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Making compost tea at home is a great way to take advantage of the active nutrients offered by Opus Grows Bio-Tope without disturbing the soil in which your plants have taken root. Some gardeners would even tell you that compost tea is better for your plants than pure compost. Follow the guidelines below and you’ll end up with a healthy dose of compost tea. If you are a pro at tea-making, simply adjust the guidelines in ways that suit your growing needs best.

One bag of Bio-Tope (1 cu ft) makes approximately 20 gallons of non-diluted compost tea. After your Opus Grows Bio-Tope has been soaked and the nutrients transferred to the tea, the leftover material can serve as mulch or a soil additive. There’s still some nutrition left in there, so don’t throw it out.

To Make Compost Tea

Place the compost in a bucket. Fill ⅓  of it with BioTope Compost, and top it up with water (1 part Bio-Tope, 2 parts water). Make sure to use non-chlorinated water (well water, rainwater, or pond water, depending on what source you can access easily). Read here about ways to turn regular tap water to un-chlorinated water. Leave it to soak for 1 to 3 days while agitating it regularly.

To Apply as Foliar Spray

Strain tea through a fine mesh cloth (cheesecloth, burlap, even a retired gardening shirt). Dilute it with dechlorinated water until the color of the tea is light amber. Use a ratio of 10 parts water to 1 part tea. Add 1/8 tsp vegetable oil or very mild, eco-friendly dishwashing liquid per gallon to help it adhere to leaves.

To Apply as a Root Drench

The compost tea can be used unfiltered by applying directly to the soil area around a plant.  The tea will seep down into the root system. Note: root feeding is not affected by rainy weather.

General Tips & Usage:

The finished tea can be used safely on all of the garden beds and is especially beneficial to:

- newly planted or transplanted plants

- sick plants that need a boost

- potted plants during their growth season

- patches of grass and lawns

- vegetable containers or beds.  

Remember: It is not recommended to make and use compost tea in very cold or very hot weather conditions. During the summer, apply the compost tea in the early morning or afternoon; that's when the plants' stomata are fully open. Compost teas should only be used during the growing season for the plants in question. Tip: Broadleaf plants and tree crops have stomata on the underside of their leaves, so you'll need to ensure the entire leaves are covered.