[compost_tea] makin' compost, was Using my own compost, not a good option ? ?

From: George and Paulette Mouchet <geomouchet_at_QNET.COM>
Date: Fri, 9 May 2003 11:12:03 -0700

Thanks, Mike.

>From what (I think) I've learned from this list, vermicompost is an
excellent source of compost for AACT. Everyone says it's a great source of
beneficial fungi. I don't remember anyone mentioning potential problems
with anerobic microbes or bad critters like E. Coli.

Somehow the lack of oxygen issue that makes poor quality regular compost
doesn't seem to be an issue with vermicompost. If this is true, then the
solution to using "good" compost is to use only vermicompost in the AACT
and not regular compost.

Anyone have any thoughts?

And while were at it, WHY would vermicompost not have the problems of
regular compost?

Paulette

-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Bosko [SMTP:mjbosko_at_jmtsystems.com]
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 7:35 AM
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] Using my own compost, not a good option ? ?

Well put Paulette. I too have visited the magicsoil site and had a couple
back and forth emails with the him. I think its great what he's doing, and
for him doing it to sell, he probably has to. But. for the home or small
ag
person, its just not feasible. Its good to hear I'm not just blowing smoke
about the, and the only one with these, concerns I have shared.

I do want to see tea applications grow. Like you said, its hard to spread
the news if it involves buying machines and explaining that peoples home
made compost isn't good enough, or worse that its harmful..



-----Original Message-----
From: George and Paulette Mouchet [mailto:geomouchet_at_QNET.COM]
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 9:01 PM
To: 'compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] Using my own compost, not a good option ? ?

It would be helpful if we discussed how to make "good" compost. Most folks
don't understand the biology of composting. Take a look at past issues of
the Compost Corner in Organic Gardening magazine. You'll see that a common
and accepted way to compost is to let the pile over the winter (without
turning) and voila, you have compost the next spring.

Yesterday, Dr. E. pointed us to an interesting Web site
( http://www.magicsoil.com/) where they are making AERATED compost on a
commercial basis using a big machine running around the clock to blow air
into the compost. Their research shows that unless the oxygen levels in
the compost are above 15 percent, the compost is anerobic and not very
good. AND, turning the compost every day isn't enough to get oxygen levels
anywhere near this.

This is discouraging to me as a home composter. How do we make "good"
compost without rushing out to buy an air blower and running it 24/7? (I
can't imagine what my neighbors would think!) The answer from John
Crockett, a.k.a. Dr. Mike Robe of Mother Nature's Farms, Inc. was:

Grainger has a number of tiny squirrel cage [air] blowers of different
sizes, that will do it. IF you get a single 10' length of PVC pipe, and a
cap for the tail end... and drill holes in that part which is going to be
under your compost (excluding a distance from the edge equal to the height
of the pile... then your tiny blower has to be fitted to the other end. We
get into valves to control flow rate, and I don't see a need for you to do
that, unless you are going to go for optimizing turn around time....
    as you saw on our website, many of the byproducts of anaerobic bacteria
are phyto-toxic. I learned that the hard way, about 8 yrs go.

I don't think this is very practical for the home composter. So that
leaves us looking for a way to produce "good compost." It's pretty
discouraging to think that the compost I make is probably loaded with
anerobic critters, some of which are quite unhealthy.

One of my goals in learning about "actively aerated compost tea" is to
share what I've learned with the masses of organic gardeners who know
nothing about it. To do this, I need to find a simple, inexpensive way to
make and apply AACT. It's going to be a hard sell when you tell folks the
compost they make is bad and they can't use it, and they must spend $150 on
a machine and then keep buying "tested compost" and other "tested
ingredients" in order to make a product that is "good." They'll probably
keep right on making (and using) that anerobic tea in the bucket that was
good enough for Grandma...

Okay, I'm rambling...

Paulette



-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Lowenfels [SMTP:jeff_at_gardener.com]
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 8:03 PM
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Using my own compost, not a good option ? ?

Hey Mike,

I think Tom is correct, it can be very frustrating to manage everything at
once and the idea that you have to buy a certain brewer or compost can be
frustrating too.You might feel better if you knew that even though I have
unlimited supply to what some would say is the world's very best compost, I
STILL MAKE MY OWN COMPOST AND TRY IT IN TEAS ALL THE TIME! And even though
I know that The KIS, Evans, Bob and BItti-0's give great results and have
all of them and use them all, I STILL FOOL AROUND WITH MY OWN HOMEMADES.

Of course you should use your own compost. And if you can make a machine
that works, go for it, too!

However, I do have to say there is something to having known, tested
equipment and compost. Not only do you know you are not wasting time, but
you don't have to go to the considerable expense repeating tests and doing
tests to get your machine/compost/vermicompost etc to the point where it
works! It isn't cheap. And, it gives you a standard from which to deviate
as you learn more about teas and do go off on your own.

We don't talk about composting on this site because we are not a composting
site. We do talk compost. We don't spend much time because many of us adopt
the idea that if you say the word compost you mean one thing: properly made
compost.

Finally, we know of several folks in Agriculture that are embracing compost
teas. And I would hope by the time the Methyl Bromide ban rolls around,
many more will be!

I hope all that salmon you and Tom are eating comes from Alaska rivers and
is not farmed.....

Cheers,

Jeff



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Received on Fri May 09 2003 - 14:48:34 EDT

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