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[compost_tea] RE: compost tea defined



Dear Dr. E:

I didn't have a definition of aerobic CT in mind when I joined this list. 
 Being relatively new to aerobic CT, I believe I bring a different 
perspective to the table.  I think your definition works great for people 
who already have some idea what you are talking about.  I'm not sure it's 
the best possible definition when dealing with people who have no 
experience with what we on this list are doing.

I've asked several nonlist people if they have experience with "aerated 
compost tea."  They either don't hear the word aerated or don't have a clue 
what it means.  What they hear is "compost tea" and to them it means 
soaking compost in a bucket for a couple weeks and maybe stirring it every 
so often.

For many years, folks have been making compost tea via the bucket method. 
 These people call their product compost tea.

My dictionary defines "brew" as to make or prepare a beverage, as tea, by 
mixing, steeping, soaking, or boiling a solid in water.  By this definit  
ion, the compost-in-the-bucket method IS brewed compost tea.  However, 
clearly this product would not meet your standards for a product that 
contains optimum beneficial organisms.

I think it's important that we recognize many people define "compost tea" 
quite differently from us.  (Perhaps this is part of the problem with 
getting organic certifiers to approve CT?)

I've tried using the words "aerobic compost tea" and it doesn't work.  I'm 
going to start using the words "actively aerated" and see what happens. 
 Maybe a name change to "aerobic compost soup" or "actively aerated compost 
soup" might more clearly and concisely explain what we are talking about. 

Finally, it might be a good idea if we define the bucket method as 
anaerobic CT to further differentiate the two products.

I look forward to hearing from other folks on the list.

Paulette







-----Original Message-----
From:	soilfoodweb@aol.com [SMTP:soilfoodweb@aol.com]
Sent:	Wednesday, May 07, 2003 5:59 PM
To:	compost_tea@yahoogroups.com
Subject:	compost tea defined

CT Defined:  Compost tea is a water extract of compost (this does not 
include manure
unless that manure has been composted!) which is brewed with foods that
select for beneficial organism growth.  In order to have all the kinds of
organisms in the tea that were present in the compost, the tea must stay
aerobic.

If tea goes anaerobic, then you lose the benefiical fungi, the beneficial
protozoa and the beneficial nematodes.  If you don't have these organisms,
then you have lost most of the biological benefit of the compost, and it
isn't compost tea anymore.

What would you call anaerobic tea?  Putrefying organic matter tea? 
 Anaerobic
bacterial tea?

Can you allow something to go anaerobic, and then bring it back aerobic?
Sure.  The beneficial communities never return to the full range of 
diversity
that you want in your soil, however.  And when you go anaerobic, consider
that you could be growing, oh, some really nasty Clostridium species.  E.
coli.  Salmonella, Shigella, etc.  Not good.  Anaerobic is not a good idea. 

What was your definition of compost tea before you started learning what it 
really is?

Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
www.soilfoodweb.com
SFI Oregon, USA
SFI Australia
SFI New York
SFI Europe
SFI New Zealand

"Hope is not a feeling. It is not the belief that things will turn out 
well,
but the conviction that what we are doing makes sense, no matter how things 
turn out."   --  Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic

 << File: ATT00074.htm >> 

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