Many people use rice water to give their plants nutrients that help them stay healthy and grow, so what if I told you there was something that works even better for plants! Compost tea, or worm tea, is a liquid that contains good bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that help plants grown healthy and strong. The tea also helps improve a plants' immune system, making them stronger against insects and diseases. However, when collecting this tea from your compost bin, be sure that you are not collecting leachate. Leachate can be bad for your plants and it is best to avoid using it, especially if you're thinking of using it on edible plants. Leachate can contain toxins like phytotoxins, which can harm both plants and humans. If you find that your compost bin has leachate in the bottom bin, you should dilute it (10 parts water, 1 part leachate) before disposing it in an area with little to no plant life. When collecting the liquid from your compost bin, you should pay attention to the color of it to determine if it is compost tea or leachate. Leachate tends to be very dark while compost tea can range from a light to medium brown tint; however compost tea and leachates can look similar at times, the most reliable way to tell the difference is based on the smell. Leachate tends to have a very pungent odor in comparison to compost tea, while the latter may have no smell or an earthy smell to it. Happy composting and remember, the compost tea is good for plants to "drink" not humans!
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AuthorThe blog is provided by students right here in Cal Poly Humboldt. The team of students in charge of the blog are Max Cunningham, Kristina Fiebig, and Daniel Chaidez. Archives
April 2021
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