Guano question?

Yes you should remove the solids. If you don't, after multiple feedings the Guano will pile up on the surface, clogging the soil, inhibiting water absorption and decreasing the amount of air that reaches the roots. You don't need to actually filter the solution, though. You can let it sit for an hour or so after the last stirring to allow the solids to sink to the bottom and then gently decant the tea, leaving the solids in the pot. If you do choose to filter it, an old, high thread count sheet fabric works very well. Rinse it off under an outdoor faucet when finished. Wash it with soap, in a laundry load with other rags or by hand with antibacterial soap before using it again.

You can refrigerate teas. Guano teas can last for two weeks if kept very cold. Use a container with a tight lid. Always clean the exterior of the container and your hands very well with antibacterial soap after screwing the lid on. Put it into a clean plastic bag first and tie off the opening before placing in your refrigerator. Always label fertilizers very clearly as poisonous.

 

He is brewing more of a nutrient tea and this can be stored. If he was brewing a microbial tea....well, it should be used within a few hours of finish time.

 

Check this out Microbe Organics for the scientific data.

 

My apologies for the belated response.

Different types of fertilizer make teas with different shelf lives so there's no universal limit on how long they will last. Different techniques used for brewing tea can also affect their longevity just like different methods for storing them can.

A tea that's beneficial to plants changes into a poisonous substance when the populations of undesirable microorganisms reach a certain threshold. When this occurs, the tea will almost always emit a very rank odor that clearly signifies that microorganisms are causing it to degrade. If stored in a sealed container, the increase in pressure inside that's caused by the microbes releasing gasses is another well-known sign of contamination. It's the exact same thing that happens to regular human food. Just like with human foods, some kinds will go bad faster than others and refrigeration will slow microbial activity to help preserve the tea.

As for just how long a specific organic fertilizer solution can be kept, that takes some experimenting and will depend on the techniques & substances you use. My claim that Guano tea can last for two weeks when refrigerated is based on the fact that I regularly store various types of Guano tea for that long. My fridge is set to the coldest setting that doesn't cause any ice to form. I never encounter any signs of bacterial contamination in the container or in the soil after feeding my plants a two-week old solution. The plants react to the refrigerated solution the same way they do to freshly made teas. They don't display symptoms of deficiencies any sooner, the soil doesn't smell unusual and they thrive just as well as with fresh teas. Feeding once every two weeks (alternating with plain waterings every other week), refrigeration allows me to make fresh teas once a month instead of twice a month. It's half the hassle.

I also use Bone Meal and high-K Palm Ash in some of the teas I refrigerate and have used Kelp Meal. While not strictly a tea, I also refrigerate Maxicrop solutions. I can't say for sure how much longer the teas could last if I really pushed it but having left jugs of tea in the fridge longer than two weeks in the past without problems, I know that they aren't anywhere close to going bad at the end of the two week period. I wouldn't recommend trying to keep them longer or using teas that are in any danger of going bad soon. I also want to mention that all containers, pots and utensils are cleaned very well and sterilized before making another batch. This is important for keeping the teas fresh.

I use heat when brewing but not to kill germs. Enough heat to really kill bacteria might damage some beneficial compounds in the tea. However, a little heat speeds up the brewing process considerably. Just like with drinking tea, hot water dissolves more much faster. It also helps ferts like Bone Meal, which doesn't easily soak up cold water, to mix quickly into the water. Besides saving time, a shorter brewing period means the tea will sit out for less time and get into the fridge faster, further increasing its shelf life. I quickly cool the finished tea in an ice bath and sometimes in the freezer for awhile to keep it as fresh as possible for as long as possible.

If you want to see for yourself how long your particular teas can last then mix up a small batch and take all the precautions and steps listed here. Clean the jug (milk jugs work well for storage but the large OJ containers are really the best), bag it and pop it in the fridge. Let it refrigerate for two weeks and then check the smell & pressure in the container. Close it, clean it and bag it again for another week before checking, then another, etc. until you notice contamination. The more you open it, the sooner it'll go bad, but this'll give you an idea of how long it'll keep. Once you know how long it lasts in the fridge, subtract at least a week and you have the maximum time frame for cold storage.

Sorry so long, got carried away I guess. A cookie for anyone who reads it all.