Compost Tea Application

The importance of a healthy soil (and foliar) microbial community to proper ecosystem functioning is well recognized. Compost tea is a technology developed to help replenish and restore this community on lands where it is degraded. Plant growth is typically improved with tea applications containing the correct mix of beneficial organisms for the vegetation being grown (Ingham, 2005).

Compost Tea production is a “cold brewing” process, allowing growth of organisms extracted from the compost. Various organic foods/organic fertilizers are added during the brewing process to provide food & nutrient substrates for the microbial organisms to grow. The degree to which fungal growth, versus bacterial growth, is sustained during the brewing process will depend on the quality of the initial compost used and the type of food/nutrients added. It is important that the process remain aerobic during the brewing process and up until the tea is applied – if the tea becomes anaerobic, beneficial organisms (aerobic fungi, protozoa and nematodes) may be lost, replaced by anaerobic bacteria and yeasts (Ingham, 2005).

Ingham, Elaine (2005). The Compost Tea Brewing Manual, 

5th edition. Soil Foodweb Incorporated, Corvallis, Oregon.