Why is compost tea beneficial for trees in the Triangle region?

Compost tea boosts microbial life in our compacted urban soils across Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. These microbes improve nutrient uptake, increase moisture retention, and strengthen trees before our hot NC growing season begins.

What does Leaf & Limb use to make their compost tea locally?

We brew our compost tea in-house using food scraps, fallen leaves, and arborist wood chips—all sourced from our work across the Triangle. Vermicompost from our worm bins also plays a vital role in creating this living soil amendment.

Why are conventional fertilizers harmful in central NC landscapes?

Chemical fertilizers damage the already stressed soils common in our region. They reduce microbial life, increase runoff into local waterways, and don’t build long-term soil health. Compost tea is a safer, more sustainable solution.

How does compost tea help prepare Triangle trees for spring?

Applying compost tea in late winter or early spring introduces beneficial microbes that activate as soil warms. These microbes support healthier roots, reduce disease pressure, and help trees thrive through our region’s fluctuating spring weather.

February 2023 Treecologist Tribune

Out in the field, I am seeing some of the first signs of Spring! Bulbs are flowering, squirrels are digging up their winter cache, birds are building new nests, and tree buds are beginning to pop open.

At Leaf & Limb, we are also prepping for Spring. This preparation includes “ramping” up our compost tea applications. While we can apply compost tea any time of year, a good soak benefits your plants before the growing season. Read more about the benefits of compost tea. Also, did you catch that little Appalachia pun??

Our compost tea is something very near and dear to me. Since joining Leaf & Limb, I have focused on soil health, which I enjoy very much. The science of it, the ecology, and the overall environmental impact of it.

Over those years, we have gone from using commercially bought bio-fertilizers to in-house produced compost and vermicompost. This is such a satisfying feeling. The worms that make the vermicompost are fed food scraps that typically go to a landfill. The leaves that we use for compost are also spared that same fate. To round out our soil health builders, we also use any wood chips from pruning projects.

Images of our vermicomposting setup

It was an easy decision to take this route. What was difficult was getting all of the moving parts figured out and into production. But the hard work will pay off. Your trees will be happier, the soil healthier, and we will positively impact the planet!

Humans created conventional fertilizers because we thought we could do a better (and faster) job than mother nature. That is definitely not the case. Those types of fertilizers do more harm than good. Using these chemicals is just one of the ways we are responsible for destroying the health of our soil. We should stop trying to take shortcuts by using these chemicals. Compost tea is truly a better option for your trees.

Creating our compost teas is basically like microbe farming. These tiny organisms are introduced to urban and suburban soils to help build back healthy soils. Urban and suburban soils are usually void of soil microbes. Microbes are essential! They do so much for soil ecology! These include: