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Onawa,Iowa

Hey what's preferred water temp before starting tea in lot amounts five to fifty gallon batches.
Thanks in advance

5/23/2012 1:03:19 AM

Westmoreland, KS

I know that there are different train of thoughts on this but from my research on the best tea I've found that different bugs react differently to the temperature and the best way to make the tea is to have your water...preferably rain water be the same temperature as your outside temperature. Cold or hot out it doesn't matter you will just have different bugs that will be active you just have to make sure that if it is hot out that you feed them enough so that is doesn't turn bad on you too fast.

5/23/2012 10:31:21 AM

President - GPC

72 ish.....Tad would know the ideal temp

5/23/2012 11:55:38 AM

Seattle, WA

68-72F is a good range, though you can brew at anywhere from 60-85F. Your ambient air temp will really control your water temp if you are making ACT.

There are 2 different schools of thought on the tea. Dr. Ingham says to brew at the temp you'll be applying at, with the theory being that the microbes that your tea will select for will be best able to survive when applied.

The other theory is that you brew at optimal temps, 68-70F and apply. The idea here is that since ACT is a shotgun approach, we just want to get as much diversity and quantity of organisms as possible. Microbes are highly adaptable as soil temps and leaf temps range quite dramatically in a given season, and in some areas in a single day. Any microbes that don't make it just become food resources for other organisms.

Keep in mind that 99% of soil microbes are the same worldwide (according to 1 study I read).

Hope that helps!

5/23/2012 2:13:16 PM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

I make my compost tea with water from my well, which is about 55 degrees and way too cold for brewing. I start aerating the water immediately and wait at least 24 hours for the water temperature to reach a minimum of 70 degrees. My tank is black so the sun does a good job heating the water pretty fast. At night I wrap the tank in an insulation blanket and remove each morning.

5/24/2012 7:54:32 AM