Anyone for Compost Tea?
Now and then, all of us need a healthy pot of tea, not compost tea, that’s only for the plants! We all can relate to feeling quirky and happy after a good cuppa! Plants need tea though, and you don’t even need to put the kettle on!
Tea as a probiotic
Like us, plants need some healthy probiotics and the easiest way is by making your own compost tea and feeding your plants with this wonderful potion. Compost tea is a fantastic way to feed the roots as it is an organic fertilizer, and by giving your plant’s this tea, you infuse them with a healthy dose of nutrients. You eliminate the need for chemical fertilisers and improve the soils overall health with a beneficial cocktail of bacteria and fungi. This tea gives a feeding directly to plants’ foliage, even though plants can’t absorb all the nutrients through their leaves.
Making Compost Tea
Making your one compost tea is easy and inexpensive. You only need a bucket, water and a bag of well-matured compost. Place 4 cups of compost in the bucket, fill with at least 5 litres of water, and then stir well. It takes time to separate the organism from the compost so let this mixture steep overnight.
Leftover compost tea as mulch
If you use manure-based compost it tends to contain higher nitrogen levels so use sparingly as it can burn your plants. To be on the safe side, you can mix your compost tea with some more water before applying it to your plants. It has a very short shelf-life, so use it within 3 to 4 days. Use the leftover compost in the bucket as a mulch in your garden.
Inexpensive benefits
The bottom line is that this tea is relatively easy and inexpensive to make and use and holds many benefits for your plants.
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