"Segway into the conversation on nutrient cycling. When stores distribute t=
ea out of a perpetual brew from a Vortex Brewer they are working with growe=
rs who are many times not really trying to set up a soil food web."
If this is the case, then the person picking up the tea to take home is goi=
ng to want to see hardly any microbes left, determining that the nutrient c=
ycling is complete and all he has left is the protozoa poo(?) since additio=
nally he does not wish to set up a soil food web.
Most longterm brews I've seen consist of high numbers of flagellates or cil=
iates prior to encysting. [or adding more foods and restarting the bacteria=
l bloom]
Tim
--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "Evan Folds" <evan_at_...> wrote:
>
> I hear you, Tad. It is an indirect observation over many different
> experiments in regards to the sea minerals changing the nature of the bre=
w.
> They are clear and would not alter the color of water. It doesn't prove
> anything, other than the increased activity we note under the microscope.
> Color and foam are not metrics to define good compost tea. The same way b=
rix
> is not for claiming nutrient dense food.
>
>
>
> Here's what I think is happening with Earth Tonic. Microbes use elements =
as
> co-factors to create enzymes, which allow them to do their work. The same
> bacteria may make myriad different enzymes if given the co-factor to do s=
o.
> In other words, all enzymes cannot be created without all elements. Not
> having all elements in a compost tea brew or root zone is like hiring
> someone to build a house with half the tools. If they can do it at all it=
is
> going to take them much longer. I am positing that from the presence of A=
LL
> minerals in a natural form that the microbes are simply more capable of
> doing their work more efficiently and in a more diverse way. One may say
> that it takes them a shorter amount of time to do what the non-Tonic brew
> does, OR, as I think is happening, the presence of all minerals allows th=
em
> to create a more textured plant food.
>
>
>
> Segway into the conversation on nutrient cycling. When stores distribute =
tea
> out of a perpetual brew from a Vortex Brewer they are working with grower=
s
> who are many times not really trying to set up a soil food web. If this i=
s
> the angle it may make more sense to brew for shorter amounts of time, tha=
t
> is if you can determine that this aspect of the food chain is deficient.
> (Per previous posts, this has not been established, but is the future). T=
hey
> may be growing with hydroponics or hand watering containers, etc. In this
> application, simply having a solution that has been created by microbes
> (plant food), even with an "unbalanced" compost tea, is a net positive.
> Especially in hydroponics. That's not to say that a brew is unbalanced wh=
en
> run perpetually. In the end questioning the meaning of "balance".it's all
> relative to your perspective and application, which is why we can never
> agree about all of this stuff. J It's also what keeps it interesting. =
>
>
>
> Hopefully, what we can come to is an understanding of how to brew a compo=
st
> tea based on the application - fungicide, biological balance, container
> gardening, hydroponics, etc. This would include stage of growth and plant
> grown. Imagine we had a feeding schedule that described how long to brew =
and
> what food sources to use based on the stage of growth and plant being gro=
wn?
> We have barely started to move in that direction and have a long way to g=
o..
>
>
>
> Be a farmer, start a garden.
>
>
>
> Evan Folds
>
> Progress Earth
>
> 6005 Oleander Dr
>
> Wilmington, NC 28403
>
> 910-777-5372 ext # 1
>
> <http://www.ProgressEarth.com> www.ProgressEarth.com
>
>
>
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Received on Fri Apr 22 2011 - 20:08:52 EDT