In other words compost devoid of any aerobic organisms.
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Bad compost tea?
- Thread starter Tame The Scovies
- Start date
millworkman
eXtreme
Right but being anaerobic isn't entirely bad. Look at Guru's hydrolysate. This stuff is then mixed back in with fresh compost/soil and other goodies Prehensile gets. Its a good way to mix up a pretty much worry free soil.
Recently I have been pasteurizing my compost tea (after it has brewed)... bring it up to between 140 and 160 degrees (try to stay closer to 140) and maintain that temp for 2 hours and then let cool... this will virtually guarantee that there are no harmful microorganisms in your brew, although there will obviously be less of a diversity of microbiota. There will still be plenty of life there trust me... 
My plants seem to like this alot better than the straight stuff. This is good for aerobic and anaerobic teas as well as liquid worm castings.
My plants seem to like this alot better than the straight stuff. This is good for aerobic and anaerobic teas as well as liquid worm castings.
That container was filled with some of my base mix of soil I purchased,(9 yards worth) it is produced by a popular nursery supply company here in Palm Beach County FL. I fill the container with soil add water(Florida Well Water not municipal crap) then cover with plywood for a couple of months. There are plenty of beneficial microbes in there along with Red Worms, the worms seem to like my pile of base soil.
Being the company I got the soil from is popular with our nurseries, and that Palm Beach County is the largest Agricultural County East of the Mississippi, I figured they probably have some pretty good soil to start with.
I also mix some home made compost in from time to time.
Being the company I got the soil from is popular with our nurseries, and that Palm Beach County is the largest Agricultural County East of the Mississippi, I figured they probably have some pretty good soil to start with.
I also mix some home made compost in from time to time.
That's interesting Noah. I wonder what Dr. Elaine Ingham thinks of that practice?Noah Yates said:Recently I have been pasteurizing my compost tea (after it has brewed)... bring it up to between 140 and 160 degrees (try to stay closer to 140) and maintain that temp for 2 hours and then let cool... this will virtually guarantee that there are no harmful microorganisms in your brew, although there will obviously be less of a diversity of microbiota. There will still be plenty of life there trust me...
True my friend but that stuff Guru makes is not a tea, that is a liquid form of natural fertilizer and micro nutrients.millworkman said:
Proud Marine Dad said:That's interesting Noah. I wonder what Dr. Elaine Ingham thinks of that practice?
I dont know.... what would she think?
Pepper-Guru
eXtreme
Heating compost tea is counterproductive.
As far as the soil food web is concerned.
Diversity is the entire point of compost tea.
As far as the soil food web is concerned.
Diversity is the entire point of compost tea.
Noah, I think she would say what Guru just did. You are killing beneficial organisms. Why do you feel you need to kill bad organisms in the tea? If you are using well rotted compost and aerating it there shouldn't be any bad bacteria.
Its probably the case that 'true' compost (wich is self-pasteurizing due to the thermogeneisis created by the metabolism of those microbes) would not need to be re-pasteurized. I dont actually have any such proper compost at the moment. I actually have plans for building a pretty freaking awesome compost bin up by the garden. Currently the only 'compost' I have is from the worm farms I was telling you about. And im telling you... in a side-by-side comparrison Ive seen non-pasteurized worm tea cause "diseased leaves" while the pasteurized worm tea simply makes the plants thrive. One of the keys is to stay as close as possible to the 140 degree mark... going over 160 gets close to sterilization temps.. which cause bacterial blooms.. (the bad kind)... and the thing is, even if the liquid in the top of the kettle reads lower than 160, the bottom part that is close to the heat source could be way over 160.
Pepper-Guru
eXtreme
Interesting. I will look into this for sure
Noah Yates said:
Are you using well aerated fluffy worm castings? Or are you using saturated castings that have become anaerobic? I have several worm bins. The fluffy castings have a far better smell than the soggy castings. Anaerobic bacteria stinks.
Its fluffy... I turn them regularly. 
One thing that I thought about which I forgot to mention in my original post is the fact that pasteurization also kills insects and other parasitic worms and nematodes as well as other 'unwanted' plant seeds that are in the compost/worm castings. The expirement I conducted could very well have something to do with that aspect as well.
