Organic Fanatic Collective

[vonforne]

I was using the PW as an example for a delivery system. You would only need about 30 to 50 psi. LOL

Hey smurf, Why would 50% of the microbs die?

 

[Suby]

Hey all, great finds, JK PM me a great link and I think I'll be picking a 4pack of those barrels.

Smurf and V thanks for those, I'm short on time so I'll be reading without skimming this afternoon.

JK post that Maximum Yield link, that was also an excellent read.

Spring is in the Ait

Suby

 

[jaykush]

i kind of lost it actually you post it

but enjoy some organic eye candy

edit: sorry to loose the goodness but found the article

edit again: what are the odds the moment i edit suby posts the article. shit

eyecandy back

 

[Suby]

Great Maximum Yield Article

Great Maximum Yield Article

Here is the article JK linked me; I'll let you guys read it and then I'd like to discuss it later when you've al perused it.

Microbial-Rich Solution or Dirty Brown Water





By Todd Salemi



THE CONCEPT and the use of organic teas and solutions are rapidly developing in the hydroponics industry. Gardeners are beginning to understand the benefits of microbiology and the rewards of organic methods. This article informs growers of the wide range of organic teas and solutions, and the difference between good quality microbial-rich solution and dirty brown water.

Extensive testing has shown that optimal plant results are achieved when the root zone is filled with a high concentration of beneficial biology with diversity in excess of 10,000 (Dr. Elaine Ingham, SFI Lab). Beneficial biology is aerobic or oxygen breathing microbes. Research shows anaerobic or non-oxygen breathing microbes are not beneficial and/or can be pathogenic and toxic. When beneficial biodiversity reaches over 10,000+ this means there are 10,000 different types of beneficial microorganism species present. This diversity is imperative for hydro-organics.

A few standard items should be looked at when using an organic tea, or solution:



• biodiversity of micro-organisms

• total and active micro-organisms

• full-range levels of biology (bacteria, fungal, chitinase- and cellulase-producing microbes, and protozoa, which includes amoebas, ciliates, flagellates, and beneficial nematodes)

• base material being used for extraction

• overall biological levels of the tea

or solution.



There are many different tea and solution products on the market. Which one will give you the best results? To determine the quality of the tea or solution, one has to establish what base material is being used and the process in which the base material is being used to extract tea. Here are some different types of tea and the process by which they are made.



BOTTLED BIOLOGY PRODUCTS:

In most cases the “biology in a bottle” is beneficial but the diversity of the micro-organism species is limited. This liquid can provide an improvement in soil biology but is limited due to limited diversity. A biological mix that has little diversity in hydroponics can often cause more deficiencies than improvements. The results can vary but research shows that an imbalance of microbes in an aqueous hydroponics system can lead to organic material buildup, which can breed pathogenic competitors. Biological liquid with a low diversity does not have the capability of producing recyclers, which will compete and use those pathogenic competitors as a food source. The largest species variety in these products is about 100. This means that there are a total of 100 different beneficial species. These organisms must be put to sleep by being “pickled” to be able to be bottled. To achieve this, the pH must be lowered below 3 so the organisms will not multiply and respiration gases will not explode the container.



WORM BED TEA:

Some products are the liquid produced from worm beds. Most worm beds are fed various animal manures (cow, horse, swine, or chicken). In most cases this liquid passing from worm beds has not been processed by the worms. It is the excess that is released as the manure decays and is usually very high in pathogens (e-coli, salmonella, helminth ova, and others). These pathogens can make you very ill. Because the liquid comes from a worm bed does not mean it has passed through the worms’ guts. If it has not been digested by the earthworms, it can be quite toxic.



COMPOST TEA:

There are a large number of compost tea products on the market. Historically “compost tea” has been anaerobic manure leachate. This means that manure was put into a barrel with water and allowed to set for 30 days or more. In many cases this process leads to anaerobic pathogens such as e-coli, salmonella, and other pathogens. Static compost tea has not been produced in an aerobic environment with a dissolved oxygen level in excess of 6 ppm. This results in multiplication of the anaerobic organisms, rather than the beneficial aerobic organisms. With dissolved oxygen in excess of 6 ppm the tea will be aerobic but will be limited in diversity and unbalanced in both bacterial and fungal levels; it will not produce the proper levels needed for a symbiotic relationship with the plant.

The pathogen presence found in compost tea has led the NOP (National Organic Program) to outlaw the use of compost tea on food crops within 120 days of harvest.



AEROBIC MICROBIAL-RICH SOLUTION:

Aerobically brewed solution is not a new concept; recent biotechnology has greatly improved its understanding and use.

Manufacturers have joined forces with researchers to develop a feed for Eisenia foetida earthworms. This proprietary feed excludes animal waste, which usually contains pathogenic organisms. The feed also excludes landscape trimmings, which may contain pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. This feed mix greatly enhances the biology of the worm casting. Tests have shown biological diversity at 30,000+. Using a rich biological source like castings of specifically fed worms is only the first step to producing a quality microbial-rich solution.

The next step is to extract the biology from the worm casting. With 10 years of expensive and diligent research, manufacturers and researchers have developed an exact feed mix containing specific and precisely measured sugars and carbohydrates. This feed mix is very critical. If too many sugars are provided, the bacterial organisms will grow and overwhelm the needed fungal. The balance of bacterial and fungal is very important to create a symbiotic relationship with the plant. The feed mix also takes into account the growth of recyclers such as amoebas, ciliates, flagellates, and beneficial nematodes. The proper mix of sugars and carbohydrates must have fungal attachment sites to develop beneficial communities of fungal. This is no longer just a tea, and by no means is this compost tea.

