Compost tea: innovative management of organic sweet cherry orchards and organic vineyards (OLTRE.BIO practice abstract)

The compost tea production process involves the use of a bioextractor (containing water), that is a tank equipped with an aeration device (pump). The on-farm compost is placed in a filter bag (hemp or nylon) and soaked in the water. Oxygenation is obtained by activating the recirculation of the aqueous medium of extraction via a pump. The extraction is carried out with a ratio of 1:5 v/v (20%). In order to ensure proper oxygenation, the timer should be set to a value of 15 minutes (on) every 3 hours (off). A further dilution can be necessary, after measuring the electrical conductivity, up to a ratio of 1:15 v/v, before using compost tea in soil (and on crop leaves). In sweet cherry orchards and in vineyards compost tea must be provided about three times during each season.