Compost Tea.

Over the last 6 months you will have seen me mention Compost tea. 2 1/2 years ago the club decided to purchase a Compost Tea brewer to produce our own soil conditioning liquids.
The brewer consists of a cylindrical plastic tank which holds over 200 L of water. Attached to this is an air pump which aerates the liquid from the bottom. 
We fill the tank with water and then aerate it for 30 minutes to remove any chlorine. We then add a large Tea bag which is filled with compost and granular seaweed. As well as this we pour small quantities of Humic acid, Fish Hydroslate and molasses.
The brew is left to bubble away for 48-72 hours. As you can see from the photo, the solution gets quite lively. This is because the natural microbes and funghi in the liquid start to multiply. Both of these give the soil a much needed boost and help reduce thatch buildup, increase resistance to disease and reduce toxins in the soil. They also help release trapped nutrients in the soil.
We then add the solution to a sprayer with a further 400 L of water and apply it to the greens. The cost of each tank is around £70. When you consider that a single application of fungicide can cost as much as £750, you can see the potential savings are huge.
The organic way has always had many benefits and compost tea helps us maintain a natural management programme.