The mix is then cultured and brewed aerobically. This process must be done in water that is low in salts and chlorine. Chlorine is used to stop biological growth in the city water and pools. If chlorine is evident, then growth is slowed or stopped. The salts should be less than 50 ppm and the chlorine less than 10 ppm. The best results originate from using reverse osmosis treated water for the extraction process.

These organisms must then be aerobically brewed for 24 hours in an environment where the dissolved oxygen level is maintained above 6 ppm during the whole brewing process. The temperature of the brewing water must be maintained at 60°F–85°F. This material can now accurately be called Biologically Active Microbial-rich Solution.

This process, if done correctly, will multiply the organisms about nine billion times (9 x 109), resulting in one gallon having the same biology as 2,000 lb of quality Eisenia foetida earthworm castings.

One thing must be realized when using biologically active microbial-rich solution. Once the beneficial biology has been activated and multiplied, it does not stop growing at the end of the brew cycle. When placed in a bottle, the biology continues to grow and feed off the provided oxygen. Once the bottled oxygen has depleted, the organisms begin to starve and die. This liquid must be placed in a reservoir or in soil eight to ten hours after the brewing process has stopped. The best viability comes when the solution is used directly after decanting the extractor. Refrigeration at 40°F will slow the rapid growth of the biology, extending the shelf life to five days.

The quality of solution can be determined by a biological test. These tests are not the tests used to provide typical soil reports. The bacterial levels should be 10–150 micrograms per milliliter (mg/ml) active and 150-300+ mg/ml total. The fungal levels need to be 2–10 mg/ml active and 2–20+ mg/ml total. There must be a balance of both bacterial and fungal. Bacterial organisms are easy to grow and can overwhelm the fungal if the feed mix is not properly controlled. The hyphal diameter of the fungi needs to be 2.5+ micrometers. The protozoa should show flagellates in the range of 1,000 /ml, amoebae at 1,000/ml, and ciliates at 20–50/ml. The beneficial nematodes should be at 2–10/ml. The chitin degraders and cellulose degraders should both be above 100 million cfu/dwg. The protozoa and nematodes are the large-sized recyclers. The chitin degraders and cellulose degraders are small-sized but very active recyclers. These make the nutrients from the bacterial and fungal biology available for the plants. If the test numbers do not show values in these ranges, assume the material is not optimal.

The following photos of rice production show the resulting improvement in plant performance by using a quality solution with a diversity in excess of 30,000 and the properly balanced biology. The results from rice paddy production are very close to the results seen in hydroponic applications. Hydroponic food production has also been tested with superb results. This testing was performed under the authority of Japanese Agriculture for organic rice production at 14 different farms. Each test plot was a minimum of 0.5 hectares (about 1.25 acres).

The average increase in yield was more than 250 percent. Japanese rice farmers sell their rice based on quality. Good farmers will get 50 percent #1-rated rice, 20-30 percent #2-rated and the rest below. Rice rated #1 sells for 1,000 yen/kg (about $4/pound), #2 rice sells for 700 Yen/kg, #8 sells for 50 Yen/kg. So, the farmer wants as much #1 rice as possible. One hundred percent of the solution-fed rice from 14 different test farms was rated #1. The solution was the only feed for this test protocol.

The following photos of onions show the average results from eight different farms. This research was performed under the authorization of Japanese Agriculture. Eight farms were used for the onion testing. Each test plot was 0.5 hectares (about 1.25 acres). The test onions were fed only the solution and a small amount of chicken waste. One of the test goals was to determine production of organic-qualified produce. Japan has approved this solution for organic food production. (The demand for organic food products is equally as strong in Japan as elsewhere in the world). The side-by-side fields were planted and harvested at the same time to see growth rate differences in a real production.

A significant improvement in shelf life was seen in each crop tested and is credited to the balanced biology in the growth phase. It is theorized that a balance of competing organisms is available within the vegetables. The organisms that “rot” vegetables do not predominate because of the beneficial competition. The “solution” onions are consistently showing more than six months shelf life. This means a dramatic savings in the food industry.

The results of testing various solution applications have convinced Japanese Agriculture that this method can be used to produce high quality organic food products in field and hydroponic applications. Two of the scientists who worked on this research have been awarded the positions responsible for granting organic approval for Japan.

The new biotechnology of microbial-rich solution can provide significant benefits for organic hydroponics production. The balanced and concentrated biology will provide the ability to produce crops that can be approved for organic certification.

Hydroponics and organics have a relationship that is determined to see eye-to-eye. When using teas or solutions in hydroponic applications, understanding what is in the bottle is important. The labels on bottles and containers of any product must be registered by the state’s department of agriculture. Words that are used for description are approved by the state, and special guidelines must be followed regarding every inference or claim. Organic tea and microbial-rich solution are two very different products, and that difference should be considered when applying organics to hydroponics.

 

[Smurf]

That's a good informative read; basically it tackles the grass roots of bio-active teas..... but the part I like the most is how the author Todd Salemi uses data from Dr. Elaine Ingham as a reference standard.....

Extensive testing has shown that optimal plant results are achieved when the root zone is filled with a high concentration of beneficial biology with diversity in excess of 10,000 (Dr. Elaine Ingham, SFI Lab).

