3 Basic Compost Tea Recipes
Please note, the amounts indicated in the following recipes are intended for a 5-gallon brewer.
Balanced Compost Tea Recipe
1.5 pounds of balanced compost
(equal parts bacterial to fungal biomass)
1.6 ounces of humic acids
1 ounce of liquid kelp*
1 ounce of soluble unsulphured black-strap molasses
* I've specified liquid kelp here, however, sometimes I like to add a tablespoon of kelp meal as well to provide surfaces for the fungi to attach too.
Bacterial-Dominated Compost Tea Recipe
1.5 pounds of bacterial-dominated compost (vermicastings work well)
2 ounces of soluble unsulphured black-strap molasses
1 ounce of soluble kelp
Bacteria love simple sugars, so feel free to add in a tablespoon or two of maple syrup, cane sugar, or even white sugar. The black-strap molasses is great, because it naturally contains a number of beneficial minerals (e.g. potassium) that feed your microbes and soil.
Fungal-Dominated Compost Tea Recipe
2 pounds of fungal-dominated compost
2 ounces humic acids
2 teaspoons of yucca extract*
1 ounce of liquid kelp
2 tablespoons of ground oatmeal
*I like to add yucca extract near the end of the brewing process, since it has a tendency to create a lot of foam. Also, you'll want to make sure your yucca doesn't have any preservatives, but does have a high saponin content.
Common Compost Tea Recipe Ingredients
Ingredient Feeds Ingredient Feeds
Molasses Bacteria Maple Syrup Bacteria
Corn Syrup Bacteria Cane Sugar Bacteria
White Sugar Bacteria Fish Emulsion Bacteria
Fruit Pulp Bacteria/Fungi Fish Hydrolysate Fungi
Kelp Bacteria/Fungi Ground Oatmeal Fungi
Rock Dusts Bacteria/Fungi Yucca Fungi
Humic Acids Bacteria/Fungi Soybean Meal Fungi
Note - Fungi like to attach to the surfaces of various ingredients while they grow. Some of the above ingredients feed bacteria, and also provide surfaces for fungi to attach too (e.g. kelp).
Flowering marijuana tends to produce better results with a fungal-dominant tea.
After deciding which compost tea mix is right for your application, you may want to add ingredients to produce a veg or bloom tea. I like to add Dr. Earth Organic 5 for veg or Dr. Earth Organic 8 for flowering (1 cup per gallon of water) This mix is strong, so it may help to dilute it 1:1 or more.
Hope this helps!
Drfting07