The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Tea Compost

Tea compost is the liquid produced when compost is soaked or steeped in water. When compost in a tumbler generates excess moisture, the liquid that you pour out is compost tea. Highly versatile because of its liquid form, tea compost can either be sprayed on plants or simply poured on the soil.

Tea compost is a terrific substitute for commercial fertilizers, many of which are artificial or made with chemicals. It is also a safer alternative to pesticides, and has special applications for organic gardening.

The benefits of tea compost are many, such as:

• more rapid growth of plants
• creates nutrient-packed soil, plants, and food crops
• more lush and abundant growth
• useful in organic (100% natural) gardening
• gives soil beneficial microorganisms
• great substitute for artificial, toxic pest repellents
• suppresses diseases

Experts say that tea compost has a faster and greater effect on plants compared to compost applied to the soil. However, other experts caution that turning regular compost into tea compost will not add to the initial compost quality; that is, the ingredients of the compost to be steeped must be chosen very carefully.

Therefore, use high quality compost ingredients for tea and leave the low quality ones for soil use. These are the things to watch out for when brewing compost tea:

• too much salt content;
• too high anaerobic microorganism count; and
• too much pathogen-content (which will be magnified in tea).

Do Not Keep Tea Compost Too Long

After you brew compost tea, use it immediately. Letting it sit too long will have a negative effect on microorganism diversity and nutrient content. If you have to let it stand for a few moments, put it in the shade. Do not cover completely, but leave enough space just for the tea to breathe.

Where To Apply Tea Compost

If you intend to use it on soil, pour around the root zone. The soil of your plant already has a lot of microorganisms and the tea will likely compete with these for absorption into the roots. This is the reason why many experts believe the other application to be more beneficial: spraying.

You can also use compost tea on a plant's leaves. The advantage of this method is that the plant will immediately feel the beneficial effects. The disadvantage is, if you happen to use even the smallest amount of toxic or pathogenic substance, the plant will also immediately feel its effects; unlike when it has time to process compost from the roots to the leaves.

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