[font family=”impact,chicago” size=”36″ color=”157801″ textshadow=”6″ alignment=”left” weight=”bold” style=”normal” lineheight=”150″]Compost Tea[/font]

[highlight color=”FFFF00″]Compost Tea, A Powerful Brew [/highlight]

by Bob Ecker

[highlight color=”FFFF00″]The concept of using compost in agriculture goes back millennia[/highlight], where biodegradable materials such as green plants, food products, water and manure were placed together in heaps, broken down over time by heat and microorganisms, an d then returned to the soil as a natural and readily available fertilizer. The composting industry is still going strong, [highlight color=”FFFF00″]but today, the latest technological advance involves the use of “Compost tea,”[highlight color=”FFFF00”] a brewed concoction that may soon revolutionize sustainable farming practices. “I’m convinced it will change agriculture around the world,[/highlight]” said George Hahn, chief officer of Wormgold Solutions, of Novato, California.

Though compost materials were used in the past, scientists today have a profound understanding of how compost and compost teas work. One of the leading compost tea proponents is Dr. Elaine R. Ingham, whose company, Soil Foodweb, Inc. has produced the most comprehensive compost tea research to date. She said, [highlight color=”FFFF00″]”The simplest definition of compost tea is a water extract of compost that is brewed, or in other words the organisms extracted from the compost, the bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes were given a chance to increase in number and activity using the soluble food resources and nutrients present in the water. An enormous diversity of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes should be present, depending on the quality of the compost.”[/highlight]

Dr. Ingham’s research has been well documented and she is completing the last year of a three-year $70,000 SARE grant study. This research project, funded by the USDA, is working on the dose response relationship, and the overall suppression of mildews by the use of teas. “So far, after two years of study, the appearance of powdery mildew is down 95 percent, and hopefully we can make it 100 percent by next year.”

The concept of a foliarly applied “tea” provides a variety of benefits for grape growers. One theory stated that properly applied compost teas put “good bugs” on leaves that naturally protect plants from “bad bugs,” without the need for insecticides. Kirk Grace, vineyard manager for Robert Sinskey Vineyards stated, “Soil microbiology is the engine behind good soil health.”

Hahn of Wormgold provided a step-by-step analysis of compost tea. “Compost tea organisms provide several plant benefits including: 1) infection sites are all occupied by beneficial organisms, so the disease organisms cannot find a way to infect the plant; 2) all surfaces are protected; 3) the beneficial organisms out-compete the disease organisms; 4) the food sources that would be used by the pathogen are already used by the beneficial organism layer; 5) this layer is also competitive against the harmful pathogens, with the bad guys becoming a food source for the good guys; 6) the good guys also eat the food faster and are better at getting it than the pathogens.”

Dr. Ingham said, “Compost teas will help create a physical barrier that will protect grapes (and other) plants from organisms that harm the plant, while inoculating and feeding organisms that immobilize nutrients, and keep those nutrients in the soil around the plant, instead of leaching and being lost into drinking water.” She went on to state, “Compost teas contain the organisms that will mineralize those nutrients for the plant and make those nutrients available to the plant at the place and time the plant needs.”

Numerous differences exist between standard compost, and compost teas. The most important difference is that unlike some composts, compost tea does not contain any human pathogens, such as E. coli. Teas also are also lightweight and easy to apply to plants, the same as other foliar liquids. Compost teas are economical, compared to traditional composts. George Hahn said, “Properly made, this new technology produces a liquid where one gallon has the same quantity of biological organisms of as much as 1,000 pounds of quality compost. The cost to produce this material is far less than quality compost and the labor to handle it is dramatically lower.” This means that, typically, only five gallons of compost tea could be used per acre to inoculate the soil with the necessary organisms, instead of 5,000 pounds of traditional compost and worm castings. The benefits are both biological and economical. “Compost teas are an economical method of supplying beneficial soil microbiology,” said Grace. Dr. Ingham stated, “No claims can be made that compost tea control diseases, however, it does have impact. Compost tea is a protectant and thus works before diseases come calling.”

Alaska Humus

One tea, Alaska Humus, is billed as an “Ultra-pure, naturally composted material” and is getting rave reviews by many in the compost tea community. Tim Felegy is one of the owners of Alaska Humus, a naturally occurring fibrous, humid soil product coming out of South Central Alaska. “There are deep pockets of this material in Alaska, where it’s basically a waste product,” said Felegy. Already, this product has been involved in a number of success stories. “We used it on the 630 palm trees at the Mirage [Hotel], in Las Vegas, as an innoculant, after all other attempts had failed. It became a huge triumph.” So far, the only deterrent to the widespread use of Alaska Humus is the high transportation cost from Alaska. Felegy is hoping that the product’s superb natural attributes will inspire greater awareness, increase demand and lessen per unit shipping. Those who have tried Alaska Humus, whose slogan is, ‘Teaming with Microbes,’ want more.

