Re: [compost_tea] ACT Test

From: Jeff Lowenfels <jeff_at_gardener.com>
Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 12:07:25 -0800

Ah, I might have misunderstood! I thought we were going to get SFI to do t=
he testing for us..meaning all the conditions would be the same. That is re=
ally the only way to make it work...There are simply too many variables....=
ranging from the kind of soap people use on their hands to exactly where th=
ey make their tea. For this "test" to work, it really has to be in one room=
, at one time, with the same compost and the same water and the same nutrie=
nts.........

As I have said before, this will be fun, but, THE REAL TEST IS WHAT YOUR OW=
N TEA IS LIKE...and how it impacts your particular soil foodweb situation. =
The idea of finding a world champion machine seems silly if we know that al=
most all machines out there, with the sad exception of the Soil Soup machin=
e are capable of making teas that meet both the fungal and the bacterial ra=
nges SFI has developed. That is what counts. Not whose makes the best tea w=
ith the exact nutrients we are going to pick. In fact, this sounds like ta=
king plate counts on a larger scale!

So, again, it will be fun but I don't think it will prove a darn thing.

Having said that, if you want to make better tea, do so with your own machi=
ne--fungal tea is what seems to be the problem. Here are my suggestions:

1. Buy the Compost tea manual from SFI (WWW.SOILFOODWEB.COM .

2. Start with activated compost. There seems to little question that starti=
ng the fungi growing using a handful of oatmeal flakes of one sort of anoth=
er increases the fungi available to be extracted into the tea. Activation i=
n a container with a loose lid for three to five days at 80 in the dark is =
ideal. If your compost fungi don't activate (no white, Santa beard strands)=
, since it is Sunday --then buy Alaska Humus (WWW.ALASKAHUMUS.COM).

3. Make sure your machine is spotless. It doesn't take much slime to do in =
a good tea. How many days would you go without brushing your teeth? One day=
? Two? Three? The same build-up in those hoses and cranny's occurs after on=
e, two and three brews.

4. If you have an air machine, throw in a handful of bark (orchid bark?) o=
r large sticks to help break up compost while you brew.

5. Use only Kelp and Humic Acids as your ingredients to start. Have the tea=
 tested by SFI. These ingredients usually put tea into the ranges suggested=
.

6. If the test has low fungal numbers, next add some rock phosphate. At th=
e same time, use your 15 minutes with SFI to explore whether you are making=
 your tea properly. People complain about SFI's price, but you can get an a=
wful lot of information for that price, so the complaining isn't really fai=
r. Use your time.

7.If this test has low fungal numbers, contact the brewer manufacturer. Alm=
ost all of them will work with you to get your teas up to snuff.

8. Consider buying a nutrient mix from those of us that sell 'em.

Some thoughts.





Received on Sun Aug 31 2003 - 22:23:59 EDT

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