Remerciez-le!

Remerciez @Admin pour avoir partagé cet document gratuitement, de la manière la plus simple, en partageant sur les réseaux sociaux.

Aerated Compost Tea Guide By Tad Hussey, KIS Organics www.kisorganics.com I’ve

Aerated Compost Tea Guide By Tad Hussey, KIS Organics www.kisorganics.com I’ve written this guide to help give an overview on how to make aerated compost teas properly using information that has been researched and microscope-tested, and based on my 10 years of knowledge in this industry. Note: I will be updating this periodically in response to questions and new research. Page " of " 1 17 TABLE OF CONTENTS What Is Aerated Compost Tea? Topics Page Number What is Aerated Compost Tea? 3 Beneﬁts of Aerated Compost Tea 4 Other types of “Teas” 5-6 Brewing Equipment 7-11 Compost Tea Brewer Designs 7-9 Compost and Earthworm Castings 8-9 Food Sources for ACT 11 Brewing Environment 12 Water Quality, Temperature, & Brewing Length 12 Application 13-14 Frequently Asked Questions 15-17 Resources 17 Page " of " 2 17 AACT or ACT is a process which involves taking water, compost, and a food source in a container and adding oxygen via an air pump. The reason we make ACT is to increase the diversity and biomass of beneﬁcial aerobic microorganisms in the soil and on the leaf surface of the plant. All these components play key roles in creating optimal conditions for aerobic microorganisms. I’ll break down the necessary ingredients and explain the importance of each component in later sections. Since the main beneﬁt of ACT is to increase microbial life in your soils and on the leaf surface of your plants, it’s a good idea to know a bit about the main players. Rather than to get into too much detail here, I will just state that what we want in ACT is good diversity and biomass across all sets of major organisms (bacteria/archaea, fungal hyphae, ﬂagellates, with some ciliates and nematodes potentially), If you want to dive into learning more about these microorganisms, I highly recommend Jeﬀ Lowenfels’ book “Teaming with Microbes.” If you are interested in microscopy, then I suggest starting here: http://www.gardeningwithmicrobes.com/microscope.shtml and http://microbeorganics.com/ Beneﬁts of Aerated Compost Tea Page " of " 3 17 Fungal hyphae under phase contrast microscope 1. Increases Nutrient Cycling - This is the most important beneﬁt of making ACT. Nutrient cycling is what helps make the nutrients and minerals in the soil into a form that is available for plants to uptake. When you apply organic fertilizer, you’re not directly feeding the plant but rather the microorganisms in the soil that will then work to convert the nutrients into a plant-available (ionic) form. 2. Creates Soil Structure - Fungal hyphae helps in creating soil aggregates, and bacteria and archaea assist in breaking down organic matter and aerating the soil. Increasing biomass in your soil will also help with water holding capacity. 3. Plant Protection from Pathogens - While not a silver bullet in preventing all pests and diseases, by having more beneﬁcial microorganisms on the leaf surface and around the roots, the goal is the beneﬁcial microbes in ACT outcompete pathogens for that space on the plant so they can’t get a foothold. This point is a bit controversial within the academic world so I don’t typically stress it when talking about the beneﬁts of ACT. I have had many anecdotal reports of disease suppression using ACT but it’s not something I would rely on as a 100% solution. 4. Beneﬁcial Microorganisms - In an ACT, you’ll typically get good populations of nitrogen-ﬁxing bacteria, nitrogen and phosphorus-solubilizing bacteria, and whole collection of other beneﬁcial microorganisms, many of which have yet to be identiﬁed and fully understood in their role in soil health. 5. You can use less compost. If you have a large area to cover or a limited amount of good compost, this allows you to cover a larger surface area in less time and with less labor. 