A Recipe for Compost Tea

This recipe for making compost tea involves steeping compost in water and providing aeration to encourage the multiplication of beneficial microorganisms. And of course, it provides a faster way to get vital nutrients to your plants, since you'll be adding them in liquid form to the soil.

Here is a list of what I used, and as long as the principles remain the same, you can easily substitute with suitable alternative materials.

- Two 5 gallon buckets or 20L water jugs, etc

- aquarium pump for aeration (with 2 outputs; for 20 gallon tank)

- two air stones (3" or 5")

- small air stone (or plastic aeration piece)

- 3' of plastic tubing

- plastic T joint

- scissors

- tin snips or razor knife

- zip tie or strong

- mesh bag or cheesecloth, etc

- molasses, or maple syrup, or a homemade syrup from pure raw sugar

- mature compost (I used a bokashi, which is a fermented compost, and a corn fibre compost)

Method:

1. Fill one bucket with water and let it sit for a few hours. Stir it several times to help the chlorine evaporate.

2. Drill or puncture a hole in the top part of the other bucket (the tea bucket) to be able to attach the cloth bag. If you use a jug then first cut a hole the size of a small plate in the top with the tin snips (or very carefully with the razor knife).

3. Set the pump on the ground beside the tea bucket and measure one length of tubing from the pump to inside the base of the bucket. Cut the tubing and attach the T joint. And then cut two smaller pieces to connect the two air stones. It's important they be able to sit flat on the base of the bucket. Use duct tape if they won't stay still.

Pump and aeration pieces

4. Cut another length of tubing for the second output and connect the smaller air stone (or plastic piece). It should reach about halfway into the bucket. This will go inside of the cloth bag with the compost.

5. Fill the bag loosely with a good amount of compost and hold it open inside the bucket you're going to use to make the tea. Pour the water from the other bucket through the compost and leave about 3" at the top for the foam that will form. Put the small aeration piece into the bag that's now submersed in the water. Carefully twist up the cloth at the top around the tubing and attach the bag to the top of the bucket with a zip tie or string.

Pour through the bag with compost inside

6. Connect the pump and make sure that all aeration pieces are working. Pour about 3 or 4 Tbs of molasses into the mixture and let it brew with the pump connected for 48 - 72 hours. Keep it out of direct sun. No lid is necessary.

7. When it's ready, dilute the tea 2:1 with water or more if you think it's particularly strong. Pour the tea into the soil around your plants, being careful not to spill any onto the leaves. Ideally, use the tea right away, when the microorganisms are at their richest. Add the solids from the bag back into your compost bin.