materials
• 5-gallon bucket, filled with water (let sit for 24 hours to allow chlorine to dissipate)
• 1 fish tank aerator
• 1 compost tea brewing bag (purchased online or made with meshed fabric, tied with twine large enough to hold 5 to 6 pounds of dry ingredients)
• 1 aquarium thermometer
• Backpack sprayer or gallon jug and spray bottle
Ingredients
• 1 large handful compost
• 1 handful garden soil
• 2 handfuls straw
• 3–5 leaves from a healthy plant
• 1 cup fish hydrolysate (pulverized fish, found in garden centers)
• 1 cup seaweed extract (found in garden centers)
Instructions
Combine first five ingredients into tea bag and tie tightly; submerge it into the bucket of water. Add fish hydrolysate and seaweed liquids to the water. Place aerator in bucket and engage. Brew tea concoction for about 36 hours, keeping temperature between 68° and 72°F. Dilute to 3 parts tea to 1 part water.
Fill backpack sprayer or spray bottle. Spray early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid burning leaves in the midday sun. Use tea immediately after brewing; the longer it sits, the less active and effective it will be.
If the DIY compost tea is too challenging, it can be purchased in powder form.
Ellen Peffley Harp, a retired professor of horticulture at Texas Tech University, writes about gardening for several Texas newspapers.
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