The more I read about this woman the more I understand why she is held with such high esteem amongst researchers & scientists. As it turns out she is a very approachable academic, who to date has set up 7 SFI laboratories world wide with more on the planning board.
Not to distract from the main story, I must admit that my understanding of cultivating a diverse biomass, although limited, is in part thanks to her research.

smurf

 

[Suby]

One of the things this article touches on that caught me offguard was that the overuse of sugar (in my case molasses) can tip the scale too much in favor of bacteria ceating an imbalance with fungus, you can use suagrs high in lignin to encourage a more fungal tea.

I have an old HT article I want to scan with an imbeded text recognition software so I can cut and paste it here.

More to come.

S

 

[Smurf]

Sorry guys for not replying sooner, re: (50% death of microbes)

To tell you the truth I’m not exactly sure why that particular pump kills so many of the microbes but IMO there is a good chance the pump impeller is the culprit,... possibly the radii of the blades are too sharp or the helical angle is incorrect...... either way there is a possibility it could be shredding the microbes especially at high rpm (basically poor design),.... when you think about it...... if an impeller type pump of poor design is what was used it could be replicating a food processor.
Anyway I’m only having a stab in the dark here, so to solve this mystery I’ll give the SFI a ring next week as I’m just as keen to know why.

cheers smurf

 

[Smurf]

courtesy of SFI Aust. - I thought this to be quite relevant to the ongoing discussion

The METHOD is critical in making tea

In order to have the organisms in the tea, brewing conditions must be correct to produce the end product desired.
The biology that is active and performing a function will be very different, depending on:

• temperature of brewing,
• the foods added to the brew,
• oxygen concentrations in the brewer during production,
• the initial compost used, and therefore which species are present to be extracted,
• The length of time tea is brewed.

Temperature

Temperature during brewing should be related to the temperature of the soil, or of the leaf surface. If tea is applied in the late autumn, when temperatures are cool, it may be wiser to apply a tea where the organisms are mostly asleep, or that are selected to grow on plant residues. Selection for this ability would be enhanced by addition of plant material to the brew, such as oatmeal, alfalfa meal, feathermeal, etc.

Foods

Foods added to a brew will select for particular species that can use those foods. Do you want a bacterial tea? Add sugars, simple proteins, simple carbohydrates. If a fungal brew is desired, add more complex foods, such as plant material (oatmeal, soybean meal, flour), humic acids, fulvic acids (which will release bacterial foods after fungi begin the process of decomposition). Predators can be enhanced by adding hay (cut green and dried), or by soaking hay for a few days and adding the water to the tea brew.

Oxygen

Oxygen is perhaps the parameter that has been least understood in centuries of tea-brewing. Most beneficial organisms, the organisms that promote the processes that plants need in order to grow without stress, and therefore with greatest resistance to disease, are aerobic organisms. To enhance this community of beneficials, tea must remain aerobic.

Fermentative microorganisms are organisms which can grow in aerobic as well as reduced oxygen conditions. Since these organisms have dual metabolic abilities, they have to maintain the genetic material for both sets of enzymes. They have an energetic load that means they are not as competitive with true aerobes, when oxygen is in fully aerobic concentrations. They are not as competitive when in competition with true anaerobes at low oxygen concentrations. They do best in the conditions where oxygen is fluctuating in the intermediate aerobic – anaerobic range. These organisms can make very interesting waste products when growing in anaerobic conditions. These materials are known to have significantly inhibitory effects on a variety of less-desirable organisms.

The problem is maintaining the conditions exactly correctly so that the desired organisms grow. This knowledge is not public domain, and remains proprietary. Until attention is directed to understanding what products result from different aerobic – anaerobic conditions, with which foods, and with different temperature regimes during brewing, fermentative compost teas remain in the questionable realm. These teas don’t produce the same effects time-after-time, which is the reason that compost teas have languished in the “snake-oil”, and “voo-doo-juice” category for so long. If the tea you brew today has one effect, but the tea you brew tomorrow has a different, and possibly negative effect, that lack of reliable results will destroy the reputation of a product. It is most important to clearly maintain production conditions when making tea.

Anaerobic conditions (below 2 to 4 mg oxygen per L for example) during brewing can result in the growth of some quite detrimental microbes and production of some very detrimental metabolites. It is best to avoid extremely low oxygen concentrations during brewing, or if low oxygen concentrations occur, brewing must continue until the organisms stop growing on the added foods, such that oxygen will diffuse back into the brew. Only after the brew returns to the aerobic conditions should it be used on plants or soil.

If you want to make a mix of unknown, but possibly quite anti-bacterial, or anti-fungal materials, then a fermentative approach might be best. The specific conditions needed for production of a consistent mix set of inhibitory substances are not well-documented. More work is needed to understand production parameters for this kind of tea.

Is compost or compost tea "better" if it is aerobic or anaerobic?

Bacteria that cause human diseases almost invariably require anaerobic or reduced oxygen conditions in order to survive in competition with aerobic organisms. Only in reduced oxygen, or anaerobic conditions, can human disease-causing organisms out-compete the normal set of beneficial bacteria or fungi growing in soil, compost or compost tea.

If you’ve done a good job choosing or making your compost, the compost will not contain any human disease organisms. The tea will not contain human pathogens if there were none in the compost. What do you need to know in order to be assured that the compost contains no human pathogens? The temperature cycle of the compost. Insist on getting that data from the compost maker. What do you care about the amount of nitrate, if there are human pathogens in the “compost”?

If the compost was kept fully aerobic, and temperatures between 135 F and 155 F were maintained for 10 to 14 days, or the compost was processed by adequate numbers of earthworms, the likelihood of human pathogens in the compost is just about nil. Contamination of finished compost by something else containing pathogens is possible so be aware that this can be a problem too.

