Re: [compost_tea] Re: First Time

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2005 13:35:37 -0800

----- Original Message -----
From: Jack Hickman
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2005 12:30 PM
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Re: First Time


Hope you guy's don't get tired of these questions.(trying to learn) If the =
CP is put in and around the plants,and they grow good.Wouldn't that show th=
e CP is good?

Jack:

You are fortunate to be logical. To make an absolute statement, you would =
need some plants you didn't treat to see if the CT had any effect. But ass=
uming decent compost (even if it is commercial) and simple brewing with a f=
ew foods, healthy plants and soil are the best indication. I'm not against=
 testing the tea but people who sell testing want you to test every batch. =
 After all, their business is to sell testing and to do that you must sell =
uncertainty. The problem I have with this is that because CT is based on c=
ompost, you have an uncertainty even before you start testing the tea. So =
you should test the compost then test the tea if you were following a rigor=
ous protocol. To me, this is just wasted money for the average person. CT =
should work within a range of parameters even using compost with little div=
ersity but again, we have an unknown before a single sample is taken. Add =
compost to water, add sugar and maybe kelp and some other "foods" and you w=
ill get compost tea. Add air and the biology grows faster and more robustl=
y. Bacteria double (depending on the text you read) between every 10 to 20=
 minutes based on food.

 We are dealing with a range of biology here and no one knows absolute numb=
ers for absolute results as far as soil biology goes. I, personally, learn=
ed to use a microscope and look at my tea. I do soil tests and plant assay=
s. Sometimes using CT can give curious test data yet the plants are health=
y. Because we are using a different and accentuated process of adding biol=
ogy to the soil, we just don't have the data to make absolute statements. =
After all, all tea does is multiply the bacteria and extract the fungi resi=
dent in the compost. That's it.

I have a person who has become a friend who has been using a very simple br=
ewer without aeration for over five years and who thinks all the added food=
s and hyper-growth is a bunch of BS. His plants look great and he manages =
one of the larger wineries around here. We are getting ready for a tea off=
 to see if we can find any substantive difference between his methods and m=
ine using the same crops.

Ted Peterson
EW/SOE






Received on Sun Mar 06 2005 - 16:59:42 EST

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