Compost tea

[Andy Bittner]

I've decided to start using compost tea but I'm not sure what to do about brewing it. I've see everything from commercial systems to do it yourself instructions out of Harvard. What works what does not?

[Scott Titus]

Google Biological Fungicides and Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR). Microbiology has advanced at the same pace as computer science over the last thirty years. "Brewing" microbes from compost in warm water will die once exposed to cool and dryer conditions. The practice of applying compost tea every day encourages algae and biofilm to form on the soil surface, restricting oxygen into the soil.

http://www.greenhousegrower.com/magazine/index.php?storyid=4201

[Michael Pawelek]

If your operation is large enough and you don't want to spend extra time always refilling and "brewing" start with a black poly 1100 gallon tank. This 55 gallon barrel talk is way, way too small for many operations. The idea is to have a higher quality plant growth with minimal work. IMHO a 55 gallon drum is barely large enough for a small home gardener.