FW: [compost_tea] Matt's CT Recipe

From: Ryan, Matthew <matthew.ryan_at_rodaleinst.org>
Date: Wed, 26 Nov 2003 14:20:53 -0500

Hi Jeff and Others ,
 
I did not activate the compost before using. I am still trying to
figure this method out. I have tried to activate compost before but I
wasn't sure what I had so I always left if out.
 
Please check out the photos that I just uploaded on the yahoo site (what
a pain in the rear). This is what the fungi that I have "activated"
looks like. Do they look like good guys or bad guys?
 
The first one is a picture of straight vermicompost that was sitting
around for a couple of months undisturbed (magnified under dissecting
scope). All other pictures are of intentional growth with different
mixtures of food, soil, and compost incubated at 80F for a couple of
days.
 
Yes, corn gluten meal is used as a pre-emergent herbicide, but it
doesn't work that good.
 
The comfrey was added just after cutting, so it was wet - not dried.
The head gardener here at the institute uses comfrey tea with really
great results. She adds a bunch of wet comfrey leaves to a garbage can
full of water and lets it sit for a week or two. It gets really stinky
but she swears by it and she knows a hell of a lot more about gardening
than I do. This is applied to the soil around plants in the green
house.
 
Thanks for your comments.
 
Matt

        -----Original Message-----
        From: Jeff Lowenfels [mailto:jeff_at_gardener.com]
        Sent: Wednesday, November 26, 2003 12:22 PM
        To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
        Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Matt's CT Recipe
        
        
        Ryan,
         
        Nice test and report.
         
        I cannot remember if you activated your compost/vermi before
you made your tea? If not, I am quite sure activation would increase
your fine numbers!
         
        You asked some questions. Here are my opinions!
         
        Are two pounds enough for a 30 gallon brew. I think so judging
by your test results. The amount depends, in part, on the kind of
brewer, but more important on the compost/humus you start with.
         
        Insoluable humic acid and rock dusts are great fungal foods. I
could never figure out why it isn't better to add it to the compost,
however.
         
        As for corn gluten, How does the corn gluten work as an
activator in your compost? That is one good way to see if it is a good
fungal food. Not all fungi will go for it if it is, but if you don't see
mycleium, I would question its value versus other things you are using.
I wonder, too, how its use impacts germination. Have you tried? Isn't
corn gluten applied in some parts of the country as a pre emergent?
         
        As for Molassas (and other sugars), I never use them when I want
teas with good fungal numbers and seem to always end up with adequate
bacterial numbers. Obviously, anyone trying for better fungal numbers
should consider nixing the sugars.
         
        As for how many ingrediants are too many, that is anyone's call.
I am a big believer in using as few as possible and have my recipes down
to three ingrediants. It may be that one or two of the items in your
recipe are producing all the results and so the additionals are over
kill. Still the results are in and you have a tea that meets the
standards!
         
        As for the comfrey, is it gathered when it is green and dried?
Is it go in green or brown? Is it like hay? Might be a great protozoa
food, but I doubt it had any impact on fungal growth in the tea. This is
the kind of thing I would put into the compost.
         
        Just my two cents! Thanks for sharing your information!
         
        cheers,
         
        Jeff

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Received on Wed Nov 26 2003 - 14:49:40 EST

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