----- Original Message -----
From: blongtrance
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, September 13, 2004 3:03 PM
Subject: [compost_tea] Another Newbie with the same question
Hello
I also would like to start using compost tea for my yard and
vegetable garden. I don't like chemicals for a number of reasons
(how ever they make the grass green). It seems that you need to
spend a lot of money or have a PhD to make a good tea. Can any one
please give some advice (in simple english)on how to make a brewer
for use with yard waste compost?
(leaves & grasses)
Thanks very much
A confused newbie
Check out the Compost Tea Brewing Manual. It's where I started. I have so=
me recipes on my web site. www.earth-wise.com I am putting up a separate s=
ite with brewer designs so you will have to wait for that. Brewing tea i=
s simple and safe. A lot of the prople in this group are experimenters and=
try all kinds of things. Basically you are trying to revitalize the soil =
in your area with local bacteria and fungi and keep the balance happy so hi=
gher level organisms can feed and interact with the plants. A lot of soil =
has been biologically decimated due to fertilizers and pesticides. So it's=
simple.
Compost in water.
Let it sit or stir it around.
You will get some bacterial growth unless the water is heavily chlorinated =
or chloramined.
If you let the water sit before use for 6 to 24 hours, you can minimize the=
effects of these additives.
If you add nutirents like molasses, kelp, a nitrogen source, the bacteria g=
row as they eat the food.
Bacteria divide about every 20 minutes although I have read that they can m=
ultiply in as little as ten minutes.
If you add O2, you give the bacteria everything they need. Food and air. =
So aerobic (air loving) bacteria grow.
Follow the law of doubling and you will realize that just like ponzi scheme=
s, you get a lot of growth very fast but resources are used up so balance a=
cceptable additive rates with bacterial growth rates. You can brew in as l=
ittle as 6 hours and get great bacterial numbers.
This above will work using any kind of compost. However, part of the secre=
t of compost tea is diversity of bacteria so the better your compost, the b=
etter your tea.
Fungi is a different matter because fungi grow very slowly compared to bact=
eria. Protozoa grow even slower so if you want fungi and protozoa, you hav=
e to take some extra steps. However, it all starts with compost. You can'=
t get anything in the tea that does not exist in the compost or isn't added=
. Remember: matter cannot be created but only converted. If it isn't in y=
our compost, it isn't going to magically appear.
Compost tea is aerobic by nature. This means that you are growing aerobic =
(air loving) bacteria as opposed to anaerobic (air hating) bacteria. Now, =
nature likes a balance. Healthy soil contains both aerobic and anaerobic ba=
cteria. Because of soil compaction, water, nutirents and soil constituents=
, aerobes die off and anaerobes dominate. Anaerobes eat the aerobes but ae=
robes do not eat anaerobes in most cases.
So you want to promote aerobic bacteria and the guidelines I gave above wil=
l do that.
For a brewer, all you need is a 5 gallong bucket, a KOI air stone and a lar=
ger aquarium brewer. If you can find them inexpensive, you can get a few s=
maller ones and gang them together. If you don't like KOI stones, you can =
make a simple aerator out of 1/2" PVC.
Get a length of pipe and cap one end. Drill a hole so you can put a nipple=
in the cap so you can attach the air line. Drill a bunch of 1/32 to 1/16 =
holes in the other end. Hook up your pumps and cram the thing in your buck=
et. Dump compost directly in the bucket and direct the air towards the bot=
tom so it stirs up the compost.
A lot of people use bags. If you want to use a bag, you can make one out o=
f window screen. Put your compost in the center of the window screen and f=
old the edges up so you have a satchel. Insert you air pipe into the satch=
el and use tie wraps aor rubber bands or something else (do not use duct ta=
pe) to keep the pipe in the satchel. Dunk the satchel attached to the air =
pipe into your bucket of water. If you use a bag made this way, a lot of s=
tuff will fall through the holes. Don't worry about that. Just clean you =
bucket after use.
Simple nutrients:
You don't need a lot of any thing. You can use molasses, corn syrup or jus=
t plain sugar. You can get some kelp, humic acid, blood meal, etc. and add=
it to the water. Remember that you are feeding the biology so it can grow=
not plants. For a 5 gallon bucket, I wouldn't use more than a 1/4 cup of a=
nything. I have used ammonium nitriate and ammonium sulfate in miniscule a=
mounts and I mean miniscule; 1 tblsp. and it seems to work OK. If you foll=
ow simple recipes and use decent compost, you can brew to your hearts conte=
nt. If you really get into the process and want to find out how your tea t=
ests, use SFI.
That's about it.
Have fun. You don't need a PhD to simply brew. To do what Elaine does, yo=
u probably do need a PhD but she is way into the theoretical side and looki=
ng for ways to codify the process so she tends to deal with the more esoter=
ic sides of Compost Tea.
Ted Peterson
EW/SOE
Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT
---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
---
Yahoo! Groups Links
a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/compost_tea/
b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
compost_tea-unsubscribe_at_yahoogroups.com
c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service=
.
Received on Mon Sep 13 2004 - 21:54:57 EDT