Compost Teas: 24 hour, EM, IM, BD & fermented plant extracts

["Scott Alexander" <daylily AT bigpond.com>]

To me the most important component is the aerator which our local supplier
of irrigation equipment found for me after i described to him what was
needed. It is a spa bath aerator and going on the results from the latest
microbe count,  I believe it works really well. I brew up 100 gallons at a
time in a 200 gallon round tank and I angle the aerator so that the flow and
bubbles from it circulates the water around the tank and past the "teabags."
I use small mesh chicken wire to hold the lucerne(alfalfa) and old hay,  an
onion bag to hold the old forest leaf litter and old wood chips (a source of
fungi), shade cloth bags to hold (1) my compost (2) commercially made
vermicast (it is supposed to be fungal dominated) (3) my own vermicast and
(4) basalt rock dust.

Sound like a lot of bags and effort? It doesn't bother someone who's hooked
on CT's and it probably only takes about an hour to set up.

The aerator is attached to the outllet of a half horsepower centrifugal pump
.

Some of the above ingredients are washed out of their bags and are
circulated around the tank.. They are very fine particles and they don't
cause any problems with the pump or spray applicator.

I aerate and heat the 100 gallons of water to about 28C before adding the
molasses, seaweed, fish, fulvic acid, humic acid, and aloe vera juice.

Total cost of the equipment? I already had some of it but bought new would
add up to about $US350

I'm off to make up my next brew. I try to apply the tea to the foliage
between the new and full moon each month.

Scott