If the compost wasn’t processed correctly and disease-causing organisms weren’t destroyed by temperature, competition with beneficial organisms, or passage through earthworms, the probability is reasonable that disease-causing organisms will grow rapidly and be in high numbers in a tea that goes through reduced oxygen, or anaerobic, conditions.

If the tea was made with good compost (high numbers of beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes; good soluble nutrients) using aerobic conditions, there is little likelihood that human pathogens could grow, because not only are conditions not correct for their growth, but they will be out-competed and inhibited by the aerobic bacteria and fungi growing in those aerobic conditions.

It is critical to know that the tea maker you are using can maintain aeration rates greater than the rate the bacteria and fungi use up the oxygen.

Oxygen or carbon dioxide can be monitored to determine whether aeration is adequate throughout the whole brewing cycle, and in all parts of the machine. Please be aware that the data needed are from the inside of the compost basket, or inside the compost bag. Currently, all national level compost tea manufacturers display SFI data on their websites, with only two exceptions. People who bought machines from these two companies have sent data to SFI showing that either inside the compost baskets or the bags, the tea went anaerobic during tea brewing, or serious anaerobic bio-films develop in places that you can’t see or can’t reach easily during cleaning.

Oxygen in the tea should not fall below 5.5 to 6 ppm dissolved oxygen, which is typically about 70% dissolved oxygen, or 15 to 16% oxygen when measuring total atmospheric gases. These values change based on altitude and temperatures, so make sure the oxygen probe comes with information on typical maximum oxygen levels, which is where your water in your tea maker will start out.

You can’t tell whether oxygen use, or carbon dioxide production, was performed by bacteria or by fungi. Since you need to know, at least occasionally, the ratio of fungi to bacteria in your tea, you need to test your teas so you can be certain you are making disease suppressive tea.

Fungi grow very well indeed in compost tea.

For good fungi in tea, first of all, fungi in the compost have to be extracted adequately. This is a function of two things, presence in fungi in the compost, and rapid enough water movement through the compost to pull the fungi off the compost particles. Work with Bruce Elliott of EPM has shown how easy it is to get great extraction and growth of fungi in the tea.

The EPM, KIS, WormGold, and BnBrewer machines in the US, Tea-riffic® in Canada, the Compost Tea machine in New Zealand, and Compara in Europe, do excellent jobs of extracting fungi from the compost and allowing it to grow in the tea.

Testing, over one to two years, shows that these machines continue to make good tea. Machines with hidden surfaces that develop biofilms do not maintain good tea production over time.

Sales people from companies that cannot pass SFI standards like to say that “fungi don’t grow in tea”, or “there are lots of fungi in the soil already”. Please realize that what they are actually telling you is that the machines they sell do a poor job of extracting fungi and growing fungi. Fungi can be extracted and grow quite well in tea.

When soils have been treated with fungicides, including copper sulfate, or sulfur, the soil cannot possibly maintain normal levels of beneficial fungi. Adequate beneficial fungal biomass does not occur in any field treated with fungicide, insecticide, bactericide, nematicide, herbicide or high levels of inorganic fertilizer.

Fungi require foods to feed them

If the compost contains complex food resources, that can be enough to feed many fungal species, but usually additions of humic acids, and complex nutrient resources enhance the growth of beneficial species. People involved in making tea often research nutrient food resources. Hendrikus Schraven Landscaping, EPM and Leon Hussy at KIS make some outstanding food resources for bacterial and fungal teas. Many ideas for foods for bacteria and fungi can be found on the compost_tea list serve, [email protected]

Species diversity

Species diversity is the same in compost and the tea made from that compost. Species diversity in compost is higher than fumigated or sick soil. But at least one plate count microbiology lab is giving out data suggesting that compost has lower diversity than bad soil and that “ok” tea has less diversity than bad compost. It is clear that plate count “diversity” methods are not effective in assessing species diversity, or species richness, in soil, compost or compost tea. Molecular methods tell us that species diversity in soil, tea, and compost, can number in the thousands and tens of thousands per gram.

Use of methods that tell you that soil contains only a few 5 to 10 species, or that compost contains only 8 to 15 species need to be viewed with a great deal of incredulity. Plate methods are missing only about 99.9% of what is actually present!

Do plate counts or direct counts assess tea quality? The clear answer is that direct counts assess tea quality, while plate counts do not. Take a look at the results (below) from a test where two different teas were used to control blight on tomato plants.

Compost bags

Multi-layer fabric, or felt, bags are a poor idea, because the hyphae get held in the fabric, and mildew grows in the damp material. Single layer, nylon or netting bag material is necessary.

Time to brew

Small, well-aerated, well-mixed compost tea makers can give great tea within 10 to 12 hours. The KIS machine gets great organism extraction and growth of the beneficial organisms in 12 hours, based on direct counts of the individual bacteria, measurement of biovolume of fungal hyphae, enumeration of protozoa and nematodes from those teas.

Pay attention when you buy a machine or develop a design. Different tea machines take different amounts of time to brew good tea. Especially those machines that take 48 hours or more to brew a decent level of organisms in their tea, the salespeople tend to be very reluctant to tell you exactly how long the tea takes to reach a certain organisms-in-the-tea level. For example, some machines take a minimum of 48 hours to brew the tea, and as a result, tend to have more problems with becoming anaerobic.

Several “tea-brewer” manufacturers have no data about maximum bacterial or fungal production with their machine, and certainly no clue at all about protozoa or nematode numbers. Their salespeople will tell you their tea is ready in 24 hours, but they don’t have any data to prove this to you. Buyer beware!

What is the shelf life of compost tea?