But yeah... properly maintained (turned), hydrated, pH contolled compost piles of sufficient dimensions and balanced composition will self-pasteurize, thereby producing very 'clean' and highly active cultures.
One thing that I thought about which I forgot to mention in my original post is the fact that pasteurization also kills insects and other parasitic worms and nematodes as well as other 'unwanted' plant seeds that are in the compost/worm castings. The expirement I conducted could very well have something to do with that aspect as well. But yeah... properly maintained (turned), hydrated, pH contolled compost piles of sufficient dimensions and balanced composition will self-pasteurize, thereby producing very 'clean' and highly active cultures.
Fascinating. I love this stuff as it drives me to study and learn more. Soil food web science is still in it's infancy for the most part and there is much to be learned. I am going to watch some more videos with Dr. Ingham on YouTube as she is one of the leading authorities in the country on the soil food web and compost teas.
Dont even get me started...
This guy.... Ahhhhh
I'm not trying to Troll you
Prehensile, but I think you may want to do a little reading before you say anything more about AACT. Just trying yo help you out brotha.
This guy.... Ahhhhh
I'm not trying to Troll you
Prehensile, but I think you may want to do a little reading before you say anything more about AACT. Just trying yo help you out brotha.
Pepper-Guru
eXtreme
I love star trek
I do not disagree making tea is beneficial, The only point I was trying to make is its not the end all solution for keeping the foodweb thriving. When I uncover my cooked soil and find Red Worms living in it I know the FOODWEB is complete and healthy. My compost bin is well aerated with thousands of Soldier Fly larvae living in it.
Tilling aerates, loosens up and mixes compacted soil which is a benefit to our plants.
H202 treatment aerates soil as well, rainwater contains H202 and we all know rain(minus acid rain) is better for our plants than any other form of water.
When you have a septic system full of roots and it starts to seep up why do all the plants around it grow many times faster? There sure as hell isn't any oxygen down there, the liquid feeds the plants and the nutes are created anaerobically. I know for a fact when my Grandfather built his first house he planted 2 Oak trees, one on the West side the other on the East, the Oak on the West side is 30 feet taller. The West tree found the septic drain field in the 70s, it was fed by an anaerobic system.
Or am I completely wrong about septic systems?
At my last house we had this big healthy Tangerine tree, it produced loads of fruit and was way bigger than our neighbors trees, needless to say I had to kill the tree and put a new drain field in.
If any of you could come up with a way to make enough tea to treat 400 or so plants in a timely fashion I would definitely look into trying it.
Tilling aerates, loosens up and mixes compacted soil which is a benefit to our plants.
H202 treatment aerates soil as well, rainwater contains H202 and we all know rain(minus acid rain) is better for our plants than any other form of water.
When you have a septic system full of roots and it starts to seep up why do all the plants around it grow many times faster? There sure as hell isn't any oxygen down there, the liquid feeds the plants and the nutes are created anaerobically. I know for a fact when my Grandfather built his first house he planted 2 Oak trees, one on the West side the other on the East, the Oak on the West side is 30 feet taller. The West tree found the septic drain field in the 70s, it was fed by an anaerobic system.
Or am I completely wrong about septic systems?
At my last house we had this big healthy Tangerine tree, it produced loads of fruit and was way bigger than our neighbors trees, needless to say I had to kill the tree and put a new drain field in.
If any of you could come up with a way to make enough tea to treat 400 or so plants in a timely fashion I would definitely look into trying it.
Cook tea for 40 pants and dilute 1:10...Prehensile said:
The goodies will still be there ;-)
Al
Wrong! Tilling kills the food web, the worms and the beneficial bacteria that was growing in the soil.Prehensile said:
I am speaking of yearly tilling of course. If you till once it may be beneficial if nothing was there to begin with but yearly tilling is detrimental not beneficial. Fact not opinion.
Prehensile, you dont have to brew enough AACT for every plant in your garden. Use it on the crops with the most value fo you and do the best you can with the rest.
Pepper-Guru
eXtreme
And then some!!!!