Re: [compost_tea] Usable Information

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Fri, 12 Mar 2004 10:50:09 -0800

Statements preceded by >>> are from Ted Peterson.
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Stuart Baxter
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Friday, March 12, 2004 8:50 AM
  Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Usable Information


  Hi Jon

  The base line air requirement has sort of been set at 1 litre of air to 1=
 US gallon per minute.

>>> I'm not sure I understand this. That would mean, I think, 55 L/min o=
f air for 55 gallons or 250L/min of air for 250 gallons. Pumps that size a=
re too expensive. I got goofed up on this thing too when I confused volume=
 and pressure. The pump I use for everything up to 60 G is made by Alita. =
It is model AL-15A and is rated at 15L/min. That pump costs about $160. W=
hat changes in the brewers is aerator design which is different for each on=
e. For bigger applications, I use bigger pumps. The biggest brewer I make=
 is a 225G and the biggest pump I use is rated at 100L/min.

  The idea is to keep the brew aerobic (oxygen rich) throughout the breedin=
g/feeding cycle which peaks sometime after 12 hours, usually. Unless using =
a kit and associated pre-measured and tested supplies, you'll need a dissol=
ved oxygen meter (DO or O2) to make sure it doesn't go below 6 parts per mi=
llion.

>>> DO meters need calibration to work correctly. The one I use is made =
from ICM. You can get it in analog or digital format. The best way to use =
one is to take a reading when you first add your water. Log that number. T=
hen aerate and take a reading after an hour or so. Compare the readings. Y=
ou should see a rise in DO. Normal drinking water should have a DO of 7 - =
8. (at least it does where I live.) When you aerate, the reading could go =
as high as 10.5. After you put in your compost and nutrients, take a couple=
 of readings. Your DO should drop to the range of 5 - 8. It may go lower b=
ut you want to keep it in that range. If too much O2 is used, it could mea=
n a couple of things but one of them is that your tea is going anaerobic. =
There may be times when you want an anaerobic cycle in your brewing process=
 but when you are starting out, you only want to favor aerobes.

>>> Order the Compost Tea Brewing Manual from www.soilfoodweb.com to get =
a lot of goot starting information.


  Brew times: usually 24 hours (although the K.I.S. 5 gallon does it in 12)=
 but other factors are involved, like temperature, altitude, and compost an=
d feed.

>>> And what you want out of the tea. Remember that nothing can be in th=
e tea that is not in your compost. Use the highest quality, most biologic=
ally diverse compost you can get.

  Recipes: hundreds, many of them proprietary and not released. About 1 pou=
nd of compost to a US gallon of dechlorinated water + molasses, kelp, fish =
hydrosylate or a hundred other components. Try searching the posts for more=
 ideas <smile>.

>>> I use _at_ 2 US quarts of compost for a 35G brewer. That comes to about=
 5 or 8 pounds. I have used all kinds of nutrients but the recipe above sh=
ould work. For 25-35G I would use about 1/2 - 2/3 cup fish, 1/2 cup humic =
acid, 1/2 cup kelp, 2+ cups sugar (any sugar will work. Even processed sug=
ar. I have used molasses, (cheapest cost) apple juice, sugar, beets, raw c=
ane, chopped cane, raw sugar, processed sugar and honey in various combinat=
ions and found no characteristic difference in brewing. Because they are d=
ifferent froms of sucrose, I have to suspect that some forms are more avail=
able to certain bacteria and fungi than others. So I try to get a mix. I =
am compiling some stuff for people who have contacted me off list and if yo=
u want to get it when I am finished, drop me a line.

  Brix: Someone else will answer this I'm sure but I can't remember who use=
s it <duh>.

>>> Brix is the measure of percentage of sugar in a given sample. It is u=
sed in ag to test the quility of fruits and vegetables. Generally the highe=
r the Brix level the better the quality yield you will have. Higher Brix le=
vels are indicators of better taste and longer shelf life. e.g. The higher =
the sugar content, the higher the quality. Brix are measured with a refract=
ometer. www.viscoalpha.com Basically you are looking at the sugar content =
of a leaf or grape or some other fruit/vegatable. You can even measure bri=
x in grass to check for healthy lawns.


  Ted Peterson
  Earth-Wise/Sprirt of the Earth



Received on Fri Mar 12 2004 - 14:46:50 EST

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