How to Use Compost Tea

One of the special features of the Envirocycle composter that I reviewed earlier is its ‘compost tea’ collector. Being a complete newbie to composting back when I bought it my first reaction to this was: ‘Great – compost tea! What’s that for?’

For anyone else with the same question – this is (very simply) what you do with compost tea…

Spray it on or pour it in.

A little more detail? Ok then…

Compost tea can be used as a foliar application (spray it on the leaves) to help keep away pests, diseases and infections. It encourages beneficial organisms which help to keep plants healthy in a natural way and, for some gardeners, replaces artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides.

Other gardeners use it more as a rich liquid plant food and just add it to the soil (I sometimes use it to water potted plants). Applied to the soil in this way the compost tea can help to retain nutrients and suppress disease.

How to Make Compost Tea

There are lots of compost tea makers available and some really good ideas to brew your own with simple equipment on this blog.