Do you love gardening? Well, then you might have already explored the benefits and wonders of compost tea. The way this liquid compost affects your trees is amazing.

But as you are looking for answers to how long does compost tea last? it seems you still have things to know and explore. Okay, don’t worry, as we will help you to grab those answers.

Now if we talk simply about compost tea durations, it varies according to the making and things you used. But it is generally recommended to use the tea compost as soon as possible to avoid the anaerobic transformation.

Though there is also great usage of anaerobic compost which benefits your trees much longer than the normal ones. Let’s know the lifespan of compost tea with their storing method!

Comprehensive Guide on How Long Does Compost Tea Last and Its Storing Process

What Is Compost Tea?

Well, those who still don’t know about compost tea, first know it. At least you may know the garden you are making behind your house needs fertilizer to grow. And the easiest way of making this fertilizer is to compost tea.

Compost tea is actually a liquid produced from compost through the brewing process. This liquid is made from different beneficial microorganisms such as bacteria, nematodes, protozoa, fungi, and microarthropods.

The ideal compost tea contains all these organisms. Most organic gardeners love to use this easily made compost tea. It will add great fertility to your garden soil (also pot soil) and minimize the problems of some pests and insects.

Now let’s know different compost tea in a brief.

Types of Compost Tea

Though there are two types of tea compost you can make, the most used and popular compost is aerobic compost tea. As it is thin in texture and has the most effect on plants.

But if not used for a long time and not stored properly, the aerobic tea will turn into anaerobic compost which is thicker in texture. It results in the carefully created microbes dying and turning into anaerobic bacteria.

Here the anaerobic bacteria don’t let the air get inside the soil which makes it fertilized. Where the aerobic compost tea adds more airflow to the soil and boosts plants full of nutrients. Otherwise, the microbes will die.

So,  you may now understand how important it is to flow oxygen through compost soil. For that, the gardeners like to use aerobic compost tea which is easily made of compost and water, or worm casting and water. Here your work will be to apply the liquid to the roots or leaves of your garden plant. 

It will boost the microbial activity of your plant’s soil and fertilize it like the citrus fertilizer. Plus, it will make the plants more resistant to pests and diseases.

Though there is no proven theory of microbes protecting plants from insects or pests, people admit the benefit of tea compost for trees. The only idea here is to add some activity to the plants by boosting microbes.

Benefits of Compost Tea

Compost tea is a great health booster for plants. Here are several benefits of using compost tea.

• Compost tea provides nutrients to the plants, increases their growth and root tendrils, and improves the immune system to prevent diseases and rot.
• It improves the water retention of the soil. Thus, it needs less frequent watering in the garden.
• When you spray compost tea, foliages get beneficial microbes that fight off potential disease. 
• Compost tea is an inexpensive way to feed the plants and garden. You can use water, kitchen trash, egg shells, grass, bush trimmings, pet foods, and other materials to make compost tea.
• It is good conjunction of seasonal foods to produce more bountiful fruits and beautiful flowers.

How Long Does Compost Tea Last?

It is ideal to use compost as soon as possible. If you keep it for a long time there is a high possibility of the compost losing nutrients. Mostly it’s said that you should use this compost as soon as you brew them. Though using it in 24 hours will also work in the same way.

But after that recommended time, microbes constantly start decreasing from the compost tea. So, use it as fast as you can. Here the compost tea should be stored for a maximum of four to six days in a sealed and full of the light container.

Plus, there is another important key, which is aeration. Without oxygen, microbes will die inside the compost. So you have to ensure the compost gets proper airflow with bubbler gravestone or tank pumps. Especially when you want to store for more than 6 days. It will ensure the future plants you are going to have will get the proper fertilizer full of organisms and bacteria.

Although it can be stored for following season use, there are a few important things that you have you follow. For keeping up with the nutrients of compost you have to add foods to the compost pile. Or you can also add the compost pile with an almost finished batch. This will multiply the organisms of compost and keep it feasible.

How to Store The Compost Tea for Next Season?

Source: theprairiehomestead.com

Well, if you are fully determined to store tea compost for next season, here are a few methods of doing that.

Underground Storing

The easiest way here is to cover the compost with a tarp or plastic sheeting and store it under the ground. This will help to prevent extra moisture from rain or snow runoff. But there should be at least a little humidity inside to keep the pile dampened.

Here you will get a bonus benefit. The worms will love to live on this damp pile and leave their enriching casting behind. But if you have no space in your garden to store those compost piles, you can use a compost bin too. These bins will also keep the compost moist and lively.

Storing in Compost Bins

Even some gardeners keep using this constant batch of bin compost for next-generation soil fertilization. For doing some DIY for compost storing at home, you can use plastic bags and or a couple of garbage cans.

For ensuring the compost is still lively, you have to keep a constant eye on the compost moisture. You can stir the compost and swap the damp compost from the bottom with the upper dry part. Or even you can use a fork to make some holes for aeration and mist the compost lightly if it’s constantly dry.

But still, you find with time, the stored compost will be losing effectiveness. So, keep remaking those compost tea from previous batches.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to know the compost tea has gone off?

The key to understanding the effectiveness of compost tea is its smell. The compost tea generally smells earthy. But when the smells start becoming unpleasant, you have to understand the compost is useless now. Just brew a new batch of compost and enrich your plants with nutrients.

What are compost tea dangers?

If you use the compost tea after its lifespan, tea will turn anaerobic so there is a high risk that it will kill some beneficial bacteria.

How much does it cost for making compost?

Well, it may cost around $100 to make one bucket of compost tea. Whether you use a small bucket or a large one it will create as many microbes as it allows to grow in. So here you can do some cost savings.

When to use the compost tea?

The compost tea takes almost 24 hours to brew properly. So it will be best if you use the compost tea the next day of brewing. Just strain the compost before using and it will be ready.

What is the ratio of mixing water and compost?

The ratio of water and compost should be 10:1. This means with 10 gallons of water you have to use 1 cup of compost. And it will be perfect enough to nutrify your plants.

How to mix compost with soil?

The compost and soil mixture should be in a ratio of 1:4 only if you want a strong dose. Mix 4 parts of soil with 1 part of compost that will be good enough for creating the best soil base. But don’t add more as it will harm your plants.

Conclusion

So, you might get the answer how long does compost tea last? Well, it lasts around 24 hours after brewing, but you can also keep it well for 4 to 6 days in sealed containers. Thus, you should never keep your compost for a long time as it will lose nutrients and the microbes will be dead.

Luckily, there are several ways to store this compost for a long time. You can store compost tea either underground or in the compost bins. Both will ensure the compost is fully moisture and has liveliness inside. Even, you can use leftover compost to create new batches of compost tea.

And if you don’t have any compost to create the tea, you can use worm castings mixed with water to create a boosting fertilizer for your plants. Happy gardening!

A video on storing compost tea: