Compost Tea Brewers in 10 Easy Steps!
Compost tea brewers are valuable sources of good tea that can help improve plant growth. So far, tea compost is generally only available through private brewers. The tediousness and professional equipment involved in the process makes it unlikely that companies offering the services of compost tea brewers will emerge in the near future.
Lots of commercially produced compost tea brewers tend to be rather pricey. But compost tea brewers can be easy to make at home and do not have to cost as much.
You can easily create your own brewing system at home by following these simple steps.
1. Connect three different, foot long hoses to a gang valve.
2. Put the valve in a 5-gallon bucket, with the three hoses touching the bucket bottom.
3. Put some compost in the bucket, just enough to comfortably cover the hose ends.
4. Pour some water into the bucket within half a foot of the bucket opening.
(Caution: Do not pour chlorinated water directly on compost tea brewers since it can kill the vital bacteria and fungi. Instead use an aquarium pump on the water for 1 hour prior to adding so that any chlorine traces can evaporate.)
5. Put an ounce of molasses (un-sulfured) so that vital bacteria and fungi can be fed.
6. Use the pump on the mix and brew for at least a couple of days, stirring periodically.
7. Take no longer than three days, after which you will have to strain the brew through cheesecloth, into a second bucket.
8. Take any lumps of compost and return them back to the compost heap. You may also use them as ready fertilizer by pressing them into a plant bed.
9. Even homemade compost tea brewers should produce tea with a sweetish earth smell.
(Caution: If the tea has a bad odor, return it to the compost pile. Never try to apply it to your garden. Especially when applied to leaves, compost tea creates an immediate effect. If the bad odor is caused by dead bacteria and fungi or by trace toxins, it could kill your plant immediately.)
10. Compost tea should not be left standing for very long since removing the pump will cause vital bacteria and fungi to die out soon after. Use the brew immediately.
Homemade, inexpensive compost tea brewers are a great way to produce a liquid-fertilizer-cum-safe-pest-repellent for your plants, which can be sprayed on leaves and branches, as well as on the plant bed, every couple of weeks.
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