Re: [compost_tea] Re: Some people!

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2003 23:31:26 -0500

With the EPM machine, there have been a couple of groups of problems.

First, people who don't recognize that the INSIDE of the machine has to be clean. It's the inside that is important in tea quality. A clean outside of the machine is a good idea, don't get me wrong, but it's the inside that really counts. With compost tea, cleanliness is next to godliness, huh?

Second, checking the water source is important. If the water being used is highly alkaline, there's a problem. You don't have to be terribly careful, just make sure the pH is near 7. But several people with well water with a pH near 8.5 have had trouble making decent tea, until they realized the problem. Bruce Elliott has been instrumental in getting this one figured out.

Third problem - if a little food resource is good, more is better. Not with tea it isn't. More food than the manufacturer recommends means too much microbial growth, and therefore, lack of oxygen in the brew. Less is more, sometimes.

So, I don't know what problem Ray had, except he couldn't get a good fungal brew. Ray? You want to explain?

Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Hilversum, The Netherlands
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
www.soilfoodweb.com

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Received on Fri Nov 14 2003 - 23:54:51 EST

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