[compost_tea] Matt's CT Recipe

From: Kirk Leonard <kirk_at_oregonatural.com>
Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 14:21:28 -0800

Matt posted this most interesting compost tea recipe 11/21 and I think it
bears some discussion, so I put my two cents in...

> "Thought to be fungal" CT Recipe:
1) Vermicompost (Orner's) 454 g. (1 lb.)
2) Fungal Compost (custom made for high fungal) 454 g. (1 lb.)
3) Leaf Litter - from woodlot 681 g. (1.5 lb.)
4) Comfrey Leaves - from employee garden 454 g. (1 lb.)
5) Corn Gluten Meal "Natural Green" (Fertrell) 25g (0.882 ounces)
6) Insoluble Humic Acid "L-65" (Organic Approach) 75 g (2.65 ounces)
7) Soluble Humic Acid "SP-85" (Organic Approach) 50 g (1.76 ounces)
8) Acadian Kelp "Nature's Essence" (Organic Approach) 20 g (0.705 ounces)
9) Fish Hydrolysate "Neptune's Harvest" (Organic Approach) 50 ml (1.69 fl.
oz) <

Two pounds of compost material in 24 gallons of water? I don't think that's
enough - should be more like 5+? Leaf litter and comfrey leaves aren't
compost. Aged leaves can be good fungal and fine fiber sources. Not
sure what comfrey adds, as I think of it as an astringent and more of a
bacterial food. And I've been led to believe corn gluten is
bio-suppressive, so I'm not sure what it adds.

Why two kinds of humic acid? Per prior post suggestions, it seems like
insoluble humic sources are somewhat useless in a 20-hour compost tea,
though beneficial in a maturing compost.

Kelp and fish hydro additions seem tiny and somewhat redundant. Both are
fungal foods, ostensibly, and fish hydro seems to be emerging as more of a
nutrient source for plants than a fungal tea food, per se. I'd think either
kelp or fish would be sufficient for making a tea and adding fish at use
provides a nutrient boost.

Interesting Matt has landed on many of the basic nutrients and materials we
talk about, except molasses:-). Clearly he's aiming for diversity, but it
seems to me there may be some confliction among them. And I do wonder about
so much comfrey... In the meantime, Matt's info and specificity is
refreshing and worthy of some discussion, seems to me.

-- Kirk L











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Received on Tue Nov 25 2003 - 19:00:38 EST

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