Compost tea benefits container gardens, urban gardens, vegetable gardens and indoor gardens of houseplants. With the UCT-9 Compost Tea brewer, making compost tea is easier than ever—even in a small space.

Tea Time for Plants

Compost tea is exactly what it sounds like: tea brewed from compost. Because the water is cooler than tea-making water, so that it doesn’t kill the beneficial bacteria and fungi in compost, making compost tea is a slower process, usually taking about three days. Just as tea is beneficial to people, compost tea is beneficial for plants. Compost tea:

• Gives plants nutrients in easily accessible forms
• Is faster-acting than dry compost, but safer than synthetic fertilizer
• Returns beneficial bacteria and fungi to the soil
• Increases soil fertility, resulting in larger, healthier plants
• Prevents root diseases from spreading
• Improves soil structure

Healthy plants start with good soil. In urban areas, especially, soil fertility can be compromised by stormwater pollution, runoff, compaction, and chemical contamination. Making and adding compost tea to the soil counteracts each of these harmful effects, turning a poor, urban lot into great garden soil.

How to Make Compost Tea in the Urban Compost Tumbler

Compost tea and dry compost both have their places in the garden. The UCT-9 Urban Composter is uniquely designed to produce dry compost and compost tea equally well. Additionally, after the compost tea is brewed from mature compost, the remaining wet compost is an excellent starter for adding lots of high-carbon, dry ingredients and starting a new batch of compost in the tumbler.

For compost tea to be free of pathogens and harmful bacteria, it needs to remain aerated throughout the brewing process. That is how the UCT-9 Urban Composter brews a superior compost tea.

The UCT-9 Urban Composter Tea Catcher makes it easy to drain and store compost tea prior to use. Here’s how to make compost tea with the UCT-9 Urban Composter and Tea Catcher

• Add finished compost to the composter. Finished compost is compost that has lowered in temperature, and is crumbly and dark. You need about 5 inches of finished compost in the bottom of the tumbler.
• Add water to the compost tumbler. The Urban Compost Tumbler can hold 11 quarts of material. The more water added, the more compost tea brewed in one batch.
• Add molasses to the mix—about ¼ cup—to feed the bacteria.
• Turn the composter every day to keep the mixture aerated. Aeration is key to producing compost tea that is beneficial, not detrimental.
• After three days to a week, drain the compost tea into the compost tea catcher.
• Use the wet compost remaining in the composter to start a new batch of compost. Add dried leaves, shredded newspaper or junk mail, or wood chips to the composter.

Compost Tea Brewing in Small, Urban Spaces

The design of the Urban Compost Tumbler, and its associated Compost Tea Catcher makes it easy to brew well-aerated, nutritionally rich, beneficial compost tea in a small space. The contained composter, and tea catcher keep the process clean and hassle-free.

$44.95