How and When to Make Compost Tea
Question
November 14, 2024
I'm a part of the LOBO Gardens class at UNM and we're hoping to spread information on compost tea, but I have some questions, and hope that you'll be able to respond with some advice! How would one go about making about two gallons worth of compost tea? I assume we'll need to aerate the mixture but am not sure what I should use for that process. We'd like to create informational flyers and pass out the final tea result in mason jars to anyone interested in boosting their soil health, but I'm wondering if the end of November will even be an appropriate time for that? If now isn't the best time to add compost tea to a garden but we still want to teach about the process, could people keep the tea in the jar until it's proper application time?
Answer(s)
Answer by JZ: A (my) method for short brew compost tea:
Step one: Fill a 5 gallon bucket with 4 gallons of water, stir the water with a broom handle so as to create a vortex in one direction, then stir in the opposite direction, then let the open bucket sit overnight in a warm spot, in the sun during the day. Doing this will help eliminate chlorine(or similar chemicals) from the water, which might inhibit microbial growth.
Step two: After the above is done, then I add 2-4 cups of sifted, aerobically produced finished compost to the bucket. Then put the bucket in a warm location. Some add a sweetener (eg. unsulfered molasses) to the brew to enhance microbial proliferation. Then you may add an electrical bubbler to the setup to keep it well aerated or you may continue to stir it with a broom handle creating a vortex with each hourly stir. Keep the brew well aerated. I do this for about 6 or more hours, then pour the bucket contents thru a sieve.
Then use the end product as you wish. I use the tea immediately. Have no experience with storing it for later use, others may comment about that. Tea stored in a closed jar would have residual nutrients, but perhaps diminished microbial activity. My opinion: Our local unamended desert soil often lacks, because of our climate - organic material. Finished, aerobically produced compost is a pre and probiotic for our soil. Adding compost on a regular basis is a straightforward method of improving desert soil fertility. I’d suggest that you share compost with your colleagues, then let them do what they will with it. Making compost tea is an extra procedural step. You could add the tea to your soil anytime, but during the active plant growing season would enhance the uptake of residual nutrients in the tea and warm soil temps would enhance microbial activity. Hope that this is useful information. Get back if you have questions.