Compost Tea Does Not Create More Fertilizer (This is What it Does)


Compost Tea Does Not Create More Fertilizer (This is What it Does)

Please Visit The Rusted Garden Vegetable Seed and Garden Shop

I will be making videos on some of the myths we hear and on the silly prices we are being charged for organic fertilizers. So you can each be informed and decide how you want to use something in your garden.

Compost tea does not create fertilizer. Fertilizer comes from elements. You can't create an element like Nitrogen, Phosphorous or Potassium. That is you can't grow it in a tea. If you could we would grow gold. Same idea.

Compost tea is really nothing more than seeping the elements from compost into a liquid. So if you put in a shovel full of compost, you won’t get any more N P or K than is already in the shovel full of compost. Therefore compost tea does have some very weak fertilizer it. For the sake of straight fertilizing you are better off just put the compost around the plant.

Compost tea can grow soil bacteria at a high rate. By adding in sugar, typically unsulfured molasses, along with an aeration stone… you can grow billions of soil microbes. Some people feel the microbes block plant pathogens from getting on the leaves. I do not know if this is true but I tend to think it is not. You simply pour the tea on the leaves.

So why do people swear by compost tea as a fertilizer and preach about the benefits. Well, it doesn’t hurt number one. It has some fertilizer in it from the compost. But the significant change they really see comes from the billions of microbes they pour into the soil.

The hungry microbes want to eat. They do their job by chowing down organic matter and changing it into a fertilizer form your plants can readily use and absorb. The bacteria speed up the breakdown of your organic matter and create lots of N, P and K. The plants suck it in and grow.

You are not really adding fertilizer to your plant. You are adding billions of soil bacteria that attack the organic matter and leave behind waste the plants love. This has a pro of greening up your plants. It also has a con of more quickly going through the organic matter. Nature moves at a pace that slowly breaks down organic matter and thus delivers an even supply to the plants over the season.

The bottom line is to keep organic matter moving into the garden. Compost is a great way to add free matter and thus fertilizer to your garden.

Good Luck with Your Garden,
Gary (The Rusted Garden)

Join My New YouTube Channel Just for NEW Gardeners: My First Vegetable Garden

Join My FB VIDEO Page - :The Rusted Garden FB Videos

Join My FB DISCUSSION Group - :The Rusted Garden: All About Vegetable Gardening

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ten Things About Tomatoes for 2015: Tips for Tomato Success!

Image
Ten Things About Tomatoes for 2015 (Revised) Tomato Thing One: Two Types of Tomatoes Determinate and Indeterminate: There are two types of tomato plants. A tomato plant is either a determinate plant or indeterminate plant. A determinate tomato grows to a set height and stops growing. The fruits mature all at once or relatively close in time and the plant dies shortly after the final fruits mature. This determinate type of tomato is great for getting the first round of tomatoes from your garden (as they mature quickly) and they do well in containers. You might be able to plant two rounds of determinate tomatoes in your gardening zone. You can often plant them in May and again in July. The indeterminate tomato continues to grow and grow until frost. It sets fruit throughout the season. Only frost or disease will stop an indeterminate tomato from producing. Think of it this way, a determinate tomato grows to a pre determin ed size. Indeteriminate tomatoes often need to be staked and prun...
Read more

Understanding Garden Nitrogen: Products, Organic vs. Synthetic, Use and Strategies

Image
Understanding Garden Nitrogen: Products, Organic vs. Synthetic, Use and Strategies Nitrogen is a macro-nutrient which means it is a main element all plants need to grow. Without it, you can't really have a thriving garden. The earth's atmosphere is made up of nearly 80% nitrogen but plants can't use nitrogen in that form. It must be fixed or transformed into a form the plants can absorb and use. Nitrogen can be changed biologically or chemically. Biological forms are often called organic nitrogen. Chemically processed nitrogen is often called synthetic. Ammonia is the basis for chemical fertilizers. Understanding Nitrogen Fertilizer - TRG 2014 I made this video to help you understand the different forms of nitrogen available for your garden. I use both organic and synthetic forms of fertilizers. I also use compost and nitrogen fixing legumes like beans, red clover and peas. I believe is in using garden fertilizers in and educated and purposeful way. My recommendation is you...
Read more

Three Part Series: Growing Cilantro, Basil, Parsley & Chives on a Kitchen Windowsill - Seed Starting

Image
Growing Cilantro, Basil, Parsley & Chives on a Kitchen Windowsill Part 1 of 3: Starting the Seeds Peat pellets are used for this project because they are going to spend most of their time sitting in water mixed with 1/2 strength liquid fertilizer. The design of  a peat pellet is perfect for this. It allows room for root growth and it will allow roots to grow out of the medium and into the water. Cilantro, basil, parsley and chives were selected for this video because they don't mind wet roots and can do well in water. This is a 3 part video series I am doing. This video explains the basic concept of growing herbs in peat pellets and water and how to plant the seeds. The goal is not to grow full sized herbs on your kitchen windowsill but to grow many many leaves. The 1/2 strength nutrient solution will keep the plants happy. You do need a windowsill with at least 8 hours of full sun, if you are germinating them on the sill. If you start them under lights and get them to size, yo...
Read more