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Re: [compost_tea] oxygen readings



To James Coskery Hi Two conditions could cause your short time to low O2 readings;

1 If water stops flowing quite rapidly past your probe the O2 reading will drop very fast.  If moving the probe rapidly brings the reading up you have not gone low in O2 in your tea.

2. If your brew is rapidly multiplying and eating the nutrients you provided this high level of activity will use O2 as fast as you provide it.  This is a good condition but does require that you keep O2 going to the critters all the time - both in your brewer and in your application system.  This extends even to the application HOSE.  Once you turn it on, keep the spray going as constantly as you can. 

3. I think Dr Elaine may tell you to let the brew go longer until the nutrients have been consumned - or start with a lower load ( recipe) of nutrients so the microbes will reach a near dormant stage or at least a less active stage.  However this is a guess on my part.  I like the idea of the microbes being active until applied but it does require continued O2. 

4. Welcome to the great move toward better soils and better food - with constant interesting mystries along the way.  Bob  

 James Croskery <gracewood@wave.co.nz> wrote:

Hi to everyone and  Elaine if you are listening

I have been brewing compost tea for a couple of mths now down here in New Zealand. Since attending your seminars and the 3 day  workshop Elaine held in Cambridge. I am using the MEND  Brewstar Microbe Booster from Nuti-Tech Solutions in Australia which uses a pump / heater / aerator through a  venturi system.  I am brewing 1000 Lts at one time.

I have been achieving good oxygen readings during my brewing cycle but once I stop aeration the oxygen readings drop off within minutes. At end of brewing I have a reading of 7.4 ppm  within 5 minutes of turning  off the aeration it was down to 3.5 another 5 minutes and it was down to 2.5. I then turned the aeration back on and within 5 minutes it was back to 6.6. My question is what is happening to the microbes turning this time, and is this a normal reaction. I can¹t imagine that it is going anaerobic in such a short time frame.

I am now leaving the aeration running  while drawing  tea from the brewer  into the spray tank, I¹m using  4 to 6 spray tanks depending on spraying pressure to empty the brewer over a period of 6 hours.
I also took  a reading from the spray tank  prior to spraying and the reading was down to 2.5 ppm

Also has anyone done any work with energising the water before brewing. I have been energizing the water for 60 minutes by creating a vortex and changing to rotation clockwise to anti-clockwise very 15 minutes. Once energized then I start brewing. We have found by doing this we can reduce the brewing time.  However until the  New Zealand SFI  Lab is up and running  in early March we won¹t know what the advantages are.

James Croskery
Gracewood Organics
KatiKati
New Zealand


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