Compost tea

Yesterday a neighbor asked me about compost tea. I have read a few articles on compost tea and have used it a few times. Compost tea is basically brewed compost water for feeding plants. This is how I make compost tea. First you need some well-composted material from your compost pile. You'll need a porous bag or nylon stocking to hold your compost. Place approximately a shovel full of compost in the bag or nylon and tie up it up securely. Fill a 5 gallon bucket with water. I prefer water from the rain barrel in lieu of tap water because of the chlorine in our water. Place the bag in the bucket of water and push it down until it is saturated with water. Cover the bucket with a lid or plastic and let the mixture sit for at least 24 hours. 24 hours later open the bucket and you should have a dark, tea-looking mixture. Remove the bag from the water. Now you have a compost tea for fertilizer. I pour this in at the base of the plants I want to feed. Another use is as a foliage spray. I strain the bucket of tea through an old t-shirt and then dilute the mixture 4 parts water to 1 part compost tea. I take that mixture and pour it into a Hudson handheld sprayer. I spray this directly on the leaves in a fine mist. The foliage is supposed to absorb a portion of the nutrients. I would recommend you use this on outdoor plants, and not with new starts. I have had good results with this, it just takes some extra time. Good Luck.