Tea Article

[Trichgnomes]

CT Guy- That would be great if you could run a test and post results, as I too am interested in this product, and I'm sure the local brew store has some.

 

[Dirt_McMaster]

Hello All - A little background info and a question. The pump I want to use for my ACT is over sized for the application(5gal). I'm guessing maybe 250 lpm. Can I aerate for a portion of the time? ie 1 minute of aeration every 4 minutes
Thanks-Dirt

 

[CT Guy]

Hello All - A little background info and a question. The pump I want to use for my ACT is over sized for the application(5gal). I'm guessing maybe 250 lpm. Can I aerate for a portion of the time? ie 1 minute of aeration every 4 minutes
Thanks-Dirt

Dirt,

I'd suggest brewing in a larger tank, rather than trying to turn the aeration on and off. I haven't seen any testing on this, but I can tell you that your dissolved oxygen levels can drop quite rapidly when the bacteria are in the height of their reproduction. Without a dissolved oxygen meter and a microscope, it's really hard to know how the microbes would handle that sort of aeration.

 

[Dirt_McMaster]

CT - Thanks for your help in the matter.
- Dirt

p.s. here's some rep

 

[Zendo]

Hello All - A little background info and a question. The pump I want to use for my ACT is over sized for the application(5gal). I'm guessing maybe 250 lpm. Can I aerate for a portion of the time? ie 1 minute of aeration every 4 minutes
Thanks-Dirt

Dirt- http://www.microbeorganics.com/ is a good place to start. For 5-10 gallons you are going to be looking at an 18 watt 1.75 CFM ideal, and for a up to 50 gallons an 80 watt 4 CFM. There is a section on MM's site with instructions on how to build your own system using PVC.

CT also sells a brewer system on his site as well, just google "simplici tea"

 

[Dirt_McMaster]

Thanks Zendo- I may need a little help yet. In the article the author recommends
-the Eco Plus Commercial 5 (4 cfm) for container size <50 gal
-Eco Plus Commercial 1 (1.75 cfm) for container size <10 gal
-Hailea 9730 (2 cfm) for container size <30 gal

1.75cfm-<10gal
2cfm<30gal
4cfm<50gal

That seems a little peculiar, the numbers just don't crunch right.
-Dirt

EDIT
Zendo- You may be misinterpreting the article. The "max." is not maximum recommended cfm. It is however the max cfm those recommended pumps can produce.

Can anyone describe a MAX cfm?
Maximum dissolved o2?
Maximum aeration?

 

[sicoltiva]

i bought a Rena 300 pump ( for acquarium ):
Type: pressure
Max Flow L/h: 200
Max Pressure psi: 4.5
Outlets: 1 rear-mounted
Flow Control: yes
Intake: bottom
Filter: yes
Voltage: 115v 60hz (other voltages available)
Watts: 4

Following the math i did ( please tell me if it's wrong ..) i should be able to aerate up to 2 gal of water - which is enough for my needs right now. For bigger batches i will have to get more air output.or brew a more concentrated tea and then dilute it ...

Ok then : 200 Liters per Hour = about 7 cubic feet per hour

7 cubic feet per hour / 60 mins = about 0.11 CFM

which correspond to what stated in the article http://www.microbeorganics.com/ about aquarium pump output ranges. (0.02 to 0.16 CFM)
if the level of O2 needs to be 0.05 to 0.08 CFM per gal of water
so for 2 gal will be an average of 0.05 cfm x 2 gal = 0.1
I should be able to get an ACT without going anaerobic..i know i will be in the lower limit of oxigen range since i used the lower concentration needed but if I limit the source of food (like molasses for example..) i should be able to have enough oxygen for the microbes to grow....

please let me know what you think !

thankx

 

[CT Guy]

i bought a Rena 300 pump ( for acquarium ):
Type: pressure
Max Flow L/h: 200
Max Pressure psi: 4.5
Outlets: 1 rear-mounted
Flow Control: yes
Intake: bottom
Filter: yes
Voltage: 115v 60hz (other voltages available)
Watts: 4

Following the math i did ( please tell me if it's wrong ..) i should be able to aerate up to 2 gal of water - which is enough for my needs right now. For bigger batches i will have to get more air output.or brew a more concentrated tea and then dilute it ...

