ECO-TEA Biological Soil Amendment

Earlier this year I heard about a product named ECO-TEA.  I was hearing that this 100% organic cost-effective product could be safely applied to turf, shrubs, trees, roses and other plant material to help develop healthy root systems and improve disease resistance among other things.  I have to admit, having hearing about products that pledge to do all these wonderful things time and time again, I was more than a bit skeptical.  The golf season and turf maintenance season for that matter was in full swing so ECO-TEA quickly took a spot on the back burner.  It wasn't until now that I've have had some time to really research the product for myself.

  

So what is ECO-TEA you ask?  Well here is some information right from the product developer's website:

• ECO-TEA is an aerated compost tea (ACT), derived from night-crawler castings, high-grade compost, kelp, humic and fulvic acids with addition of bio-activator compounds.
• In addition to soluble nutrients, our earthworm castings and compost contain a diverse compliment of beneficial soil microorganisms (bacteria, fungi and micro-invertebrates) which are extracted into the tea.
• Adding these ingredients to highly oxygenated water increases biological activity and over a 24–36 hour period the organisms in the ECO-TEA reproduce to great population sizes.

What are the benefits of ECO-TEA?

• The main benefit of ECO-TEA comes from the soil microorganisms, which aid in nutrient turnover, improve soil structure, increase water retention and most importantly increases disease resistance in your soil and on your plants.
• ECO-TEA contains many soluble nutrients including Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc and Copper. All are found in sufficient quantities for optimum plant growth.

We are now using ECO-TEA as part of our turf  and plant health programs throughout the property.  We have a 50-gallon brewing kit on-site so we can brew the tea compost whenever we chose to do so.  The brewing process takes 24 hours and once brewed, with continuous aeration, the ECO-TEA lasts for 5-7 days for spray applications.  We are excited to see the results from using this environmentally-friendly product to provide healthier and stronger plants that will be able to fight off disease and other pests and reduce our pesticide use.

Here are a few photos of the brewing and application process:

ECO-TEA brewing kit

ECO-TEA ingredients: compost, nutrient mix, catalyst

adding the catalyst prior to adding the tea compost & nutrient mix

tea compost & nutrient mix is filtered before adding to spray tank

tea compost & nutrient mix added to the spray tank

ECO-TEA being applied to greens

Again, this product is not only for turf.  Head Horticulturist, Jacqui, is excited about using it on the landscaping plant material throughout the property.  We will also be applying it to our newer trees on the course to promote healthy roots and help them become less susceptible to pests.

As with most plant health products, commitment and repeated use is necessary to achieve optimal results.  We will be carefully documenting the the use of this product and will share the results sometime next year.

For more information about ECO-TEA, visit their website here: http://ecotea.ca/index.html