[compost_tea] Re: RE: SUMMER, 2004- Reprinted from Journal of Biodynamics Vol.2:36-45

From: Kirk Leonard <kirkleon_at_open.org>
Date: Sun, 26 Dec 2004 11:36:43 -0800
Tom - Thanks for posting this.  Definitely good food for thought, though
there is an agenda there, too.  As a "populist" I especially liked the
closing admonition...  Well written, good short read, though.

I'm referring to Tom J's 12/21 pointer, which I too had to try a couple
times.
http://www.woodsend.org/pdf-files/compost-tea-BD04R.pdf

As a non-scientist, I have to have fun differently, and I like talking about
tea machines (and have made stirred teas for a lot more years, too).
Anybody got a guess which machines he used?  I think it does make a
difference.

>From the report, the "aeration" machines, s1 and s2, were described thusly:

"Both units are designed to provide constant bubbling
aeration for up to twenty-four hours, employing differing
modes of action. One unit sucks air from the top and
expresses it into the solution through a central rapidwhirling
mixer; the other unit forces air to the bottom of
the unit and bubbles it upward via holes in a circular ring."

My guess is s1 is a SoilSoup bioblender and s2 a little KIS.  If so, the
good doc needs to learn more about these new-fangled "high tech" machines.
The bioiblender doesn't aerate, it pumps water, which does cause an air
release and exchange, but it's not even close to the same as what the KIS
does.  Interesting that s1 ended with less fungi than it started, s2
opposite, which is what we've been thinking and seeing for quite a while.
The recommended, small KIS brewing period is also 12 hours, which he didn't
seem to use, but maybe I missed it.

The 72 to 120 hour "settling" (my word) observations are really interesting
and I have to say the anaerobic reflections seem sound.  I'm willing to
believe healthy water will keep itself aerated, and anaerobes at bay.

Anybody else want to talk about this?  What do all those numbers really
mean?  I think of the difference between E + 02 and E + 12 as pretty huge
(isn't that 10 orders of magnitude?).

The trending also doesn't make a lot of sense and I don't understand all the
"NA" cells.  Not applicable?  Not assessed?  Huh?  Why not?  Not actually
done at the same time?  Not enough room in the incubator?

Kirk




Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT
click here


Yahoo! Groups Links

Received on Sun Dec 26 2004 - 17:41:25 EST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:15:40 EST