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Re: [compost_tea] Compost tea brewers
Hi Jason -
The KIS machine (5 and 30 gal), the Alaska Giant (1 and 5 gal), the Bob-A-Lators (you buy the container size you want and adjust the innards), and the EPM 22 gal machine are all small, and relatively inexpensive. The Alaska Giant is least expensive, but you have to replace the soaker hose now and again. The KIS machine is about $135, but easy to use, great teas. We've been trying to get the machine to grow E. coli, but can't do it. Whatever E. coli might come in with the compost doesn't grow at all in the KIS brewer, and often is killed in the KIS brewer. We have only tested one other brewer for it's E. coli growth capacity, and it grows E. coli just fine, because it goes anaerobic every time we have tested the tea maker.
So, it is critical to buy good compost (please ask to see numbers on the compost, it should contain less than 800 E. coli per gram, based on organic regs), keep the tea aerated, and have lots of bacteria AND FUNGI in the brew.
The websites talking about dilution are out-of-date. What we've shown is that compost tea, given good biomass of bacteria and fungi, protozoa and nematodes, only requires 5 gal per ac for foliar sprays (up to plant heights of 6 ft; add another 5 gal for each additional 6 feet of height). Fifteen gal per acre for soil drenches.
Water should be regarded only as a carrier. You add enough water to make it easy to cover the area with the tea. So, backpack sprayers usually use no water, because the tea is applied straight. Commercial operations usually do add water, because you need to apply to several acres, and you need the water as the carrier.
Remember to de-gas chlorine from your water whenever you are adding it to tea at any step.
Additives are usually useful, since fungi like to have surfaces to attach to in the tea.
Worm juice, or worm extract to add to the tea, works really well for the micronutrients (make sure E. coli free), or use humic acids, or fish hydrolysate, etc, are foods that feed the BENEFICIAL organisms, not the diseases.
Hope this helps -
Elaine
Hi I'm a newbie to this. Could anyone help with:
1. I live in Canada and these machines are very expensive (it seems!)
My local feed store says they are not complicated and they can sell me
the components to make a 100 gallon model for about half the price. Is
that feasible or is some special technology or design required?
2. I have been reading as much as I can on the net. Some sites talk
of diluting the CT by 1:10, others speak of using it undiluted. Is
there a right answer?
3. How important are additives if one has a rich compost or access to a
forest floor?
Thanks
Jason Austin
Victoria, BC
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
www.soilfoodweb.com
SFI Oregon, USA
SFI Australia
SFI New York
SFI Europe
SFI New Zealand
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