It is mid-summer, the gardening season is halfway over. Time for a plant boost. The easiest and most effective way to give the plants some instant food is by using compost tea. Compost tea is simply tea made out of good, finished compost, a liquid plant fertilizer. Plants love compost tea.
Compost tea is also a good way to extend the good compost you have. Diluted in water it goes a long way. A little bit of compost makes a lot of liquid, all natural fertilizer.
There are two kinds of compost tea: there is brew and there is steep. We like the steep, or maybe I should say just the mix. Let’s get started and you will see what I mean. Compost tea can be made very simply, and this is the way we do it.
How to make simple compost tea
Put some good quality compost into a container, add water, stir, and water the plants with it. So simple, right? The water to compost ratio is about 1 to 30, but there is no science to it. More will just make stronger compost tea. You can use composted sheep manure, worm castings, or any good quality compost.
We would recommend to let the compost tea steep for at least 24 hours if you use cold tap or well water. Plants do not like cold water with or without compost. If you happen to let it sit a bit longer, make sure to stir it occasionally so the mixture does not start to smell.
How to use simple compost tea
Now take the compost tea and water your plants with it. Give about a gallon to each plant. If some compost happens to be left in the bottom you can add more water until everything is gone, or just scoop the compost out and give that to the plants, too.
This simple method has worked for us and many other gardeners. Plants just love compost tea, it provides them with much needed nutrients in a liquid, easily available form.
Now, if you are not as simple, you can make compost tea a bit more complicated.
Use an old sock or nylons as a “tea bag” filling it with good quality compost, making sure the compost does not touch the bottom of the bucket. Add some organic molasses to feed the bacteria. Fill the bucket with water. Add an aquarium aerator (Air Pump) and let the compost tea brew. You will end up with awesome compost tea, and your plants will grow just as great as with a simple compost tea.