Re: [compost_tea] Brewing time for soil applications only

From: David Anderson <squtch_at_gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2005 11:31:27 -0800
Hi Jon,
My guess (and it is only a guess) is that it will work, but it will
not work as well as running the brewer for the full time.

What the water in the brewer provides is freedom of movement that
allows the mass of critters to skyrocket.

Once you apply the CT, they no longer have that freedom of movement,
and can only travel as far as the liquid around them allows. As the
food dries out, the critters won't be able to eat it as easily until
it gets wet again, therefore they will not reproduce as fast.

It would probably depend on whether you soil has a lot of other
readily available food sources already as to which approach is better.
It would probably be a better method in poor soil than in rich soil.

I also wonder how well it would work to draw off some of your brewing
tea every few hours and inject the tea and a food source into the
water right before watering. Or if you were to water with a food
source right before or after applying the tea.

I've often wondered whether there was any real advantage, in
non-disease fighting situations, to using excellent tea with
ultra-high numbers, over using tea that is only pretty good. If
building your soil is the goal, then it seems to me that good tea
along with a long term food source might be a better option than
worrying about squeezing out evey last bit of growth/reproduction in
the brewer.

Like I said, it's all speculation on my part. This is just my thinking
on it since I have no need to do any actual experimentation. I think
that it will be up to you to give it a try and see what the results
are.

Dave


On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 03:24:50 -0000, Jon H <handy_at_swko.net> wrote:
>
>
> I was wondering if the brew length could be shortened if you are only
> using the tea for soil application.  I am re-reading my notes on the
> class Elaine and Arden gave in december.  In my notes I have written:
> For soil, extract and brewed is about the same.  Since I have
> probably gotten most of the microbes off the compost in 6 hours and I
> have the nutrints in the water, why not put the tea out there and let
> the microbes use the food while in the soil?


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Received on Wed Feb 02 2005 - 15:25:09 EST

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