ACTIVELY AERATED COMPOST TEA (AACT):
CONCOCT AN ELIXIR FOR PLANTS AND SOIL
In the old days at Scripps we had tea on the lawn. This one is for the lawn.
Angela de Mott
With simple items like a bucket or garbage can, a paint strainer bag filled with compost, an air pump, tubes
and air stones, unsulfured molasses and 24 hours, you’ve got it!
By aerating and feeding some compost or worm casings with molasses, billions of beneficial microbes are bred
to nourish and restore the soil. Watering it in as a soil drench and using it as a foliar spray does wonders for
plants. The tea can be a base for organic pesticides or fertilizer - - if you need it. Healthy plants and soil resist
disease, and need less water as the soil becomes more friable. The global implications are obvious, and it’s
unfortunate the scientific community seems to know so little about it.
Online you can find much information, including videos on You Tube (of varying scientific authority) on the
hows and whys of making AACT. Naturally, this process can be ramped up to address large-scale projects.
Many types of AACT brewers and nutrient additives are available online.
My objective is to create a simple, effective, easy to clean/maintain, portable and inexpensive aerated
compost/vermiculture tea brewer, and spread the word. It’s my hope this can be useful in the 3rd world, and
also inspire organic growers in the US to rebuild soil structure in an efficient, non-chemical manner. I realize
wresting power from Agri-business to give back to the people is a daunting process, but do we have any other
choice?
Basic Supplies
Essential reading: Teaming with Microbes, The Organic Gardener’s Guide to the Soil Food Web,
Jeff Lowenfels & Wayne Lewis (available at Amazon)
Another helpful book: The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control, edited by
Barbara W. Ellis and Fern Marshall Bradley (also Amazon)
32-gallon clean light colored (stays cooler) plastic garbage can w/ lid and extra 5-gallon bucket –
I also use another garbage can for de-chloramined water used for diluting the tea
Air pump, the best you can afford – I have an EcoPlus Commercial Air 5; mine came w/ pigtail (tube)
connecting pump to gang valve
Gang valve (several outlets, and shut-offs are helpful)
3/8” silicon or plastic tubing - around 22 feet, to connect air stones to the gang valve
5 or 6 air stones or bubblers; useful to have extras on-hand – not expensive
Stirring stick (long handled whisk is also helpful – scored one at the 99 Cent Store)
Perforated basket for compost bag which hangs from a crosspiece resting on rim of container –
I drilled large holes in a 3-gallon plant container
5-gallon paint strainer (Home Depot’s is good) to contain compost, and string to tie it
Clean water without chlorine or chloramines– treated city water can be de-chloramined with
AmQuel Ammonia/Chloramine Remover – easy and inexpensive (used for aquariums)
well water should be all right; rainwater is great
Unsulfured molasses or other simple sugars are used to feed the beneficial bacteria
Optional plant food nutrients: humic acid (I always include 2 Tbsp.), 2 oz. organic cider vinegar (adds trace
elements - use w/ bacterial tea), soluble seaweed powder, bat guano
Finished compost and/or vermicompost (worm excrement) for the tea bag
(All parts of the brewer and components should be able to be packed up in the garbage can)
Making Tea
Fill the container w/ water up to about 5” below the rim (keep water out of sunlight; a cool place is best)
Fill paint strainer w/ compost or vermicompost ~ 2/3 full
Bury elongated air stone (connected to air tube & pump) in the compost and tie near the top to close bag, so
mixture has room to move; be careful not to pinch the air tube
Put this in holder (bucket w/ holes) using stick across the top to keep the bag in the container
Submerge suspended holder into bucket w/ horizontal stick at top resting on rim
Place other air stones (connected to tubes, pump) around tea holder, resting on the bottom
Turn on the air pump (this is when it starts getting exciting)
Use the water to blend molasses and other nutrients in small bowl and add it back to the barrel
Use stirring stick and/or long handled whisk to carefully stir - repeat occasionally until finished
Let it rip for 24 hours, when it should be foamy and smell sweet
You can now add organic fertilizers like fish emulsion or organic pesticides before applying – I use a concrete
sprayer (clogs less) for foliar spraying, and a watering can
Apply as soon as possible, within 4 hours, as bacteria begins dying off; for foliar spraying, plan to do it late or
early in the day as sunlight compromises the microbes
Other descriptions are in articles below – no doubt you will be personalizing the process – it can be creative
and customized to your needs.
