You make a papa proud. ;)

You know, I resisted that aerating business with the equipment and all, but then I bought the simplest possible setup --- one little pump, one tube, one bubble-stone --- and used stuff I had on hand, and it made just terrific smelling yeasty wonderful stuff. I sprayed it all over everything a couple of times (basic foliar feeding) then watered with it, then poured more water over the bag of compost and watered with that. It sure looks to me like the plants like it. I'm getting into disease season and my plants need all the help they can get. I really appreciate the carefully written FAQ and all the alternatives. It was a huge help to me.

Best,
Martha

I was trying to figure out the aeration of tea and found this website that sold setups. Doesn't that pump look like the type of air pump that you use for inflating mattresses? Since the pump doesn't actually need to be IN the water and compost, doesn't it make sense that you could use an air pump like this to pump air into the water?

Here is a link that might be useful: Tea aerator pump (the blue one)

Looks like a little compressor.Probably pretty noisy if used
indoors.

Then there's plans for a good one at the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Deuley's Own Little Texas Tea Maker

Thanks dchall, good site!

I am making my first batch right now using Deuley's Own Little Texas Tea Maker instructions -- it was SO easy to set up! I can't imagine why one would think stirring was easier than an aquarium pump. You just cut some tube, connect it to the bubblers, plug it in, and go. I'm excited.

it's very easy and cheap to set up Deuley's Own Little Texas Tea Maker. It's the cleaning up part that I don't like...

I throw half a shovel of compost in a 5 gal bucket with some water and an air stone. Add fish or sugar source or wahatever- same brewing, same yeasty smell, no connecting/disconnecting/dealing with strainer bags. I'm sure the Deuly's works great, but even simpler works well too.

Whatever you do- don't go spending $50+ on a tea maker- there's no magic required in fabrication.

What's cool about Bruce Deuley's design is that it was tested by Dr Elaine Ingham and it did very well, especially in fungal colony counts.

My role in the project was to edit Bruce's original text in the original design doc (the pdf file). The rest of the website was stuff I suggested to Bruce but he rejected from the final document to keep it brief.

I am new to the organic gardening. I would like to know what this tea is? Thanks

Elix- you might try searching the soil/compost/mulch forum for compost tea or "aerated" for good answers, but here's the short version:

Aerated compost tea is a liquid that contains a very high population of microbes. The tea can be used as a foliar spray, or as a drench. There is some evidence that the high-microbe count will overwhelm disease causing microbes on plants, and that it helps to decompose organic matter in the soil to provide nutrients to plants and to improve soil. It's been ascribed almost mystical properties by some- but I have used it to turn around a plant disease or two.

I am thrilled to report that using the tea on my seedlings has actually REVERSED some of the damp-off I had been getting! Reversed it! I thought that once they had damped, well, that was it. I was just hoping that I could use the tea to prevent further damage. But I guess the microorganisms got in there and really cleaned house, so to speak. Just wanted to share the good news...

That's wicked cool!

i like to go the inexpensive route. i have an old wash bucket i found, fill it w/water. then i fill a potato sack w/compost or even horse manure and let it soak in the tub for a day or so and voila! texas tea, black gold, bob's organic miracle-gro....

I'll bite. What's an air stone?

maupin, an airstone is the thing you find on the end of the air hose in an aquarium that 'spreads' the injected air flow and creates all the tiny bubbles you see, dispersing the air

Bill

Here is a link that might be useful: airstones and pump stuff

Hi, I have a big air tank off a compressor60/80 gal or so. I want to add a door on top & a drain & use it to make 'tea'for the veggies. Also I have aquired from a chemist a while back a vial of aerobic bacterium used for keeping pond runoff from becoming smelly. I thought I would try that along with the aerator system this season.

I'm looking for a liquid "cyclone" to put on top of my compost tea brewer. I have seen them on other machines but can't seem to find a source. They work by having the liquid run in from the side which draws air into the liquid steam, thereby aerating the tea. Any help would be appreciated.

I have an old CPAP machine (the kind people who have sleep apnea use). It essentially blows air into their face at night. The neat thing is it measures its flow in CM of H2O. I can set it to 20 CM H2O which means it's strong enough to life a 1 cm column of water 20 CM high. It's strong.

I snake a hose into a 55 gallon barrel of water and bubble push tons of air into the mix. Cheap and effective.

Since orignially posting this thread nearly 3 years ago, I have upgraded to an aquarium pump. I add baking soda as an anti fungal. I make tons of the stuff. Garden on steroids!

Baking soda will definitely kill all the fungi, but why would you want to do that? Most people using aerated compost tea are trying to get more (beneficial) fungi into their soil or on their plants?

I don't know, I always thought my compost tea was supposed to deliver beneficial fungi?

I have a couple of questions about the Dueley Teamaker.

1. How long do you let the bubblestones soak in Hydrogen Peroxide?

2. Why remove the teabag after 6 to 8 hours? What will happen if you leave it in for the whole brewing of 20 to 30 hours?