Re: [compost_tea] non-aerated teas?

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Sun, 2 Jan 2005 12:32:01 -0800

Jason:

We have a vinyard close by that uses compost tea. The vinyard is not one o=
f my clients. (The farm manager and I have become pretty good friends.) The=
y have been using tea for about five years (before I got into the business)=
. Here is a description of their tea "machine".

Two plastic 55 gallon drums (They have since made a much larger "machine." =
I think it is between 500 and 800 gallons.) The top one is suspended about=
 1 foot from the bottom drum. The bottom of the top drum is perforated. A=
 burlap "screen" is put between the two barrels. Compost is added onto the=
 screen. Water is poured into the top drum and drops through the compost an=
d screen into the bottom barrel. A syphon pump recirculates the water back=
 to the top drum the equivelant of three times.

They take the tea out and use it.

That's their compost tea and it works just fine. I approached them with th=
e idea of aeration and nutrients but they are having good success and have =
plant assays to prove it. The farm manager told me that his approach is th=
at the descending water picks up enough O2 as it drips onto the compost to =
get the results they want. They add no other nutrients to the water or to =
the compost.

They make pretty good compost by the way.

Ted Peterson
SOE








Received on Sun Jan 02 2005 - 21:03:57 EST

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