Sources (going organic needn’t break the bank)
Online, including the usual sources: Amazon, EBay, and Craig’s List
Green Coast Hydroponics: 6 stores in CA, very helpful, 20% discount, http://www.gchydro.com
KIS Keep it Simple, Inc.: great information and supplies, especially humic acid and seaweed
http://simplici-tea.com/product_page.htm
AmQuel Ammonia/Chloramine Remover, Amazon and pet stores (aquariums)
Root Naturally: worm castings (free shipping) and supplies, http://www.rootnaturally.com/store/
Kellogg Patio Plus Soil Mix, organic, 1.5 cubic feet. ~ $5 at Home Depot
Jobes Organics (here’s progress!): OSH
The following content is from:
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/brewing-compost-tea.aspx
Brewing Compost Tea
Tap your compost pile to make a potion that both fertilizes and prevents disease
By Elaine Ingham (a leader in the field, and worth a Google)
Gardeners all know compost is terrific stuff. But there's something even better than plain old compost, and
that's compost tea. As the name implies, compost tea is made by steeping compost in water. It's used as either
a foliar spray or a soil drench, depending on where your plant has problems.
Why go to the extra trouble of brewing, straining, and spraying a tea rather than just working compost into the
soil? There are several reasons. First, compost tea makes the benefits of compost go farther. What's more,
when sprayed on the leaves, compost tea helps suppress foliar diseases, increases the amount of nutrients
available to the plant, and speeds the breakdown of toxins. Using compost tea has even been shown to
increase the nutritional quality and improve the flavor of vegetables. If you've been applying compost to your
soil only in the traditional way, you're missing out on a whole host of benefits.
Use the right kind of compost
To make good compost tea, you need actively managed, mature compost; that is, compost that has been
turned a few times and allowed to heat adequately so weed seeds and pathogens have been killed. Worm
compost also makes excellent tea, without the hassle of turning or checking the temperature. Tea brewed
from vermicompost that has been made from a fair amount of paper and woody materials is also high in humic
acid, an organic substance that is especially good for potted citrus or other trees and shrubs, or perennial
plants.
When the center of the pile reaches about 140 - 155°F, it's time to turn it. Mixing air into the pile brings the
temperature down, but within a day it will climb back up.
You can manipulate compost so it's dominated either by bacteria or by fungi. Which one you want depends
on what you're growing and what kind of soil you have. You always want a bacteria-dominated compost tea
for use as a foliar spray, whatever the plant. Bacteria-dominated compost is also best for applying to the soil
before growing vegetables and herbs. Fungi-dominated compost is good for mulching around berries and
fruit trees. But research has shown that a foliar spray of bacteria-dominated compost tea is extremely useful
to prevent the foliar diseases that plague most gardens. Thus, most of us need only be concerned with
making a bacteria-dominated compost tea.
For bacteria to dominate, compost should be made from a preponderance of green materials. You need a mix
of 25 percent high-nitrogen ingredients, 45 percent green ingredients, and 30 percent woody material. Highnitrogen materials include manure and legumes, such as alfalfa, pea, clover, or bean plant residues. Grass
clippings from the first two or three cuttings in spring, when the blades are lush and tender, qualify as highnitrogen; the rest of the season, they're simply green material. Green material includes any green plant debris,
kitchen scraps, and coffee grounds, which, although brown in color, contain sugars and proteins that bacteria
love. Woody material includes wood chips, sawdust, paper plates and towels, and shredded newspaper.
When making compost, measure your ingredients by volume. Try to mix a whole pile at a time. To get it up to
temperature and keep it there, you need a mass that measures at least one cubic yard. Moisten the pile as you
make it so that it is damp but not wet. An easy way to tell is to pick up a handful of the material and squeeze it
as hard as you can; only one or two drops should be squeezed out. Less than that, add water; more than that,
let it dry out.
