What Is a Nutrient Tea (and How Do You Brew One)?

Nutrient teas—also called compost teas or microbial teas—are liquid mixtures packed with beneficial microbes, fungi, and organic nutrients that help support healthy cannabis growth. Rather than feeding the plant directly with synthetic nutrients, a nutrient tea feeds the living organisms in your soil. Those fungi and microbes, in turn, break down organic matter and deliver nutrients in a form your plant can actually use. It’s a natural, symbiotic system—and it works beautifully.

So, what exactly goes into a nutrient tea, and how do you make one? It’s easier than you might think.

What You Need to Brew a Basic Nutrient Tea:

• A Microbial Starter: This can be compost, worm castings, or a store-bought inoculant that contains beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi.

• Unsulfured Molasses: This is the food source for the microbes—it gives them the energy to multiply while the tea brews.

• Air Pump and Airstone: Keeping the tea aerated during the brewing process is critical. Oxygen helps beneficial organisms thrive and prevents harmful anaerobic bacteria from taking over.

• Clean Water: Use dechlorinated or filtered water to protect your microbes.

• A Bucket or Brewing Container: Typically, a 5-gallon bucket works well for small grows.

How to Brew It:

1. Fill your bucket with clean water.

2. Add a few handfuls of compost or worm castings.

3. Mix in 1–2 tablespoons of unsulfured molasses per gallon of water.

4. Drop in your airstone and let the mixture bubble for 24–36 hours.

5. Apply immediately after brewing for the best results—either as a soil drench or foliar spray.

By brewing your own nutrient tea, you’re cultivating a living ecosystem that supports long-term plant health, bigger yields, and richer terpene profiles. It’s a simple, sustainable way to take your cannabis grow to the next level.

Don’t want to  brew your own tea? Check our event tab for the next tea time with Roger. Listen on You Tube while we brew a tea for tea day.