[compost_tea] Re: Standardized recipe to give to the general public.

From: somydi <somydi_at_gmail.com>
Date: Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:43:47 -0000

Thanks Tad for the useful information. I will continue to review tea recipe=
s and experiment with them and the application of them.

-John

--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, Tad Hussey <tadhussey_at_...> wrote:
>
> John,
>
> First of all, you won't get mycorrhizal fungi to grow in ACT anyway as it=
 requires a host (plant roots).  Some people will add it to the tea af=
ter they're done brewing, but I believe it is best applied separately, with=
 a direct root application (root injection, sprinkled into the pot when tra=
nsplanting, etc..).  That being said, ACT could still have benefit for=
 your orchids, provided they're planted in a media that will support biolog=
ical activity.  If you're misting your plant, make sure to use a spray=
er that does not damage the tea.  Those handheld sprayers where you pu=
ll the trigger don't work well.
>
> As for recipes, you will find many different ones out there on the intern=
et.  Some will be better than others, because many "experts" don't act=
ually test their recommendations with lab test or microscope work.  Yo=
ur recipe will ultimately be dependent upon your brewer and it's ability to=
 maintain dissolved oxygen levels throughout the brewing cycle.  You m=
ay want to read the other articles here too, but this one has some ratios f=
rom Tim Wilson that would be a good starting point for you in regards to re=
cipes.  http://gardeningwithmicrobes.com/teaarticle2.shtml
>
> Lastly, while it is true that some plants prefer a microbial dominance to=
 their soil (ex.-vegetables/annual like bacterial dominated soil, trees ten=
d to prefer fungally dominant soil), think of ACT as a shotgun approach.You=
're putting out all the beneficial aerobic organisms you can (bacteria/arch=
ea, fungal hypahe, flagellates, ciliates, etc...) and allowing the plant to=
 be in charge of what it wants on the leaf surface and in the rhizosphere b=
ased on the exudates it puts out.  If the plant doesn't need for fungi=
, then it will select for the types of bacteria it needs and the fungal hyp=
hae will go dormant or become food resources for other organisms in the soi=
l.  In my opinion, the main benefit of ACT is nutrient cycling, which =
is best achieved by having all the organisms present and being balanced by =
natural prey and predation.  I would apply the same ACT to my lawn, tr=
ees, and garden.
>
>
> Hope that helps!
>
> ~Tad
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: somydi <somydi_at_...>
> To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Sunday, October 30, 2011 10:53 AM
> Subject: [compost_tea] Re: Standardized recipe to give to the general pub=
lic.
>
>
>  
>
>
> Being new to tea making (I have yet to make my own yet) I have a couple o=
f questions as to recipes. First of all my main use for the tea will be for=
 vegetables, lawn and orchids. In my research on tea recipe's I found that =
orchids do not benefit from mycorrhizal fungi so I would like to know if a =
non fungal dominate tea would be beneficial to orchids or are orchids just =
not a tea accepting plant? I would still think that they would benefit from=
 being misted with tea.
>
> My other question on tea recipes is that do the ingredients change during=
 the growth cycle of the plant? Example, would you use the same recipe for =
a tomato plant from seed to fruit or are there changes to the recipe at eac=
h stage, i.e. vegetation, flowering and fruit production.
>
> Thanks, John
> --- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "JB" <jbridgestx_at_> wrote:
> >
> > Is it possible for you to post the name of your stores? As I think such=
 a practice by any retail store is just awesome.
> >
> > John Bridges,
> > Texas
> >
> > --- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "dz" <orgdro4all_at_> wrote:
> > >
> > > I have been a member of the group for years, and work in a retail or=
ganic gardening/hydroponic store. We have recently built some 15 gallon vo=
rtex brewers with Eco Plus Commercial 7 200L/min air pumps to give out Free=
 compost tea to our customers. The problem is we have more than 1 location=
, and we all think our recipe is right.....One guy uses bat guano, and coff=
ee, while the other uses multiple nutrients sources, while I stick to the b=
asics.
> > >
> > > We are looking for a standardized recipe that will produce the best r=
esults for the customer so they can expect the same thing from each brew, I=
'd love recommendations, or recipes.
> > >
> > > We have just about everything you could imagine at our disposal to us=
e. Including but not limited to: Ancient Forest, Farmer D Compost, Earth Wo=
rm castings, humic/fulvic acid, dry and liquid kelp, liquid fish, azomite, =
and every sunleaves variety bat guano.
> > >
> > >
> > > What I have been doing per 13 gallons:
> > > 6 Cups of farmer D compost
> > > 6 Cups of Wiggle Worm earthworm castings
> > > 60 ml of molasses(Nutrilife heavy weight)
> > > 60 ml of fossil fuel humic acid
> > > 15ml of concentrated sea kelp extract
> > >
> > > I have a scope and this brew seems to be giving a good qty and variet=
y of organisms we give the tea out in the 20-40 hour range, then thoroughly=
 clean the brewer rinse and repeat.
> > >
> >
>




Received on Sat Nov 05 2011 - 20:04:39 EDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 13:58:13 EST