Frequently Asked Questions
what are the bubble snakes dimensions?
Small: 10” diameter x 17” height
Medium: 14”d x 23”h
Large: 18”d x 36”h
Medium: 14”d x 23”h
Large: 18”d x 36”h
what are the brew bag dimensions?
Is compost tea safe to use on young seedlings?
Yes! Seedlings benefit from rich microorganisms in the soil. You can use tea to water in seeds, and they will thank you. Consider seeds in nature - lots of microbes out there helping out. In fact, seed soaking with compost tea prior to planting is a relatively common procedure. You can also do it with any microbial inoculant as well.
What is the best food source for the microbes in compost tea?
The optimal food is the one that is most readily available at a fair price. With that being said, when I sent teas off to a lab for microbial counts last year, the tea that used 12-1-1 fish powder had 110,000,000cfu/ml, versus molasses with only 20,000,000cfu/ml. Basically, the fish tea had 5x the number of bacteria. In regards to fungi, the molasses tea had a very high count of yeast at 6500cells/ml, compared with 80cells/ml. Non-yeast fungal spores were non-detectable in the molasses tea, while there were some 80spores/ml in the fish tea. So, overall fish tea does look to be better in regards to numbers and diversity (at least in this one trial). I still recommend using molasses during fruit and flowering in order avoid ripening delay due to the possibility of plants responding the minute amount of nitrogen in the tea.
I typically start my rooted plants in 4" pots of coco coir, before transplanting to soil. Would the compost tea work on the 4" in coco? Would the tea supply them with all necessary nutrients, or would I need to supplement with additional hydro fertilizer?
Tea works well with coco, it will give the coco the life it lacks. Tea has a small amount of nutrition, but not enough for sustained growth. We recommend adding some worm castings to the coco, 10% or so by volume. Combined with tea, you will be able to grow in the 4’s for several weeks. When you transplant to the next size up, you will want a richer soil, built up with a variety of amendments.
For making tea, should I use well water or RO water?
RO water is not ideal for tea. The microbes need solubilized minerals to grow. Well water would be the better option. I would recommend getting a water test to ensure you water’s pH, salinity, and mineral levels are not too high.
What should the water pH be for making tea?
When brewing tea with the LifeCube mix should i add some inoculate to the brew?
A little dash of Soil Life at the end is good, just before you water. It is already in our compost blend, so no need to brew with it.
Can I use Neptunes Harvest hydrolyzed fish fertilizer as the fish hydrolysate?
Yes. Use 16 oz. per 50-gallon brew.
How often do I apply the tea?
Apply the tea about once a week. For newly established gardens a heavy inoculation of microbes will really get things going. Dilute anywhere from full strength to 1 gallon of tea to 20 gallons of water. I think the 1 gallon of tea to 5-10 gallons of water is the sweet spot.
Do I put the tea straight on or should it be diluted?
You can use full strength or dilute up to 1 gallon of tea to 20 gallons of water. Our dilution “sweet spot” is 1 gallon of tea to 5-10 gallons of water.
Soil drench or foliar?
Both. Studies are showing that there is great benefit from both. Foliar sprays help to keep down pests, while soil drenches help with plant nutrition and disease protection.
After the tea is added, is it okay to use a pump to water the container plants? Or should I hand water instead?
Using a pump to water with is fine. We use a Dirty Water Sump Pump.
Are bacteria & fungi necessary?
The set of microbes that come in commercial mixes like our Soil Life each perform specific plant-benefitting jobs. For instance, we know that one solubilizes silica, while another makes nitrogen available. The microbes that come from compost/casting tea are extremely diverse, some will not help plants directly, but are part of a healthy microbial community. Combining the two gives the best of both worlds - a diverse community of microbes, and a set of high-functioning microbes that perform unique and crucial jobs in the soil.
What are mycorrhizal fungi?
The term mycorrhizae translate to fungus-root. These fungi develop very close relationships with plant roots. There are two main groups of mycorrhizal fungi. One type grows into the root cells (endo-mycorrhizae), while the other type grows only around the cells and not into them (ectomycorrhizal). The ectomycorrhizal fungi develop relationships with long lived trees. The endo-mycorrhizal fungi on the other hand, develop roots with some 80% of all plant species. Interestingly, brassicas (broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, mustards) do not form any root-fungal relationship. Our Soil Life inoculant contains only endo-mycorrhizal species (Glomus sp.).
I live in a really cold area; will the bacterial species and fungus adapt to our cold/freezing winter?
Microbes can adapt to cold weather, though there will be some that fare better than others. Some may simply remain dormant until temperatures increase.
What is powdery mildew, and does compost tea help get rid of it?
Powdery mildew is one of the most widespread plant fungal diseases. It’s also the most identifiable, and almost no type of plant is immune. Although there are many different species of powdery mildew, the symptoms all look about the same from one to another. As bad as it looks, rarely is it fatal to the plant.
