Compost Tea Sprayer and Brewer Supplement Packets

[IncaHeat]

Hello,

I am new to the forums. I have an 18,000 square foot lawn and garden area. I will end up making a 25 or 55 gallon barrel compost tea brewer, but would like to know the best way to apply it.

It appears that the backpack sprayers are just too small for something like this. What kind of sprayer should I be looking at. I am also thinking I can potentially do this as a side business to begin with.

Are there good sites for refurbished sprayers? What kind of nozzle should I be using?

As for the compost tea itself, I see so many nutrient packs on the market, but what is legitimate and what is not? Anything else I am not thinking of? Thanks

[ICT Bill]

Hello,

I am new to the forums. I have an 18,000 square foot lawn and garden area. I will end up making a 25 or 55 gallon barrel compost tea brewer, but would like to know the best way to apply it.

It appears that the backpack sprayers are just too small for something like this. What kind of sprayer should I be looking at. I am also thinking I can potentially do this as a side business to begin with.

Are there good sites for refurbished sprayers? What kind of nozzle should I be using?

As for the compost tea itself, I see so many nutrient packs on the market, but what is legitimate and what is not? Anything else I am not thinking of? Thanks

You came to the right place I'm sure some of the folks will chime in that are applicators
Don't get hung up an spray tips there are some on here that use simple ball valves at the end of the hose
A small decent spray rig will start at around $3000, compostwerks, one of the sponsors on here, has a great set up for Teas. small to large sizes

You are in CT, let me look who has decent compost in your area and get back to you

[IncaHeat]

THank you. I am in the lower Fairfield County area, Westport. I came across Snows Farm, www.snowsfarm.com, though I don't know how their compost is, but cheaper than most in the area..

I have used compost from Fairfield, CT, Greencycle/Grillo, http://www.greencycle.net/Connecticut/index.asp.

[ICT Bill]

These guys are right on the New York CT border, they have great products and a wealth of knowledge
http://www.compostwerks.com/
Peter Schmidt runs the place and is a great guy to work with, they have compost that has been tested. Some of the best I have seen in a while

They also have the other products you are looking for, spreaders, sprayers, brewers, etc

I don't have any experience with the others you mentioned so I can't comment

[IncaHeat]

I was rading in "Teaming with Microbe" that one can start with a concrete sprayer, any experience with that?

Also, in the same book, I can dilute the same 5 gallon batch of tea to be able to spread it on a 1 acre lawn? mine as I mentioned is about 1/2 an acre. It seems kind of light, i had read in a couple other papers that for something that size, 25 gallons of tea is better. What is your take?

[IncaHeat]

I was rading in "Teaming with Microbe" that one can start with a concrete sprayer, any experience with that?

Also, in the same book, I can dilute the same 5 gallon batch of tea to be able to spread it on a 1 acre lawn? mine as I mentioned is about 1/2 an acre. It seems kind of light, i had read in a couple other papers that for something that size, 25 gallons of tea is better. What is your take?

Also, How much should I dilute it to? and what are thoughts on this sprayer to start, eventually investing in something more commercial in grade for larger lawns?

http://www.amazon.com/Chapin-61800N-Professional-Backpack-Sprayer/dp/B000UEMJ3W/ref=pd_ts_hi_8?ie=UTF8&s=hi

[ICT Bill]

Also, How much should I dilute it to? and what are thoughts on this sprayer to start, eventually investing in something more commercial in grade for larger lawns?

http://www.amazon.com/Chapin-61800N-Professional-Backpack-Sprayer/dp/B000UEMJ3W/ref=pd_ts_hi_8?ie=UTF8&s=hi

Dilution: some people dilute their teas 20 to 1, others 10 to 1, some do not dilute at all. All of the folks I have worked around dilute 20 to 1

There is no hard rule but I prefer extracts to brewed teas, especially for turf, they are more stable, last longer after made and you extract a lot of compost critters that either get eaten or drown in teas. You are extracting the dormant and spore form microbes that have gone to sleep in the finished compost, also protozoa and nematodes that get eaten or drown in teas. Plus you are getting some of the organic matter in the mix as well

There is a company based out of Hartford that has started a whole franchise over the teas he extracts and gets nice results. If you get a bunch of customers and brewing teas are a pain, you can extract 3000 gallons in a morning with some machines and the extrcat will last a week or more with circulation

if you are chasing leaf borne disease or have a limited supply of good finished compost than brewed teas are the way to go

Concrete sprayer is fine, even a hose end sprayer is fine. I know some that just walk back and forth on small lots with their watering cans, you can pour it out of a bucket if you want and drench areas

As a good friend of mine always says: "you can't do it wrong, you can just do it better" Kevin John Richardson

[IncaHeat]

Bill, Was randomly reading that extract is more anaerobic than aerobic, and my be a problem in terms of the gunk that can get caught in a sprayer. Minimal Aerobic activity, loss of aerobic microbial diversity, potential risk of anaerobic pathogens and alcohol, from the same book. Is this actually true in practice?

Also was looking at the Eco-Lawn Applicator for spreading compost. Anything on the market similar to that or something else that fills the same void? $5,500 is alot of scratch for that new. 10% off if I went to Vermont to pick it up direct.

[ICT Bill]

Bill, Was randomly reading that extract is more anaerobic than aerobic, and my be a problem in terms of the gunk that can get caught in a sprayer. Minimal Aerobic activity, loss of aerobic microbial diversity, potential risk of anaerobic pathogens and alcohol, from the same book. Is this actually true in practice?

Also was looking at the Eco-Lawn Applicator for spreading compost. Anything on the market similar to that or something else that fills the same void? $5,500 is alot of scratch for that new. 10% off if I went to Vermont to pick it up direct.

I don't have an answer for the applicator, others will chime in that use it I'm sure. I have seen it many times and if I was in the business doing residential lawns it would be at the top of my list, oops but I do have an opinion

first off, the extract will be similiar to the compost extracted, if the compost is anerobic than the extract will be too. crap in crap out, I learned that in the telecom business

second, extracts are more stable, they do not have a 8 or 12 hour time frame to be applied and they include a lot of what was in the compost, like the higher level predators which are key to nutrient cycling

We built our compost tea based on that model, we do not extract but do single strain fermentation and put the good guys to sleep. The nutrient mix we used is a fermentation of kelp, fish, humate, molasses and other micronutrients that has a 12 month shelf life

If you look at compost teas, they are basically a very crude fermentation. As you get used to that model you can start to get very creative with food and compost source to get to the end result that you want.

what does that mean: on disturbed soils with little to no biology you need to start with bacteria, on sites that are growing tomatoes you need to select for that outcome, turf a 1 to 1 bacterial to fungi, trees much more fungally dominant. Apply a solution that helps the desired outcome. Yes you can manipulate the soil (and resultant plant) with fertilizers or with biology, I choose the latter

[NattyLawn]

Bill, Was randomly reading that extract is more anaerobic than aerobic, and my be a problem in terms of the gunk that can get caught in a sprayer. Minimal Aerobic activity, loss of aerobic microbial diversity, potential risk of anaerobic pathogens and alcohol, from the same book. Is this actually true in practice?

Also was looking at the Eco-Lawn Applicator for spreading compost. Anything on the market similar to that or something else that fills the same void? $5,500 is alot of scratch for that new. 10% off if I went to Vermont to pick it up direct.

Liquid Compost Extract is simply stripping the microbes off the compost with air and water, while not adding any additional foods for the microbes to multiply. There will be some food from the compost, but typically you get 5-7 days storage time. Some people claim longer, but I've seen 5 days from MY experience. I think what Bill said about crap in, crap out is correct. You need quality compost to apply a quality extract, and more of it than a tea brew.

As far as gunk goes, all extractors are different, but we have a system where the LCE is run through 400 micron mesh bags a few times before hitting our spray tanks.

[NattyLawn]

Hello,

I am new to the forums. I have an 18,000 square foot lawn and garden area. I will end up making a 25 or 55 gallon barrel compost tea brewer, but would like to know the best way to apply it.

It appears that the backpack sprayers are just too small for something like this. What kind of sprayer should I be looking at. I am also thinking I can potentially do this as a side business to begin with.

Are there good sites for refurbished sprayers? What kind of nozzle should I be using?

As for the compost tea itself, I see so many nutrient packs on the market, but what is legitimate and what is not? Anything else I am not thinking of? Thanks

Also, if you're looking into a brewer to fit into a 55 gallon drum, take a look at Tim Wilson's Microbulator at www.microbeorganics.com

[Kiril]

Yes you can manipulate the soil (and resultant plant) with fertilizers or with biology, I choose the latter

At the risk of you going off on me again, if you don't mind me asking, why would one want/need to manipulate the soil in a typical landscape? Would not the most sustainable course of action be to encourage conditions that are suitable for the site conditions and regional environment? To "manipulate" implies artificial, which leads to more intensive management.

Would you be so kind as to expand on your statement as it applies to landscapes?

[phasthound]

Also, if you're looking into a brewer to fit into a 55 gallon drum, take a look at Tim Wilson's Microbulator at www.microbeorganics.com

Yes, I'll second that!

[Tim Wilson]

A couple of things jumped out at me in this thread I thought I better comment on.

1/ Protozoa do not drown
2/ Compost tea making is not a fermentation process, rather it is a process wherein microorganisms are broken free (stripped) from compost through agitation and encouraged to multiply through circulation and with the addition of microbial foodstock. If making aerated compost tea, then air is also added. A good system will use air alone for the agitation and circulation.

[IncaHeat]

A couple of things jumped out at me in this thread I thought I better comment on.

1/ Protozoa do not drown
2/ Compost tea making is not a fermentation process, rather it is a process wherein microorganisms are broken free (stripped) from compost through agitation and encouraged to multiply through circulation and with the addition of microbial foodstock. If making aerated compost tea, then air is also added. A good system will use air alone for the agitation and circulation.

I am somewhat confused now, but I am wondering how ICTBill makes it a fermentation process, and how does it end up surviving for 5 days, as opposed to minimal hours for compost tea.

[IncaHeat]

Anyone have input on the Back pack sprayer?

http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-61804N-Professional-Backpack-4-Gallon/dp/B000ZPMV3O/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

Thanks

[Tim Wilson]

I am somewhat confused now, but I am wondering how ICTBill makes it a fermentation process, and how does it end up surviving for 5 days, as opposed to minimal hours for compost tea.

I do not profess to know ICT's production nor mixing techniques. Some liquid compost extract is reputed to survive for 5 days without further processing and bottling (e.g. phosphoric acid, etc.)

Compost tea as known widely does not entail a fermentation process but is made as previously described. It is best used at given periods of time into the brewing process or as monitored with a microscope so the user can take advantage of the given ratios of bacteria/archaea to protozoa (flagellates, naked amoebae) to fungal hyphae.

[DUSTYCEDAR]

good to see ya tim

[Tim Wilson]

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_6970_99+118+768394

Bill has previously recommended these.

We apply 50 gallons of tea at a time using a sump pump dropped into the barrel in a 800 micron mesh bag, attached to a hose and squeeze hose nozzle. If you want to do it right put a pressure valve in the system which shuts off the pump when you release the squeeze nozzle.
This should be more than adequate for 18,000 sq. ft.