🪱 Compost Tea Basics (No-Fluff Prepper Version)
If your soil is struggling, compost tea is like sending in a “microbe rescue team” — but only if you do it right.
💨 Keep it Aerobic (or don’t bother)
Use air bubbling (air pump + bubbles) to keep oxygen high.
If it starts to smell bad, it’s going anaerobic = don’t spray it.
Your microbes “tell you” first: smell shifts, foam changes, slimy buildup.
🌡️ Brew at the SAME temp as where you’ll use it
Brew at ambient temperature (same as your garden/field).
Brewing hot and spraying cold = microbes get shocked and don’t perform.
🧪 Compost Extract vs Compost Tea (big difference)
Compost leachate: water run through compost (nutrients only, short-term boost).
Compost extract: you rip microbes off compost into water (no feeding).
Compost tea: extract plus food so microbes multiply (best when compost is limited).
🌱 Soil target: 3% organic matter
If you’re under 3% organic matter, focus on building it.
One good compost application + residues can move the needle fast (especially fall).
🧼 Simple equipment wins
✅ You want a brewer you can see and clean fully.
🚫 Avoid systems with hidden chambers, pipes, corners, and sludge traps.
Rule: If you can’t clean it, it will grow slime (biofilm).
🧴 Sprayer / nozzle rules (so you don’t kill the microbes)
Use nozzles > 1mm if possible.
Remove filters (they trap microbes and turn into sludge).
Avoid recirculating pumps during brewing (they shred organisms).
☀️ Timing matters only for tiny droplets
If your spray droplet size is under 1mm, UV can kill it:
Spray before 10am or after 3pm on sunny days.
🧺 Compost bag size matters
Compost bag openings should be > 400 microns
(lets biology through, holds chunky bits back)
🚿 Can you inject into drip irrigation?
✅ Yes — but:
Remove filters
Treat tea as an inoculant (you’re spreading biology, not fertilizer)
🔍 The real prepper move: re-check soil after 2 weeks
🧫 Look again after applying:
If soil biology improves = keep going.
If nothing changes = something toxic/salty is blocking life, and you need to address that.