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AACT/Compost Tea
- Thread starter Balduvian
- Start date
I have two of the dual outlet pumps from Walmart that I put a "T" in and run a single airstone per pump I bought from Drs. Foster & Smith's aquarium catalog.
In this photo I have them aerating 30 gallons of water to get the chloramine out of it but if I make 5 gallons of AACT I put one stone in the bottom of the bucket and the other stone directly in the 400 micron bag the compost is in to help loosen the bacteria from the compost.
In this photo I have them aerating 30 gallons of water to get the chloramine out of it but if I make 5 gallons of AACT I put one stone in the bottom of the bucket and the other stone directly in the 400 micron bag the compost is in to help loosen the bacteria from the compost.
sorry, i didnt phrase it right, maybe thats better lolmiguelovic said:
whats the pumps rated at might i ask?Proud Marine Dad said:I have two of the dual outlet pumps from Walmart that I put a "T" in and run a single airstone per pump I bought from Drs. Foster & Smith's aquarium catalog.
In this photo I have them aerating 30 gallons of water to get the chloramine out of it but if I make 5 gallons of AACT I put one stone in the bottom of the bucket and the other stone directly in the 400 micron bag the compost is in to help loosen the bacteria from the compost.
It says 1200cc per minute on their website.
Doesn't sound like much but they do a decent job.
Doesn't sound like much but they do a decent job.
Balduvian said:
I claim mental brain fart, or I'm just easily confused XD
No problem diluting, I usually do it when spraying, though I go closer to 1:2. Just something about that lovely broth that makes me hesitant to dilute it much. Probably sentimental nonsense. One strong batch watered out is preferable.
As for using the ever popular dollar store special (
), maybe the microbes find a balance with the level of oxygen supplied? Though I'm more inclined to think it would follow a boom/bust cycle, although less than you would get from say, stirring to aerate. For better or worse, I couldn't say.Typically, compost tea, if not aerated, generates huge amounts of ammonia in the first 24-48 hours. It's a product of anaerobic fermentation of nitrogen-rich marerials (guano, green matter, etc.). The ammonia saturates the liquid, filling up every space between the water molecules that COULD be occupied by an oxygen molecule ("O2"). Thus, anaerobic fermentation tends to self-perpetuate.
Note that some anaerobic fermentation DOES happen, even in a well-aerated AACT culture. Ensuring that it continues to ferment aerobically isn't just a question of introducing oxygen, but of keeping the concentration of ammonia from rising too high. Heavy aeration will accomplish this, as aerobic bacteria will convert ammonia to nitrates.
Feeding high-ammonia compost teas to plants will raise the soil pH enough to damage roots. The humic acids in peat and coir can buffer this quite a bit. Several years ago, i asked myself, "Why not buffer the tea BEFORE using it? A few experiments later, the answer came to me: "Because you should buffer it WHILE it's fermenting."
My method to accomplish this requires a "filter basket" of sphagnum/coir/peat (or other humic acid source). For one 5-gallon bucket of tea, a 3-gallon potful is about right. I place a second 5-gallon bucket under it, and pour the tea through the "filter basket". This apparatus is adequate to ferment about 1/2 cup of dried chicken manure plus 1 cup of dried kelpmeal.
Performed daily, this not only prevents any surges in ammonia concentration, but also greatly reduces hydrogen sulfide production. Result: minimal odor.
To feed plants: percolate the tea thru filter basket, to freshly acidify it. Add 10 or 20% of tea to other 5gal. bucket. Flush water thru filter basket to fill this bucket - diluting the tea to a concentration suitable for feeding plants.
After feeding, pour tea thru filter basket again. This will keep the microbes in the filter media happy, so they will continue to generate humic acids.
Most of the guano and kelp particles get deposited on the top of the filter substrate, and can become infested with fungus gnats, etc. Covering the filter basket with a paint-filter bag works fine. When i have the time to perform a pour-thru twice a day, i find there's no need for aeration in the bucket.
This method will feed 5-10 planters of 5-gallon size an outdoor environment. Fast-growing, heavy-blooming plants. A couple of these plants were peppers, in previous years, and they grew nicely.
Obviously, i will have to tweak the right amounts of the right nutrients, now that i'm specializing in peppers.
Note that some anaerobic fermentation DOES happen, even in a well-aerated AACT culture. Ensuring that it continues to ferment aerobically isn't just a question of introducing oxygen, but of keeping the concentration of ammonia from rising too high. Heavy aeration will accomplish this, as aerobic bacteria will convert ammonia to nitrates.
Feeding high-ammonia compost teas to plants will raise the soil pH enough to damage roots. The humic acids in peat and coir can buffer this quite a bit. Several years ago, i asked myself, "Why not buffer the tea BEFORE using it? A few experiments later, the answer came to me: "Because you should buffer it WHILE it's fermenting."
My method to accomplish this requires a "filter basket" of sphagnum/coir/peat (or other humic acid source). For one 5-gallon bucket of tea, a 3-gallon potful is about right. I place a second 5-gallon bucket under it, and pour the tea through the "filter basket". This apparatus is adequate to ferment about 1/2 cup of dried chicken manure plus 1 cup of dried kelpmeal.
Performed daily, this not only prevents any surges in ammonia concentration, but also greatly reduces hydrogen sulfide production. Result: minimal odor.
To feed plants: percolate the tea thru filter basket, to freshly acidify it. Add 10 or 20% of tea to other 5gal. bucket. Flush water thru filter basket to fill this bucket - diluting the tea to a concentration suitable for feeding plants.
After feeding, pour tea thru filter basket again. This will keep the microbes in the filter media happy, so they will continue to generate humic acids.
Most of the guano and kelp particles get deposited on the top of the filter substrate, and can become infested with fungus gnats, etc. Covering the filter basket with a paint-filter bag works fine. When i have the time to perform a pour-thru twice a day, i find there's no need for aeration in the bucket.
This method will feed 5-10 planters of 5-gallon size an outdoor environment. Fast-growing, heavy-blooming plants. A couple of these plants were peppers, in previous years, and they grew nicely.
Obviously, i will have to tweak the right amounts of the right nutrients, now that i'm specializing in peppers.
Good GOD!
I never thought there were two of us.
If only cayennemist were here to see it... if you also have a dubious but optimistic position on the pest-control ability of AACT, I'll shit golden eggs until the next full moon.
Maybe later I'll reply to what sounds like an interesting idea-r. Chortling is key right now.
I never thought there were two of us.
If only cayennemist were here to see it... if you also have a dubious but optimistic position on the pest-control ability of AACT, I'll shit golden eggs until the next full moon.
Maybe later I'll reply to what sounds like an interesting idea-r. Chortling is key right now.
You do know that it's not very effective to aerate choloramine, right?Proud Marine Dad said:
I want to believe... I really do. But I have seen no proof that AACT does anything at all in the way of discouraging pests. AT... ALL...miguelovic said:
Whitefly are our main pest here. 5 different strains of the bastards. If AACT did the trick, I'd be pest free 100 times over. I finally had to cave to soapy water treatments this summer. (which is still a bitch to keep up on the pests)
It does with compost or a crushed to powder 1,000 mg vitamin C tablet in the water.solid7 said: