Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 5: Rotting Green Plants
• Method 2 of 5: Fertilizer Compost
• Method 3 of 5: Compost Spray
• Method 4 of 5: Aerated Compost Tea (ACC)
• Method 5 of 5: Commercial Sources
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Compost tea nourishes your plants well and is an excellent soil tonic. Compost tea is preferred over fertilizer tea. Conservative organic gardeners prefer compost tea over fertilizer tea because the former provides more nutrients and is believed to have more integrity. In a general sense, this is not the tea that you want to drink or inhale, but the one that your plants eagerly absorb.

Steps

Method 1 of 5: Rotting Green Plants

This is a fairly simple method and generates more wastewater than compost tea, but since it has been in use for a long time it may be helpful if you have fresh, leafy plants to use.

1. 1 Collect foliage. Good for this: comfrey, nettles or seaweed if you are near the beach.
2. 2 Fill the bucket with water.
3. 3 Add foliage to the bucket and let it rot.
4. 4 Pour the mixture over the plants.

Method 2 of 5: Fertilizer Compost

Be aware that some people are against this method, as they claim that due to the "lack of air" it can form anaerobic disease organisms such as E. coli. However, provided that you will not swallow, inhale compost, wear gloves (and a mask for the real paranoid), this method can be successfully used for a long time. The following method was taken from the book "Composting" by Tim Marshall.

1. 1 Use fertilizer compost.
2. 2 Place the compost in a container:
   • Place the compost in a bucket or barrel. Fill one half of two thirds, then add water. Leave everything to soak in for 8 hours if you shake the mixture regularly, and for 24 hours if you leave it on and shake only a few times. Or:
   • Place the compost in a bag. A bag in a barrel of water. Shake the liquid two to three times on the first day, and then every day or 2 times a week. It is ready to use after a week of soaking in this way, or you can speed up the process by stirring it more often.
   • Pay more attention to the most frequent stirring. Some gardeners believe that more nutrients are stored in this way.
   • In any case, never let the compost tea ferment for more than a month.
3. 3 Use it. To use compost tea, pour it through a watering can or spray bottle. The color of the compost should be light yellow, if it is darker, then dilute it with water. Compost tea can be safely used for the entire garden. It is especially useful for newly planted or transplanted plants, for weak plants that need a tonic, for potted plants throughout the growing season, for lawns and vegetable beds.
   • Do not use compost tea in very cold or hot weather conditions. In summer, pour compost tea in the early morning or afternoon. Because at this time the plants begin to feed.
   • It should only be used during the growing season for the plants in question.
   • Broadleaf and woody plants have stomata on the underside of their leaves, so make sure they are completely watered.
4. 4 Re-soaking. If you like, you can re-soak the compost to make more. Each time you need to add a little new compost from the fertilizer. When you no longer need the compost you have soaked, it can be used as a mulch or as a soil additive.

Method 3 of 5: Compost Spray

Compost spray is made to fight plant diseases. This method has been used successfully for decades. Again, this method was taken from the book "Composting" by Tim Marshall.

1. 1 Transfer a 1 kg bucket of compost to a bucket of water.
2. 2 Stir everything for 15 minutes.
3. 3 Spray the resulting liquid directly onto diseased plants. The spray can also be used as a seedling prophylactic.

Method 4 of 5: Aerated Compost Tea (ACC)

This is the best method for using compost as a liquid extract (tea), but it takes some effort. The previous method effectively diffuses nutrients and bacteria from the compost into your garden. However, with the ACC method, you will be able to increase the number of germs and bacteria just before application. The method is borrowed from the book "Composting" by Tim Marshall.

