The
quality of any compost tea is dependent
on the quality and quantity of the compost
used. The method of production, however, also impacts the stability and
effectiveness of the final tea product. The two most commonly used methods
for producing compost tea are tea brewing and tea
extraction. The two methods are considerably different as is
the potential effectiveness of the product yielded.
Why the
Aeromaster Compost Tea Extraction System
Is Better Than Brewing
Produce
more compost tea per hour
Brewing extracts minerals, humus, and microbes
in what is typically a 24-hour process that includes time for the microbe
population to expand. Brewing equipment is therefore only capable of
producing one batch of compost tea each 24 hours. To expand capacity,
additional tea brewers must be added.
With
the Aeromaster Compost Tea Extraction
System
you can produce compost continuously as 500 gallons of water passes
through the extraction system. When the 500 gallon batch is complete,
the spent compost sludge is flushed from the systems. Once a fresh charge
of compost is put in the extractor, production of the next batch can
begin.
The Aeromaster Compost Tea Extraction System can produce as many as
three batches in an hour or 1,500 gallons of high-quality compost tea
per hour.
Maintain microbial diversity
Microbial diversity is essential for crop production. Each microbe type
performs a specific function related to the growth and development of
the crop. If the environment or available food favors one specie over
another, the favored specie reproduces faster than the other species
and the microbial diversity and balance are compromised, which can adversely
affect soil fertility and plant health. The tea brewing process can
also upset microbial diversity because the growing environment is water,
as opposed to soil or a compost windrow. Some critical species (e.g.,
fungi) require being in contact with organic matter to reproduce and
therefore do not grow well in a turbulent water environment.
With the Aeromaster Compost Tea Extraction
System the microbial diversity that existed in the compost is preserved.
Aeromaster Tea Activators are added to the compost tea just prior to
application. The Activators are specific food sources that "wake
up" the microbial population causing it become active and begin
rapid reproduction. The active microbes are immediately applied to the
crop where they continue to multiply in a natural environment that helps
preserve the original microbial diversity.
Extend Useful Life of Compost Tea
The other potential problem with brewing is the very short useful life.
Adding a food source at the start of the process to encourage the microbes
to multiply causes them to become very active. Being active is good
when the microbes are applied to crop leaves; however they consume much
more oxygen. The increased oxygen consumption rapidly depletes the oxygen
available in the water, causing the microbial population in the compost
tea to become dominated by anaerobic species in a short period of time.
If the compost tea becomes anaerobic,
its effectiveness is limited and may even prove detrimental to the crop.
With the Aeromaster Compost Tea Extraction
System, no food sources are added immediately, allowing the inactive
microbes to remain inactive, thus conserving oxygen. This extends the
useful life of the tea to 10-14 days.
Download TE-500 Brochure
(PDF format) >>
How applying compost
tea after harvest can be beneficial >>
