Compost tea

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What is compost tea?

Compost tea is more or less a liquid version of compost. You take your solid compost, and soak it in water and let the mixture sit around for a few hours or a few days. Then you pour the liquid through a screen, or through cheesecloth or something similar to strain out the solid material into a bucket. What you have then is compost tea.

Compost tea is great, because it is a very mild, organic liquid fertilizer that provides beneficial live organisms that improve the soil where you use it. It doesn't burn plants like store bought fertilizers can.

Compost tea can restore beneficial organisms to your soil that were killed by pesticides or extreme
weather. Active organisms found in compost tea, such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes can
increase nutrient cycling and help your plants get the most nutrients from the soil.

Looking for information on making compost? Visit our main composting page and see everything else we have to say about the subject.

Other pages about compost tea

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection page on how to make compost tea.

NPR did this online article about making compost tea.

Soil Food Web also has a good compost tea page.

Compost tea instructions from Simple Gifts Farm.

Browse composting equipment and other lawn and garden supplies at Clean Air Gardening.