The shelf life is short in high quality tea with active organisms necessary to attach to leaf surfaces and not be washed off. In the research that we have done with 24 hour brewing cycles, after just 6 hours without any aeration, the oxygen levels are lowered by over 300 %. If the compost tea is not used within that time, aerate, agitate and add more food to the tea to feed the micro-organisms.

 

[Guest]

Smurf, Subs,
Damn guys; Great reading for me this morning. I'm gonna have to do more research for my bucket. I also would like to know what my counts are in there as is. I also meant to get nematodes since I know a place that sells beneficial nematodes locally but i don't know about the others. Have to do more reading. Thanks, great stuff!

J.

 

[Suby]

OK I just tested my text scanner sofware and it works amazing.
Here is the article from HT, I used to love HT for articles like this, it's not such a good informative read anymore sadly "the man" gets a foot hold in everything I guess.
I hope there are no cut and paste mistakes in it, if it reads weir let me know 'cause right now I don't have the time to proof read it.

Story by Brian Getting
Hmmm, how about a nice big, warm glass of compost tea? Doesn't sound good, and if you are ever asked that at a coffee shop, get the hell out of there. Compost tea is exactly that-a tea made from compost to be given to plants or soil, not to people. Compost teas have been used for soil boosting and foliar feeding for quite some time. Recently the teas have been shown to help fight disease as well. The development of brewing machines has made their production quick and easy, and also cost-effective. Smaller versions are now being marketed to home gardeners.
A compost tea is created when some form of compost is steeped in water to get a broth of microorganisms that can be applied to the soil. Normal soil contains much more than just plant roots and nutrients. There are all kinds of bacteria, fungi, nematodes, worms and many more living things that make the soil productive. Plants require specific forms of the nutrients that they need. Some of these forms don't stick to soil very well and are washed away easily. Living creatures stockpile nutrients, eating up different things and storing them in their tissues.
Some soil organisms process nutrients into plant-usable forms. Other organisms feed on smaller living things and process them into plant-usable forms. The microbial ecology of soil is similar to the ecology of the macroscopic world. There are complex relationships, food webs and predator-prey interactions.
One of the uses of compost teas is to fight pathogens. There is a race for survival among the microorganisms on and around a plant. Just as in the macroscopic world, there is a limited amount of food and spatial resources for which multiple contenders compete. Using compost tea, which is a broth of microbes that we know are not harmful to the plants, we can introduce into this battle new competitors that swing the odds in our favor. Giving pathogens other competition can weaken them and give the plant a chance to react with its own immune system. Also, exposure to a variety of bacteria and fungi keeps a plant's immune system active, boosting its own natural defenses.
The most traditional compost teas are actually a side product of composting. Newer and more specialized teas are made in brewing machines, with special ingredients. Let's start with traditional compost teas, the leachate from compost bins.
Composting requires water, and there is always a leachate, or runoff of liquid, that collects either in the bottom of the compost bin or below the bin in a catcher. This liquid is essentially the first compost tea. Over the course of the composting process, bacteria break down the organic material and turn it into usable compost. As some of the water percolates through the compost, it picks up nutrients and a sampling of the organisms in the compost. People have long been applying this liquid to their soils, with amazing results. The effect is to introduce the microbes into the soil, where they multiply, feed and cycle nutrients as we discussed before. This adds to the productivity of the soil.
Nearly identical to this is the leachate that is obtained from vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is the term for making compost using worms. Worms eat organic matter, like newspaper and vegetable scraps, and turn it into a rich compost called worm castings or vermicompost. This moisture sometimes collects and leaches out of the castings, again either to the bottom of the bin or into a catcher below. Like regular compost tea, this liquid is rich in nutrients and microbes, and can be used to boost soil.
Realizing that this liquid was beneficial to their plants, people began to take compost and steep it in water, hoping to get the benefits of rich compost into a wonder liquid that could be easily applied. One easy method is to put some compost into a burlap sack and place the sack into a vat of water. Over the course of a couple of weeks, the microorganisms and nutrients from the compost seep into the water. If there is a sufficient food source, the microbes will multiply, making the tea richer. The length of brewing time depends on how fast the microbes grow, and on how concentrated you want your tea to be.
There are many variables limiting the growth of microbes in compost tea, such as nutrient availability, competition and oxygen availability. Bacteria, fungi and anything else that we would like to be growing in the tea are not photosynthetic, so they require oxygen and sugars to create energy. Just like us, they also need a source of amino acids, or some nitrogenous compound, to make proteins. One way to speed up the process of making compost tea is to provide all of these things.
This quest has led to many commercially available machines for making compost tea, though fundamentally they are no different from the vat mentioned above. The important thing to realize is that the ingredients that go into the tea are the determining factor in how effective the tea is, not the device used to brew the tea.

