Re: [compost_tea] The bug pile

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2003 01:19:27 -0500

Thanks for the humor, Mike, it helps. Please, keep playing in the bug pile. It will be lonely without you.

Specific cases need to be made, general frustration doesn't help.

We are all just human, and sometimes let go some nastiness we didn't think was nasty when we wrote it, or spoke it.

We need to clearly define the different kinds of compost tea, because that's part of the problem too.

Actively aerated compost tea is the only type of tea we can guarantee results, becasue we have studied it quite a bit at this point. The conditions to always make tea with good levels of bacteria, fungi, protoza and nematodes are known.
We need more replicated testing, but the scientific literature will have more of those published in the near future. Some of them are SFI pubs, some from other folks.

What are the conditions?

Good compost. Needs to be documented, and the person selling the compost should document that the biology is present. Or make the compost right, and you know the good guys will be there.

Good machine, that has been documented to be able to extract the organisms, and maintain oxygen. The foods you add need to be balanced for the aeration of the machine. Too many foods, you are in trouble.

Temperature - 65 to 70 degrees, except in late fall when you might was to let the brew cool before putting it on soil at 40 to 45, or middle of a hot toasty summer where you will fry the organisms without helping them out with orgnaic matter

Mixing - just think about yourself. If you wouldn't like it, neither will the good guys. Roller coasters are ok, but....

Spraying - coverage is important. The speed of impact is the important factor here. Drop size as well when in sunlight.

Probably have forgotten a couple things. Please check the Compost Tea Brewing Manual for the things I may have forgotten.


Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Hilversum, The Netherlands
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
www.soilfoodweb.com

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Received on Sat Dec 20 2003 - 01:46:14 EST

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