We have started brewing and selling compost tea at our garden center. Never having brewed or used it I though it would be fun to see what happened. So we have been applying it in my vegetable garden as a drench. No other fertilizers or plant growth products we're used. We do routinely mix in organic matter before planting. In the past we would have to fertilize even after the organic matter was mixed in since the plants would show signs of nutrient deficiencies. This year the tea is all we have used. The garden has never been so lush or vibrant. I understand there is some controversy on the use of compost tea. Linda Chalker-Scott is one of authors of The Garden Professors, a blog for the extension service of Washington State University. Linda has written about compost tea and why she feels it's an un-proven science. Here is a post from 2010.
We are wondering if anyone else out there uses brewed compost tea, and what the results we're? I am trying to reconcile my success in the garden using this stuff, with the science that Linda writes about. It does seem the controversy centers on the use of compost tea as a foliar spray (applied to the leaves) for fungus and insect control. We use it as a drench for "feeding" the soil, and plants.
Do you use it, or have you used it? What we're the results for you? Any explanation on why it "seems" to work in my garden, yet scientifically it shouldn't? Fascinating subject. Thanks in advance for your input.