Composting 2.0

Turning your compost into compost tea will take your composting game to the next level

Compost is one of the best soil amendments that you can add to your soil. High-quality, finished compost naturally adds nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous and other minerals to your soil and if your compost pile was kept outdoors you can also add key bug, bacterial, fungal and microbial life that are essentials to healthy soil. Compost is a huge win all across the board and your composting game can be taken to the next level.

Compost tea is the next level of compost. Compost tea is made through a water-based process that concentrates all of the good stuff in compost into a liquid form that you can spray straight onto your plants and field. Spraying compost tea directly onto your soil also increases root mass and protects plant surfaces because the beneficial organisms that are found in compost have been added directly to the plant that you sprayed it onto.

Compost tea can be made by grabbing a 10 gallon bucket and filling it one-third of the way with compost. Then you add filtered or dechlorinated water to the bucket until the bucket is full (water treatment plants add chlorine to water to kill microorganisms and you can dechlorinate your water by boiling it in a pan for 5 minutes). Once you have added the water, you will let the mixture of compost and water sit for 3 – 4 days. When the compost and water mixture has sat for 3 – 4 days, you will grab a piece of cheesecloth and strain the mixture through cheesecloth into another bucket (you can keep the solids and add them right back into your compost bin) , then dilute the remaining mixture with water (use 10 parts water to one part mixture) and you are ready to use the compost tea (http://www.homecompostingmadeeasy.com/composttea.html).

Compost tea can benefit any garden, farm or orchard and a number of small-scale organic flower and vegetable farmers use compost tea every spring and fall to keep their soil healthy and provide a wide array of beneficial microorganisms, bacteria and fungi directly to their plants. You can even buy a portable compost tea sprayer that fits to your body like a backpack and transport your compost tea all throughout your garden or farm. Regardless of how you use your compost tea, you will reap the benefits of it in your garden, farm or orchard (just don’t drink it!)