In the Garden: Upper South August, 2005 Regional Report  Share |
The equipment for making compost tea is simple, but it's
important to use compost specifically formulated for making tea.
It's Tea Time!  Compost tea, that is. Being touted as the next
big thing in gardening, compost tea is reported to increase
disease resistance in plants, reduce fertilizer and water needs
as well as plant stress, and improve soil structure, aeration,
retention of nutrients, and cycling of nutrients into plant-
available forms. Compost tea puts the microbes back into soils
that have been subjected to chemicals or soils that are
naturally limited in microbial activity. When applied to plant
foliage, compost tea prevents harmful substances, including
disease organisms, from reaching the plant. It also increases
the amount of nutrients taken up by foliar-applied fertilizers.
What is Compost Tea? Compost tea is an aerobically brewed liquid
extract made from specially formulated compost mixtures.
Properly made, it has beneficial o