Ben Zumeta

I would not discount the potential value of an anaerobic tea if you have seen it help, but it does seem riskier to me in terms of human and plant pathogens. Pathogens tend to thrive in anaerobic conditions, and beneficials in aerobic environments. This is why we provide drainage and passive airflow in Johnson Su Bioreactor compost, which produces the highest diversity of microbes of any method I know, and the vast majority are beneficial, and most of the rest innocuous.

The attached Compost Tea Manual by Dr Ingham has been helpful to me. She does mention the highest diversity teas likely do have short periods of lower oxygen (that creates an ecological edge in time and O2 concentration), but this is hard to quantify and prescribe for without the increased risk of pathogens. She also found extracts have the highest biodiversity, as aerobic teas increase microbe numbers but select for those thriving in hyperaerobic conditions of a bubbling brew. In nature I can only think of a few environments with similar hyperaerobic conditions, like cascading streams and ocean surf (obviously salinity makes a difference there). Aerated compost teas’ main benefit over extracts is the glue like glomulin produced which helps it stick to where it is applied. So the main uses of teas are foliar applications in spring and an autumn application to leaf litter.

That is what I use aerated compost tea for once each spring and fall, and maybe in between for any sick plants I want to revive. I use compost extracts otherwise for soil soaks, seed and transplant root inoculation and on biochar. I do use the bubble snake aerator to keep the extract mixed and aerobic while I apply it, and I figure it helps knock a few more microbes into suspension.

Judith Browning wrote:thank you Ben!
that's exactly what I was needing to hear.

Is your 50 gallon brew done in a barrell?
I was hoping we could keep up with a 5 gallon amount more easily and just keep making it more often.

Not sure if a five gallon bucket qualifies as ' minimal straight sided'?
...maybe it's small enough to not matter?

I brew compost teas in a 50gal water barrel that is more ovular or egg shaped than the straight sided one I used to use.  In addition to fewer straight lines where aeration and circulation are reduced, these also have screw on lids, so it can be filled with compost tea or extract in my truck and transported to a higher point, then gravity dispensed via a garden hose with a valve. This has allowed me to cover several acres without a heavy and expensive sprayer. I will also gravity feed a tea or extract from this barrel to an IBC in my truck, dilute it 5:1 or so and irrigate trees getting established. I have also experimented with putting a mesh sack of rocks in the flat bottom of the brewer to mitigate dead zones, but haven’t analysed the results with a scope or scientific methods. I think the 50gal bubble snake and the pump TeaLab recommends is ample either way, as it makes a roiling boil akin to a river rapid that really mixes everything and keeps it in suspension well. I do at times get some blockages of the outlet from sediment when I turn off the pump.

I believe Rob Avis of Verge Permaculture has a calculator tool for this. I wonder if he uses similar source material/data to S Bengi? Rob has some excellent videos and podcast appearances as well, and he seems to know his stuff as an experienced engineer.

I met my wife in Tahoe while we were both thru-hiking in 2012. We are now about 1000mi north of Kennedy Meadows and 50 miles west of the Marble Mtn section of the PCT in the Siskiyou Mountains of Del Norte County California. We are out of the way from anywhere (unless heading to the put in for paddling the epic North Fork of the Smith), but you’d be welcome. This goes for the OP, or any long distance hiker who carries a desire for reciprocity and stewardship. Send me a PM if interested.

We have 25 acres off grid on the edge of 6 Rivers NF, and always plenty of work to do. It is increasingly stuff I need a second pair of hands for as I have largely knocked out what I can alone. We wouldn’t expect too much though, and would hope you could see our local mountains, redwoods, rivers and coast while here too. We just finished a flush toilet cob outhouse, and extra water tanks to supply it and a tiny house on wheels we have. So we can now accommodate campers much better. I also guide river, bike and hiking trips and have been a backcountry and education ranger, so I could help find adventure opportunities while here.

I’ve had a 50gal batch bubble snake from TeaLab for over 6yrs and 1000’s of gallons brewed, and it still seems good to go. My extracts and teas have been looked at by Soil Food Web grads who were impressed, even though they did invest in a conical brewer because they sell teas and at scale are likely worth it. The main key seems to be an ample aerator, and a vessel with minimal straight sides where stuff doesn’t circulate. It is also usually better to err on the side of a shorter brew and less food.

It sounds like something an inexpensive oscillating sprinkler with adjustable spread would wet down best. I have run these with compost extract in a bucket with a 1/16 dilution calibrated siphon to inoculate. That or inoculate with a smaller concentrated amount and the wet down.

I have found an integral dilemma to being someone selling trees while also wanting to help as many tree thrive long term as possible. In my observation and that of many permies, trees do better if in their forever home as young as possible, with planting seedlings being the ideal for longterm health, resilience, and drought tolerance. So the conundrum arises that the trees people are willing to pay more for, larger ones, are the most likely to fail or falter from transplant stress, and will be surpassed by trees planted much younger or as seeds.

Some have the right market—higher end real estate with ongoing development driving demand and providing new buyers—and landscaper customers who are happy to get paid to replant as many failed trees as their customer will pay for. This is not all nurseries, and I do not spite those in this lane but it does not compel me. Others, like Burnt Ridge, seem to have found a niche where they can sell wide ranges of ages in volumes large enough to allow for very small margins on each sale, with the apparent primary goal of getting more trees planted in the world while sustaining the operation. Burnt Ridge is wonderful, but I just do not know how their economics and logistics work out.

I’d give Siskiyou seeds 9.5/10 acorns. Great locally adapted seeds for my region. It is where I sourced most of our garlic, which we now keep and replant year after year and it seems to just be getting better.

I think Jay said exactly what I was thinking while reading the original post.

I might consider keeping some emergency water jugs in the shade but obvious enough for people who are just desperate, but would rather not vandalize. I think this would be the majority, if for the simple reason of not killing your goose for future use. As a Pacific Crest Trail thru-hiker that is forever thankful to trail angels who leave water and food throughout the mojave sections, providing drinking water in the desert is a great way to make friends.