Post your AACT(Active Aerated Compost Tea) recipes

My latest brew and the one I use the most consist of, 2-2.5 gallons H2O in a 3 gallon container,1/2 cup EWC, and one tablespoon of each of the following ingredients Alfalfa meal, Kelp meal, unsulpherd Black Strap Molasses, Fish Emulsion and Aloe Vera.
I bubble/brew and stir it often, until I can't smell the fish or molasses at all, usually around 24hrs as early as 18-20.
I strain some to use in a spray at Full Strength on the vegging mmj plants. The rest I split between all the plants flower and veg and apply to the soil, around 2 cups each.
The day after the shine and luster of the plants almost make them look fake.

BeZ...V

 

bez V I think the luster you describe would be the aloe, based on pictures i've seen around the section, what temperatures do you keep to have it ready in 1 day or less? and what air pump? why so little alfalfa or kelp?

 

Farm, the reason I'm using the emulsion is because I haven't sourced the hydrolysate yet. But I plan on getting it soon, I found the Coast of Main compost 2hrs away and they carry fish hydrolysate as well, I just gotta get there.

BeZ...V

 

[quote name='"BeZtoken"']Farm, the reason I'm using the emulsion is because I haven't sourced the hydrolysate yet. But I plan on getting it soon, I found the Coast of Main compost 2hrs away and they carry fish hydrolysate as well, I just gotta get there.

BeZ...V[/QUOTE]

I emailed neptunes harvest and they sent me a free sample of their hydrosylate

 

[quote name='"ForbinsAscent"']bez V I think the luster you describe would be the aloe, based on pictures i've seen around the section, what temperatures do you keep to have it ready in 1 day or less? and what air pump? why so little alfalfa or kelp?[/QUOTE]

I don't have a microscope so I can't say its "done" I just read that if you can't smell the fish or sugars than the microbes have eaten it and multiplied. And the reason so little alfalfa and kelp is because its to my understanding that everything in the brew other than the actuall compost or ewc, is just a food source for the microbes and I'm just assuming that's all they need.
There's no real way of knowing the diversity of the AACT without a microscope.


BeZ...V

 

[quote name='"Farm Dawg"']I'm planning on using Neptunes Harvest myself.[/QUOTE]

It' great stuff, they have a kelp meal as well as crab shells

 

[quote name='"BeZtoken"']

I don't have a microscope so I can't say its "done" I just read that if you can't smell the fish or sugars than the microbes have eaten it and multiplied. And the reason so little alfalfa and kelp is because its to my understanding that everything in the brew other than the actuall compost or ewc, is just a food source for the microbes and I'm just assuming that's all they need.
There's no real way of knowing the diversity of the AACT without a microscope.

BeZ...V[/QUOTE]

I saw a Vid where the groundskeeper @ harvard univ. makes and uses his own tea and the students analyzed it and noticed that a 24 hour brew produces a bacterial rich tea whereas a 36-40 hr brew results in a fungi dominate mixture

 

I have also read something similar in a microbe organics article and have let one go 2 days. But once I let one go too long and it went bad, smelled like shit, so I just try an play it safe. I'm also thinking of the Neptunes harvest products.

I guess I should also add that the alfalfa and kelp I use is Dr. Earth brand and it contains Pro-Biotic benificial soil microbes.

BeZ...V

 

adding a cup of kelp or alfalfa will barely increase the 'nutrient' profile per 3-4 gallons... I wouldn't water if plants were in a nitrogen or potash 'lockout' but other wise i use the tea and 12'' bushes will need a top dress of 2tbsp blood meal or 1/2 tsp of soluble kelp to fix a N or K lag...

 

what i like to do with my dr earth alfalfa is mix it in the soil. that way the micorrhizae added to the ferts will have a chance to contact roots sooner. I have a separate alfalfa i use for the tea, it's also cheaper because the dr earth brand is a bit on the pricey side when it comes to the single emendment boxes... it's some hot stuff though so expect some nitrogen burn if you add enough to dirt and don't let it mix with compost for a few weeks (say 1 cup to 1 c.f. of your ready to go soil mix)

 

Nematodes don't really like the liquid medium and don't reproduce in ACT. You will get bacteria/archea, fungal hyphae, flagellates, and ciliates.

Don't really worry about the bacteria, it's easy to get to multiply.

The reason fish hydrolysate is better (as explained to me yesterday by Tim Wilson of Microbe Organics) is that it's typically the whole fish and is processed using enzymes. He's tested the Organic Gem brand and it works quite well. Neptune's Harvest is another reputable brand as well. It also isn't as stinky. Fish Emulsion on the other hand is subjected to high temperatures in the processing, and I can vouch from using the microscope that it doesn't produce nearly the same fungal growth that you get from fish hydrolysate.

For brewing times, you'll typically see fungal hyphae start to grow around 18 hours when brewing near 70F. Anywhere between 24-36 hours can have good fungal growth, though you really need a microscope to find that "sweet spot." For the person without a microscope, I'd recommend keeping your brew between 24-36 hours. You could always alternate the brew times, as the longer brew time will most likely have less bacteria, but more flagellates and vice versa.

My 5 gallon recipe is:
1 heaping cup of KIS Fungal Compost
1/2 cup Microbe Catalyst
1 T. Organic Alfalfa Meal

Tim Wilson of Microbe Organics (Microbe Organics) recommends these ratios based on his testing:

2.38% by volume compost or vermicompost (EWC) per gallon = .38 cups or around half a cup max or about 2 cups in 5 gallons max.

0.5 to 0.75% molasses by volume per gallon = 1.28 to 1.92 tablespoons per gallon. 0.75% is the maximum I use. It is a good bacterial and fungal food.

0.063% fish hydrolysate by volume per gallon = 0.16 tablespoon = 0.479 teaspoons or half a teaspoon

0.25% (max) kelpmeal by volume per gallon = 0.64 tablespoon or half a tablespoon

 

Great post Eco!