Re: [compost_tea] Re: CACT and Idea for non-tested brewing approach

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 10:47:05 -0800

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Robert Norsen
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Tuesday, February 10, 2004 8:37 PM
  Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Re: CACT and Idea for non-tested brewing appro=
ach

  Bob Norsen and I discussed this further, and also Kirk Leonard very
  patiently helped think it through. We could still use your help in
  understanding a few points.


First anaerobes: (also see below)

Anaerobes are part of the soil food web and you will never get the higher l=
evel organisms without them. Pathogens should be controlled by O2 so if yo=
ur tea has enough O2 you should have few problems with pathogens. They are=
 everywhere but not in concentrations that can harm anybody. E Coli like t=
emps in the 70F + range. (Remember that your colon is loaded with E Coli a=
nd there are still some areobes down there that process certain vitamins an=
d nutrients. Both can cohabit the same environment but eat different food.=
) The warmer the better until the low 100sF are reached where the thermal =
bacteria make an unattractive environment for them. (Remember composting a=
nd pasturization of the compost with high temps.)

There is no guarantee that the pathogens will be digested by any other orga=
nism even though this can happen. Usually they just become inactive and co=
mpetition keeps them under control. Even if your tea goes partly anaerobic=
, it doesn't mean that you are promoting pathogens but you very well may be=
 doing just that. It depends on a lot of factors like time and food and O2=
.

Brewer problems:

It seems that most of the problems come with systems that use compost chamb=
ers of some sort. If you did away with the chamber or bag and free suspend=
ed the compost in the water, you would alleviate many of the problems. Of =
couse, if you are using some kind of circulation pump to move your water, f=
ree suspension is out of the question.

The systems I use are all free suspension (all the ingredients are put dire=
ctly into the bucket or vat of aerated water) and I have few of the problem=
s being addressed. In fact,
I now use a double or, in some cases, a triple system. In one I aerate alf=
alfa or oat hay or chicken feed in water. I take this water after 48 hours=
 and use it to brew tea.

On some occasions, I want higher order predators so I have a system that I =
can cycle the aeration time so I promote bacterial/fungal/protozal (is this=
 even a word?) growth along lines I discovered while researching cellular g=
rowth and enzymes.

All the systems are the same design with custom aerators designed by me. E=
ven in the anaerobic system I have little problems because I cycle the O2 b=
ack and forth at a rate that promotes anaerobic reproduction but not out co=
mpetition with the aerobes. This is because as soon as I reapply the air, =
the aerobes start multiplying again.

Now, my research has shown that aerobes and anaerobes don't eat the same fo=
ods per se. In addition, higher level organisms need the enzymes of the lo=
wer level organisms so they can grow.

Basically, I want to reproduce what happens in nature at an accelerated rat=
e by controlling the O2 and the food. I am wrangling the microbes which is=
 why I call my brewers Wranglers (C)(TM)). I am promoting the primitives w=
ith sugar and O2 then cutting the O2 so they stop feeding and go to sleep, =
  In the process of feeding they release enzymes which the higher order mic=
robes like and need to grow. They all do not just eat sugar and/or NPK. T=
hese higher level, in turn, produce enzymes that enable higher level organi=
sms and so on up the ladder to nematodes (bacterial/fungal eating) water be=
ars and the such. It is not terrible to have these things in your tea. Th=
ey are part of the soil and are needed for a health food web. Take a look =
at the "Soil Biology Primer" written by Elaine.

I would imagine that I could keep tweaking the process and get arthropods b=
ut I haven't tried that yet. The time factors required in their growth cyc=
le do not work in my favor.

So I have seen with a 1000x microscope:

A complex/dense biomass.
Bacterial fields.
Fungal growth. (It's slow but when you get it, it looks just like the text=
book examples.)
Amoebas. You can add nurients to the slide in microamounts and watch reacti=
ons.
     Interesting that they repel sugar. They basically encapsulate when su=
gar is added.
Paramecium. "Keep swimming. Keep swimming. Keep swimming." (According t=
o Dori.)
Stalked Ciliates. These are really cool. They look like an urn on a strin=
g. Every once in
        a while, they close off and spring back.
Water Bears.
Nematodes.

In creating this process, I closely examined at two things among others:

1. CEC -- Please look it up. If I describe it here you may not see the bea=
uty and necessity of this.
2. The second law of thermodynamics. -- If you are unaware of how this may =
apply to bacterial (dellular) growth, energy and food, look it up also.

If anyone needs some pointers I will be glad to give them. But please look=
 up the resources yourself because there is a lot of neat associated stuff =
that can be picked up doing the research.

Ted Peterson
Earth-Wise/Spirit of the Earth



Received on Wed Feb 11 2004 - 14:19:59 EST

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