Aerating Compost Tea Releases More Nutrients

Properties of vermicompost aqueous extracts
prepared under different conditions
Journal of Environmental Technology
August 2016
Link Here

     Have you ever wondered why aerating your tea makes all the difference?  Well a group of scientists from the Czech University of Life Sciences did.  They too their wonder and turned it into a science experiment. 
      The curious life scientists wanted to see the difference in plant available nutrients in aerated vs. non-aerated teas.  To do this, they tested two different vermicomposts, one made with grape pomice, the other horse manure.  The composts were placed in buckets and were either aerated or just stirred.  The scientists then sampled the brew every 6 hours and tested the tea for: pH, EC, N, P, K Ca, Mg, and a couple of other parameters.  They then used statistics to compare the numbers.  Their findings were remarkable. 
     All macronutrient levels increased in the aerated teas.  Available nitrates levels more than quadrupled.  Phosphorus and Calcium increased by one third.  Potassium and Magnesium doubled.  Interestingly, the majority of the nutrients were made available in the first 6 hours, having reached their maximum at 48 hours.  
      The reasons for these nutrients becoming available is attributed to oxidation reactions occurring in the aerated water, as well as microbial forces acting on the compost material.  This study helps us to identify yet another source of compost tea's goodness.   Thanks science!!!

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