1. 1 Ventilate your compost before using it. This means that it must be thoroughly mixed and ventilated during its creation. It should be well filled with "brown" starting materials such as leaves, sawdust or blank cardboard. Adding some forest soil will also increase the amount of beneficial mushrooms, according to Mark Remillard.
   • Be careful when scooping up the compost for ventilation to avoid harming the hedgehogs.
2. 2 Use only mature and fragrant compost.
3. 3 Place 5-10 liters of fully matured, aerated, and fragrant compost in a 20-liter plastic bucket. Fill the rest of the space with water.
4. 4 Add 250 ml of non-sulfur molasses. Transfer thoroughly with compost tea. In cooler weather, add more molasses.
5. 5 Leave the compost immersed for 2-3 days. Stir it with a wooden stick during this time. This way, the compost will not settle and float in the liquid. Alternatively, connect a pump for an aquarium with three air stones. It will maintain the oxygen level in the environment.
   • It may sound very difficult at this stage, but it should also be noted that you can hire / rent a fermentation machine if you still need it. However, the aquarium pump is cheap and easy to set up.
6. 6 Smell the compost tea. It should have a sweet smell with a little mustiness. If it smells bad or alcoholic, it means you need to add another air stone to the aquarium pump and some molasses.
7. 7 Leave the pump on throughout the fermentation.
8. 8 When you are ready to use the compost tea, let the liquid sit for 10 minutes (turn on the pump and do not stir the compost) before pouring the liquid into a spray bottle or watering can. Get started, as the compost tea should be used within an hour after you empty it from the oxygenated bucket. This high oxygen top material is ready to fight the nasty things in your garden by using bacteria to fight plant diseases.

Method 5 of 5: Commercial Sources

1. 1 Buy compost tea. Compost tea can also be purchased from enthusiastic housewives or gardening gurus with a degree in organic gardening. Going this far, you may not really go to the average gardener without a degree in organic gardening and organic business products, but if you're interested, here's what you might think of.
2. 2 Read about the different methods of making aerated compost tea and the basics of soil microbiology. This can be quite tricky because besides being resistant, human pathogens are about to jump at you with every move you make until the commercial method is used. It is believed that different nutrients and protective benefits can be generated at different temperatures, as a result of different baits, oxygen concentrations, use of initial compost and fermentation. Research has shown that aerobic microbes can provide the best results. You must understand that the methods used commercially are guaranteed to meet your requirements and make the price affordable.
   • Commercial production of aerobic microorganisms occurs using oxygenated fermentation under controlled conditions. This highly concentrated extract needs to be diluted before being poured into plants.
3. 3 If you are going to buy this extract instead of making your own product as described above, then you need to do some research before spending your hard-earned money. Talk to a local housewife who knows all about the process and may even be involved in it, and ask lots of questions. Read the label carefully and store the extract for as long as indicated on it, in no case for more than 6 months.

Tips

• This mixture is suitable for indoor plants, garden plants and other places.
• Use the mixture both indoors and outdoors during the growing season, or as advised in a good gardening manual.
• You can connect an aquarium pump with a hose. Read the instructions that should be included in the package with the device.
• This mixture can also be a good seedling groundbait.
• Shake the water container well to create foam on the surface. It helps aerate and prevent oxidation of the various compost tea varieties described in this article.
• Before distributing the compost tea, use additives such as liquid seaweed, mountain powder, or humic acid.

Warnings

• Do not use chlorinated water. It destroys the beneficial organisms in the compost. If possible, use rainwater or distilled water, or fresh water from a clean source. You can also add air stones to the tap water for an hour or more to remove chlorine.
• In any of the above situations, do not drink, inhale, or do rash things with compost tea. It is not toxic as long as you do not overuse it. Wear gloves when using it, and if you have breathing problems or are worried about potential pathogens, wear a mask.
• There will be no human pathogens in compost tea if they are not in the compost! Read a lot of reviews about unhealthy and non-oxidized methods from people who are totally against them and only use methods of oxidizing compost tea. As mentioned, use common sense and you will be fine.
• Never store compost tea in a sealed container.Well-fermented compost tea can explode in the container. Better to use it once and not store it.

What do you need

• Ready-to-use compost (aerated, mature, fragrant)
• Cloth / bag (library bag size and larger) or buckets as described in the method
• A watering can or spray bottle to distribute tea
• Oxygen Method Aquarium Pump
• Reputable gardening books and magazines. Beware of marketing advertisements on sites that promote their own products. Do your research first.
• Mask and gloves made to handle compost teas
• A solid dose of common sense for the correct handling of a garden product