Compost Tea Questions!

[vrai]

Hi,
I used 1 cup of vermi compost, 2 table spoon of Molasses and 2 table spoon of liquid extract in a bucket of 12 litres of tap water and use oxygen bubbler for 24-48 hrs.

However, my compost tea does not make any foam like I see in the videos.
What could be the reason for not making the foam? Does the foam have any indications towards the quality of the ACT being brewed?

Regards

 

[Glookies1]

My teas rarely foam. It’s not a big deal.

 

[Emilya Green]

it is a big deal.. the foam is the microlife. Not having enough air pressure can be a cause but I think your biggest problem is that you are using tap water, which has chlorine and other products in it specifically to restrict the growth of microbes.

 

[Glookies1]

it is a big deal.. the foam is the microlife. Not having enough air pressure can be a cause but I think your biggest problem is that you are using tap water, which has chlorine and other products in it specifically to restrict the growth of microbes.

Tap water is fine, so long as you let it evaporate out the chlorine. I usually bubble my tap water 24 hours prior to adding any tea Ingredients, then bubble 24 to 36 hours to make the tea.

 

[Emilya Green]

problem with that @Glookies1 is that chloramine does not evaporate out, and most municipalities use that instead of chlorine any more. It is hard enough to make the correct microbes in the correct order following all the rules, but just weakly bubbling a few raw components in treated water does not make an effective tea.

 

[vrai]

it is a big deal.. the foam is the microlife. Not having enough air pressure can be a cause but I think your biggest problem is that you are using tap water, which has chlorine and other products in it specifically to restrict the growth of microbes.

Hi,
I live in the mountains by the himalayas and our municipalities does not use chlorine am sure. My tap water ppm is 15 -20 only. What else could be the reason for not having the foam ?

 

[Lancashire farmer]

it is a big deal.. the foam is the microlife. Not having enough air pressure can be a cause but I think your biggest problem is that you are using tap water, which has chlorine and other products in it specifically to restrict the growth of microbes.

Not necessarily... In terms of a basic ewc brew with minimal source microlife yeah your 100 percent right. It's a lot more complicated than that though, microbes can work against each other. Introducing labs or Em1 in your brews causes this, it's why alot of people use seperate Teas.
What sort of life are you wishing to get? Bactirial or fungal dominate?
Foam when it comes down to it is a sign of nothing but long protein chains.

 

[Lancashire farmer]

There is probably a high oil content in your liquid extract and it's stopping the foaming.

 

[Glookies1]

Not necessarily... In terms of a basic ewc brew with minimal source microlife yeah your 100 percent right. It's a lot more complicated than that though, microbes can work against each other. Introducing labs or Em1 in your brews causes this, it's why alot of people use seperate Teas.
What sort of life are you wishing to get? Bactirial or fungal dominate?
Foam when it comes down to it is a sign of nothing but long protein chai

Correct.

 

[Hash Hound]

maybe you need some sort of mycos in there.
I normally make teas with Dr Earth dry organic products. Tomato and Veg and/or Life pellets for veg and Bud and Bloom for flowering. I usually get a nice foamy tea.
I've gone seed to harvest a few times suing only Dr Earth mixed in the soil and water with tea a few times with great results.

 

[bobrown14]

When I make an ACT with EWC (worm castings) and kelp meal it will foam.

EWC and kelp have a lot of bacteria we like in the soil.

For foam - temps and amount of air come into play as well.

I wouldn't worry about it either way, just smell the final tea. It should smell a lot like soil. If it smells like shit .... thats a problem. 48 hrs is a long time with sugar added so watch out for the bad smell.

 

[Emilya Green]

When I make an ACT with EWC (worm castings) and kelp meal it will foam.

EWC and kelp have a lot of bacteria we like in the soil.

For foam - temps and amount of air come into play as well.

I wouldn't worry about it either way, just smell the final tea. It should smell a lot like soil. If it smells like shit .... thats a problem. 48 hrs is a long time with sugar added so watch out for the bad smell.

Bubbling up a tea with EWC or compost for that matter, will both produce a vast array of complex microlife, including both the good with the bad. If you are not actively aerating this mix, the anaerobic bacteria (mostly bad) will tend to take over and will kill off many of the good bacteria. In a simple compost or ewc tea, you never know what you are getting, and predictably it will be mostly the bad bacteria that win out... and if you are not supplying inputs that specifically culture out bacteria that specialize in processing iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus and the other things we need, then frankly, you are not going to get them in your tea. Producing a tea blindly like this is no different than putting on a blindfold, opening up your fridge, and trying to pick a liquid by feel that will be good for the plants. Occasionally you will hit on something good... other times you will end up with pickle juice.

 

[bobrown14]

Reading is FUN-da-mental:

Microbe Organics

ACT - Aerated COMPOST Tea.