Once the pile is made, you can add kitchen scraps as they accumulate. Bury them in the center in different
places to help maintain heat in the pile. Small additions don't upset the ratio. If needed, you can balance the
green additions with shredded newspaper or wood shavings.
A good compost pile really cooks
The pile will heat up right away, as microorganisms start breaking down the material. The pile must stay
between 135°F and 160°F for three days. At 135°F, weed seeds, human pathogens, most plant pathogens, and
most root-feeding nematodes are killed. The pile shouldn't go above 160°F because at that temperature large
numbers of the beneficial organisms begin to be killed.
Within a day or two, the center should reach 135°F. Measure the temperature with a long-stemmed
thermometer. A 20-inch compost thermometer is nice but not necessary; I use my turkey thermometer. Just
be sure to stick the probe deep into the center of the pile. Take two or three readings from several areas of the
pile each day for the first week when you first start making compost, so you get a feeling for what is normal. If
you make the same mix again and again, after several batches you won't have to monitor quite so closely.
When the temperature gets to about 155°F, turn the pile with a pitchfork or a shovel. This mixes the cooler
materials on the outside to the center and brings air into the pile, preventing anaerobic conditions. Within a
day or so, the pile will be back up to 155°F, and you'll need to turn it again. Expect to turn the pile every day or
two for about the first week to get it and keep it in the 135° to 155°F range. After that, you can let it alone,
maybe turning it once or twice more during the next few weeks. The more you turn the pile, the more the
compost tends to become bacterial. That's because any kind of disturbance destroys fungi by breaking up their
mycelia and helps the bacteria beat the fungi by bringing the foods bacteria need into range for the tiny
individual bacteria.
As the compost matures, the temperature will drop gradually until, after six to eight weeks, the center of the
pile is cool or barely warm to the touch. The compost is now ready.
Follow your nose
With any form of compost, solid or tea, bad smells mean bad business. Healthy, adequately oxygenated
compost and compost tea should smell sweet and earthy. Never use a smelly compost tea on your plants.
The true bugaboo is alcohol, a product of anaerobic decomposition that destroys cell walls. Roots tolerate only
1 part per million alcohol. That's a very small amount, and human noses aren't good at detecting it. Instead,
we can detect all the other smelly compounds that go with anaerobic production of alcohol. If your compost
tea smells bad, add a second pump with
more bubblers, and stir it more often. Aerate it until the smell goes away. Likewise, if your compost pile smells
bad, turn it more frequently.
Using the tea
How often to spray your plants with tea depends on how healthy your garden is. In my garden, which has had
no pesticide use since 1986, I spray my plants one time in spring, then let the beneficial insects spread the
compost tea organisms around the plants in my garden, preventing any pest problems for the rest of the
season.
Beneficial insect presence is a good indicator of your garden's health. If you don't have good levels of
beneficial insects in your garden, then spray at least once a month, or as often as once every two weeks. Start
when plants have developed their first set of true leaves.
To control damping-off, spray the soil with full-strength tea as soon as you plant. On trees and shrubs, spray
two weeks before bud break, then every 10 to 14 days. You'll have to spray every 10 days if you have a
neighbor who sprays pesticides, because pesticides kill the beneficial organisms as well as some of the pests.
A little science
It's not coffee—it's tea. Well-brewed compost tea is rich in microorganisms that are highly beneficial to your
plants' growth and health.
The soil is full of microorganisms that aid plant growth and plant health—bacteria and fungi, which are
decomposers, and protozoa and beneficial nematodes, which are predators. But there are bad guys, too—
disease-causing bacteria and fungi, protozoa, and root-feeding nematodes. Our goal as gardeners is to
enhance the beneficial microorganisms in this soil foodweb, because they help our plants.
The bad bacterial decomposers and the plant-toxic products they make are enhanced by anaerobic, or
reduced-oxygen, conditions. By making sure the tea and the compost itself are well oxygenated and highly
aerobic, you eliminate 75 percent of the potential plant-disease-causing bacteria and plant-toxic products. To
take care of the other 25 percent of potential diseases and pests, you want to get good guys into the soil and
on at least 60 to 70 percent of your plants' leaves. Good bacteria work against the detrimental ones in four
ways: They consume the bad guys, they may produce antibiotics that inhibit them, they compete for nutrients,
and they compete for space.
