Does Yeast Kill Radishes?

Radish Culture

• In order to grow properly, radishes need to grow fast. Slow-growing radishes are often woody in texture and too spicy. Radishes need a few factors for quick growth. They need cool temperatures; radishes grow best in early spring and autumn. Their roots need space, too. They should be planted about 3 inches apart to ensure proper root growth. Most importantly, radishes need frequent irrigation. One of the benefits of compost tea is that it can be used to water crops. Considering radishes' quick-growth requirement, extra nutrients and water from compost tea could be beneficial.

Good Compost

• Good compost tea starts with good compost. Outdoor composting items include leaf litter, pruned wood, expired annuals and even lawn clippings. You can compost items from your kitchen as well. Unused fruits and vegetables, eggshells and coffee grounds are all beneficial compost additives. Avoid using protein-based foods, such as meat and cheese, because they may contain harmful bacteria. Be careful not to compost salad leftovers that have cream-based salad dressings on them. Good compost should smell sweet and never rotten.

Compost Tea Benefits

• Compost tea is home to billions of beneficial microbes, and the microbes are the reason for compost tea's most important benefit: helping to fight plant disease. The beneficial microbes essentially crowd out and destroy harmful microbes, leaving radishes, rutabagas and everything else healthier. Compost tea also contains all the nutrients of compost, just in a simple-to-apply liquid form. Compost tea can be added to soil or used as a foliar spray.

Compost Tea Method

• Simple compost tea can be made by filling a clean bucket with water, dropping an old nylon stocking or small burlap bag filled with compost in it and letting it sit, while stirring it occasionally, for seven to 10 days before use. Adding aquarium pumps and additives such as yeast, molasses or even fruit juice reportedly increases the microbial content of the tea and makes it more effective as a fertilizer and disease suppressant. Compost tea brewing kits are available commercially for home use and large-scale use.