Compost tea is the enhanced liquid extract of good quality compost.
The process of making compost tea involves successful extraction of the microorganisms present in good compost. A good compost tea reflects the same diversity of microorganisms present in the compost and if properly made contains a much higher concentration of these organisms by volume. Successful extraction depends on a number of factors, the most important being proper aeration, agitation, time, and the required nutrition for rapid growth of the microorganisms. Good compost tea has many beneficial characteristics, the most promising of which is the suppression of numerous plant diseases. Compost tea can be applied to the foliage or the soil and in many treatment scenarios it is applied to both.