Plants themselves don't use all of the energy they make through photosynthesis. For example, 60 percent of a
vegetable plant's energy goes to its root system, and half of that energy is exuded into the soil. Of those
exudates, 90 percent are sugars; the rest are carbohydrates and proteins. When you think about these
ingredients as food, they're the makings for cake. This is high-energy stuff. Why is nearly one-third of a
vegetable plant's output going into the soil as energy-rich food? To feed the good bacteria and fungi.
When we human beings kill off bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, and other organisms, whether by
polluting the air or by spraying pesticides or even by using chemical fertilizers, we're reducing the
population of critters that plants feed. That's why one of the simplest and best things you can do for your
garden is to spray your plants with compost tea, to bring back organisms killed by chemicals.
The following content is from: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/organic/2002082739009975.html
What are the Benefits of Aerated Compost Teas vs. Classic Teas?
Aerated compost teas are the latest in scientific organic research today. In many ways,
aerated teas offer greater immediate benefits than classic compost, manure, or other
homemade foliar teas. Just by applying a cheap aquarium air pump to a 5 gallon
bucket of tea, you can get amazing results. (Cheap, inexpensive aquarium airstones are
also recommended to be applied to the hose in the water. This produces a better
distribution of smaller air bubbles to make the aerobic soil/composting microbes breed
better.) Instead of just brewing teas for quick valuable water soluble nutrients from
the compost or manure, you can breed a larger population of beneficial aerobic
bacteria and fungi in the tea. It is the microherd in our soil, compost, and teas, that is
really more important in soil development and disease control than just the soluble
nutrients. Aerobic microherd populations reduce offensive smells in compost piles, the
compost teas, and the soil. Aerobic microherd also break down bad poisons and
pathogens into safe nutrients in hot compost piles and aerated compost teas. Diluted
anaerobic compost or manure teas are great liquid fertilizers and disease controllers
also. Many people prefer the anaerobic teas better because they are simpler and
easier to design and apply. However, recent research has proven that the aerobic
microherd populations fight diseases and bad soil and plant pathogens better and
supply more power to your soil's total health and texture. Keep in mind that all types
of organic and natural foliar teas are designed to complement and enhance, not
replace, basic composting, green manuring, and organic mulching techinques in your
garden. The soil microherd continue over months and years to eat up insoluble OM in
the existing soil and the extra soil amendments and break them down into more
available soluble nutrients for plants later in the year.
You can expect different microbial population levels in your tea based on weather,
climate, temperature, seasons, etc. In the summertime you can expect your teas to
brew faster and get to your optimal microbial levels faster than in cooler fall weather.
Also tea odors, color, and foaminess on top of the tea, will vary based on temperatures
too.
Good ole garden soil is an excellent free biostimulant. Garden soil is full of beneficial aerobic
bacteria, fungi, and other great microbes. Some people make a great microbial tea just out of soil.
Forest soil is usually higher in beneficial fungi than rich garden soil.
Fill the rest of the container with rainwater, compost tea, or plain de-chlorinated water to almost
the top of bucket. You can make good "rain water" from tap water by adding a little Tang (citrus acid)
to the water mix before brewing. Urine water is also an excellent organic nitrogen source for teas (up
to 45% N).
Some people like to add 1-2 tblsp of apple cider vinegar to add about 30 extra trace minerals and to
add the little acidicity that is present in commercial fish emulsions. Many fish emulsions contain up
to 5% sulfuric acid to help it preserve on the shelf and add needed sulfur to the soil. You can add
extra magnesium and sulfur by adding 1-2 tblsp of Epsom salt to the tea.
