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Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

I was reading some more about teas and saw some information at http://www.soilfoodweb.com.au/index.php?pageid=338 and it indicated there are some pumps that kill 50% of the good stuff.

"There is a tea maker on the market, clearly one not recommended by SFI, where the transfer pump kills about 50% of the organisms in the tea. So even though that company posts plate count data showing there is bacteria in the tea made by that machine, moving the tea out of that machine into your sprayer will kill about half the organisms in the tea. Please be aware of these kinds of snake-oil salesmen!"

It appears from the read that you should keep it aerated until just before use. Then it would appear that using a pressure sprayer is the best as it is more gentle on the goods. My question is then whether:

a) Can I use a Dosatron to apply it as a drench or will this kill the organisms perhaps due to harsh treatment

b) Can you use a mistblower without issue again because of the apparently harsh treatment

c) Is this impact overblown in this article.

I think this is a reputable source, but there is ALOT of info out there. Tad - Have you tested the results of the tea AFTER spraying? Maybe spray the tea onto a slide using different sprayers/methods and see whether the results are different? Anyone else? I plan to use tea this year, but if I am going to go to the effort, I would like to at least maximize the results from my efforts.

2/22/2008 6:57:25 PM

Danville, CA (petman2@yahoo.com)

Ok, so I will answer my own questions to the extent I can in case anyone else cares.

a) Yes I probably can. An impeller type pump is apparently the worst for putting out tea as the impeller is very tough on tea. Use a diaphram or venturi type. That said, the Dosatron has no impeller or similar and I would say is more like a diaphram pump so should be okay.

b) This is a bit tougher. Using a pump sprayer with BIG drops is apparently best. The large drops apparently diffuse the UV rays so that they do not kill the bene's in the tea. It was also noted that you should spray at a pressure that would be comfortable to you. Ingham has inidcated that 60 to 80 PSI would be maximum noting that you don't want to be very close to the contact surface at the time though. Picture shooting a person out of a canon. All is good unless you are doing it right up against a wall. A safe gentle landing on the leaf is best.

3) Hard to say. Probably not but at the same time, getting 50% of the organisms on the leaves is better than 0 so in that regard go, go, go!

Also, seems that cleaning is VERY important and that if you clean while the unit is still wet, it is much easier to just blast everything off. However if allowed to dry, it is much tougher. Anyway, just wanted to give the answer my research has found. Feel free to correct or augment.

2/27/2008 6:07:08 PM

Eric I checked into all this last winter. My take (and now experience) is that the mister blower just gravity feeds drops into the airstream and then the product (in this case the tea) is picked up in that airstream and dispensed to the air in the cloud created. I think there is no better way to spread the droplets over the surfaces of the plant and after doing this last season it's the way to go. The sun and UV should not be a factor if these applications are done at low light levels (primarily in the evenings)

Your take is right on the Dosatron since no mechanical means are employed.

I think the main thoughts the kind Dr was talking about concerned the actual pumps and brewers that some are using when "making" thier teas.

Just my .02

2/27/2008 6:35:34 PM

Seattle, WA

Hey guys, great info. and I'd agree with what both of you pointed out. The UV rays are only an issue in the middle of the day, though with a large droplet size you can apply any time. I don't know alot about either application system but from what you describe they both sound fine. Sorry I didn't have time to respond sooner.

The best application method I've seen for a home gardener with a large lot is to fill a rain barrel or similar sized tank with water to let it de-chlorinate. Then, hook up a pool pump as a transfer pump (we get one from Grainger that runs 100-200 dollars that we ship with our 55 and 100 gal. brewers). We then fabricate it to fit a regular garden hose. The pump has good pressure and allows you to move around your yard to apply the tea (after adding it to the tank). We recommend just sticking your finger over the end of the hose to get better dispersion. Just make sure you flush and clean your whole system (bucket, brewer, tank, hose, etc...) immediately after applying.

2/27/2008 8:21:48 PM