Re: [compost_tea] non-aerated teas?
----- Original Message -----
From: soilfoodweb_at_aol.com
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, January 03, 2005 7:09 AM
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] non-aerated teas?
Ted described his neighbor's simple machine for making compost extract. Ni=
ce description, and an easy way to make compost extract.
I would like us to be clear about the definitions of what we are using, how=
ever, and what exactly is obtained.
I like to take the "mystery" out of what's what people are doing (grin!), a=
nd why certain benefits occur with csome things, and why not as much benefi=
t happens with other things.
Please be clear that I am not imposing "a sentence" on compost extraction m=
achines. I make and use compost extracts; I just don't ascribe benefits to=
using extracts that are not possible.
Compost extract has organisms and nutrients extracted from the compost in i=
t. So, compost quality is still critical.
If the movement of the water through the compost is rapid enough, organisms=
are pulled from the compost into the water.
There are commercial machine available on the market - you can make 5,000 g=
allons of extract in an hour! Brew the extract to make tea. If you want m=
ore info, please e-mail me.
When Biodynamic flow forms are used, they produce a compost extract. When =
allowed to brew with some extra foods, these flow forms can make good tea. =
But the organisms in compost extract have not been brewed, may not be highl=
y active, and may not be able to stick to the leaf surfaces. Not going to =
get the organisms covering leaves, and so I don't see how protection could =
occur.
Folks:
As I recall from the post, I didn't ascribe anything to the tea the vinyard=
is using. I simply stated that they have leaf assays taken before they st=
arted the tea program and after (I didn't use those exact words.) that show=
that the tea they are using from their brewer is beneficial to the plants.=
Actually the whole process takes about 6 hours for the 50 Gallon system. =
He tried it once for longer but the tea started getting anaerobic. I thin=
k he remarked it got anaerobic at about the 24 hour time frame.
I think we are caught up in a semantical problem here. I liken their drip =
brewer to a drip coffee machine as opposed to an percolator. (I know, I kn=
ow the way they use is is actually more like a percolator but go with the a=
nalogy for a few seconds.) Aeration of water and adding nutrients to the wa=
ter and adding compost is also brewing in my estimation but one that includ=
es other parameters than a simple drip machine. Consider it coffee made wi=
th a percolator that you have added hickory or chickory or some other flavo=
r to to improve the taste of the coffee.
I think what is missing is the multiples that come with aeration and feedin=
g. They might be getting three of four times multiples (possibly more of s=
ome bacteria) of the diversity of their compost rather than the thousands o=
f times multiples you could get with an aerated brewer.
Now, if we are looking at water moving through the compost to pull organism=
s out, it would seem to me that any bag or chamber system is inferior to an=
open system yet people that make brewers using both make good tea with hig=
h multiples. I know we bang up Soil Soup quite a bit but I have made good =
tea with that machine. It's not as biologically active as one of my machin=
es but is about equal with a couple of others I have looked at. I keep one =
here as a control.
So I don't know how to resolve this problem. If the user is happy and they=
are getting results I would rather take the approach: "What you are doing =
is fine but did you know with a little more effort you can increase your ef=
fectiveness a thousandfold or more?"
To my way of thinking, anything we do to get people into the concept is a g=
ood thing. If it is as simple as pouring 1 gallon of water though compost =
in a bag/chamber/screen into another bucket 8 or 9 times as opposed to runn=
ing out and buying Miracle Gro, we are making headway.
They don't use their tea for any kind of disease prevention. They do folia=
r spray and apply all tea through a fixed irrigation system and heads made =
by Rainbird. When I mentioned possible disease prevention, the manager pul=
led out some literature from a sulfur compound company they had been using =
for some time. It is organically certified as a Powdery Mildew control and=
eradication.
Anyway, they are running just fine and I guess until something comes along =
to radically change their direction, they will stay with what they have. I=
think Elaine, you may have given a class down in this area and this guy at=
tended. I don't know how long ago the class was but he knows of you and yo=
ur work and has been to the web site. I brought him to one of my clients a=
nd he was unimpressed even though the manager (my client) extoled the virtu=
es of what I had done and the program I set out for them. He liked the bre=
wer I designed for them but he said that he was getting the results he want=
ed with his machine. You know, sometimes you just have to agree and smile.
Ted Peterson
SOE
Received on Tue Jan 04 2005 - 00:06:49 EST
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