Re: [compost_tea] Re: confused and alarmed
No, I'm not saying that. Microbes will grow even if you dump compost into =
water and siphon off the liquid after about 30 min and spray it or water it=
. There is enough dissolved O2 to get multiples in population. However, s=
ince you will be limited to the O2 in the water and the nutrients available=
in the compost, your multiples will be low. If you provide adequate O2 an=
d nutrients, you will get huge multiples. This will increase your chances =
in getting the correct bacteria and fungi into your soil or on your plants.=
When these are in the soil in representative numbers, the other critters =
that feed on them can start living and eventually, you have reestablished t=
he soil and within that soil will be a web of interlocking, interdependent =
life.
What I read most concerns how to control the process to ensure high-quality=
every time. Now, even compost taken from the same pile will contain diffe=
rent amounts of bacteria depending on where in the pile they are found(dept=
h) and how old the compost is. Brewing is reliable in that you will get mu=
ltiples of bacteria. It isn't as reliable in determining which bacteria or=
even if specific bacteria are "grown" together. This is why you want comp=
ost with as high diversity as you can get. You are maximizing you chances =
at success.
Brewing is simply a way of magnifying the effect of your compost. Nutrient=
s give the microbes food in different forms. Some of the food forms favor =
certain bacteria and other forms favor other bacteria. So you try for dive=
rsity. I can hook you up with a brewer and give you highly diverse compost=
and/or show you how to grow your own compost. If you use my compost and my=
formulae, you will end up with high-quality every time. However, if the w=
eather changes, some microbes will be accentuated over others. If you use =
a DO meter to measure activity (drop in DO means bugs are multiplying, feed=
ing and using the O2.) you will see the required drop every time. You wil=
l get high multiples but not necessarily high diversity every time. The go=
al is high multiples and high diversity but I don't think that is possible =
in every brewing situation. I think more correctly we could say: high muli=
tples and good diversity virtually every time.
Ted Peterson
Earth-Wise/Spirit of the Earth
----- Original Message -----
From: dkemnitz2000
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, December 19, 2003 3:12 PM
Subject: [compost_tea] Re: confused and alarmed
--Are you saying there are too many variables in the ACT process
using your machine and someone's tested compost (or yours)to always
produce satisfactory product per SFI standards?
Received on Fri Dec 19 2003 - 21:07:17 EST
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