Jeff Dawson is a proponent of compost tea and Alaska Humus. Dawson is the curator of the gardens at COPIA, as well as a highly sought vineyard consultant. Dawson espouses the use of sustainable soil practices. According to Dawson, “A healthy vineyard is productive, with vines capable of resisting disease–you won’t need any doctors.” Asked why compost teas are gaining in popularity, Dawson said, “People have been using composting ideas for a long time, but we have so much science behind it today. We have labs telling us what works and what doesn’t work.” In fact, all the lush COPIA gardens utilize Alaska Humus-based tea. Dawson stresses the important relationship between healthy plants and soil, and the creation of superlative wine. “Most winemakers will tell you that the wine is really made in the vineyard,” he said with a smile. “Alaska Humus helps create a healthy vineyard,” said Dawson.

The Only Vineyard

Bill Wolf is the owner of AlphaWolf Vineyards, a nine-acre vineyard in the Napa Valley. His is the only vineyard to have put Alaska Humus into every one of his 8,000 grapevine root holes prior to planting. He has a thriving compost tea setup and is a huge proponent of Alaska Humus for his compost tea base. “Basically, it’s dinosaur poop,” laughed Wolf, describing how he feels about the pristine compost product created entirely by nature. Wolf had used other materials in his teas, but is convinced that making tea that begins with Alaska Humus is the way to go. “I love that it’s consistent, contains absolutely no E. coli, and is made by mother nature.” Wolf’s tea recipe is continually getting tweaked, trying to find the perfect blend. “Right now through analysis, I’m trying to get the fungal count up a bit, but feel like I’m way ahead of the game,” he said. “My tea gives food to the plants, and has totally controlled any powdery mildew or botrytis.”

Compost tea solutions, at this point, cannot legally be stated as controlling disease, yet there have been some remarkable reports of soil and plant rejuvenation. Ross Hotchkinson, vineyard manager at Cline Cellars said, “We first used five gallons per acre of a compost tea on 12 acres of formerly flooded vines, that couldn’t be revived through prior conventional treatments. These plants were very sick, stressed plants. The formerly flooded vines showed new growth and greening within one week.” Cline then expanded the application to test 150 acres of vines. By the end of the growing season, vineyard personnel were impressed. “The test field provided photosynthesis for a full 30 days longer than other fields,” said Hotchkinson. “The leaves, vines and fruit continued growth for this full time period. The grapes tested with the optimal Brix of 25 and a color richness level several grades higher.” Cline Cellars announced that the results were sufficiently good that all of the acreage of vines for the growth year 2003 would get the same compost tea treatment. Similar results at building biological soil capital have been recognized at Benzinger Family Wineries, according to managing general partner Mike Benzinger.

Today there are many commercial compost tea brewers on the market, but some devices, according to Dr. Ingham, do not produce adequate compost teas. Her company is conducting an ongoing study rating the success rate of various manufacturers, and suggests that potential buyers look into her website www.soilfoodweb.com, for test results. She does recommend compost tea brewers made by EPM, EW, the KIS Brewer, Wormgold, Alaska Giant and others.

Hahn explains how his product works. “The material that we produce uses our trademarked WORMGOLD® worm castings as a key component. We add a very carefully assembled mix of composts and feeds, to grow the fungal, bacterial, protozoa and nematode population. Our machine is called a WORMGOLD® Extractor. This machine extracts the organisms from the mix with strong air bubbles. Extensive aeration is provided with fine bubbles to maintain an aerobic brew with ample oxygen during the whole process. The temperature is closely controlled to maintain the optimal range for proper growth of the organisms.”

Although the methods vary, all would agree that sound, healthy plants are the goal of every farm, garden and vineyard. “Compost teas, correctly made and applied, improve the life in the soil and on plant surfaces,” said Dr, Ingham. Still, change does not come easily to growers who have steadfastly continued to use fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. But Dr. Ingham and others feel that the tide is turning, and compost tea may bring needed change. “I don’t want to force anybody to use compost teas if they don’t want to, but hopefully this will help phase out the use of toxic chemicals.” The various types of Compost teas add beneficial organisms that do seem to enhance healthy, bountiful growth. If proven accurate, the use of these teas may become a powerful bridge between sustainable farming and economic viability. wbm

Bob Ecker  is a freelance writer/photographer living in Napa, CA.

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