Worm Tea – What Do You Use Worm Tea For, and How Do You Make Worm Tea?

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Worm tea sounds like a disgusting beverage, and indeed it would be if it were a beverage. Fortunately, however, worm tea is actually used primarily as a fertilizer, not to satisfy the thirst of people with eccentric tastes. For that, see our article on why people buy worms.

The material components of worm tea are nothing but worm castings (worm waste) and water. This mixture must be oxygenated, as this increases the amount of good bacteria present in the worm tea (among other things; oxygenation also adds nitrogen, phosphate and a few other chemicals to the worm tea).

Given that worm tea doesn’t consist of much, it makes sense that it’s relatively easy to make. First, fill a bucket about three-quarters full with water. Before adding the worm castings, allow the water to aerate for about two hours, which you’ll be able to do by adding an aquarium air pump to the water. This process will remove any chlorine in the water. Thereafter, add three to five scoops (or handfuls) of worm castings and about an ounce of unsulfured molasses to the water, stir this mixture together, and let it aerate for another 24 hours. (If you’re curious, the molasses is used to feed the bacteria, thus facilitating the creation of good bacteria.)

After you’ve done this, strain the resulting concoction in your bucket. What remains is worm tea. That’s all there is to it!

But, the extremely relevant question remains: what can you use worm tea for? In essence, worm tea is used for gardening and lawn upkeep. Worm tea is loaded with helpful microorganisms and other nutrients that plants and soil need to kill disease and harmful insects, and it’s able to do this without harming your plants. Worm tea is like vitamins for plants – it boosts the plant’s immune system.

Since worm tea has bacteria in it that is alive, it’s best to use it as soon as possible. (If it starts to smell bad, its usefulness has expired, so don’t use it.) In light of this, it’s best to make sure you have time to spray your plants and/or lawn with worm tea soon after you’ve created it. This may influence the time of the day at which you start to make worm tea. If you start making worm tea late at night for some reason, you could be setting yourself up for midnight gardening.

If you don’t have the time to make worm tea, you could always buy some. Amazon offers well-reviewed worm tea here:

Nature’s Big Bud Worm Castings Premium 100% Organic Liquid Plant Food Tea Fertilizer

 

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