How to Make Worm Compost Tea

If you are looking for a way to fertilize your plants and discourage pests from taking up residence in your garden, make worm tea. Making worm tea is also another use for all of that worm compost that you bought or may be accumulating in your worm bin.

Things You'll Need

• Active vermicomposting (worm compost) bin or worm castings from a garden store
• Large bucket
• Aquarium bubbler and air pump
• Unchlorinated water
• Cheesecloth
• Honey or organic molasses
• Garden sprayer or generic spray bottle

Instructions

1. Harvest your worm castings or prepare store-bought worm castings for use as instructed on the package.

2. Fill bucket with desired amount of water. If you are unsure of the amount, start with 2 gallons.

3. Place an aquarium bubbler into the bucket of water and start the air pump to aerate the water.

4. Place the worm castings into the cheesecloth, using about 2 cups of castings for every gallon of water, and secure the top. The finished product will be a porous bag.

5. Lower the bag into the water. It may be easiest to secure the bag to the side of the bucket, but this is not necessary.

6. Add 1 tbsp. of honey or molasses for each gallon of water.

7. Let the tea "brew" for 24 hours.

8. Remove the bag of castings and the bubbler, and then spray the tea on everything you wish to fertilize and protect in your garden.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have easy access to unchlorinated water, running the bubbler in the water for two or three hours before adding the castings will reduce the amount of chlorine in regular tap water.

• The worm tea has a very short shelf life and should be used within 48 hours at the most. If your tea begins to smell bad, it is no longer good and should not be sprayed on plants.

References

• The Organic Gardening, Make worm compost
• Organic Raised bed gardening, a video of a slightly different method