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³Compost Tea as Easy as 1-2-3²
³Compost Tea as Easy as 1-2-3²
We¹ve published articles on the benefits of using compost tea (also known as ³compost watery extract²) and on commercially available kits for making compost tea. Here are instructions for making compost tea with a brewing system you can make from readily available materials. The instructions are adapted from Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection web pages devoted to home composting (which also include directions for making compost bins out of recycled pallets, a backyard compost screen to sort out sticks and stones, and a bin for worm composting) at http://www.dep.state.pa.us/. [NOTE! Compost tea webpage can be found at http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deput...e/Tea/tea1.htm Compost tea is easily made by soaking or steeping compost in water. The resulting compost tea is used for either a foliar application (sprayed on the leaves) or applied to the soil.... Compost tea increases plant growth, provides nutrients to plants and soil, provides beneficial organisms, helps to suppress diseases, and replaces toxic garden chemicals. Supplies needed: two- to five-gallon plastic buckets, one gallon of mature compost, aquarium pump and gang valve (to divide the air supply into several streams), four gallons of water, approximately three feet of aquarium hose, unsulfured molasses, and cheesecloth. 1. Attach three separate pieces of hose each at least 12" long to the gang valve. [One piece of hose at the inlet, attached to the pump, and two pieces at outlets.] 2. Place the gang valve on the rim of a bucket and make sure the hoses reach the bottom of the bucket. 3. Add your finished compost and make sure that it covers the ends of the hoses. 4. Add the water, filling the bucket to within six inches of the top. (If you are using water from a public water source, run the pump and bubble air through the water for at least an hour before adding the water to the compost. This allows any chlorine to escape. Chlorine can kill beneficial organisms in the tea.) 5. Add one ounce of unsulfured molasses to provide a food source for beneficial microorganisms. 6. Turn on the aquarium pump and let the mixture brew for two to three days. Stir the brew occasionally to help mix the compost and to separate the microorganisms from the solid compost particles. 7. After brewing the mixture, you need to strain the tea. Use cheesecloth and strain into another bucket. (You can put the compost solids back into the compost pile or in the garden.) The tea should smell sweet and earthy. If it smells bad, do not use it on your plants, but dump the mixture back into your compost pile. 8. Apply the compost tea to your flower and vegetable plants immediately. The beneficial microbes will begin to die shortly after the air source is removed. You can sprinkle the compost tea onto the foliage and the soil around each plant. The tea will provide nutrients and an energy boost to your garden plants. You can apply compost tea every two weeks to your garden. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Reprinted with permission from the May 2003 _HortIdeas_. Copyright 2003 by Greg and Pat Williams. HORTIDEAS (ISSN 0742-8219) is published monthly by Gregory and Patricia Y. Williams, 750 Black Lick Road, Gravel Switch, KY 40328 U.S.A. Annual subscription rates: U.S., $25.00 periodicals or $27.00 first class; Canada and Mexico, $32.00; Overseas, $30.00 surface mail or $42.00 air mail. Single issues: North America, $2.50 each; Overseas, $3.00 each, surface mail, or $4.00 each, air mail. The email address for HORTIDEAS is: . _HortIdeas_ is now on the world wide web at http://www.users.mis.net/~gwill/hi-index.htm -- Bob Batson "Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines" |
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