Re: [compost_tea] Brewing time for soil applications only

From: Robert Norsen <bnbrew_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, 1 Feb 2005 21:04:04 -0800 (PST)

It makes sense, Jon. Letting the critters hit the soil wet, well fed and with lunch for a few days makes good sense. Another way to get more from a given tank is with the CACT cycle. In this cycle 25 % of the tank capacity is taken every hour after 16 hours. An equal 25% of water, compost and nutrients are added every hour for as long as you want to run the system.
If the compost contains a lot of large non disolved stuff the extractor must be emptied out if it gets too full of stuff. Otherwise we think 24 7 10 days without stopping is practical.
Your 500 g brewer would produce around the clock, 125 g per hour - if you have crews going 24 hour x125 = 3000 g per day x 10 days is 30,000 g. You don't have to keep it going steady..
Want to rest 8 hours at night? Just let that brew go longer but still take just 25% of the volume in the next and following brews. Tests we ran showed slight change from hour to hour and nearly the same as when run 16 to 24 hours. Sometimes ths fungi was higher in the shorter brews. You need a source of warm chlorine free water. That proved the hard part. Bob

Jon H <handy_at_swko.net> wrote:


I was wondering if the brew length could be shortened if you are only
using the tea for soil application. I am re-reading my notes on the
class Elaine and Arden gave in december. In my notes I have written:
For soil, extract and brewed is about the same. Since I have
probably gotten most of the microbes off the compost in 6 hours and I
have the nutrints in the water, why not put the tea out there and let
the microbes use the food while in the soil?

I ask this because this would allow me to run 3 brew/day instead of
one brew/day. I never worry about foliar diseases MUCH in my dry
climate. Since I am mainly interesed in the soilfoodweb anyway,
would this make sense or am I missing something?

Jon







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Received on Wed Feb 02 2005 - 01:20:20 EST

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