Make Compost Tea
Brew a nutrient-rich liquid feed from finished compost to water your plants and boost soil life.
Quick answer
Fill a bucket with water, add a bag of finished compost, and stir it twice a day. After one to three days, strain the liquid and pour it around plant roots.
Compost tea extracts beneficial microbes and nutrients from finished compost into water. You can pour it on soil or use it as a mild foliar feed. It costs nothing and recycles waste from your compost heap.
What you’ll need
- finished compost
- bucket
- water
- stirring stick
- old sack or cheesecloth
- watering can
Step by step
- 1
Fill a bucket with water
Use rain water if possible. Tap water is fine if you let it stand for 24 hours so chlorine can dissipate.
- 2
Place compost in the sack
Put one or two large handfuls of finished, crumbly compost into an old sack or a piece of cheesecloth. Tie the top shut.
- 3
Submerge the bag
Lower the sack into the bucket and push it under the surface. Leave the string hanging over the rim so you can lift it out easily.
- 4
Stir twice daily
Agitate the water with a stick for a minute in the morning and evening. This adds oxygen and speeds up the brewing process.
- 5
Steep for one to three days
In warm weather, one day is enough. In cooler conditions, leave it for two or three days. The water should turn the colour of weak tea.
- 6
Strain and use
Remove the sack and squeeze out excess liquid. Pour the tea directly onto soil around plants, or dilute it by half if you want to spray leaves.
Common mistakes
- Using unfinished or smelly compost, which can harbour harmful bacteria.
- Letting the brew sit for more than three days, causing it to turn anaerobic and smell rotten.
- Pouring concentrated tea directly onto delicate seedlings without diluting.
- Sealing the bucket with a lid and starving the mixture of oxygen.
Frequently asked
How often should I apply compost tea?
Every two weeks during the growing season is enough for most plants.
Can I use compost tea on edible crops?
Yes, but pour it onto the soil rather than the leaves, and stop applying at least two weeks before harvest. Note: this guidance applies to tea made from finished compost only. Teas brewed from manure require a longer pre-harvest interval and are outside the scope of this article.
What if my tea smells bad?
Discard it. A sour or rotten smell means the brew went anaerobic and could harm plants.
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