Hi Dan - Compost has more organic matter than compost tea, basically the non-soluble types of organic matter that do not dissolve in water. Thus, the benefit from compost is for a much longer time period than compost tea, or nearly any other kind of amendment. John Buckerfield in Australia showed that compost would benefit grapes for 4 to 5 years after a single application.
But the cost of transportation and application can be a killer when it comes to moving compost very far. So, compost tea is a good choice in those areas where long distances or a lack of application machines are issues. Compost tea contains the soluble nutrients from compost, all the species of organisms we see in compost, but at lower numbers in the tea than in compost. Thus, the benefit from compost tea is not for as long a time period as compost. The long-term food resources in compost don't dissolve in the water, so they stay behind. The benefit from compost tea may be only for months to a year. But, the benefits are much the same from both compost and compost tea, if made correctly. Does that answer the question clearly enough? Elaine Allan Balliett wrote: > From Dan Lynch - > > Please compare and contrast the application of compost and compost > tea to the soil. > Like to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each more than > just the obvious. Of course one disadvantage of compost tea compared > to compost would appear to be the lack of organic matter. Thanks, Dan