Beneficial Soil Organisms
Our real goal is to make a broth that contains a diverse sampling of microorganisms that will be beneficial to our soil and not pathogenic to our plants (or ourselves). In order to do that, we need a diverse sampling of beneficial soil organisms. Then to grow those organisms we need to provide them with a carbon source (for metabolism), a nitrogen source (to make proteins) and sources of vitamins and minerals. Like us, they also need oxygen in order to be able to metabolize carbon into energy.
Where do we get the organisms from? Well, this is a bad time to be on the Internet looking at biotech companies, trying to get your hands on otherwise benign bacteria. Fortunately, we can get a diverse sampling of good bacteria from compost. Good compost can be bought nearly everywhere, and most of the time it is laboratory-tested to assure quality. To ensure that there are no human pathogens and that the compost has a diverse population of microbes, insist on buying laboratory-tested product. The type of compost that you use depends on your application.
Ordinary vermicompost is good to use for a general soil-building compost tea. Only a small amount is needed, so don't go filling up the back of the pickup truck. Outdoor soil happens also to contain all the goodies you need, but may need to brew a little longer, as it has a lower concentration of organisms than store-bought compost.
Next we need to provide the organisms in our compost sampling with a source of carbon so that they can grow well. There is some variation here, such as what organisms use what sugar sources. As a rule, bacteria can usually grow faster than fungi in a broth that they like. However, fungi have the advantage of being able to metabolize carbon sources that most bacteria cannot, such as lignin and cellulose. That difference allows us some control here regarding the end result of our tea. Theoretically, in order to have a tea that is richer in fungi than in bacteria, the sugar source should be nearly all lignin or cellulose (there will still be bacteria, as the fungi release by-products that bacteria can live on).
Conversely, if we use dextrose as a sugar source, bacteria will proliferate, and the tea will have much more bacteria than fungi (there will still be fungi, since fungi can metabolize dextrose as well). If you are wondering why this is important, fungal teas are more helpful in fighting fungal pathogens, such as leaf blight. Also, the soil biota play an important role in succession, so treatment of the soil may help in restoration efforts. To give an idea of what this means, conifer-forest soil usually has more fungi than bacteria, due to the high amounts of lignin available and a lower soil pH. Grassy meadows usually have a much higher level of bacteria than fungi: because of the lack of wood sources, the bacteria out compete the fungi. For production and garden soil, the ideal is equal amounts of bacteria and fungi. This may seem simple, but in reality, the bacteria tend to dominate.
Once the tea is applied, nature will determine which plants will make it and which will die. Cost is another issue, depending on the amount of tea being made. Since sugar will ultimately constitute 20% of your mixture, choosing your source wisely can save much money. Molasses is a cheap sugar source, and it goes into solution well. Raw cane sugar can be used too, as can nearly any sugar source. Lignin and cellulose can be a little more difficult to find, but they are out there. The sugar source should be added to the water of the tea and allowed to dissolve before brewing starts.
One very important point to make here is that human pathogens can grow in a nonselective carbon source. Though not likely, it is a possibility and should be avoided. One way to avoid this is to use carbon sources that are complex sugars, which, unlike sucrose, require special enzymes to metabolize. Such a carbon source helps to select for soil biota. A simple rule is to look at what the microbes would be eating anyway. In the case of compost teas, plants are the common denominator. Vegetable and other plant extracts contain many compounds that are ideal carbon sources. Since very little research has been done on this, the sky is the limit for combinations and discovery.
Soil organisms also need a source of nitrogen in order to be able to make proteins and carry out basic life processes. Meat sources of protein are not going to work here, so don't even think about it. In general, meat has no place in the composting process, because it can potentially harbor some nasty little things that are pathogenic to humans. Yeast extract is a very good source of nitrogen, as it is just dried (lyophilized) yeast that has been ground up into a powder. It also contains other vitamins and minerals that are beneficial. Nonfat dried milk is another good source of proteins but it may take some extra processing, which may increase brewing time. Of course, flour, rice meal, wheat, etc. have protein in them, so there is a lot of room for experimentation in this area. A good amount for tea is to use 10% of your nitrogen source, although I would use about half that if using dried milk. In my opinion, the nitrogen should be from a non-animal source (yeast extract, rice flour, etc.), since it will be used on plants and should be processed as little as possible (for example, bleached flour is not recommended). Another exciting factor to consider is that many of the grains also contain complex carbohydrates, which means that you can be adding carbon and nitrogen in one fell swoop.
In addition to the carbon and nitrogen sources that we have just mentioned, you may want to add some extra goodies to your tea. These can be things that will help the microbes grow better, or things that will benefit the plants or soil. Humic acids are a good example of something to add for the soil. Both humate and fulvate supplements can be purchased, and can help improve the water retention of soil, among other things.
Kelp meal is also great to add and should constitute 10% of your mix. It's made by harvesting kelp, drying it and grinding it into a powder. This powder is rich in potassium and micronutrients that benefit plants and bacteria. It's very helpful in maximizing microbe growth, and is available commercially. One small problem with kelp meal lies in its solubility. The powder does not dissolve into water very well, and at best goes into a colloidal solution. That means it eventually settles out of the tea, unless it is stirred constantly. An advantage is that these colloidal particles have relatively large surface areas that act as a substrate for some microbes.
I have found that one drop of castile soap per gallon of tea is effective in getting more of the kelp into suspension. Castile soap is a natural soap that will not harm the organisms. This can also be a remedy for other ingredients where solubility is less than ideal. The small amount of castile soap should help out with solubility some, especially in the case of oils and hydrophobic compounds.
The sky is the limit as far as other additives. Many plants contain compounds that may be helpful, from insect repellents to vitamins. Make sure not to add anything to your tea that may have antibacterial or antifungal qualities, because that would hinder the microbes you are trying to grow. Try additives such as dried nettles or other botanicals, VAM inoculates (beneficial endomycorrhizal (fungi), cellulose or lignin, royal jelly (a bee product rich in vitamins but also hard to get into solution) and much more. Compost tea use is relatively new, and more research needs to be done on the impact of tea ingredients on certain plants. The important thing to remember is that you are making a solution that will grow microorganisms, but that also contains things that you want to feed your plants.

