"Teaming with Microbes" is an awesome book, but some of the companion writing by others coming off of assumptions in the book is leading to some odd suggestions/thoughts/methods. I'm seeing a lot of talk about people who seem to think they can fertilize with their microbes. Dead/degraded/etc fungi can provide about 5% N and bacteria about 10% N. That said...a teaspoon of chemical 20-0-0 fertilizer contains 20% N...the problem is it's only a teaspoon. That's without getting into the issue that a soil "teaming with microbes" will feed off the residuals of the dead. Setting up a good microbe, fungal, etc population in the soil is nice, but there's still the issue of the most limiting factor in a garden. You still need to take care of the major nutrients...and building a good soil structure to hold onto it all. The physical structure and nutrient holding capability of the soil...and proper macro nutrients (as well as "major micronutrients" like Ca/S) should be addressed as well as (or before in some cases) you focus on fine tuning your soil for healthy microbial action. Give your microbes a "good home" and you'll spend less time taking care of it and providing inputs into it. This post was edited by nc-crn on Sun, Jan 20, 13 at 15:18

"Would there be any advantage to putting in the molasses at the same time as the compost tea bag?" Yes, less brewing time to get a good tea to use. Waiting more than 24 hours can set up the dynamic for the tea to become anaerobic, which is not good if using the tea for a foliar spray IMO. A fresh, sweet smelling compost tea gives me the results I have come to expect and enjoy watching as the leaves and stalks of my plants open up as only compost tea will give. I really don't feel stronger tea is a good thing Maupin, I have found weaker, diluted solutions work better in most cases, and allow for a better spread of the tea while spraying (more bang for the buck). Again, this is my experience, and I will admit I have gotten almost as good results from just dumping compost in a drum (I make 55-gallons at a time), stirring it, waiting a couple hours and then using the tea. I guess it boils down to weather one is willing to go through the trouble of making aerobic tea; for me there is no trouble, I love the entire process.... Blutranes

There are several good recipes posted over on the Soil & Composting forum you might want to check out. And check out the ones on the Organic Gardening forum too - they even have a FAQ on aerated tea. Link below is to the FAQ and some of the discussions you might want to browse through. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Aerated Compost tea FAQ and discussions

Hi gardengal, Your post sent me reading once again. I have come across some information about scientific studies, that in a few cases, I have to admit to restricting my understanding, to the conclusion section of reports. Have a look at these two links, the first is much easier to read than the second. Would be interested to see what you think of them. What is certain is the call for much more research. https://www.soilassociation.org/resource-centre/press-releases/on-farm-field-lab-sees-organic-farmer-increase-yield-through-compost-teas/ http://escholarship.org/uc/item/7hs4001x