"dstvns" wrote in message
...
On 9 Jul 2003 19:48:58 -0700, (Jay Chan) wrote:

I would like to ask a couple questions on making and using compost
tea:

- Does it really work? Do I expect to see larger crop, bigger
flowers, ...etc? Can someone tell me some "before and after" stories?

Yes it works. I give one dose a week to potted dwarf citrus and they
explode in leaves and blooms.


I've used compost tea on citrus, various herbs and potted flowers with no
significant difference in growth or blooms. As well, I used compost tea as
an experiment on a percentage of Coffee Arabica plants (-vs- plants with
chemical fertilizer, liquid seaweed, no fertilizer, etc.) and they actually
performed among the worst, with a high mortality rate.

While compost tea may be a good addition to many plant "diets", it is
certainly no miracle fertilizer. In fact, I have blooms and fruit galore on
about 30 different citrus varieties without the use of any fertilizer in
months. By the way, I operate a plant nursery and we are constantly looking
for ways to improve plant performance and overall viability (keeping the
health of our customers in mind).

If you really want a "natural" means of more blooms, greener leaves and
higher fruit yield, buy a box of Epsom Salt. It really works and is the one
additive that we always keep on hand.