Brewing
So you have a basis for making a compost tea, and a beginners' recipe (20% sugar, 10% yeast extract, 10% kelp meal, 60% compost). What do you do now? We said before that you could just put all this in a vat, and over a couple of weeks it will grow into a nice tea. However, now that you have added food for the microbes, you are only short on one thing, and that is oxygen. The microorganisms need oxygen to metabolize, and they get it from the solution around them. So if you get more oxygen in the tea, the solution will grow faster. In fact, this is the center of the commercial compost-tea business: getting the oxygen into the water.
For the home enthusiast, a 5-gallon bucket with a lid, rigged with a fish-tank air pump and air stone, is enough. Add your ingredients, make sure they are dissolved (as much as possible), and put your compost into a net sack, or some permeable enclosure, which is steeped in the tea like a teabag. If you have no plumbing that can clog, as with the 5-gallon bucket, you can just put the compost in the water. Turn on the air pump and wait a couple days. The resulting tea can be diluted 1:10 for foliar applications or 1:5 for soil applications. In fact, 5 gallons of this tea can cover an acre of turf. Of course, that is up to you, as is the frequency with which you apply it. Regular applications will benefit the plants best, fight off pathogens and condition the soil.
What if you want to make larger amounts of tea or want to buy a home tea-brewing system? This is where the commercial industry comes into play. There are a few manufacturers of compost-tea brewers that are filling this new market niche. Of course, in order to ensure consistent, effective teas, these machines must tackle the same obstacles that we tackled above. There are many mechanical problems associated with tea brewers, as well as design features aimed at different applications. A good place to start your search is with Growing Solutions (growingsolutions.com), located in Eugene, Oregon, or SoilSoup (soilsoup.com), out of Bainbridge Island, Washington.
Whether or not you need compost teas to fix a problem, or want to use them for their benefits, the ideas behind using them are useful to all growers. Caring for the soil is not a common practice in American farming. Multiple applications of a natural product are not as appealing to us as fewer applications of poison to solve our problems. However, with topsoil erosion at an all-time high, drinking water quality at an all-time low, and our agricultural practices partly to blame, it might be time to rethink how we grow.
For the home or indoor gardener, these practices can make your plants less dependent and keep you from worrying about when to fertilize. They can mean larger, chemical-free plants that use the nutrients that you provide them more efficiently. Compost teas can be used in place of fungicides and other chemicals that can leave residues. In fact, two common cannabis diseases, botrytis and fusarium, can be treated using compost tea. Most importantly, considering the cost of chemicals, it could save you money that you just may need if someone finds out what you are growing.

Suby

 

[Stoney Bologna]

High Organic Fanatics,

I hope you guys don't mind if I post my rookie organic questions here. This thread gets a lot of attention from the experienced organic growers around here, so it makes for a great source of information.

My question of the day is this:

OMRI Standards for compost, what's the lowdown? I can't just compost anything and call it "organic", can I? That would be kinda sketchy.
I ask this because I just learned that the county I live in has a "county compost pile" which if FREE for the taking. The compost pile is made from sorted garbage and yard waste. That's right, garbage. They sort through peoples garbage and remove organic waste then send it to the compost pile. It's part of the recycling program. There's just no way the sorting process can be perfect, and I'm sure all sorts of weird shit ends up in the pile.

What do yall think of this source of compost? I don't think I'd use it for mj, but I might get some for my flowerbeds. I just don't want to taint my property with nasty trash compost and end up with ninja turtles running around.

Peace, Stoney B

 

[Guest]

I use a similar thing for my general flower beds and lawn but no I wouldn't for my mj. I usualy find things like small scraps of plastic and things like that; just remove them when I find them. I try to sort through as best I can to get rid of the trash thats makes its way in. Good source of cheap compost for stuff you're not gonna consume.

J.

 

[jaykush]

stoney b we have a local compost thing too and its actually not too bad they go through a real extensive process to get everything out. the best part is its free. its not like your not going to find anything in your store baught compost ive found many things in bags before. its not like they can get EVERY little thing. also its not like they take my garbage bag full of shit and try to compost it. most of the trash people throw away wont make it near the compost pile.

 

[Smurf]

Another great read suby thanks, I might even look into the royal jelly,,,, you've got me flicking thru my old HT mags.

hey pyrex I'm curious how you harvest your beasties from your bio bucket set-up,.... as it is you probably have the highest count of fungus amongst us here (depending on what you're feeding them of course),, because from what I've read fungus needs something to grow on (if you want a prolific harvest). Just recently I've been submerging a plastic seedling tray (300 x 400mm) in my teas for them to grow on.
The base is perforated with square holes, roughly 3/16 to 1/4 inch,....after 48 hours the whole tray is totally covered with not many holes remaining.
There are so many ways we can go about this,,,,,I still have many ideas that I would like to try.

stoney,,,, what jaykush said is spot on, but if you're not happy with the quality you know the only way around that is for you to make your own,,,,,,, or you could compost it a little longer and fine tune it with your chosen amendments and some bio tea to how you would like it. just my

smurf

edit: nice candy jay

 

[Stoney Bologna]

Thanks for the replies people

I'm glad to know you guys use this stuff before I give it a go.

What about the OMRI standards for compost? I assume some types of compost do not qualify as "organic", like the county compost pile we were talking about. Can all types of store bought compost that don't have chem ferts added be considered "organic"? I've definitely found weird stuff such as plastic in store bought compost like jaykush said.

Peace

 

[3BM]

I dont know about OMRI standards, but the FDA "organic" standards look at lab test analysis to determine the acceptability of municipal compost sources. Same thing with manure sources, etc.

