If you’re still using plain old compost, you’re living in the past. These days gardeners are raving about the wonders of compost tea. Compost tea is liquid gold for plants; it fertilizes and suppresses diseases. This liquid fertilizer is relatively cheap and easy to make, and it provides your plants with instant nutrients to support their growth, improve their nutritional value, and even improve the flavor of your crops.

What You Need

Making your own compost tea requires a few key ingredients to get started. You shouldn’t try to make compost tea without some kind of aeration equipment; the organisms in the tea will quickly deplete the oxygen and your tea will start to stink.

• A 5-gallon bucket or larger, depending on how much compost tea you need; 5 gallons is the smallest amount I recommend makingAn aquarium pump
• Several feet of tubing
• Something to stir the mixture with
• Something to strain the tea with, like a nylon stocking or old pillowcase

How to Make Homemade Compost Tea

Once you have everything you need, it’s time to set up your equipment and get brewing.

You can formulate your tea specifically for whatever project you’re currently doing. For instance, molasses boosts bacteria which is beneficial to grasses, but protein like fish oil boosts fungal activity which is more beneficial to large shrubbery or trees. If you’ve never made compost tea before, you’re about to have some very happy plants.

1. Set up your pump: Attach the tubing to the aquarium pump. Make sure the tube is securely attached and no air is escaping. Fix tubing to the side of your container with clamps, or bury the end of the tubing under your compost to keep it in place. Find a location for your bucket that is warm but not directly in the sun. Direct sunlight can promote algae growth and throw off the balance of nutrients in your compost.
2. Mix together your ingredients: Put your compost in the container; you want to have a good balance of carbon-based and nitrogen-based compost. High carbon materials are things like: wood, ashes, bark, shredded newspaper and sawdust. High nitrogen materials are: coffee grounds, grass clippings, manure and seaweed. Loosely fill your bucket with compost about three-quarters of the way, making sure the mixture isn’t packed too tightly to stir. Now you want to add water to your mix. Rainwater is preferable since it lacks the chemicals that tap water may contain. Fill the bucket with water, leaving enough room at the top so you can stir without spilling or splashing.
3. Start your pump: Turn your pump on and wait to see if you need to adjust it. After a few minutes you should see bubbles in your mixture; it should look like it’s boiling. If your pump isn’t producing enough air, adjust the pump up or down as needed.
4. Add some food for the microorganisms: Once your pump is running smoothly and aerating as it should, add in one ounce of organic unsulfured molasses and stir your mixture.
5. Let the tea steep: Vigorously stir your mixture a few times a day to release more organisms and increase aeration. Let your tea brew for about three days, turn the pump off and remove the equipment. Unclamp your tubing from the side of the bucket, disconnect tubing from the pump and unplug the pump.
6. Strain your tea: Allow the tea to settle for a few moments so the largest pieces of matter fall to the bottom, making the mixture easier to strain. Strain your liquid into another bucket or directly into your sprayer. The strained material can go back into your compost pile, but should not be used to make tea again since brewing has removed a lot of nutrients from the organic material. If you want to make a new batch, start with fresh compost.
7. Use your tea: Now that your tea is ready you’ll want to use it as soon as possible. Your tea needs to be diluted with water to protect your plants. The final liquid mixture is extremely concentrated and may burn your plants, especially if your compost was nitrogen-rich. Dilute your mixture about one part compost tea to 10 parts water.Once again, for best results try to use rainwater or water that has been dechlorinated. In early morning or evening when there’s less chance of leaf burn, apply the liquid to the leaves and roots of your plants in the garden. Safer Brand, an organic gardening company, suggests using compost tea on your lawn as well. “When establishing a new lawn or restoring a sparse area, use compost tea to inoculate the soil with microbes that break down nutrients for grass roots.”

If normal compost just isn’t cutting it for your plants, this nutrient-rich liquid may be exactly what they need. Not only are you putting that compost to good use, you’re growing healthy and nutritious plants – while also enriching the soil in your garden.

Further Reading:

• Planning Your Organic Garden
• DIY Solutions for the Garden
• How to Start a Vegetable Garden – How to Grow Vegetables
• 5 Natural Pest Remedies for Your Garden
• Medicinal Herb Garden – What To Grow and How To Keep It Growing All Winter
• Ten Great Gardening Tips

Sources:

• When to Apply Compost Tea – The Nest
• Thicker, Greener, Healthier Simple Steps to Your Lushest Lawn Ever – Safer Brand

We’ve all witnessed a dog or cat charge into the yard to chomp on green grass, just like we’ve all cleaned up the resulting, imminent mess. While a little grass won’t hurt your pets, there are quite a few common household plants that are dangerous for them to ingest. Take stock of where you’ve placed your houseplants and decide if any new are too dangerous to keep.

Aloe Vera

Aloe vera is commonly used to treat burns. And it might be the most useful household plant in your collection – useful for humans that is. Unfortunately, this plant is toxic to our four-legged friends. Aloe vera causes reactions like vomiting and diarrhea, but it can also cause tremors and depression if snacking continues.

English Ivy

As beautiful as ivy cuttings and hanging baskets in your home can be, the sap contains a toxin called triterpenoid saponin. The foliage itself is the most dangerous part, but keep any berries out of reach, too.

Baby’s Breath

Not that you don’t already try, but keep flower arrangements out of your pets’ reach. Baby’s breath causes diarrhea and vomiting if ingested by your pet, and it’s in almost every flower arrangement.

Begonia

The roots and tubers of this plant are its most harmful parts. Keep your pets from digging at this by moving it to a higher shelf.

Gladiola

A vibrant flower for floral arrangements, the bulb is the most dangerous part of the plant. That doesn’t mean you should let your kitties take any chances by chewing on the stem.

Lilies

Commonly known as a funeral flower, lilies put cats at high risk. They are extremely toxic to cats, but not dogs. Even the littlest bit can be harmful. Lilies cause kidney failure, so it’s best to keep them out of a cat-friendly home.

Cyclamen

Another popular potted plant, cyclamen is toxic to dogs and cats. Fatalities have been reported in some cases, though they aren’t common. The root is the most harmful part of this plant.

Poinsettia

The holiday season is often a dangerous time of year for pets. You probably already know that the poinsettia plant isn’t good for your pets. The good news is that it isn’t the harbinger of death as often depicted. It’ll just cause stomach and mouth irritation. Keep it out of reach — or out of the house entirely.

Pathos

This common container plant causes swelling and irritation to tissue in your pets’ mouth and within their gastrointestinal tract. The damage will occur if the plant has been chewed and not swallowed — though swallowing will cause a stronger reaction.

Tomato Plant

You might not grow tomatoes indoors year round, but many gardeners start their seeds indoors. Keep your pets away from these plants. They generally aren’t deadly, but your pets will be very uncomfortable if they ingest the seedlings.

To keep the pets in your house safe year round, keep the highest risk plants, such as lilies, out of the house. Be sure to keep all others out of reach. Your four-legged friends will thank you for helping them resist temptation.