Compost Teas: Taking Fertilizer to the Next level

Why can’t we just take some compost or manure, throw it in some warm water, and call it a tea? We don’t, because doing so would not create the ideal conditions for beneficial bacteria to grow. Beneficial aerobic soil microbes require a constant supply of air to grow and reproduce. Without a consistent means of agitating and aerating the water, harmful anaerobic bacteria and parasites would grow instead. A comparison of basil grown in normal soil to grown with compost tea. This is the reasoning behind “AACT” teas, or Actively Aerated Compost Teas, that are brewed by machines like the Vortex Brewer®. These teas take the benefits of compost one step further by facilitating the growth of beneficial bacteria which can improve plant health through a series of complex symbiotic interactions with plant roots. These microbes persist in the root area of the plant, or “rhizosphere”, and provide nutrition and health benefits to the plant for the lifetime of the microbes.

Jason, Scott, and Steve subscribe to biodynamic agriculture, an early form of alternative, organic agriculture. It emphasizes the use of manure and compost to the exclusion of artificial chemical fertilizers on plants. In biodynamic agriculture, livestock, crops, and soil are part of a larger, interconnected system. For this reason, biodynamic agriculture is often compared to integrated farming, with the addition of several controversial elements, such as the use of cow horns and deer bladders in preparations. A number of studies have been conducted comparing biodynamic practices and conventional organic practices, but the results are inconclusive. Some studies found no major differences between the two practices, while others found that biodynamic methods improved soil health and productive efficiency. Editor's Note: The list below are differing studies on biodynamic agriculture:

1. Zaller, J.G. & Köpke, U. Biol Fertil Soils (2004)
   1. A study comparing several farms using conventional compost and biodynamically prepared compost. After 2 months, there were no observable differences between the farms. However, after 3 months, there was some evidence that biodynamic compost improved soil quality.
2. L. Carpenter-Boggs, A. C. Kennedy and J. P. Reganolda (1999)
   1. A study comparing conventional compost preparations and biodynamically-prepared compost. This study found no observable differences among the different methods.
3. John P. Reganold (2009)
   1. A meta review of different studies on biodynamic farming. It found inconclusive results between conventional compost and biodynamically-prepared compost.

Jason Stirling Jason started growing as a hobbyist and later moved to Colorado, where he began work as an independent trimmer and harvester. Eventually, his independent work led to several administrative positions, and from there, it was a small leap to become a lead grower. He became a grower for Garden of the Gods, and stayed there until it was bought out. He was then introduced by a friend to SPARC Dispensaries, which needed a head cultivator for their grow operations. Jason Stirling enjoying the fruits of his labor. Jason graduated from East Tennessee State University with a degree in economics. His coursework explored black markets and prohibition marketplaces, which turned out to be quite pertinent to cannabis.

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What can you tell us about SPARC? Jason: I’m not allowed to disclose much information about SPARC, but I can say that they use state-of-the-art equipment and a vertically-designed nursery. The vertically-designed nursery uses LED lights to reduce energy costs and increase plant density. I find that growing hydroponically gives you a level of control and stability that can maximize yield and reduce growing times. An example of a vertically-designed growing room. SPARC implements a perpetual flowering system, where the plants are flowering on a continual schedule, rather than a single large harvest. Harvests are always going on.

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Why did you start using teas? Jason: I originally started out using conventional nutrient solutions like Floralicious Plus, humic acid, kelp additives, and other similar products. We were trying to increase the brix level through conventional nutrients. I was reading about methods to improve plant health when I found a bunch of books about teas and how they can elevate brix levels. I figured out that brewed teas achieve the same results as the 7 or 8 supplementary nutrients I was using at the time. When I switched to teas, I saved a lot of money, because not only did the tea provide all the nutrients our plants needed, they also provided beneficial bacteria. Switching to teas resulted in our nutritional expenses dropping like a rock. You can be just as classy as this guy using a Brix refractometer. Rudolf Steiner, the father of biodynamic agriculture, wrote many early books about the subject of teas, and he’s kind of my mentor when it comes to understanding teas and how and why they’re used. Editor’s Note: Brix, denoted as degrees Brix (°Bx) is a measurement of sugar content in an aqueous solution. One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose in 100 grams of a solution. Thus, Brix represents the strength of the solution as a percentage of mass. Brix does not strictly apply to sugar and can be used to measure any amount of dissolved solids in a solution. In the context of cannabis, degrees Brix can be measured in the xylem, phloem, or flower of the plant during different life stages. Higher Brix content means that more nutrients are being delivered around the plant relative to water content. Brix can be measured by comparing the density of the solution to the density of water.

Scott McBride and Steve Storch Steve Storch, the inventor of the Vortex Brewer®, grew up in Brooklyn, New York. Having lived near one of the largest ports in the world, Steve quickly grew familiar with freighters and some of their “illicit” cargo. He chose to study marine biology in both high school and college and graduated from Southampton College, now part of Long Island University. Scott McBride started growing cannabis at an early age, once he discovered its recreational uses. He grew what he calls “guerrilla gardens” in the coniferous swamps near his family’s camp in Northern Michigan. He filled barrels with hand-made soil and carried them into partially submerged portions of the swamp with ample sunlight. The cedar swamps turned out to be great spots to grow, as wildlife and humans were very unlikely to disturb the plants. He went to college on a skiing scholarship and earned his degree in international business. Nowadays, he grows above-board in compliance with the medical laws in Michigan. He also owns and operates a manufacturing and distribution facility on 4.5 acres. Steve Storch (left) and Scott McBride (right) making biodynamic preparations. The two met when Steve went to work for a company that distributed Steve’s early Vortex Brewers®, and the two eventually became friends and partners in business. Scott travels to Steve's farm regularly every year to help Steve make BioDynamic preparations that go into Vortex Brewer® Compound and Tonic.

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What inspired the Vortex Brewer®? Steve: I was inspired by the agricultural lectures of Rudolph Steiner, the inventor of biodynamic agriculture, and Victor Schauberger, an Austrian naturalist who was described as “The Water Wizard.” Both Steiner and Schauberger’s works described a water vortex as a “primal” force, essential to life. I used my background in marine biology to design a brewer that created a large vortex with air jets. The first brewer was built in the winter of 1998, and not long after, many local farmers were interested in buying one.