Ok then : 200 Liters per Hour = about 7 cubic feet per hour

7 cubic feet per hour / 60 mins = about 0.11 CFM

which correspond to what stated in the article http://www.microbeorganics.com/ about aquarium pump output ranges. (0.02 to 0.16 CFM)
if the level of O2 needs to be 0.05 to 0.08 CFM per gal of water
so for 2 gal will be an average of 0.05 cfm x 2 gal = 0.1
I should be able to get an ACT without going anaerobic..i know i will be in the lower limit of oxigen range since i used the lower concentration needed but if I limit the source of food (like molasses for example..) i should be able to have enough oxygen for the microbes to grow....

please let me know what you think !

thankx

Yes, you're on the right track...If you have any questions about brewer design or recipes, just post it on here when you get a chance.

 

[sicoltiva]

Yes, you're on the right track...If you have any questions about brewer design or recipes, just post it on here when you get a chance.

thanks ctguy...i will.
I collected a lot of infos about ACT thanks to your and other people posts, great job.
I think i will start with basic recipes EWC, kelp meal and molasses ( in veg stage right now..)and see how it goes and then add additional ingredients later on.
I'm reading the book from dr. Ingham too...very enlightening. Hope for the best of all of us that those and other sustainable practice will take off and become popular.
Half of my familiy , back in my home country, are farmers but non of them knew anything about ACT when i spoke to them about it last year..

sicoltiva

 

[CT Guy]

That sounds good, make sure to go light on the kelp and molasses.

Also, check out "Teaming with Microbes" if you haven't already read it.

 

[Microbeman]

i bought a Rena 300 pump ( for acquarium ):
Type: pressure
Max Flow L/h: 200
Max Pressure psi: 4.5
Outlets: 1 rear-mounted
Flow Control: yes
Intake: bottom
Filter: yes
Voltage: 115v 60hz (other voltages available)
Watts: 4

Following the math i did ( please tell me if it's wrong ..) i should be able to aerate up to 2 gal of water - which is enough for my needs right now. For bigger batches i will have to get more air output.or brew a more concentrated tea and then dilute it ...

Ok then : 200 Liters per Hour = about 7 cubic feet per hour

7 cubic feet per hour / 60 mins = about 0.11 CFM

which correspond to what stated in the article http://www.microbeorganics.com/ about aquarium pump output ranges. (0.02 to 0.16 CFM)
if the level of O2 needs to be 0.05 to 0.08 CFM per gal of water
so for 2 gal will be an average of 0.05 cfm x 2 gal = 0.1
I should be able to get an ACT without going anaerobic..i know i will be in the lower limit of oxigen range since i used the lower concentration needed but if I limit the source of food (like molasses for example..) i should be able to have enough oxygen for the microbes to grow....

please let me know what you think !

thankx

Ya man, you are on the right track. I'm the one who wrote the article

200 L/hr = 0.117 CFM

 

[sicoltiva]

That sounds good, make sure to go light on the kelp and molasses.

Also, check out "Teaming with Microbes" if you haven't already read it.

yes I did read it..very interesting. It's only too bad that i live in a urban enviroment right now so i can't get "hands dirty" in a real garden as i was doing until a couple years ago.
I will go back in the dirt one day.....

 

[sicoltiva]

Ya man, you are on the right track. I'm the one who wrote the article

200 L/hr = 0.117 CFM

right...thanks!

I'm brewing 2 gal of water with 4 TBS of EWC, 1 TBS of Kelp, 1 TBS of molasses , half TBS and half TBS of humic acids.
I should get a light feeding tea and use it on different plants around my apt, really curious to see the results !

 

[mad librettist]

yes I did read it..very interesting. It's only too bad that i live in a urban enviroment right now so i can't get "hands dirty" in a real garden as i was doing until a couple years ago.
I will go back in the dirt one day.....

don't be so quick to give up! there are places to garden. empty lots, for starters. plant first ask questions later. you may find though, that many empty lots are already planted, and the people tending them would love your help and friendship.

urban agriculture - check it out!

 

[sicoltiva]

don't be so quick to give up! there are places to garden. empty lots, for starters. plant first ask questions later. you may find though, that many empty lots are already planted, and the people tending them would love your help and friendship.

urban agriculture - check it out!

yes you are right..i was actually thinking about ,next spring , to find some community/urban garden and plant some veggies and experiment with ACT.
I skipped all the soil preparation before winter but i guess i can try anyway.Also winter in US northeast is very cold ..i don't see much action going on in a garden with -10 C.
It was easier before when i had my own garden outside the doorstep...was doing a lot of outdoor with our beloved plant

 

[Clackamas Coot]

CT Guy

I currently use a Dosatron inline mixer. These units are non-electric and simply use the water flow to pick-up whatever liquid you have the unit sitting in.

