Simply put, foliar feeding is feeding the leaves. So, if you fertilize the roots of the plant why do you need to feed the leaves? Because feeding the leaves is another really great way to improve the health of your plants and provide sustenance. That’s especially important when it appears that there’s something amiss with a plant. Perhaps the vascular system has been compromised and it’s not able to take up nutrition. Foliar feeding just may provide enough nutrients to get the plant back on track.
I foliar feed my tomato plants four times during the growing season. This is in addition to the feeding that is done at the soil. The first foliar feed is when the yellow flowers first appear and the second is when fruit starts to form. One month later I give the third application and the fourth is one month after that.
Sometimes I use the compost from my worm bin to make a compost tea to feed the plants. Worm tea is the liquid concentrate of worm compost. Ideally, it is full of minerals and microbacteria that is incredibly valuable for your plants. The tea is created by brewing the compost in water and using a pump or stirring rapidly to aerate it. But that’s a lot of work and I’m not ever sure it’s as nutrient rich as I would like it to be. I often tell myself, my compost is only as good as what I put into it. And, I always worry that my worms get too many strawberries and not enough spinach.
It’s important to note that the liquid drainage that collects at the bottom of the worm bin is not compost tea. It’s actually liquid that leaches out of undigested food waste, and it can actually be toxic to your plants.
I love to use the Compost Tea Bags from Malibu Brew for my foliar feeding. It’s a biodynamic compost tea made from dairy cow manure from dairy cows which has very unique properties that make it even more powerful than chicken or steer manure or bat guano. Malibu Brew Compost Tea is really easy to make and easy to use. I put one of the teabags into a bucket of water (2.5 gallons) and let it sit overnight. In the morning I give it a really good stir and then stir it the other way. Then, I pour it into a garden sprayer and lightly spray the tea over the foliage. The leaves will be refreshed and revitalized.
In case you’re wondering, foliar feeding isn’t just for tomatoes. Go to town and spray your entire garden. You’ll be glad you did!