Everyone knows that putting good compost into your garden is great for it.
It helps to replenish all the nutrients that the plants need to grow and to stay healthy. But did you know that you can create a “tea” that will help to give your plants a more “instant” boost of energy.
Compost tea is a good way to deliver the nutrients and micro organisms that a plant needs quickly and efficiently because it can be done at the same time you would normally water the plants.
Now, we know that putting the finished compost into your garden is great for it. It helps to replenish all the nutrients that the plants need to grow and to stay healthy. But did you know that you can create a “tea” that will help to give your plants a more “instant” boost of energy.
Compost tea is a good way to deliver the nutrients and micro organisms that a plant needs quickly and efficiently because it can be done at the same time you would normally water the plants.
The tea is also a much more mild and isn’t destructive to the environment as conventional chemicals can be.
There are a few different approaches to creating a compost tea, and you can find several products on the market that can help but I feel that these are not needed to get great results in your garden. The actual equipment and time you will need is very little, and creating an effective compost tea is quite simple.
Here are the step by step instructions for creating great compost tea.
- Purchase a good full sized wine barrel or some container of similar size that can still hold water. Ensure that the container has never held any chemicals to avoid accidentally hurting your garden or the environment.
- Place the barrel in the yard where it would be both convenient for you to reach with the hose and watering can and where it will be out of the way from your every day activities.
- Fill the barrel almost to the top. Around 90%.
- Get a single piece of burlap about 1 1/2 feet by 1 1/2 feet. You want the mesh of the burlap to be quite tight so you may need a larger piece to double up.
- Take a few “good” handfuls of your finished compost and put it into the center of the burlap.
- Wrap the burlap up around the compost and make sure that none of it will escape.
- Take a piece of thin rope and tie the burlap at the top ensuring that it can not come undone and that it is quite secure. leave an additional length of rope about two feet long.
- Now you will want to either tie the other end of the rope to a brick or something slightly heavier than the bundle of compost.
- Place the burlap sack into the barrel of water with the rope and weighted end hanging over the outside acting as an anchor to hold the sack in place. This will allow you to easily access the compost bag whenever needed.
- Construct a lid for the barrel to protect it from evaporation and leave this to “steep” for several days.
You have now made compost tea. After The tea should be stirred every few days to a week to keep the minute particles afloat.
By this point the compost tea should now be a dark orange or brown color and is now ready to give to your plants.
When watering, just fill a watering can with the tea and water as you normally would. When you are finished, replace the water with fresh water and give it a stir, leave for several days and your ready to go again.
You will have to replace the compost when you notice that the water isn’t getting as dark as it did in the beginning. All you need to do is pull out the burlap sac, empty it and refill with new fresh compost.