Can ACT be raising the risk for people with low immunity?

L

libr8d

New Member
Hey all.

My first started thread and my first aerated compost tea :circle-of-love:

I'm working with what I've been able to find to make the tea. (hopefully) Well made compost (I chose not to use store bought products at all). A 5 liter food grade container (hopefully clean). The "strongest" air pump (aquarium type) I could find with two outlets. Tap water that's stood at least 24 hours and has been aerated for a couple of hours.

For feeding the tea. I wanted to keep it simple and used two ingredients that were in the house. Date syrup (100% organically grown dates) - which I haven't seen documented - so I'll try and post back with some "experiments" and Ground oats (ground in a pistil and mortar - it was what I had and could use without waking everyone - maybe it will be fun for the fungi to hang on to since it will be irregular in shape and size).

I don't have a microscope.

If I had one I still don't have the knowledge of how to use one (I am aware of the Dr. Elaine Ingham videos that should teach the basics.)

Here's my question and it's based on a minimal knowledge base (a few weeks of reading) and some green intuition. We take the compost and have the bacteria, fungus & friends multiply to the extreme while making proper aerated tea. Hopefully my compost cooked well. It seemed quite hot but I didn't use a thermometer. If a pathogen managed to infiltrate my compost - it could now possibly thrive in this tea? Is someone with a weak immune system in risk around a compost pile? in much greater risk around the tea?

It's a few hours into this brew. I just put my head down close to the water - and it's heaven. I can't see anything of harm coming from this (unless off course it will go anaerobic which I hope it won't and I should be able to tell).

I have a feeling I'm missing something simple here.

Thanks for the help. Happy brewing.
 
Not to worry unless you would for some strange reason actually drink the tea (it would probably make you sick 100%) - it's for your soil microbes, right??

Any type of sugar will work, there's a few reasons we like to use BSM (black strap molasses) and there are other sugar sources even better than BSM - Agave syrup is one for example. Date syrup may very well be another. The sugar is there to get the party started into overdrive and will help with microbe reproduction.

Your tea will eventually go anaerobic, just let it sit out for a few days. It's really meant to be used up right away after the 24-36 hr brew process. Also sugar is not a requirement. I've brewed without and it works and has been proven so by Microbeman (google is your friend).

You can overdo sugar in the soil too so go conservative. Lots of organisms like sugar both beneficial and other wise. The trick to this is to overpopulate with the positive microbes from your compost which is why you aerate and add sugar.

If you brew too much ACT just go outside and find a garden with flowers and water in...sit back and watch the magic. The results are not subtle.

Once you populate your soil with all the beneficial microbes from the ACT, your plants roots will feed the microbes you just grew. The Microbes will live in a symbiotic relationship with the plants roots. The roots exude beneficial root exudate that feeds the organisms and the organisms feed the plant in return.

Mother Nature is a beautiful thing!

Here's what you are going to accomplish with your ACT:

" Plant roots release a broad variety of chemical compounds to attract and select microorganisms in the rhizosphere. In turn, these plant-associated microorganisms, via different mechanisms, influence plant health and growth."


The microbes do ALL the heavy lifting other than the water your plants need you to provide. This is exactly why my time in the indoor garden takes about 5 minutes every day. if you are working with your plants other than watering and the occasional SST or ACT, review your "work".

We spend MUCH more time working with out compost piles/worm bin. WAY more work.

"Get your EWC/compost dialed in and you won't have much else to worry about." CC

Cheers and glad to meet yet another organic farmer!

You should start a grow journal and invite folks on over, it's a lot of fun and a very positive learning experience.
 
Hey Bobrown14 :) Missed your post, somehow wasn't notified.

It was a funny brew. I was going to use it after 24-36 hours but due to different circumstances (family, mostly). Couldn't - as it's hot here and kept on missing the foliar feed times in the morning (must be early -everything is outdoors). Anyhow, the tea seemed to stay Aerobic. and was stopped and used at 72hours or so. Still smelled good. Not sure how strong it was. Fed it some maple syrup the second day and added some ground oats again and some date syrup on last day.

I'll make my next brew quick (24-36 hours) - smelled and looked the best and I feel is right

I used compost I made that had some manure in it and used the UC Berkeley method (18days hot compost) but since I didn't have a compost thermometer and didn't follow it to the letter - and was reading a lot of microbiology - I got a little worried - that I'd put the kids at risk, etc.

Hopefully a journal will come (with my next grow, I assume).

Happy growing.
 
Hello organic growers! My 40 plus years of organic gardening has taught me at least one thing. Good compost is all you need in most cases! Don't worry about formulas, brewing special concoctions(or not), or too much about ratios, balances, temperatures or much of anything when composting! Just use organic plant matter and possibly a little non burning animal poop(never put meat containing food or waste in your compost) such as rabbit, goat or sheep in your compost pile possibly along with a few handfuls of lime and or ash (when finished and mixed with a soil less media) and don't worry! Other manures may be used with more caution. I have been growing vegetables,grains, flowers,shrubs, fruits and herbs(including marijuana) successfully without any other source of nutrients, except sometimes a few applications of a simple compost tea(not brewed),seaweed extract and fish emulsion(mostly to boost hormones, enzymes and micro flora that may need a trace element)) I don't worry much anymore about ph since compost fed soils rich in organic material has such a neutralizing effect on ph imperfections. The compost fills the soil with living organisms if you don't sterilize it, no need to brew! The compost then feeds the multiplying organisms in your soil. Importantly, the compost also adds organic materials to improve the tilth, drainage,aeration and provide food for beneficial organisms in your soils. Easy no fuss, no worry, natural, organic growing with great results! I am not against brewing as I am a brewer of wines, beers, sourdoughs and yogurts, just saying you can get great results with out worrying about brewing teas in organic soil grows. Also I have never worried about consuming anything grown with compost including compost that may have had different animal fertilizers, rotting vegetation, spoiled animal feeds(organic) including feed grade molasses or urine soaked litter(a great compost addition material)! Once the enzymes and microbes interact with a suitable period of time(varies with materials and ambient temps) all will be well! Relax, smoke a bowl and then go add to your compost operation, all of this falls leaves you can handle! Work your compost pile, recycle, do what you enjoy, including brewing exotic teas from compost and happy gardening! The brewed teas may be a better way to get a quick large dose of organisms in a grow without compost or with insufficient compost added. PS. oats (spoiled oats )have sometimes gone into my composting piles!-any spoiled grain is good stuff! But, maple syrup is too expensive around here to use on anything bigger than a waffle! Also my daughter was born in 1975 with an absence of important T cells in her blood to fight immunity, she was studied briefly at St.Jude research hospital. We were told she had a less than 50 % chance to survive till adulthood. She was raised on compost fed vegetables and etc. and is a healthy middle aged woman now!
 
I added some photos of my latest experiment with growing under T5 lights organically, Crop King's Northern Lights Auto fem/auto flowering plants. I just wanted to see how a simple T5 fixture without a sophisticated grow tent/closet/cooling system could produce auto flowering plants as compared to Hid grows with all the bells and whistles.. They produce less than with Hid's but do ok as you can see! I usually get a range (in two other grows as well) of plants ranging from very bushy 24 inch plants to 40 inch plants with good natural branching without pruning or any special care. Dry weights of buds have ranged so far from 11/2 to 3+oz each plant under the T5's.
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