sKully
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sKully's Crash Course On AACT Brewing
I wanted to write up some compost tea tips for you newer compost tea brewers as well as some tips that will help the OG pro's out there as well. The idea behind this quick guide is to skip the actual learning "How" to brew compost tea, and dive right into the subtle nuances, tips, tricks and methods that come with the art.
"I've had my eye locked into the binocular lenses of my microscope for quits some time now, as any microbiologist would tell you i'm sure, "It's easy to get lost down there" - Rey Mysterio
sKully's Guide ---
Cleanliness Is Key.
-sK
I wanted to write up some compost tea tips for you newer compost tea brewers as well as some tips that will help the OG pro's out there as well. The idea behind this quick guide is to skip the actual learning "How" to brew compost tea, and dive right into the subtle nuances, tips, tricks and methods that come with the art.
"I've had my eye locked into the binocular lenses of my microscope for quits some time now, as any microbiologist would tell you i'm sure, "It's easy to get lost down there" - Rey Mysterio
sKully's Guide ---
- The Simpler the Better. Keep your ingredients simple off the bat until you feel you've grasped the compost tea brewing methodology well enough to venture into more specific, role oriented teas.
Stick with these simple ingredients until you do some research and understand the effects of the additional amendments you wish to add -
- Worm Castings
- Alaskan Forest Humus/Mushroom Compost
- Humic Acid (BioAg has the heat)
- Molasses (Yes it a long chain carbon molecule that would essentially, suffocate or bog down your microbes if used as a soil drench, but while brewing AACT's, its the GO TO for providing plenty of food for the microbes to multiply, and it smells fucking good.
- Rock Phosphate/Rock Dust
- Throw in some kelp if you're feeling frisky. (Highly recommended)
- You can NEVER have enough OXYGEN.
- Add more Air-Stones. When you think you have enough, add another.
- You can NOT tell if a compost tea is done because of the "Froth", "Head" or Foam created from the brewing process. It can be a good indicator that there is some biological activity in the tea, but in no way can be used as a indefinite indication of compost tea readiness. You will end up with a LOT of foam right off the bat with some tea's depending on the food stock used, i.e - Molasses.
- SMELL is the best indicator of a tea's readiness for those of you without a microscope. Smell, coupled with time brewed, amount of food stock added, gallon of water usage, temperature and elevation. Cooler temperatures affect microbial replication rates drastically. If it's too cold, it will take the biology within the tea a very long time to multiply. If the temperatures fall too cold, the biological life of the tea can go dormant or die. If it's too warm your tea brews can take half as long as you would normally expect them too if they were in a more temperate environment, resulting in expedited food stock consumption, in turn increased oxygen consumption and ultimately, anaerobic conditions. Aka- Some smelly ass shit.
- Do NOT over-feed your teas. Too much food stock and you're microbial replication rates will jump so high that they will over populate the tea and consume all the available food and oxygen causing the tea to go anaerobic.
- The chances of you getting E coli are Slim to fucking NONE if you brew your teas properly and not like a fucking ape.
- Depending on the compost tea brewing setup you are using, make sure to only fill it and leave a generous amount of container volume for the foam/froth to expand without overflowing. (It will probably overflow anyway)
- Add VAM or any other Mycorrhizal Inoculate at the VERY END of the brewing cycle. If you add the spores in the beginning of the brewing process, they will germinate and die as there are no roots to attach too and begin growing. Add Mycorrhizal spores with 8-12 hours left on the brew, they will survive roughly 24-48 hours in the tea, but you should water them in IMMEDIATELY after the tea finishes.
- Use GLASS BONDED air stones, you can find them on amazon, they clean easier and Take a long time to get gunked and clogged up. The "Micro Bubbler " brand on amazon work very well at increasing dissolved oxygen levels in the water. Be prepared to spend a little $$$.
- Use a 400 Micron bag when brewing. No bigger, no smaller. You want the micron count to be small enough to trap and keep organic particulates in, and big enough to let microbial life out.
Cleanliness Is Key.
-sK
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