10. Apply the air pump to the tea. NOTE: Some organic tea brewers prefer not to use the air pump
method. You can get some extra oxygen in the tea by stirring it daily or every other day. The air pump
just makes the oxygen levels in the tea happen faster than by hand, thus greatly increasing the rate of
aerobic microbial growth in the tea. If you prefer to use the air pump, let it bubble and brew for at
least 1-3 days. (NOTE: The 3 days limit is just a good guideline. The real test of brewing time is by your
own sight and smell test, because everybody's tea is different due to the various microbial species and
breeding activity that takes place during the brewing process.) The aerobic tea is ready to use when it
has either an earthy or "yeasty" smell or a foamy layer on top of the tea. If not satisfied with the look
or the smell of the tea, go up to a week of brewing. The extra brewing time will help the microbes
digest more of the insoluble bacterial and fungal foods in the tea and make it more available for your
plant's or your soil's nutritional needs.
Apply this tea full strength to get full nutrient levels per plant, or dilute it from a 1:1 down to a 1:5
water ratio to spread the beneficial microbes over a 1-acre garden area (mix 5 gallons of tea per 25
gallons of rainwater).
Here's another method to avoid straining and to maximize the amount of microbes in application:
Simply turn off the air pump, stir the entire mixture real hard, and then let the mixture sit still for
about 30 minutes. Scoop off the top juice straight into a watering can for application.
You can apply with a watering can, or simple cup, or in a sprinkling system. All compost teas can be
used as a foliar feed or soil drench around plants. They also make great compost pile nitrogen and
bacterial activators to heat up the pile for faster finished composting. Always take the remains for
teas and recycle them back into your compost piles.
As stated, you can use your homemade tea as a foliar feed or as a soil drench or both. Soil drenches
are best for building up the soil microbial activities and supplying lots of beneficial soluble NPK to the
plant's root system and the topsoil texture. Foliar feeds are best for quick fixes of trace elements and
small portions of other soluble nutrients into the plant through its leaves. Foliar feeds are also good
for plant disease control. Foliar feeds work best when used with soil drenches or with lots of organic
mulches around plants. You can poke holes in the soil around crop roots with your spade fork, to get
more oxygen in the soil to further increase organic matter decomposition and increase microbial
activity in the soil.
Aerated teas can also be used to greatly speed up the decomposition process of hot compost piles.
The extra aerobic microbes in the tea will breed and cooperate with the aerobic microbes in the
organic matter in the compost pile.
You should not use any liquid soaps as a spreader-sticker agent in a fertilizing/biostimulant tea like
this. It can hinder or harm your aerobic microbes that you just grew in the tea. You need to use better
products in your tea like liquid molasses, dry molasses powder, fish oil, or yucca extract as a
spreader-sticker.
A good aerated tea is very economical. 5 gallons can be diluted to biostimulate an entire acre of
garden via foliar spraying only. If you soil drench only, it takes at least 15 gallons of tea, before
diluting, to cover an acre of garden soil. Also there is enough aerobic bacteria and fungi in a good 5
gallon batch of aerated tea, that is the equivalent of about 10 tons or 40 cubic yards of regular
compost!
These homemade aerated compost teas are just as powerful, maybe more powerful, than any commercial
natural or organic fertilizer or soil amendment on the market today. And they are a lot cheaper too! So have
fun, be creative, and keep on composting!
The following content is from: http://compostguide.com/
( Lars Hundley)
Compost tea can restore beneficial organisms to your soil that were killed by pesticides or extreme
weather. Active organisms found in compost tea, such as bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes
can increase nutrient cycling and help your plants get the most nutrients from the soil.
By using compost tea to replace chemical-based fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides, you can garden
safer and be more protective of the environment. Compost tea:
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Increases plant growth
Provides nutrients to plants and soil
Provides beneficial organisms
Helps to suppress diseases
Replaces toxic garden chemicals
Compost is one of nature’s best mulches and soil amendments, and you can use it instead of
commercial fertilizers. Best of all, compost is cheap. You can make it without spending a cent. Using
compost improves soil structure, texture, and aeration and increases the soil’s water-holding
capacity.
Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water. Adding compost improves soil fertility
and stimulates healthy root development in plants. The organic matter provided in compost provides
food for microorganisms, which keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. Nitrogen, potassium,
and phosphorus will be produced naturally by the feeding of microorganisms, so few if any soil
amendments will need to be added.
So – go forth and multiply!
My day job is as a ceramist: http://www.AngeladeMott.com
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