RE: [compost_tea] recipes, procedure & perfomance

From: Judi Stewart <js_at_olympus.net>
Date: Tue, 8 Jul 2003 15:53:42 -0700

Steve,
 
IĄ¯m using the Bob-O-Lator for 250 gallons. The great folks at Soil
Food Web suggested
I use some rock powder as a perch for the fungi. So I added a quart of
Azomite. I have
quarries near me that have the fine powdered granite dust and basalt
available; the
quarries consider this as waste. The fungal compost tea recipe that was
suggested to me was 5 gallons
water, 2 ounces molasses, and 10 ounces fish hydrolysate plus some rock
dust. For
a large brew, I should increase the nutrients proportionate to the
amount of water, but not
so the compost, and to check with the brewer manufacturer, as all the
good brewers
mentioned on this list use different amounts of material. For 250
gallons water, that would
be 100 ounces (.75 gallons) molasses and 500 ounces (3.91 gallons) of
fish!
It was also suggested that I not use seaweed together with fish, as
there might be too much
salt.
 
I added 2 cups molasses at the start and some to the tank later into
the brewing cycle. Figuring
the cool molasses was falling to the tank bottom, I began adding it to
the chamber. I wonĄ¯t do
that again. The chamber bubbled up and it took 1 ¨ö hours to calm it
down. But in the morning,
I found the lid had blown off the chamber and there was a mound of
compost sitting on the brewerĄ¯s
ledge. Bob Norsen suggested that next time I should add molasses
thatĄ¯s been warmed or add
warm water to the molasses.
 
Did I miss a post on any agreement about the amount of molasses in our
recipes, as to 3% or 5%
or somewhere in between? I checked and can buy 5 gallons of
unsulphered organic Blackstrap molasses
for $40 from the local food co-op.
 
Thanks,
 
Judi
 
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Bridges [mailto:kimas_at_texasgrown.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 2:23 PM
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] recipes, procedure & perfomance
 
Judy,
If you have a motor-driven, impellor-type pump, then you can't use rock
dust in your machine. I have a 22gal. Earth Tea Brewer and rock dusts
cause a $15 seal in the motor to wear out after 4-5 brews. One of the
composts that I was using had some decomposed granite in the compost. I
could visually see the scuff marks on the seal where the granite had
scarred the seal, causing it to leak.
Steve Bridges
Kimas Tejas Nursery
----- Original Message -----
From: Judi Stewart <mailto:js_at_olympus.net>
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 3:34 PM
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] recipes, procedure & perfomance
 
Jeff,
 
I have some questions for you.
 
Is there a specific number of days in advance thatĄ¯s preferable?
 
Would the same hold true if you were making a bacterial or fungal
tea?
 
Have you used any rock dust in your brews, and if so, how much?
 
Sorry, but I canĄ¯t make it this weekend. I think itĄ¯s a most
important meeting. Being able to see how the
compost tea is made by the experts is an excellent idea.
Perhaps someone would be willing to tape this for those
who canĄ¯t be there in person and have it available
for a fee.
 
Thanks for your help,
 
Judi
 
 

From: Jeff Lowenfels [mailto:jeff_at_gardener.com]
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2003 10:52 AM
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] recipes, procedure & perfomance
 
Bob,
 
I think you will find that you will have greater success if you add the
ingredients to the compost SEVERAL days ahead of time. This gives the
fungi a chance to get started.
 
I hope you and your customers are all going to be at the ICTC event
this Friday and saturday. I know I look forward to seeing folks from
this list.
 
Cheers,
 
Jeff L


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Received on Wed Jul 09 2003 - 01:35:01 EDT

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