Hi Brad,
That is the best compost tea maker I know of. If you get sediment, just pour off until the sediment starts to flow and then stop. Pour the sediment back into your compost pile.

Before you use weed-b-gone, are you following the infrequent watering and mowing high plan that we talk about here? If you let the surface of the soil dry out several days between watering you will really minimize your weed problems. Then if you set your mower at the highest setting to let your grass get tall, you will eliminate more weeds. But if you still have weeds, then you are correct, the wbg will not interfere with the compost tea.

Dilution is the normal way to spray 4 gallons over 10,000 square feet. I know people who test their compost tea using Dr Elaine Ingham's procedure with stains and a microscope. They tell me that the chlorine in tap water will kill about half the microbes in the tea. Still, you are getting more microbes than nothing. You probably use that same water to irrigate. Anything you can do to blow off the chlorine or use a non-chlorinated source would improve things. You have done absolutely no harm in spraying full strength.

Please let us know if you see any differences after a few weeks of using it.

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

Thank you dchall! I believe you were the one who forwarded me the recipe a year or so ago - I'm only getting around to trying it now, but really excited to see if it makes a difference. I've been trying to add more organic matter to the lawn - not bagging, mulching leaves in the fall, etc. It's been a few years of trying go a bit more "organic" in my fertilization, but realizing I may not be able to devote the time, cost and know-how to a fully organic regimen. So as a result I think I've been malnourishing my lawn with not enough nitrogen. I always seem to suffer from fungi issues. In the past (prior home) I grew a lawn with scotts 4-step program and stuck with it for a few years. The lawn was beautiful, but always felt like I (and the lawn) was a prisoner to the system. I think I will try the 4-step program for a year or two - get my roots growing down and deep, then maybe consider organic or hybrid regimen again.

In the meantime, I want to continue the benefits of compost and compost tea. When you ask me to "let us know if you see any differences after a few weeks of using it" - do you mean after a few weeks since this one treatment? Which brings up another question: how often should one brew and treat with ACT? I understand that "feeding" the microbes with something like cornmeal gets them going, too - but what is the better plan:

- periodically treat with ACT?
- treat with ACT but then feed with cornmeal (either once or periodically?)
- both of the above (treat periodically with ACT AND CM?)

Anyway - so many questions, so many microbes, so little time. :)

Thanks again - I really appreciate the knowledge.

Best -
Brad
-

Dchall:

One more question: I read alot about using milk to help control fungi. (along with cornmeal, etc...)

Does milk disrupt what would otherwise be a beneficial application of compost tea? I'm tempted to try everything and anything that might help to battle the harmful fungi, but I guess the engineer in me is telling me to try one thing at a time. :)

But please advise, if you know - any harm in applying some milk (even in tandem with ACT application?)

Thanks again!
Brad

Just wondering if I can use milk after applying compost tea? Will this screw things up?

Thanks!

How was the result of your tea application?

I see I lost track of this topic back then. Milk could be used as a food in the tea itself. Most organic materials can be used at the same time.