Giving a tea party for the garden

For many years I have recommended using compost as a valuable soil amendment. Putting organic matter, such as compost, into the soil enriches the soil with nutrients, helps sandy soils retain moisture, loosens tight, heavy clay soils to improve drainage, and provides soil microbes to protect plants and improve nutrient uptake.

Compost tea is a brewed, aerated, product that captures the most valuable portion of compost — the microbes. Compost tea is brewed from high quality compost with additions of fish emulsion and humic acid (to neutralize salts) and citric acid (to neutralize water pH). It is a product filled with colonies of beneficial microorganisms that can put the microbiology back into the soils.

The soil microbes enter the soil, improving soil structure and breaking down nutrients for plant uptake. This activity results in improved plant health. Once brewed, compost tea is applied to soils and plants within a few hours to get the best results. The tea can be safely sprayed on soil, turf grass and landscape plants without burning plants, as fertilizers will do in our heat. To maximize the effects of compost tea, it should be applied in the late afternoon when sunlight is not intense, using a fine mist for good coverage.

Organic producers have used compost tea for several years to improve soil structure, increase nutrient uptake in plants, and improve overall plant health, growth and production of crops. There has been interest in expanding the use of compost tea for home markets and United States Department of Agriculture, the National Organic Standards, and the International Compost Tea Council have all made recommendations for this product and for testing the quality of compost tea.

Several variables affect the quality of the final brewed product, including water quality, water pH, temperature and the type of compost used. So can we make compost tea ourselves without the large investment growers make?

The answer is yes. A group of local growers, gardeners and researchers, the Sustainable Agronomic Education Association, are having an educational roundtable discussion on study results using compost tea and variables that go into making compost tea at their luncheon meeting at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday at the Echo Hotel in Edinburg. Cost of the buffet lunch is $10.50, soup and salad is $8.50.

One grower will provide a demonstration on how to make a small-scale, home-sized system. The group will have some just-brewed tea for folks who would like to try compost tea in their garden. Since this is a fresh-brewed product, reservations for this program are necessary to assure enough product for everyone.

The Sustainable Agronomic Education Association asks that folks bring a clean, one-gallon container. There is a two gallon limit per person. Remember, you need to hold your Garden Tea Party on Tuesday afternoon for best results. A donation of $2 per gallon to the association will help recover some of the cost of materials.

To obtain more information and to make reservations for this educational program, call our office in Edinburg by 10 a.m. Monday at (956) 383-1026, or (800) 638-8239. Home gardeners, grounds maintenance supervisors, golf course superintendents and growers should not miss this opportunity to learn about this sustainable method for improving soils and plant health.

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Barbara Storz serves South Texas residents as the area Extension Horticulturist. You can reach her at (956) 383-1026 or by e-mail at b-storz@tamu.edu.