Speaking generally about fungus: why worry about getting fungus into your water? You want the fungus in your soil dont you? If you innoculate your soil with fungal cultures before planting it will ensure a vast array of beneficial fungi. Mycelial networks can reproduce from even tiny fragments. I culture edible mushrooms and one of the tricks to get spawn jars to speed up is to shake the jar when you see the first signs of a developing mycelial network. So ... I let my soil sit for 2-4 weeks after innoculation, and when I transplant the network gets a big boost from this effect. I use a dry fungal innoculant also, I know many commercial ferts contain these. Fungal spores are like very fine powder.

 

[Smurf]

My soil has been inoculated quite well, thanks for asking – but I also inoculate the plant surfaces by spraying with tea to complete the cycle of inoculation,... hence my efforts to create a better tea environment for the fungi. There are numerous reasons for doing this,..... one of which is the micro environment that the beneficials create on the plant surface. Both bacteria and fungi feed off the cellular waste product that is exuded by the plant so therefore by maintaining the foliar food web these organisms prevent pests and disease – much like the scenario in soil.

smurf

 

[Suby]

Hello Boys

Vman I have checking out that link for the brewers you posted and it has a good recipe and list of ingredients to actrually brew the compost tea.
I'm reading up on it so here's the list of ingredients from your link.

FISH HYDROLYSATE - Fish products are an excellent source of nutrition for soils and plants as fish contain the full spectrum of nutrients found in the planets waters.

CALPRIL - Calcium Carbonate For Turf, Farm, Lawns and Gardens. Available in Prilled, fines and Orchard Special. OMRI™ listed.

Rock Phosphate - OMRI™ listed.

Kelp -

Algae -

Trichoderma -

SEA CROP - a natural source balanced formula from ocean water that has all the natural elements known to man. It develops healthy and energetic plants. OMRI™ listed.

Humic Acid -
Fulvic Acid -

MYCORRHIZAE- The yield enhancing attributes of mycorrhizal fungi have co-evolved over millennia and have been the focus of 20 years of intensive research. Now growers, landscapers and homeowners can apply the miraculous relationship of plant and mycorrhizal fungi and improve plant grow the natural way. We have 14 different Mycorrhizae products available, 9 of which are OMRI™ listed.

Vermicompost -

Liquid (Hydrolysated) Natural Fish


Plants rapidly respond to and grow vigorously when fish is regularly applied. Liquid Fish contains significant quantities of protein nitrogen as well as a

healthy balance of all 18 nutrients known to be significant for crop growth. All of these mineral nutrients are in protein chelated forms, which are usable

by the crops and additionally are resistant to loss from leaching. Fish also contains more than60 other trace minerals which have positive effects on soil

biology and crop health.

Fish based proteins and other nutrients are rapidly assimilated by crops when applied via the foliage or through irrigation. The nutrients in fish are quick

and direct stimulant to the plants roots and leaves. Fish applications can rapidly improve crop fertility in virtually all situations. Additionally fish

provides both immediate fertilizer "like" response as well as longer lasting fertility affect for later in the crops growth.



CALPRIL
GRANULATED - PRILLED LIMESTONE - Calcium Carbonate. For Turf, Farm, Lawns and Gardens.

Easy to use 100% natural - organic plant nutrient that supplies calcium and sweetens the soil. Raises soil pH. Helps to structure soils and break up clay. Fine particles means that you can use less.

Up to 50% reduction in the need to fertilize. 36% Calcium


Benefits:

Easy to apply granules, high in calcium (Ca)

Promotes healthy plant growth

Reduces blossom end rot

Sweetens soil (raises soil pH.)

Helps to control moss

Helps to structure soils

Helps condition clay soils

Reduces internal browning

Ultra-low in heavy metals

Helps reduce leaching high cation exchange

Reduces the need for fertilizers

Gives flavor and crispness to produce

Needed on acid soils

Listed by O M R I.

Eliminates aluminum toxicity




SEA-CROP is a soil and plant stimulant containing over 80 natural source minerals and active organic substances from deep sea Pacific Ocean water. The rivers of the world dump billions of tons of minerals into the oceans each year and have for eons. Sea floor springs and volcanic eruptions have also added billions of tons of elements. Additionally seawater is a soup of active organic substances.

SEA-CROP when used with fertilizer increased the total bacterial biomass by 47% over the base line. Fertilizer alone only increased the total bacterial biomass by 36%.

SEA-CROP when used with fertilizer increased the total fungal biomass by 97% over the baseline. Fertilizer alone only increased the total fungal biomass by 27%.

this is the elements they sell with that brewer and honestly they look very well built, I'm interested in pricing, as much as I like to build things some things are money well spent, an organic brewer might be one of them, I see the need and have the space so why not?
I'm looking at the Series 22 and a 6 pack of nutrients and maybe give it a go, I'll go Dutch with my friend on the cost??

We'll see what the BOSS has to say about it

Suby

 

[vonforne]

When I first read this...I said I like this one...no no....I like this one..........and this one.

Then came to the conclusion they were all great.

I was just surfing around one day and came across this site and I liked what I saw.

Have you gotten approval from the boss yet?

Which one have you narrowed it down to.

I wish I could find that one from the Aussie site that looked like a boat motor. LOL I have not seen one like that since.

V

 

[jaykush]

soooooo today i was bored and a day off started snooping around and couldnt help myself and ended up making a new brewer. this one should kick some major ass. its not fully done it needs some stoner ingenuity to it first. i might use this to make something along the lines of pyrex's bio-culitvator. so well see heres a sneak peak. i have to go get some more stream water so im bubblin off the chlorine now for a test run here.