[compost_tea] Reply to "TO BREW OR NOT TO BREW?

From: chris reid <reidchris_at_earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 10:49:38 -0500

hi_yield1 <hi_yield1_at_yahoo.com> wrote:Let me see if I'm reading these post
right.
You need the following to brew good tea.
1-Clean brewing equipment every time. No Bio-SLIME!!
2-Air bubbles not to big not to small.
3-Oxygen meter to be sure.
4-Water not to hard not to soft, definitely not chlorinated.
5-A Ph meter to be sure.
6-Water temperature not to cold not to hot.
7-A thermometer to be sure.
8-A consistent and preferably guaranted source of compost with good
fungal and bacteria numbers.
9-Sound recipes that give good numbers every time you brew a batch.
10-Don't over brew or under brew.
11-Keep out of direct sunlight.
12-Apply right away early morning or late at night.
And that is the short list.
Until there are some sound consumer protections in place. Required
testing and some sort of written standards, guarantees not
disclaimers. There will continue to be systems and products sold that
are pretty much useless. An industry that is self regulated is open to
anything and everyone pedaling their wares without accountability.
Mandatory testing and standards should be required by those selling CT
products. At their cost not the consumers. Maybe testing of our CT
sauce should be free for everyone out there. Then just maybe we might
be able to come up with some good sound repeatable data. And PLEASE a
little less ADVERTISING when posting. It seems those with the most to
say are in the business, if ya know what I mean. Take care.

Since I wrote a long and detailed post about considerations following on
Elaine's brewer purchase info, I want to say a few words about the 12-step
program ;) above. First, this list you made is a very good place for new
tea makers to start as a check list to reduce the chance you'll have to
spend money testing your brew only to learn the lessons above. Take care of
them at the git-go, and if you have problems, you at least know you covered
the basics or obvious sources of problems. This may seem like an onerous
list to beginners, but it is more like a thorough list and I see it as a
reminder that in growing living things in a bucket, some care in what you
are doing goes a long way toward having a better result.

1. No question.
2. The air bubble size is mainly relevant if you are making a brewer
yourself, or considering buying a brewer that hasn't done any testing. Buy
a good brewer and you probably don't need to worry about it.

3. Oxygen meter: Sounds like anyone doing this professionally would be
wise to consider one. If not using one, then I think diligence to make sure
you're within the parameters of the brewer tested recipe/conditions would be
a conservative approach. Without doing testing, I would have to judge the
success of my efforts via plant response. I would try side by side (well,
not too close together) tests with control and tea-applied groups, and log
the results over time.

4. I think the water pH question can be resolved without a pH meter for
people on city water or on a well if the well water is regularly tested. I
think if brewing on a number of customer sites or large quantities, then it
might be helpful to have one's own pH testing ability.

Can anybody say how much variation there is in pH on your town water or well
water? If this is fairly constant, then it would seem that getting the
number from the town/city and making minor adjustments with cheap inputs
like vinegar would be okay for starters. I wonder if ground water levels
affect mineral levels and therefore affect pH, or if this is fairly
consistent through a season.

6, 7. Yes, a thermometer. It's a key consideration if I want to be able to
replicate my good results, as well as to know what conditions I'm working
with in the first place. How can I do it again if I don't know what I did?
Water temperature is important. An aquarium heater will help if too cold.
Shorter brewing time, in theory, if water is quite warm, and maybe less food
(yes, but how much less?? The big question). Some people are brewing in
hotter temps because of their climate; don't know if they are using oxygen
meters or not to figure out how to proceed.

10. Yes, but would like to read more about this on the list. How do I know
if I have underbrewed? And is overbrewed preferable to underbrewed for soil
apps? How does one achieve the Goldilocks Principle here?

11. Yes.

12. Time of day: If this also applies to soil drenches (eg applied with a
watering can), then I just learned something new. Can somebody please
clarify? For sprayed applications, uv can degrade. I'm not crazy about
making leaves wet with anything late at night. does somebody actually spray
AACT at night? Don't think it would work in my climate, risk of powdery
mildew or other fungal funnies if the tea wasn't made well.

I will answer your points on testing separately.

ADVERTISING IN POSTING: Hi_Yield1, on Sundays people are allowed to
advertise on this list, and so they do. However, that doesn't mean it's a
good idea or wins friends/influences people, or that people on the list
necessarily read advertising-type posts carefully or take them as seriously,
appreciate them or find they contribute to their relationship with the
advertiser. I think it will take a long time for companies to realize that
customers want information, not hype, and people actually resent hype, even
hype mixed with information. Since that is what you mostly get in this
world, it may look like it's the right way to go I guess, or people don't
have many good examples of another way to get their message across. As a
customer, I'm with you -- when a company provides information and is of
service, my customer good will takes care of itself. I find the hype pretty
annoying and belong to a number of e-groups (host two of them myself) where
NO advertising is permitted. I often find myself weighing the cost vs.
benefit of the kinds of interactions that can and cannot take place on a
site where I am constantly aware of not saying something to offend a vendor.
The risk is that vendors won't actually find out what people think of their
products. The ultimate authority on whether a feature is good or bad is the
customer, not the vendor, in the sense that the customer votes with their
dollars. The vendor can say it, but if the customer is too polite to
disagree, then there is an unmet need building up in that customer that
makes them ripe for defection when the competition figures out a way to
address it. To me, the very best way a vendor can use a list like this is
to ask good questions about their product on Sundays, and be ready to
consider 1) using this exchange to add to or adjust the vendor's
preconception of who the customer is/what their needs are and 2) changing
the product in response to good input. My 2 cents.


Chris Reid




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Received on Mon Nov 17 2003 - 11:52:44 EST

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