An organic liquid fertilizer called worm tea is produced by steeping worm castings, also known as worm manure in water.
Worms are essential to a productive compost bin because they consume food scraps, which speeds up the decomposition process.
The worms produce castings as a byproduct of the digestion of the organic material, and these castings are rich in beneficial microbes and nutrients.
Castings can make a worm tea by simply soaking them in water for an entire night. Worm tea is beneficial to plant growth.
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What Is Worm Tea?
Steeping vermicompost or worm castings in the water finally results in the production of worm tea. Worm tea is most famous for its capacity to increase the number of bacteria, fungus, actinomycetes, and protozoa in the soil.
If you are into worm farming and have direct access to worm castings, preparing worm tea won’t present much of a challenge.
What Is Worm Tea Rich In?
Worm tea has more phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium than most composts.
Vermicompost increases the biodiversity of the soil by encouraging the growth of beneficial microbes.
That increases plant growth directly by manufacturing enzymes and hormones that regulate plant growth and indirectly by controlling plant pathogens and nematodes, among others—improving plant health while reducing yield loss.
It has been discovered to improve the helpful microflora and decrease harmful and pathogenic bacteria. Vermicomposts boost soil fertility, encourage plant growth and reduce the prevalence of plant diseases and pests.
We achieve these benefits due to vermicomposts’ high nutrient availability and microbial activity.
Some worm casting tea benefits include:
- Add beneficial microbes to the soil and lets them multiply.
- Assist in the fight against pathogens and parasites in both plants and soil.
- It helps prevent the progression of pathogens
- Helps clean up polluted soil
- Improves soil structure through aerating and increasing porosity.
- Boosts the soil’s capacity to hold water by amending it.
- Encourages the growth of more foliage and larger and thicker stems.
- Raises the overall production rate.
Which Plants Benefit From Worm Tea?
Worm casting tea is versatile and can be used on a wide variety of plants and settings, including but not limited to:
- Vegetable gardens
- Flower beds
- House plants
- Raised beds
- Hanging baskets
- Potted containers and plants
- Trees
- Shrubs
Besides this, it makes the grass greener. It is 100% natural, organic, and helpful to the growth of every plant.
You can also use worm tea to help speed up the decomposition process by applying it to your compost pile.
What Is the Difference Between Worm Juice and Worm Tea?
Worm juice refers to the liquid collected from worm farms. Some folks also allude to this as worm tea, but serious worm farmers apply the term to a brew they create by introducing molasses into what they refer to as “worm juice” and then aerating it using an aquarium pump.
This process aims to enhance the number of beneficial microbes in the liquid fertilizer produced by this method.
How to Make Worm Tea in a Few Easy Steps
The worm tea recipe is straightforward. The process covers several steps, the first of which is to gather the necessary materials, including:
- A compost tea bag. You can use any sack made of porous natural fibers.
- A five-gallon bucket of dechlorinated water.
- Worm castings. Worm castings should fill approximately one-tenth of your bucket. We can collect castings by purchasing a worm bin on Amazon, filling it with a mixture of soil and food scraps from the kitchen, and then adding earthworms such as red wiggler worms. The worms will generate castings as they consume the food scraps.
Having gathered the items required to make worm tea, follow these steps:
- Fill your bag with vermicompost. After you have stuffed the permeable worm tea bag with vermicompost and secured the open end with a knot, you can use it.
- Steep your worm castings bag in a bucket of water. Put the teabag into the water in the bucket to start the brewing process, also known as steeping. Because aeration stimulates the growth of microorganisms, you might increase the amount of oxygen in your worm tea by using a bubbler designed for fish tanks.
- Keep your bag steeped overnight. When the water in your worm tea becomes light brown, you know that the worm tea is suitable for use.
- Dilute your tea using tap water. Take out the teabag and the bubbler for the fish tank and put them away. If you add another five gallons of water to the tea and stir it, it won’t lose any of its power and will hold for much longer.
Do You Need to Dilute Worm Tea?
There’s no need to water down worm tea.
The fantastic thing about worm tea is that we may use it with no modification, and it won’t cause any damage to your plants.
How Do You Use Worm Tea?
Below is a step-by-step process for using worm tea:
- Choose your delivery method. Either a watering can, or a spray bottle would do the trick. To prevent clogging of the sprayer. Filter the worm tea before using it.
- Use worm tea to water the plants. Worm tea can provide moisture for the plants in your outdoor garden and the plants within your home. You must cover the soil and the leaves of the plants. Besides providing nutrients to the ground, the bacteria in the tea also work to protect plants from plant disease.
- You should adequately store any unused tea. It is essential to keep any leftover tea in a vessel that does not have a lid. That will ensure that the beneficial microorganisms may continue to thrive in the presence of oxygen. After some time has passed, the microorganisms that are present in the tea will have died, and the tea will have less of an effect. If you want consistent results, brewing fresh tea each time is recommended.
How Often to Fertilize With Worm Tea?
Use it as fast as possible when you have finished brewing worm tea. You should water your plants with worm tea after two weeks. But once per week should be sufficient for vegetables and fruits.
Is Worm Tea Better Than Worm Castings?
Since you probably don’t have any extra place in your pots for castings, you should switch to using tea instead.
Tea is a better option if you’re unsure if it contains cocoons or young worms and you don’t want them to escape into a different container.
Is Worm Tea the Same as Compost Tea?
Compost tea and worm tea are more or less the same.
Aerobic compost tea, also called aerobic worm tea, is mainly recognized for increasing soil microbiological activity. It introduces beneficial bacteria, fungus, protozoa, and actinomycetes.