Making And Using Worm Tea

By now everyone is familiar with the concept of foliar fertilizers like VF11. Foliar forms of liquid fertilizer containing nitrogen and other plant nutrients are sprayed on the plant and the soil around the plant periodically to promote plant growth. Unlike the chemicals inVF11, which have no antibacterial properties, the microorganisms present in worm tea also suppress the grow of many plant pathogens. Most importantly, worm tea provides the same beneficial effects of VF11 at a fraction of its cost. In fact, the only expense in the production on worm tea is the cost of the small amount of electricity used to operate the inexpensive aquarium air pump used to aerate the brew for a day or two and the expense of the molasses that is added to nourish the microorganisms that are produced in the tea. Controlled scientific experiments have shown that this miraculous organic foliar fertilizer increases plant growth and crop yields by as much as 50 percent. Of equal importance, worm tea contains an array of beneficial microorganisms which cover the plant when the tea is applied as a foliar spray. These microbes prevent, or hinder, the growth of plant pathogens like powdery mildew, aphids, parasitic nematodes and spider mites because potential infection sights on the plant are occupied by the beneficial microorganisms in the tea. As a result, the pathogens cannot attach themselves to the plant. The harmful pathogens also have a difficult time establishing themselves on a plant sprayed with worm tea because the beneficial microbes take up the binding sights and consume the nutrients the pathogens require to grow and reproduce. Making worm tea. Worm tea is easy to produce. Basically, you need three or four handfuls fresh worm castings, an once or two of a nutrient like sulfur free molasses, or corn syrup, and a way to aerate the brew. Some organic farmers also add the juice of a lemon and an once or two of fish emulsion to the mixture. The question that immediately comes to mind is, why the need for molasses? Why not use some form of granulated white sugar which would be far cheaper? My research on the subject suggests that this is a confused and unsettled issue. Those who make worm tea using molasses as the nutrient do so because it is an ideal food for both beneficial bacteria and fungi whereas sugar only promotes the growth of bacteria. Molasses also contains a number of beneficial minerals which are not found in white sugar. Since the worm castings used to make worm tea already have an abundance of minerals and trace elements, the fact that molasses contains minerals, and sugar does not, should be of little or no concern. The only issue is whether or not it is worth the added expensive of molasses, as compared to inexpensive granulated sugar, to encourage the growth of fungi. I do not believe it is, and use a cup of granulated white sugar to feed the beneficial microorganisms in the tea. Aeration is a must when making worm tea because the anaerobic bacteria that are produced in anaerobic tea may be harmful to plants. Aeration can be achieved with one of the inexpensive air aquarium pumps designed to oxygenate fish tanks. These devices, which cost less than $10 at a pet store, even have an air diffuser stone. You also will need a plastic bucket. I use a six gallon food grade bucket sold at a local home brew supply store; however, the cheap five gallon buckets sold at Home Depot for $4.95 and those sold for $2.98 at Lowe's will work just as well. Finally, if you do not have a source of un-chlorinated water, like rain or pond water, fill a bucket of chlorinated city water and let it sit for a couple of days to allow the chlorine in the water to evaporate. Alternately, add the chlorinated water from the tap to the brewing bucket and aerate it with the aquarium pump for a couple of hours to bubble out the chlorine before adding the worm castings and sugar or molasses to the bucket. Once most of the chlorine has been removed from the water, turn on the air pump and let the mixture ferment for 24 hours, 48 hours is better. Place the end of the aquarium pump tubing, with its diffusing stone, in a small cloth sack containing the fresh earthworm castings and close the opening in the sack with a string before submerging it in the bucket of chlorine free water. This is an important step in the process because if the earthworm castings are added directly to the water the fine sand and other porous material in the castings will be dispersed throughout the tea and clog-up the nozzle of the spray gun you will use to apply the tea to your garden plants. Worm tea will maintain its potency indefinitely if you continue to feed the organisms in the tea at weekly intervals with sugar or molasses and keep the brew aerated with the aquarium air pump. However, once removed from the brew bucket, worm tea should be sprayed on the plants without delay since the beneficial organisms in the tea will not survive for more than a few hours if deprived of a continuous supply of oxygen. In this respect, the bottled worm teas sold commercially are of questionable value. Several commercial brands of worm tea have found their way to the market. The manufactures of these concoctions add preservatives such as phosphoric, lactic and citric acids to their worm teas. The acids supposedly put the tea's microbes into a dormant state. When the bottled teas are opened and exposed to oxygen, the microbes are said to recover. I do not know if the manufactures claims with respect to the effectiveness of their bottled worm teas are true or not. However, since worm tea is so easy to make, I question the wisdom of purchasing an expensive bottled tea that may be of questionable value. Why not just make the tea yourself and avoid the uncertainty associated with the bottled products? There is no magic formula for applying worm tea to the plants in your garden. However, since the beneficial microorganisms in worm tea also are sensitive to heat and sunlight, the spray should not be applied in the middle of a hot summer day. To be on the safe side, spray your plants early in the morning or in the evening after the sun has set. I spray every living thing in my garden, with the exception of my dog Dukie, with the tea at weekly intervals. Try it! I think you will be amassed at the effectiveness of this cheap effective organic fertilizer. For the sake of completeness, I should add that there are anaerobic as well as aerobic worm teas. Some authors even claim that worm teas produced under anaerobic conditions are superior to those created in an oxygen rich environment. Certainly, the microorganisms produced in an oxygen rich environment will differ significantly from those that thrive in an anaerobic environment. I believe that the preponderance of evidence suggests that some of the anaerobic microorganisms found in such teas may be toxic to plants; thus, I would avoid them.