Saturday, July 4, 2015

Beyond Compost Tea | Garden Teas With Nutrients
Unity Consciousness #332

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Compost is simply decaying organic matter. Compost tea is simply organic matter sitting in water for hours or days.

Although compost tea might be the one talked about the most, tea can be made from any organic matter such as wood chips, grass (fresh or dry), straw, manure, leaves, twigs, branches, logs, kitchen scraps (vegetables, fruit, eggshells), coffee grounds, soil, “weeds,” etc. Whatever you would put into the compost, you can put in a bucket of water and make tea.

Put one or more of these items in a bucket, add water (rainwater preferably) and let it sit for a day or two or for a few hours. The natural process of diffusion causes water to move into the organic material and also causes nutrients to move into the water. If you're not persnickety, some urine can be added to "sweeten" the tea with more nutrients. Water left over from boiling or steaming vegetables is already tea, let it cool down to room temperature and pour it around any outdoor plant.

Tea, made by humans, is not necessary for plants or as a blanket application to the entire garden. Tea is only needed when soil is not yet strong and plants are lagging. When soil contains organic matter in various stages of decomposition and is mulched with organic matter, then each time it rains, nutrient tea is automatically made in the soil.