Compost tea is compost that has been mixed with water and fermented. The benefits include a biodynamic culture of healthy bacterial and fungi that not only feed the plants with nutrients but also ward off bad bacteria, molds and fungi. While the jury is still out on whether or not it is better than using regular compost we decided to give it a try. At the very least there are asthetic benefits to using a tea rather than sprinkling compost or fertilizer on our lawn :)
I found the directions to build a fermenter online here http://www.care2.com/greenliving/guide-to-compost-tea.html. It cost me about $25 in parts and 15 minutes to put it together and start it up. After letting it run for about 4 days (the weather stopped me from doing it any earlier) we opened the lid and were greeted by the very pungent aroma of fermented, decayed plant material...yum. We strained it and used a watering can to sprinkle the new grass coming up on the lawn. We also plan on adding it to the soil of our vegetable garden before we put in our new seedlings. The directions also recommend using the tea on the folliage to prevent diseases. I'll keep you posted on how it works out. In the mean time we think compost tea is a great way to get living micro organizims back into the soil.
