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Lodi, California

Sorry for asking these questions, but the more I read the more confused I get. I hear some people saying they make a 5 gal batch. Then I hear people say that you should apply it as if you are watering with plain water, say,50 gallons per application. Also, having 2 plants, and if I where to make about 50 gallons of compost tea for both plants, and water every week with a solution of 1 fluid oz and some worm castings as my recipe, it would take 10 gallons of soil soup priced at $32 per gallon to get through the season. What did I do wrong? How much do I really need for 2 plants? Thanks!

2/24/2013 11:40:10 PM

Rhode Island

ash
we used compost tea for a couple seasons. always used it as a spray application over top and under leaf canopy.to expensive to use as a soil drench.
we had a 5 gal professional brewer complete with air pump for mixing from the soil soup company.
one batch once a week allowed us to spray eight plants.
personally? we dont use the soil soup and more. just not needed once we started additional soil drenching and other spray applications.
compost tea brewed correctly from a proper system though? can be very beneficial.
for you i would think a five gallon system applying 2.5 gals of soil soup over plant every ten days would be enough to help.
there are many five gallon professional systems available.
it is important to brew tea with the proper ingredients and with plenty of air flow or your tea will be of no benefit.
pap

2/25/2013 7:53:39 AM

Lodi, California

ok, thanks Pap!

2/25/2013 10:51:18 AM

ShagHarbour n,s canada

heres a question is current and bubbles the same thing,,current produces oxygen right,, works for fish

2/25/2013 11:37:26 AM

Seattle, WA

cueball,

From a perspective of increasing dissolved oxygen, you really need an air pump. Water pumps can damage the micro-organisms as well during the brewing process.

Standard industry rates on application are 20 gallons per acre for soil drenches. Therefore, 5 gallons in theory should cover a 1/4 acre. With only 2 plants, you should have enough compost tea to do both a soil drench and foliar.

Just be sure to mix with de-chlorinated water. Also, if made incorrectly you may not get the same results, so just keep that in the back of your head if you're not noticing a difference from the applications.

$32/gal is ridiculous. Don't pay it. We charge $5/gallon for our tea (lab tested and using all certified organic inputs) in our store and $4/gallon if you bring your own milk jug.

2/25/2013 12:53:40 PM

Lodi, California

Thanks tad. First off, how do you apply 20 gallons per acre? One of the growers on bp said that you don't dilute compost tea, a I said, I don't think it's possible to apply 20 gallons of liquid to a acre. Maybe you misunderstood me? And you sell your compost tea in concentrate so that you can use one gallon of concentrate to make 128 gallons of tea? Also, where do i get your tea? Thanks

2/25/2013 5:04:53 PM

Seattle, WA

Think of your de-chlorinated water as merely a carrier to allow for an even application of compost tea over that surface area. Don't think of it as a dilution, so adding 15 gallons of water or 25 gallons of water to the 20 gallons of the tea is the same amount of compost tea (per acre).

Does that make sense? I can try and explain it better...

2/28/2013 1:26:40 PM

Lodi, California

ok, thanks Tad. so let me recap. you dilute compost tea? i have heard you dont from other growers but if it is better to dilute compost tea then i will. thanks for the help!

3/3/2013 1:34:25 PM

Brooklyn Corner, Nova Scotia

Ashton, you're not getting it. Other growers say don't dilute, you're not diluting. Maybe a visual is in order..
You're in the mood for a chocolate drink, oops, you spill a shot glass worth of Nestle Quick on the floor. Nothing a little paper towel can't handle. 2nd attempt, you mix the same amount of chocolate syrup with a tall glass of milk and oops again the entire glass spills on the floor. Now you need to clean up a much larger area even though you used the same amount of syrup.

For those playing at home, the syrup is the ACT and the milk is the carrier. Same volume spread over a larger area.

3/3/2013 9:23:03 PM

Seattle, WA

Here's how I try and explain it, as it's a weird concept to wrap your head around, but once it clicks you'll get it. :)

If I put out 20 gallons of ACT on an acre, mixed with 20 gallons of water, my application rate on the ACT is 20 gallons/acre.

If I put out 20 gallons of ACT on an acre, mixed with 100 gallons of water, my application rate on the ACT is 20 gallons/acre.

They are exactly the same. There is the same amount of ACT being applied to that acre of land, whether I use 20 gallons of water or 100 gallons.

Does that make any more sense?

Hope that helps!

3/4/2013 3:25:32 PM

Lodi, California

Ok, thanks Tad

3/6/2013 7:44:42 PM