Tea won’t cure it, but it will help to keep it at bay.
Spray a mixture of 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with a gallon of water onto powdery mildew.
Add tea once it’s gone as a preventative.
Tea won’t cure it, but it will help to keep it at bay.
Spray a mixture of 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar mixed with a gallon of water onto powdery mildew.
Add tea once it’s gone as a preventative.
Do you provide instructions on how to brew compost tea?
Yes, we include an instruction card that gives you a run down on how to brew, along with recipes. The videos on composttealab.com and TeaLAB’s YouTube page are also helpful.
Can the kits be used to make compost extract as well?
Yes. Compost extract is simply a tea that has not been given any food sources (like fish or molasses). You can bubble compost, forgo the food, and then apply.
Is it possible to make batches less than 30 gallons with this unit, say, 5, 10, or 15 gallons?
You can certainly fill the brewer less, no problem.
Is the brewer kit noisy when it runs?
It’s not quiet. The bubbling water is loud. Placed inside a garage or in a shed, or just away from where anyone is sleeping would be ideal. Though, some think the sounds are quite soothing.
I ordered the complete kit with bucket. It sure is sealed tight – how do I open it?
You will find tabs on the rim of the lid. Pull that off and it will tear off a strip around the entire bucket lid. Then you can lift the edges of the lid one by one and it will come off. It’s a little bit of work, but it’s worth it!
How do I clean the Bubble Snake?
Take the Snake completely apart. Run water through the tubes with enough force to spill out of the small holes. If that’s not possible, use a paperclip to clean out the holes.
Once a month, or as necessary, clean the Snake using a solution of bleach and water.
Rinse well. Air dry.
Once a month, or as necessary, clean the Snake using a solution of bleach and water.
Rinse well. Air dry.
What sets your aerators apart from other aerators?
Our compost tea aerator, Bubble Snake, bubbles the water in such a way that the water is mixed extremely well. It is remarkably easy to clean and handle, a common problem with other aerators on the market. We proudly make each Bubble Snake by hand in Humboldt County, CA, USA.
Is the Bubble Snake covered by warranty?
Yes. Tea LAB offers a lifetime warranty for product defects. Please note normal wear and tear is not covered. To file a claim please email help@composttealab.com.
Who do I contact if there is a problem with the pump?
You may call or email us with any pump issues.
Do you have another "growth tea recipe" using the products on your site?
When we want to brew growth booster tea, we will bubble 5 gallons of water with:
1 Cup High Nitro Gunao,
1 Cup Alfalfa
¼ Cup Minerals (Azomite or Glacial Rock or Basalt),
1 TBSP Molasses,
4 Cups Compost
Soil Life inoculant
We bubble that 24-48 hours, then pour that 5 gallons into our 50 gallons of base biology tea (made with our LifeCube compost blend and fish powder). Combining the two gives us the best of both worlds; a rich biological tea, and a feed tea that will have some biology that ideally mitigates nitrogen. We then use that mixture of teas to water with at a 1:10 dilution. You can vary the dilution based on your needs.
1 Cup High Nitro Gunao,
1 Cup Alfalfa
¼ Cup Minerals (Azomite or Glacial Rock or Basalt),
1 TBSP Molasses,
4 Cups Compost
Soil Life inoculant
We bubble that 24-48 hours, then pour that 5 gallons into our 50 gallons of base biology tea (made with our LifeCube compost blend and fish powder). Combining the two gives us the best of both worlds; a rich biological tea, and a feed tea that will have some biology that ideally mitigates nitrogen. We then use that mixture of teas to water with at a 1:10 dilution. You can vary the dilution based on your needs.
What can i do with the leftovers in the brew bag?
The leftovers are very valuable. You can top-dress in the garden with them. Just dump out the contents and incorporate them into the soil. Giving them to plants that are struggling is great too.
why is 400 micro mesh better than 250 micro mesh?
400 microns is the size of mesh the professionals say to use. It is just big enough for fungal hyphae and nematodes to fit through, but small enough to keep sediment from entering into, and then falling out of solution. Where as the 250 microns could be too small for nematodes and larger fungal hyphae to fit through.
Is length of brew time temperature dependent?
Yes it is! For cold water below 50 degrees you’ll want to brew for 48 hours. Hot water 85 degrees + you want to brew for no longer than 24 hours
What products should I get to start making teas?
Shelf Life of FishBall & Lifecube Combo Pack?
We recommend using the products within 3 months of receiving them for maximum benefits. Depending on the humidity of the air where you’re located the fish balls can start to solidify within just a few months but they are still good; they will just take a little longer to dissolve. The LifeCube is good for a very long time
Are the Fishballs and Castings organic?
