It's Tea Time!

Hey Everyone,

One of the best ways to enhance the growth of your plants while fostering long-term soil fertility is with the use of compost teas.  For organic gardeners, these teas are excellent tools for providing the bacterial nutrition that vegetables seem to love.  The beneficial microbes and organisms found in these teas also work hard as a first line of defense against many of the pathogens that can cause disease.  In addition, they work extremely well at keeping many pesky insects at bay.

There are several applications where compost and/or worm teas can be effective:

Both effective and inexpensive!

• A seed treatment - Soaking seeds in a solution of compost tea prior to planting inoculates your seeds against harmful fungi and speeds the germination process. 
• Transplant time - When the time comes to move plants up in pot size or transplant directly into the garden, this is a wonderful opportunity to use a compost tea solution.  The tea's not only provide a healthy dose of nutritious food but go a long way in preventing transplant shock as well as disease resistance, getting your plants off to a fast and healthy start.
• Foliar applications - Whenever you need nutrition to plants in a hurry, a foliar application of tea gets the nutrition there immediately.  Foliar applications are also an excellent method for awakening your plants defense mechanisms early.
• Root and/or soil drenches - Using compost teas as a root and/or soil drench promotes healthy plant development and growth as well as long-term soil fertility.  
• Standard fertilization - Compost teas are wonderful as part of a standard fertilization practice. Routine applications not only keep plants healthy and happy but are also known to increase both flower and fruit production.  

For the home gardener, there are two simple methods for brewing compost tea with an aerated system providing the best quality brew.  For those who may be interested a link is below to a previous post with instructions on how to make the tea using both methods.  I also included a link to One Yard Revolution that has an informative video on making the tea with worm castings and using it appropriately.

My Favorite Recipes for Simple 5-Gallon Bucket Brew's

Worm Based -

• 5 gallons de-chlorinated or rain water
• 2 1/2 - 3 cups quality worm castings
• 1 - 2 oz. Grandma's Original All Natural Unsulphured Molasses

Compost Based -

• 5 gallons de-chlorinated or rain water
• Good quality compost - Biodynamic Blends such as Malibu Compost or Farmer D Compost are incredible for the garden and provide increased production.  Biodynamic blends also provide some systemic insect resistance due to their ingredients.  It is also possible to use things as simple as Black Kow Composted Cow Manure and make additions depending on your specific needs.
• 1 - 2 oz. Grandma's Original All Natural Unsulphured Molasses
• Extra additions of worm castings, liquid fish, seaweed, or kelp depending on application and foliar manipulation desired.

Green Meadows Healthy Garden Tip:

For compost teas to be effective, it is important to cover at least 70% of all plant surfaces. The pores or tiny openings on the leaves (mainly the underside) and stems called stomata act as a catalyst for the uptake of nutrients as well as aid in photosynthesis and transpiration.  When the temperatures reach 80 degrees, the stomata start to close and at temperatures above 85 degrees, they close completely as part of a defense mechanism to prevent moisture loss within the plant.  Therefore, by using teas in either the morning or early evening and making sure to coat the undersides of all vegetation, your plants will get the most value from the application.   Please keep in mind that compost and/or worm teas are not a substitute for good soil fertility practices but rather a partner in the process of keeping your vegetables healthy and productive.

Yummy!

For those who enjoy additional reading, the book "Teaming with Microbes" by Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis has excellent information on compost teas and their use.  The National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service also has some reading that is interesting on teas at the agricultural level.  This information is easily applicable to home garden practices. Their links are excellent and also below for your convenience.

Links:

http://greenmeadowscommunitygarden.blogspot.com/2013/04/making-worm-tea.html - link to previous post on making worm tea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4VKLtDuzD8 - link to One Yard Revolution's video on making worm tea and using it appropriately 

https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=125 - link to "Notes on Compost Teas" from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service

https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=286 - link to "Foliar Fertilization" from the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service

Happy Gardening,

Denise, Beds 25 & 29