Keeping tea an extra day?

[Manitoid]

I had brewed up 50 gallons of compost tea. I watered with it, but put 3 gallons of it into a bucket to save for foliar feeding. I put 2 airstones in it and so it is still aerated.

I was not able to foliar feed today as it is now evening. will the 3 gallons of aerating tea stay active for an additional 24 hrs (from 36 brew time)?

should I add molasses to keep it going?

any thoughts appreciated.

 

[guest2012y]

Figured the tea guys would be along by now....but I wouldn't mess around with keeping teas that have gone beyond the "use by" period. I have indeed prolonged teas by removing at least half or more of the leftovers and diluted with water then added Fish hydrolysate and molasses and aerated...they seemed alright to use..no stench of death. It also seemed that by doing this they are faster to be ready for use again. Kind of risky bizz really...the consequences of using a tea that has gone anaerobic could be devastating for plants that are confined to pots indoors. Outdoors nature has better ways to deal with this stuff...but I'd stay away from the risk part of the deal if you don't have a lot of experience with it. MM or CT may be along to tune us both in here...who knows.
The whole anaerobic risk just wouldn't be good on a crop that you are counting on.

 

[Nicoli]

IMO disconnect the pump, aerate it JUST before feeding. It'll be all good.

Just a little trick I learned.

Cheers

 

[NUG-JUG]

but I wouldn't mess around with keeping teas that have gone beyond the "use by" period.

Me neither..I figure you'll get way more fresh, aerobic life by just starting from scratch after a good cleaning..Instead of crippling your tea by having some 'bad guys'? Just my couple pennies..

 

[Manitoid]

so I have not gone up to smell it yet. But i appreciate all your responses. One thing i forgot is...

I do not have to brew 50g at one time. I can bre just 3 gallons in a 5 gallon bucket to foliar feed.

i was only thinking i needed to save it cause i did not need to brew 50 gallons.

and as it turns out i don't. duh. thanks for the wake up call

 

[Phedrosbenny]

You can tell by smelling them.If they have a sewage smell they have went bad.

 

[jaykush]

of course you can only make 5 gallons, hell you could only make 1 gallon. dilute that to 5 and have 5 gallons to foliar spray. i do it all the time.

 

[Manitoid]

update is that it did not smell bad. I poured it on a tomato plant to see. I normally brew 50 gallons and wanted to save three. now i am brewing 3 gallons in a 5 gallon bucket.

silly me.

 

[Manitoid]

so the density of the microbes isnt an issue? i can use 1 gallons worth of ingredients, brew it, then dilute to 5 gallons?

Oh happy day

 

[jaykush]

for a foliar spray, yes easily.

 

[NUG-JUG]

so the density of the microbes isnt an issue? i can use 1 gallons worth of ingredients, brew it, then dilute to 5 gallons?

Oh happy day

Oh ya it's like taking the population of manhattan and spreading it out a little. You're starting out with so many that I think it's almost better to dilute the spray a little bit.

 

[SecretGardener]

I guess this is where you'd need a microscope. Remember its a soil food web we're dealing with and at different durations in the brew cycle different things are happening with the microbial populations...Around 42 hours there is a good population of protozoa ready to poop all over your plants roots. Any earlier there aren't as much protozoa and any later it seems more fungally dominated? Don't quote me on the exact details, MM would know more in that area but the point I am trying to make is leaving a tea too long could render it ineffective.

 

[Microbeman]

I have aerated a finished ACT overnight to use the next day. remove any compost if using a bag and do not add foods. smell before using.

Generally in brewing ACT you will have a good population of bacteria and protozoa to cycle nutrients at 36 to 42 hours....assuming good dissolved O2, temp 65 to 72, good compost, efficient brewer, good recipe.

 

[CT Guy]

For all you Creationists out there, keep in mind this is Darwinism at it's finest, so the most efficient bacteria/protozoa at consuming whatever food resources or other microbes in the tea will begin to dominate the brew over time. Basically you'll start to see the same morphology of flagellate or bacteria, with very little diversity if you go beyond the range MM has listed above.

 

[B.C.]

hmm...

hmm...

How long would anaerobic bacteria last in a healthy soil environment anyway, before it too was eaten. I wouldn't think very long....? BC

 

[SecretGardener]

For all you Creationists out there, keep in mind this is Darwinism at it's finest, so the most efficient bacteria/protozoa at consuming whatever food resources or other microbes in the tea will begin to dominate the brew over time. Basically you'll start to see the same morphology of flagellate or bacteria, with very little diversity if you go beyond the range MM has listed above.

Seems like a genius design to me! Darwin made a great observation of natural selection which I've seen demonstrated (I won't say proven, real scientists know you cannot prove anything) in the world around me and more immediately in my garden. But how this proves that everything came from nothing and there is no God I honestly do not know! The way everything works in perfect harmony (without the interruption of humanity) on this earth is amazing to me and although it may be possible that order arose from chaos (big bang etc) I still find it hard to believe.

Sorry no offense CT Guy just think that if someone has something to say against something the other party should have a chance to voice their opinion as well. I normally keep quite on the subject though.

 

[Microbeman]

hmm...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How long would anaerobic bacteria last in a healthy soil environment anyway, before it too was eaten. I wouldn't think very long....? BC

#1 it is not just bacteria. I don't know why people keep thinking this; #2 it is plant pathogens like erwinia, fusarium etc. that are of concern besides human pathogens like e-coli and aspergillus fumigatus, etc. for product to be consumed/smoked.

 

[Microbeman]

Seems like a genius design to me! Darwin made a great observation of natural selection which I've seen demonstrated (I won't say proven, real scientists know you cannot prove anything) in the world around me and more immediately in my garden. But how this proves that everything came from nothing and there is no God I honestly do not know! The way everything works in perfect harmony (without the interruption of humanity) on this earth is amazing to me and although it may be possible that order arose from chaos (big bang etc) I still find it hard to believe.

Sorry no offense CT Guy just think that if someone has something to say against something the other party should have a chance to voice their opinion as well. I normally keep quite on the subject though.

Just so you know you are preaching to the choir. CT Guy is a Creationist (last I knew). I, however am one of those wretched scientists who cannot visualize the man with grey hair waving a wand. I can see a nucleus as the center of the universe, however.

 

[guest2012y]

#1 it is not just bacteria. I don't know why people keep thinking this

Because some of us suck at this stuff....that's why there is a "you" to tune us super-cropping fools up.

 

[igrowkushbitch]

You could potentially keep that batch of microbes going for months long as you add some type of food (sugar). People in the food industry have kept sour dough or grease for almost a hundred years. All they do is keep feeding the population.