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RE: [compost_tea] Testing procedures for various brewers



Thanks for the reply Jeff.  But first, I don’t want to put stock in any compost being uniform. That was the basis of my question.  I can’t see how we can say, yet, that any compost, even under environmentally controlled conditions, is uniform.

 

The way you have written your reply is how I’d really like to think about it, really.  But its just not satisfying my curiosity… Although I value your insight, knowledge and experience with teas, I’m thinking of it more in terms of scientific proof instead.  Thinking in terms of our methods for testing and approving, or disapproving, given brewers -- and the lax controls we’re allowing (the way it looks from my seat way over here in the back of the class) – it makes me sway to imagine what would happen if Dr. E’s papers were sent to the journals on such basis (I know they are not!, just an analogy).  I’d think that their audience would expect more controls, er, proof in the puddin’.

 

??  Just something I’ve been pondering ??

 

-m

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Lowenfels [mailto:jeff@gardener.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 6:29 PM
To: compost_tea@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Testing procedures for various brewers

 

 

<<So…  when I see test results of a given brewer, I question – are we seeing the results of the materials extracted from the compost, the brewers capability to grow aerobic colonies or a mixture of both?  I’m making my own judgment that it’s the latter.  In that case, how can we say a certain brewer is better or worse than another by looking at the test results?  Are there not too many variables>>>

 

I don't think it matters as much as you may think it does.

First, you can take the very best Alaska Humus, with its unbelievable numbers and in the wrong machine get low numbers. Obviously you have to start with a compost that you know has numbers....but really, you can tell if a machine is working if you have any kind of decent compost/humus/Vermi.

And, I can tell you that even something as stable as Alaska Humus has variability from batch to batch, so I don't put as much stock as you want to in uniform compost.

To me, the SFI numbers tell it all. Forget that most manufactures will try and use the best stuff they can to get the highest numbers. Remember the line at the bottom with the "minimum standards" for each category? If the numbers from a machine meet or beat those, I know  am going to get great coverage. So I then look to cost, size, maintaince, speed and nutrient/humus/Compost content. It is those ranges on the SFI reports that are comparable to each other. That is what counts IMHO.

 

Cheers,

 

JEff



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