Worm Tea

Worm tea, which is also known as worm castings tea or compost tea, is a natural liquid fertilizer which is used to promote the growth of plants. It replenishes the soil with the nutrients and also protects the plants from several plant diseases. It is basically worm casting in liquid form. Castings are produced when worms break down the organic matter in the soil. You could also call it worm manure or worm humus. This natural fertilizer produced by these composting worms can be of great help to those interested in growing plants or crops. Worm castings can also be harvested in order to produce this fertilizer for replenishing the soil in farms or gardens. These castings are present in the worm beds. When water is made to run through these castings, several nutrients such as nitrogen, calcium and magnesium are picked up. The process of harvesting worm castings is known as vermicomposting. If you are a gardening enthusiast, you could use compost tea to enhance the growth of plants in your home garden.

How to Make Compost Tea

Are you planning to use this liquid fertilizer in your home garden? It is a great idea for a home garden because worm castings are odorless. Since it has no odor, you could use it for your indoor plants as well. You could either purchase it from an organic supplier or make it on your own.

For making worm castings tea, you will need a large bin or the worm compost bin. This should have a drainage spout and holes for aeration. At the bottom of the worm bin would be a collection tray. The worms would be present in the collection tray. You should soak about a handful of worm castings in warm water. The quantity of water should be about 5 liters. Let it soak for a couple of days. Your next step will be adding a tablespoon of molasses. Molasses will promote the growth of micro-organisms. You could also feed organic material such as grocery waste, fruits and vegetable rinds or tea bags to the compost worms.

You need to add water. It would be advisable to use rainwater. The water must not contain chlorine. Presence of chlorine will destroy the bacteria and all your effort will go down the drain. You should also oxygenate or aerate the compost tea by blowing air through it. This is also done to promote the growth of beneficial micro-organisms. You could use an air pump to oxygenate the mixture. Worm castings tea is ready! Use it after a couple of days.

Benefits of Using Compost Tea

This is an all-natural fertilizer which can surely increase the plant size and yield. Mucus or bio-slime produced by the microbes also helps in water retention. It can make the soil very fertile. This liquid fertilizer is safe to use as it does not burn plants. It also acts like a fungicide and can prevent plant diseases. It can protect the plants from mites, aphids, scale and white flies. This is an environment friendly method which replenishes the soil with the much-needed nutrients.

Now that you are aware of the benefits of worm castings tea, you can use this environmentally-friendly method to replenish the soil. So, what are you waiting for? Use this all-natural liquid fertilizer to enhance the growth of your plants.