From The Garden: Oxygen-rich compost tea can help ward off summer's water blues

Last week, we looked at adding compost and mulch to our beds to protect plants from drought stress. However, in some situations, making or bringing in large amounts of compost can be challenging. Happily, a cutting-edge new technology is making it possible to enjoy the benefits of compost without the space and weight requirements.

Furthermore, the same new technology can help reduce or eliminate pests and diseases, from powdery mildew to late blight, phytopthora and verticillium.

The miracle machine that makes this possible is a small, sturdy bioblender that pumps oxygen into compost tea.

This aerobically brewed tea is made from several ingredients, starting with worm compost (vermicompost). Agricultural grade molasses, liquid kelp, rock dust and several kinds of composted manure are included in a feeding solution.

This tea brews for between one and three days, depending on the ambient temperature. In warm weather, the process is accelerated. In cooler weather, it slows. The resulting tea is alive. It contains thousands or even millions of tiny living creatures that bring soil to life.

These same creatures -- bacteria, fungi, protozoa and so on -- can protect foliage from many diseases, including the dreaded black spot, botrytis, anthracnose and leaf curl.

This is the greatest invention since compost, and that goes back thousands of years. I predict that within five years there will be a tea brewer in every nursery, if not every garage.

Already, certain savvy nurseries are using aerobically brewed teas on nursery stock to promote vitality and reduce disease. Some nurseries are selling tea to customers as well.

Making compost tea

Each time I write about aerobically brewed compost teas, I get a lot of questions. Some people want to know if you can make compost tea without a brewer. You can find plans on Elaine Ingham's Web site (see below) for making a small home brewer from a modified fish tank and filter pump. However, the results are not optimal. For best results, get the real thing.

The SoilSoup bioblender machine costs about $300 and is made to last a lifetime. (It comes with a 100 percent money-back guarantee.) You also get a compost tea bag and holder to attach to a tub. The bioblender can be used with a special tub and stand (sold by the SoilSoup folks). You also can use a washtub or any container you like.

This reasonable price makes the machine accessible for many families and nearly all groups. Why not share one with your P-Patch buddies or garden club? Several groups of Master Gardeners are using tea brewers on test sites and in public gardens.

Some folks wonder whether they need to buy the nutrient solution from SoilSoup ($20 per gallon, used one ounce per gallon of water). You can indeed make your own nutrient solution, as I did for several years.

You'll need liquid kelp such as Maxi-Crop, some form of rock dust, several kinds of composted manures, crude molasses, and any additional extracts you prefer (such as dried comfrey or morning glory).

However, using the SoilSoup nutrient mixture saves me having to buy, store and blend the various ingredients. It's also a lot quicker to dump in the premixed blend, which reduces prep time by about half an hour.

It is cheaper to make your own if you buy the raw ingredients in bulk, but the initial outlay for bulk ingredients is considerable. The ingredients also take up a fair amount of space.

Ingham has written an excellent handbook (see her Web site for details) with recipes for various kinds of tea, including fungally dominated teas for use in woodlands and with woody plants (trees and shrubs).

Wonderful worm compost

Many of you wonder about using worm compost. Is this really different from regular compost? Is homemade vermicompost as good as what SoilSoup sells?

Worm compost differs from regular compost in being finer textured, with a more complete and generally more complex nutrient base. Ingham believes that not all worm compost is created equal and that a tea is only as good as the compost it starts with.

Because of this, SoilSoup contracts with a worm farmer in Washington who produces a consistently excellent product. However, if you have an established worm bin and are getting lots of lovely, homegrown vermicompost, use it.

The best way to ensure great compost is by including a variety of ingredients. If we give worms only food scraps, the finished compost will be less complex than if we add plant material as well.

The more kinds of plants, the better I can use composted dairy manure as bedding for my worms, and they thrive on that. I add kitchen scraps (no meat, fat or citrus rinds), grinding them each day in the blender to avoid attracting rats and raccoons. I also add handfuls of many kinds of plant foliage.

Bottom line? Use compost in whatever form you can to protect your plants from summer stress, disease and pests.

Information

For information on aerobic brewed compost tea, check the Web site at www.soilsoup.com. Or, to ask questions about the brewer, direct your e-mail to info@soilsoup.com. (SoilSoup, 9792 Edmonds Way, No. 247, Edmonds, WA 98020; 206-542-9304or 877-711-7687.)

For information on Ingham's aerobic compost tea book and research, see her Web site at: www.soilfoodweb.com.

Ann Lovejoy, a free-lance food and garden writer, lives on Bainbridge Island. She can be reached via e-mail at: lovejoy60@aol.com. Her newest books are "Ann Lovejoy's Organic Garden Design School: A Guide To Creating Your Own Beautiful, Easy-Care Garden" (Rodale, 280 pages, $35) and "The Sage Garden: Flower And Foliage For Health and Beauty" (Chronicle Books, 144 pages, $17.95).