Tea Article

[n0te]

nice =) ty..

 

[captinknots]

so glad i read this entire thread. thanks yall

 

[uptosumpn]

Okay, so I'm new to the world of AACT and would like some advice from the pros.....
What would be a great starter recipe for tea in a 10 gal tub....I know the main ingrdient is EWC & Molasses, But what else is needed?..and how much per gal of water....BTW, I'm growing autos in 3gal bags, so nothing to0 strong for first 3wks.....another question...would it be ness. to continue to use other bottled nutes/supp. with tea or just feed tea alone??? Thanks for ANY and ALL help....

 

[hash head]

Im curious did anyone see my last post??

 

[420247]

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble

A witch's brew to improve your life can be found in your backyard.

Four different ACT

Just ACT no ferts

A fine line between good and perfect (see the red lines on the stem go away)

Thank you all for the info you have givin me

 

[SecretGardener]

A witch's brew to improve your life can be found in your backyard.

What causes the foaming? I've never seen such excessive foaming in my brews. The surface water of my brewer is never calm, its always thrashing about...maybe that is disapating the foam?

 

[420247]

SecretGardener-I'm not sure... I've only been doing this for less than a week and do not have access to a microscope

 

[statusquo]

What causes the foaming? I've never seen such excessive foaming in my brews. The surface water of my brewer is never calm, its always thrashing about...maybe that is disapating the foam?

Bi-product of aerobic bacteria doin' their thing. In regards to the guy asking what he needs for tea/does he need to use ferts? It depends on what your soil comp is and what you put in the tea. With just EWC and molasses, you would probably need to add something. Guano or something. If you have enough organic goodies already in your soil, than yes the bacteria in your soil will be sufficient without adding more fertilizer to your tea.

 

[420247]

Some info for you SecretGardener

Foam. The presence of foam on the surface of tea is considered a positive sign, but just means there are free proteins, amino acids or carbohydrates present. This can occur as the result of adding fish hydrolysate, certain organic acids or carbohydrates. If worm compost was used, excessive foam suggests a few earthworms were in the compost and their dead bodies are providing this source of protein/carbohydrate. Excess protein or amino acids should not occur if bacteria are growing well, although dead worms may continue to release proteinaceous materials throughout the brewing cycle. Foam can be suppressed by using organic surfactants, such as yucca or vegetable oil (not olive or canola oil!). Don't use commercial de-foamers - every single one we have tested kills the organisms in the tea.

 

[CT Guy]

Some info for you SecretGardener

Can I ask where you go this information?

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Foam can be suppressed by using organic surfactants, such as yucca

Huh?

Yucca contains high levels of saponin which is a foaming agent used in shampoos, toothpaste, soft drinks (root beer in particular), et al.

If you want foam (and I can't imagine why one would) then just add about 1 tablespoon of yucca extract to a 5-gallon of tea while it's brewing. You'll end up with about 3' of foam - easy.

The 'surfactant' properties of yucca extract are directly tied to it's foaming paradigm, i.e. foaming a liquid will allow it to remain somewhat intact on the leaves and branches which allows for a more complete uptake through the cells.

Just my experience.

CC

 

[jaykush]

yucca = massive foam from my experiences as well.

 

[420247]

Can I ask where you go this information?

The Compost Tea Brewing Manual, Latest Methods and Research 5th Edition By Dr. Elaine Ingham

It was posted at TCC and I didn't notice anybody correcting this or I wouldn't have posted it LOL sorry guys... Like I said I've been doing this for less than a week

 

[CT Guy]

Hey, don't feel bad for posting. It's just good to post a source for where you got the info. I've tested the vegetable oil (I think we actually worked with Dr. E in the beginning in discovering this).

Personally, I don't consider it a good or bad sign as to the quality of your tea. Smell is a much better indicator if you don't have a microscope. Some of my best teas under the microscope never foamed at all, and some of the worst (almost completely devoid of life) had HUGE foam!

I typically just recommend the veggie oil so you don't have an overflowing of the bucket. Typically as little as a teaspoon will cure it.

 

[420247]

Hey, don't feel bad for posting. It's just good to post a source for where you got the info. I've tested the vegetable oil (I think we actually worked with Dr. E in the beginning in discovering this).

Personally, I don't consider it a good or bad sign as to the quality of your tea. Smell is a much better indicator if you don't have a microscope. Some of my best teas under the microscope never foamed at all, and some of the worst (almost completely devoid of life) had HUGE foam!

I typically just recommend the veggie oil so you don't have an overflowing of the bucket. Typically as little as a teaspoon will cure it.

Odd question... I have some diluted tea sitting in a closed bottle for four days now and it smells like soil and molasses... Not bad, but good... When does it get the bad smell? I bottled it so I could see what it smells like when it goes bad... LOL

 

[CT Guy]

If you use high quality compost and brew up some well-made tea and put it in a bottle, it will explode and be very stinky! There's possibility that your tea didn't contain a lot of biology, in which case it wouldn't have as high of oxygen demands and go anaerobic as quickly.

 

[CT Guy]

For example, one time I had 3 batches going in our 5 gallon brewer at the same time in the garage. Hurt my knee and ended up not doing anything more than just shutting off the brewers. 2 weeks later when I got off crutches, they were so smelly and filled with slime and bio-film that I had to throw them away. You could smell it from 15 feet away it was so bad!

 

[420247]

If you use high quality compost and brew up some well-made tea and put it in a bottle, it will explode and be very stinky! There's possibility that your tea didn't contain a lot of biology, in which case it wouldn't have as high of oxygen demands and go anaerobic as quickly.

Humph??? I used ewc and kelp meal with humic acid and molasses... I put it into a spray bottle and left it...

ewc was worm gold

the kelp was grow more

??? LOL

 

[420247]

Just ACT no ferts

This is what I diluted and bottled in the spray bottle at 1 quart to 1 gallon

 

[guest2012y]

For example, one time I had 3 batches going in our 5 gallon brewer at the same time in the garage. Hurt my knee and ended up not doing anything more than just shutting off the brewers. 2 weeks later when I got off crutches, they were so smelly and filled with slime and bio-film that I had to throw them away. You could smell it from 15 feet away it was so bad!

I let a batch go bad once and just moved the whole 55 gallons outside,got lazy and never drained it. In about a week it attracted several of those black and orange beatles that sniff out and eat dead animals.They fell in and drowned......it smells like death.