Compost Tea Application
See it in action here:
This video on making compost tea comes from Phil’s Smiling Gardener Academy where he has an additional 10 videos on compost tea and 30 or so other videos on effective microorganisms, mycorrhizal fungi and other microbial inoculants.
Brewing compost tea is easy. The brewer comes with instructions. Compost tea can be applied from a watering can, sprayer, or irrigation system. It is applied as both a foliar and a soil drench. It is important to use water that has no chlorine.
Like most liquid products, it is best applied in the morning, while evening would be the second choice (this is particularly beneficial for living inoculants, since some of the microorganisms are not interested in basking in the hot sun, so it’s nice to give them some time to acclimate to their new surroundings and find a place where they are happy).
Compost tea works best when combined with liquid organic fertilizer products (click on the ‘Organic Fertilizers’ link at right to learn more). Preferably, it would be applied in smaller, regular doses, such as monthly or even weekly during periods of stress/disease. At a minimum, it should be done once in the spring and once in the fall.
When pouring the finished tea into the sprayer, be sure to put a clean cloth (such as nylon, silk, cotton) over your sprayer to filter out particulate that may cause clogging.
As a foliar, it is applied undiluted, generally at 5 gallons (US) per acre (1/2 Litre per 1000 sq ft) for every 6 feet of average plant height. So if you have an orchard of 18-foot tall trees, you would apply more like 15 gallons per acre.
It is important to spray both the top and underside of the leaves and obtain at least 70% coverage. A mist (not too fine) from a sprayer works best for this. The whole plant can be sprayed.
For a soil drench, as much as 20 gallons (US) per acre (2 Litres per 1000 sq ft) is often applied once or twice a year. This can be mixed with any amount of dechlorinated water as is necessary to provide adequate coverage.
In summary:
- Foliar – undiluted – 1/2 Litre per 1000 sq ft on all leaf surfaces to at least 70% coverage, monthly if possible
- Soil – diluted as necessary – 2 Litres per 1000 sq ft, in the spring and perhaps fall