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Compost Tea

Applying compost tea is the most effective way to quickly transition to a safe, healthy, and self-sustaining lawn.

What is compost tea?

  • Compost tea is compost that has “steeped” in room temperature water.
  • This process grows populations of beneficial microorganisms and suspends nutrients in water so that they are immediately available to the grass.

The many benefits

  • Immediately greens up the lawn.
  • Improves soil health.
  • Protects against insects and disease.
  • It can be applied as often as you like without harming the grass or our water bodies.
  • The best way to transition a lawn from conventional methods to a natural system.

When can you apply it?

  • Apply at least three times per year, early spring through late fall.
  • You do not need to consult your soil test results to apply compost tea. You can not damage your soil or your grass with fresh compost tea.

Hire a lawn care professional

  • More and more professionals are using compost tea.
  • Some offer high-quality brews tailored to your soil’s needs.

Home brewing?

Here’s what you’ll need:

  1. Mesh bag or stocking
  2. High-quality compost
  3. 5-gallon bucket
  4. Aquarium pump & tube
  5. Siphon
  6. Garden hose & sprayer

You can buy a kit from the Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District.
Call (207) 892-4700.

Easy to Make

  1. Fill the mesh bag with high-quality compost.
  2. Nearly fill the 5-gallon bucket with water. (If on town water, let water sit for 24 hours so that the chlorine evaporates.)
  3. Sink the mesh bag of compost into the bucket of water.
  4. Place tube in water, feed through cover, and attach to pump. Turn on the pump.
  5. Brew for 24-36 hours. Aeration will brew the tea.
  6. Add a heaping tablespoon of molasses 2 hours before applying.

Easy to Apply

  • You’ll need 1 quart of tea per 1,000 square feet of lawn, diluted with water.
  • Sink the siphon into a bucket and attach it to an outdoor faucet. Attach a garden hose to siphon and spray.
  • Use extra compost tea on shrubs, flowerbeds, and vegetable gardens.

Credit: Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District.
Learn more at: http://cumberlandswcd.org/site/yardscape-2/