6. It’s portable. Applying ACT is much easier than applying compost and will give you higher levels of active microorganisms than you would see in compost alone. It can be applied through the use of a sprayer. Other Types of Teas Page " of " 4 17 Diﬀerent types of teas have been around since humans ﬁrst began cultivating the earth. I think it's important to start with some basic deﬁnitions so you have a good foundation for what the key diﬀerences are. Plant teas - This is where plants are soaked directly in water for an extended period of time. Compost is not involved, and any bacteria or fungi on the surface of the plant will be extracted. May contain some soluble nutrients. You can make your own “comfrey” tea or “nettle” tea by soaking the plant material in water and then applying the liquid to your soil. Non aerated compost teas - This is where compost is put into a container with water and foods are added for the microbes. The tea is then stirred occasionally or left to sit for a period of time. These teas may or may not produce beneﬁcial results and could potentially harm your plants depending on the anaerobic organisms in your starting compost. Commercially made microbial teas - These teas are typically advertised as "instant" compost teas. Speciﬁc organisms are cultured or extracted from compost and then put into a dormant state. Even with hundreds of diﬀerent species, it won't contain even 1% of the diversity or quantities you would ﬁnd in properly made aerated compost tea. These teas may be helpful in certain instances when you wish to combat certain diseases and know the proper microbe that has been documented to prevent or suppress it (eg. trichoderma). Manure Tea - Typically manure is placed in a permeable bag (burlap) into a bucket or barrel and left to soak for an (# of days) extended period of time. Compost is not involved, and will be dominated by anaerobic organisms (bacteria and ciliates). Pathogens will be present in most instances, and excess nitrogen may burn the leaf surfaces of plants. These teas will contain some soluble nutrients, but may also contain antibiotics and growth hormones such as tetracycline, that are not broken down during the composting process. Oh, and it’s going to be super stinky! Compost Extract - Compost extract is where the microorganisms are stripped from the soil aggregates using water and extracted into a liquid form. This process will contain good biology for soil drenches, Page " of " 5 17 Equisetum or “horsetail” is high in silica, an important plant element. and can be made very quickly, as it does not require a brewing process. It does however require a large amount of compost relative to the ﬁnal liquid product, and is primarily used in large commercial productions. Compost Leachate - These teas is sometimes referred as "worm tea" as it is the liquid that leaches out of the base of worm bins or compost piles during the composting process. Leachates will consist primarily of soluble nutrients, but will contain some small amount of biology. This can serve as a good food substrate for the biology in your soil. Nutrient teas - Nutrient teas are where a variety of diﬀerent ingredients can be mixed together as a way of feeding the plant and microorganisms in the soil. Examples would be bat or seabird guanos, humic acids, seaweed extract powder, ﬁsh hydrolysate, molasses, etc… The example on the left would be a Nutrient Tea as there is no compost (biology) in the brew. It can be mixed and applied without a brew cycle. The example on the right is an Aerated Compost Tea and should be brewed for 24-36 hours for optimal results. The example on the left would help feed the biology in the soil, while the example on the right would add more biology to the soil or leaf surface. Brewing Equipment Page " of " 6 17 5 gallon Nutrient Tea Brew 2 T. bat guano 1/2 tsp. SP-85 Humic Acid 3 tsp. Seaweed Extract Powder 2 T. Unsulfured Blackstrap Molasses 2 oz. Fish Hydrolysate 5 gallon ACT Tea Brew 1.25 cups of earthworm castings 1/2 cup of KIS Microbe Catalyst 1 T. organic alfalfa meal There are 3 main components to successfully brewing aerated compost tea. I will discuss them all separately. Compost Tea Brewer The brewer is an important consideration when making ACT. After all, you could use the best microbial compost and food sources available, but if your brewer doesn’t maintain adequate dissolved oxygen levels or thoroughly mix the liquid, then the quality of your tea will suﬀer. Brewer Design There are many diﬀerent designs on the market for both DIY and commercial models. Some are much better than others. Some of the original designs we saw actually incorporated motors than blended up the fungal hyphae or didn’t maintain adequate dissolved oxygen levels. We carry two of the most common designs on the market, an air coil diﬀuser attached to an air pump, and an air lift brewer. The air coil diﬀuser works well because it allows for even distribution of air bubbles throughout the entire brewer, which keeps uploads/Ingenierie_Lourd/ compost-tea-guide.pdf