GPM: 0.02 to 3 GPM (0.08 to 12 LPM)

Pressure: 4.3 to 85 PSI

There is no issue with filters so damaging the fungai in a compost tea wouldn't be the issue.

The specific question that I have is about getting the tubing delivering the compost tea to the raised beds cleaned out with fresh water.

I could go a couple of routes - one would be to brew 5 gallons and then dilute it 10 to 1 and proceed. So if I push out 50 gallons of diluted compost tea I'm figuring that I'd have to run at least 25 gallons of clear water to get things cleaned out of the delivery system.

Or would I be better off continuing to apply the tea as a foliar spray and not risk contamination of the tubing? BTW - the delivery system is not the type found at Home Depot, i.e. this is commercial emitters with an opening about the diameter of a strand of cooked spaghetti.

Thanks for any ideas/thoughts.

CC

 

[mad librettist]

yes you are right..i was actually thinking about ,next spring , to find some community/urban garden and plant some veggies and experiment with ACT.
I skipped all the soil preparation before winter but i guess i can try anyway.Also winter in US northeast is very cold ..i don't see much action going on in a garden with -10 C.
It was easier before when i had my own garden outside the doorstep...was doing a lot of outdoor with our beloved plant

let's just say I know exactly what you mean. If it's a totally fresh lot why not start with weeds? Learn the weeds, and take out the ones that won't help you. leave the others.

I'm still reading this but it seems like a good place to start.

 

[sicoltiva]

let's just say I know exactly what you mean. If it's a totally fresh lot why not start with weeds? Learn the weeds, and take out the ones that won't help you. leave the others.

I'm still reading this but it seems like a good place to start.

just checked the link...interesting, i'm going t print it and read it.
Never thought about weeds in that sense. I always used them as vegetal matter for my compost bin....
thankx

 

[CT Guy]

CT Guy

I currently use a Dosatron inline mixer. These units are non-electric and simply use the water flow to pick-up whatever liquid you have the unit sitting in.

GPM: 0.02 to 3 GPM (0.08 to 12 LPM)

Pressure: 4.3 to 85 PSI

There is no issue with filters so damaging the fungai in a compost tea wouldn't be the issue.

The specific question that I have is about getting the tubing delivering the compost tea to the raised beds cleaned out with fresh water.

I could go a couple of routes - one would be to brew 5 gallons and then dilute it 10 to 1 and proceed. So if I push out 50 gallons of diluted compost tea I'm figuring that I'd have to run at least 25 gallons of clear water to get things cleaned out of the delivery system.

Or would I be better off continuing to apply the tea as a foliar spray and not risk contamination of the tubing? BTW - the delivery system is not the type found at Home Depot, i.e. this is commercial emitters with an opening about the diameter of a strand of cooked spaghetti.

Thanks for any ideas/thoughts.

CC

I don't see any real issues with it, though I agree with you about the need to flush afterwards. Jeff uses a similar system to put the tea out on his lawn with a walking sprinkler. Not sure on the exact amount of water you would need to flush. Obviously you'd need to have a non-chlorinated/chloramined water source. I'd be inclined to test it with a small amount of tubing and see how much biofilm you actually get in the line with a little bit of flushing after sending the tea through. I think it can work, I know people who are send the tea through drip tape.

 

[thefalsediviner]

I'm doing it a little different

I'm doing it a little different

Ok, I'll jump in on this. I have a simple tea maker that was cheap to build, less than 50 bones, and works better than most units I have seen. I'll share:

I start with a bucket

Add a small air pump and stone

I then use a jelly strainer, a bulk cd case, a rock and a twist tie as follows:

1/2 cup earthworm castings

1/2 cup alder humus from my local forest, the older the tree the better.

1/4 cup mexican bat guano

1/4 cup jamaican bat guano

tie bag and place over air stone and fill bucket with water and turn on air pump. My bucket holds about 3.5 gal.

Add 1 tsp of blackstrap molasses and a Marineland Penguin Bio-wheel 100 aquarium filter with the carbon filter removed. Turn filter on.

wait a couple of hours and ta da.

enjoy