We have not undergone the certification process to officially call them organic. But the way they are produced; they would qualify as such.
How much can a Brew Bag hold?
TeaLAB's BrewBag's can hold up to Small: Max 3lbs (dry ingredients) Large: Max 15lbs (dry ingredients). Although we do not suggest filling the bag all the way or going all the way to the weight limit. When there is too much product in the BrewBag it tends to clump up, not allowing enough oxygen and water to get in. This calls for an anaerobic situation which most of the time gets smelly. If you are wanting to brew a bunch at once we suggest using multiple bags instead of piling it all into one.
My sprayer keeps getting clogged. Do you have a sprayer that you recommend? Related, do you sell other bucket strainers so I can strain my whole batch before foliar feeding? I found some 200 micron and 400 micron 5 gallon bucket strainers from a bio diesel company but wanted to check with you first. I also want to make sure I don’t filter out the helpful bacteria.
Bucket strainers would help. The tea does grow enough stuff, plus with what gets through the bag, to clog up the sprayer. A way to prevent that is to take the empty teabag, put it over the top of the sprayer tank, and pour the tea into the tank, so the bag acts as a filter. The two layers of mesh do a great job at getting the majority of the material out of there. We’ve found that doing this prevents clogging maybe 98% of the time.
I'm vegging in your supersoil right now but am getting some plants I'm going to be immediately flipping to flower and I'm wondering if the supersoil is good to go with good nutrient ratios for flowering or should I amend with some bloom top dress too?
SuperSoil is meant to get through 4-6 weeks of veg/bloom growth, depending on a few factors. I recommend beginning top dressing (and/or phos fish powder) starting when the plants show the first pre-flowers, then weekly thereafter until two or so weeks from finish. A common system is using the Bloom Top Dress around week 2, and the rotating every other week with BTD and the 4-20-0 Fish Powder
Why is the Five:Two/ Humic Acid added to the tea after the aerating / brewing cycle?
We recommend to add our Five:Two after the brewing cycle because it can make your pH increase, and it isn’t ideal to have higher pH levels when feeding.
Do you have a solution for brewing in the extreme heat? If you agree that the brew should remain under 80 degrees, I need to figure a way to keep the water cool during brewing.
Yes! Freeze a couple jugs of water, then put those in the brewer
I know the bubble snake eventually eliminates chlorine in the tap water, but I’ve heard that it won’t eliminate the CHLORAMINE. Is that true?
About Chloramine, yes, it does not aerate out of water entirely, at least that's what I have found/read. Aerating water does seem to reduce the amount though. And, because we are putting so much compost and other ingredients into our teas, the disinfecting qualities of the chloramine get overwhelmed pretty quickly. So, you'll still be brewing a biologically active tea even with a little leftover chloramine.
I was looking for a system to apply the tea. I have about 1.5 acres. Can I use a sprayer like this: SCOTTS Professional Backpack Sprayer - 4 Gallons 190540C | RONA? I am worried about the sprayer killing the microbes in the tea.
Don’t worry about killing the microbes, they are pretty tough. The only issue is clogging the sprayer. You will want to filter the tea before dumping it into the sprayer. I use the tea bag placed on top of the spout pouring the tea through the two layers of mesh will remove most of what might clog the unit. You can also use a sump pump attached to a hose with a spray nozzle on it. I dilute tea 1:10 (so 5 gallons in a 50 gallon barrel of water), then spray the garden with the hose/nozzle. This is also fine for the microbes. There’s some undo caution out there when it comes to microbe safety. We have seen great results with using these methods
I have a bed I want to prepare for next seasons planting. Is it beneficial to use tea in the soil now, without any plants?
Yes! Use compost tea to prepare soil for future planting by lightly spraying and turning in the amendments. Don’t soak the soil.
Is Your biochar inoculated /charged?
Right now, we do not inoculate/charge it, so it is just pure biochar. What I have found through experience is that adding compost/castings/frass to your soil along with biochar (or using compost tea) is a good way to inoculate the material. We recommend that you put in ~2.5% to soil volume ( = ~20 yards over an acre tilled 6" deep) several years in a row. This is a great way to incorporate it without overdoing it.
If you do want to inoculate the material, you could brew a compost tea, then soak the char with that for a couple days. We have tried various versions of inoculating and charging (charging would be using fertilizer instead of biologicals) but have not come up with a method that makes sense for commercial production, though we are thinking on it so...Stay tuned!!!
If you do want to inoculate the material, you could brew a compost tea, then soak the char with that for a couple days. We have tried various versions of inoculating and charging (charging would be using fertilizer instead of biologicals) but have not come up with a method that makes sense for commercial production, though we are thinking on it so...Stay tuned!!!
Have a question that isn't listed?
No problem! Shoot us an email at help@composttealab.com, or call us at (707) 798-7275. We're happy to help you any way we can!
