Worm Tea

What is included in the kit:

• 1 reusable compost brewing tea bag.
• 1 5-gallon bucket.
• 1 quart of Worm castings (4 cups).
• 1 Air pump, air stone, and hose.
• Instructions.

What you will need:

• Dechlorinated water (rainwater, pond, well or distilled water. Allow tap water to sit uncovered for at least 24 hours to dechlorinate).
• 3 tablespoons of unsulfured molasses.
• A stirring stick.

*By introducing oxygen and a food source (molasses) to the tea you increase the number of microorganisms significantly*

Follow these Simple Steps to Make Worm Tea Fertilizer:

• Step 1: Assemble the Air Pump. *Wet the hose ends for easy connection/disconnection* (connect the hose to the pump, insert the hose into the hole located on the side of the bucket, and connect the air stone to the end of the hose that is inside the bucket).

• Step 2: Fill the 5-gallon bucket with dechlorinated water and plug in the Air Pump. It will begin to aerate (you will see bubbles!).

• Step 3: Use the Worm Castings to fill the reusable tea bag. Tie it in a way that will allow you to untie it easily. Insert the tea bag into the bucket of water. You may want to submerge the tea bag with your hand and massage it to get it fully saturated.

• Step 4: Add 3 tablespoons of unsulfured molasses and stir.

• Step 5: Allow the tea to brew for at least 24-48 hours.

• Step 6: After 24-48 hours your brew will be brown/black and ready to use. Fizz at the top is normal. Simply open the tap at the bottom of the bucket to begin filling your watering pale.

*Use a 50:50 mixing ratio for best results. 50% water to 50% tea. 5 gallons will create 10 gallons of Worm Tea* *Use immediately for best results. Once the air pump has been removed from the bucket, the microorganisms will begin to die off* *Rinse the bucket, hose, and air stone with water after each use*

How Often Should You Use Worm Tea?

As often as you like. There’s really no way to “overdo” it.

To reap the benefits of worm tea you can limit applications to once every 2 weeks for most plants and once a week for vegetables and fruits. If a plant is showing signs of distress of disease, apply more frequently.

Which Plants Benefit from Worm Casting Tea?

Worm casting tea can be used on any type of plant and everywhere: Flower beds, vegetable gardens, raised beds, potted plants and containers, hanging baskets, house plants, shrubs, and trees. It’s also known to make grass greener (brew up several gallons and use a sprayer to apply it all over your lawn.) It is completely natural, organic, and beneficial for all plants. Worm tea can also be applied to your compost pile to help speed up decomposition.

How to Apply Worm Tea

You can use worm casting tea to water the soil or use it as a foliar spray to spray directly onto the plants. The latter is especially effective if the foliage is showing signs of disease.

How Long Does Worm Tea Last?

Worm casting tea does not get better with time. It has living microbes in it and needs to be used up quickly. In cold temperatures it will keep for 3 days before the microbe populations begin to decrease. In warmer temperatures use it within 24-48 hours. Be sure to keep your worm tea out of the sun; store it in a shady area.

To summarize, worm castings:

• Infuse and repopulate soil with beneficial microbes.
• Help prevent diseases and pests in both the soil and the plants.
• Help reverse the effects of disease.
• Help restore polluted soil.
• Improve soil structure by aerating it and making it more porous.
• Increase the soil’s water-holding capacity.
• Promote more foliage and larger/thicker stems.
• Increase higher yield.
• Have a higher nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium content than other composts.
• Organic farming using worm castings have consistently yielded the best results compared to all other fertilizers.