Re: [compost_tea] Re: pre-activation results

From: CHARLES BARKER <chuckiebtoo_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 14 May 2004 15:28:59 -0700 (PDT)

Hi ya'll:
 
Member for a few months, and Ted's compost jump-start post was THE MOST INFORMATIVE ONE that I, personally, have read so far. Question 1: why avoid lawn grass? I've gotten excellent results using it. Question 2: (from another post) How can you tell if a snail is sleeping?
 
Chuckiebtoo

Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net> wrote:
Yes, we can predict. Remember though that we are dealing with billions of microscopic creatures. So I think that excat numbers my not be so important in a predictive sense but ranges of critters and diversity show "x" results. Tea does work. I have test data that shows it works just the way it says in the Compost Tea Brewing Manual. That is pretty predicitive as far as I am concerned.
 
As far as all the things ACT can do, I agree that some of the claims -- like the claims for yucca or the latest diet fad -- are a stretch. I don't like cure-alls and eventually come to regard the whole cure-all field as cultish. This is too bad because some good is lost with this approach. If Tom's (the yucca guy) claims are true, we can just get rid of our medical system because if we just take yucca, all our problems are solved: It's the Soma of Huxley (Aldous Huxley -- "Brave New World").
 
You don't need to find a compost, you can make one. Here is a quick way to jumpstart your compost pile.
 
Start with a bag of commercial compost. You can even brew with it. It will work but you will be uncertain as to diversity. Go around your local area and pick up some of the leaves and humus under the trees. Go to a bunch of places and take a 2G bucketful from each place. Get the old rotting leaves at the bottom not the newly dropped green leaves. Plastic garbage bags work great. Try to get a ratio of about 50/50 with the leaves and humus you pick up and your commercial compost. Dump both together and keep it about 45% moist. How do you know that level of moisture? Grab a handful and squeeze it. It should stay lumped together without being muddy. If you get it too wet, don't fret, it will dry out. Turn this pile with a shovel or pitchfork every couple of days.
 
If you have a brewer, you can keep a little of the compost and the humus you collect and brew a batch of tea. Put in molasses, fish emulsion (fertilizer will work), some kelp and some humic acid. (I have even used ammonium sulfate but I like organic inputs. The AS works and I use it for certain processing but I'm not a real fan. If you use this stuff, dilute it a lot and use it with caution. To much can have adverse effects on the critters.). What you are going to do is use the commercial compost as an organic material base then build a pile using your local leaves and humus to give the most local diversity. Don't expect this pile to heat up like a regular compost pile and you should try to keep temps around 90 - 100 dF. If you have a source of manure, you can add that but, depending on the compost you start with, you may not need any.
 
 Anyway, brew a batch of tea and pour it on your compost pile. Depending on your brewer, you will probably need no more than a couple of gallons. Pour it in as you turn the pile so you get it into as much of the pile as you can without getting the pile too wet. Let this pile stay around for about 2 - 3 weeks. You should have good fungal growth and your bacteria should be reactivated in the commercial and growing from your local stuff. If you keep it turned, you will be promoting the aerobes and they will multiply.
 
Once you get this pile started and it matures, never us it all up. When you make new compost, use a portion of this pile in the new compost pile. Keep doing that as you make compost. Try to never use it all up so you have to start from scratch. Always use a portion of mature compost in your pile even if it is commercial compost.
 
You will have a good compost with high bacterial numbers and your local diversity. If you keep adding local stuff from different locations and green sources (I would avoid lawn grass), you will get the most diversity for your local area and that is what you want. Figure about 3 weeks to a month to do it and you will have high-quality compost with your local bacteria and fungi.
 
I know there are claims for the Alaska Humus and they are probably correct but you want stuff in your local area. I wouldn't try the oat flour until you get your compost pile going and until we really understand what is happening with that stuff. It may be absolutely great but I don't think anything written on this list would prove that.
 
Ted Peterson
EW/SOE
----- Original Message -----
From: L Blair
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2004 3:31 PM
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Re: pre-activation results



In a sense, every time ACT is used we can look for the outcome with
curiosity; can you *predict* that your desired outcome will be achieved
*this time*???

Also, to claim that *all* ACT does "x" could be a stretch; this is like
saying that all ACT's are equal, when its more likely that they all differ
in greater or lesser ways.

We already have anecdotal evidence that some ACTs inhibit snails and slugs,
while others do not. So what is the difference? or maybe differences?

So, given some assumptions about ACT (that it remains aerobic (min 6.0 ppm
o2) throughout the brewing until it is applied; is made with pure enough
water (specs?) etc) there are still great variances due to inputs ( compost,
additions, nutrients etc). Even for teas made with identical conditions,
they could have different effects (eg due to differences in application
technology, weather, time of day....)


Lynton



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Received on Fri May 14 2004 - 21:21:28 EDT

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