Organic Gardening Info from Peaceful Valley

PVFS Customer Email with Staff Response

Question:

I am an avid home brewer of compost tea. I use to rid my water of chlorine by running the pump 1 hour prior to brewing. However, I have now moved to an area that has chloramine treated water. It is my understanding that chloramine cannot be removed using the same process as the chlorine. Will the subject Gard ‘N Gro Garden Filter remove chloramine to the extent that it will not kill off the microbial activity in the “soil soup” or compost tea?

Thanks for your help! I need to find an answer as I don’t want to have to buy bottled water to make the tea!

Answer:

I spoke to the manufacturer of the Gard ‘N Gro Dechlorinating Filter about your question. Although that filter does remove some of the chloramine (maybe about a 25-30% reduction), to remove more requires slower flow rates and more of the media in the filter. They make a product called the Green Knight Hydroponic Dechlorinator made for your type of situation. It is designed to reduce the chlorine and chloramine in tap water when filling hydroponic nutrient tanks. It removes 85-90% of the chlorine and reduces chloramine over 60%. It uses a much slower flow rate and has twice as much filtering media and surface area than the Gard ‘N Gro Dechlorinating Filter. It does not use replaceable cartridges, but has a 30,000 gallon capacity. It reduces more chloramine if the water pH is in the low sevens or lower and the warmer the water, the more effective it is. We haven’t offered the Green Knight in our catalog, although we may in next year’s catalog. We can get one in with our next order, if you want to order one. They are approximately $10 more than the Gard ‘N Gro Dechlorinating Filter. We will be placing an order with the manufacturer within the next week or so. Let me know if you want to order one.

Thank you for growing organically!

This correspondence Continued:

Reply from Customer:

Wow!  Thanks for all the research!

I do think I may want to order the Green Knight Hydroponic Dechlorinator.  However, before I do I need to know more.  Does this filter hook up “in-line” between your faucet and a hose, or is it bigger than that requiring some sort of installation?  And I still don’t know if the 60% reduction is good enough for brewing compost tea.  Do you have a sense of that since you are offering compost tea brewers now?  Is this something that you would recommend to customers buying your compost tea brewers and supplies?

Many, many thanks.  This issue with chloramines in the water and compost tea is a tricky one.  A google search on the internet indicates that there are a LOT of people looking for answers but there aren’t any out there really.  Humic acid and fish aquarium neutralizers are the only suggestions.  The fish aquarium neutralizers are all sodium based…..not good for the soil!  All this is food for thought for a New Product Development Manager………….

Response From our Staff:

The Green Knight comes with the same 3 foot vinyl reinforced hose saver that comes with the Gard ‘N Gro Dechlorinating Filter.  It attaches to the hose bib and then to the filter.  The Green Knight also comes with a built in pre-filter for particulate matter, so you don’t have to buy a separate pre-filter.  I am trying to find out from some compost tea experts if 60-70% reduction in chloramines is adequate.  If I get more info, I’ll let you know.  I’m also not sure if the amount of sodium in the aquarium neutralizers is significant enough to be a detriment to the soil or the compost tea itself.  I am not familiar with what is in them or what chemical reaction occurs when it eliminates the chloramine.  If you know, please let me know.

Question from a PVFS customer sent by email and an answer from our staff.

Question:

I heard of liquid fish and other kinds of plant aids a few days ago and would appreciate your advice. What would you recommend for Fescue grasses, Bermuda grasses , Kentucky Bluegrass, and a variety of clovers grasses? And approximately how much should be applied to an acre? What would be approximate cost?

Thank you for your consideration on this matter.

Answer:

Yes, liquid fish is great for grasses as well as other plants! The rate is 10-20 gal/acre, the cost is $49.99 per 5 Gal, $219.00 per 55 Gallon drum (plus shipping and tax). Another excellent liquid to consider is Aerated Compost Tea. We sell it at here in Grass Valley, CA to local customers and the response has been tremendous for lawns, ornamentals, veggies, etc. You might check around your area for it. For ordering products for producing Compost tea click here.

Thanks you for growing organically!

Our conference room was packed on Saturday for Marney Blair’s composting workshop and with good reason… Marney had us all sitting on the edge of our seats as she explained micro-biological activity! She’s a great teacher, full of passion and endless knowledge to share.

If you missed the workshop, we’re planning to have her back to teach us all more soon. In the meantime, I wanted to share a few token highlights from my conversation with Marney.

Q: What’s your favorite informational resource on composting?
A: The Rodale Book of Composting

Q: As a biodynamic farmer, what’s your favorite book?
A: Principles of Biodynamic Spray & Compost Preparations by Manfred Klett

Q: What is compost tea used for?
A: Compost tea is a biological inoculant that increases vigor and plant health. It can be applied to the soil and leaves where the microorganisms will make nutrients more readily available to the plant. It is not a fertilizer and it cannot replace all the benefits of compost. It can be applied to fruit trees or other crops to prevent disease or to aid arrested crops that may have been shocked by dramatic temperature changes, for example.

Q: How do you make compost tea?
A: There are many different brewers available, but the basics are that you combine

• 1 quart of high quality compost in a mesh bag in a
• 5 gallon bucket of water to which you’ve added
• A couple tablespoons of compost tea catalyst OR 1/4 cup molasses (this catalyst helps tease the living microorganisms out of the compost and into the water/tea which you will then spray on your plants. “Everyone likes sugar!
  
• Add an aerator or fish pump, or simply stir every hour. The microorganisms need air to breath and stay alive.
• Brew for approximately 24 hours and then use immediately, diluted 1 part tea to 10 parts water.

I really enjoyed myself at Marney’s workshop and learned more than a few things myself! The “ah ha” moment for me was when she said that compost, when finished, will have a neutral pH! Even when you use a base of oak leaves or pine needles (both of which are acidic)? Yes! This is great news since my yard is covered with nothing but pine needles and oak leaves.

Marney Blair from Fulcrum Farm will be hosting a fabulous workshop on making compost and compost tea on Saturday, May 2 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. at Peaceful Valley in Grass Valley.

Marney, AKA “The Compost Queen” is co-founder of 20 acre Fulcrum Farm, a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that uses Biodynamic practices. She is the founder and director of Green Gold, a county wide educational service for composting. Prior to this she founded The Regeneration Program in the Presidio of San Francisco, a comprehensive composting facility. She holds a BS in Biology, and an MS in Psychoneuroimmunology.

To register, just call 530-272-4769 x106. The cost is just $10. Participants will receive a 10% off coupon for use at Peaceful Valley.

Compost tea is simply amazing. It’s a liquid extract of quality compost containing nutrients, micro-organisms, and organic compounds, all essential to root health and plant growth.Learn how to make your own compost tea with a specially designed brewer.

Martha Stewart recently discovered the benefits of compost tea and had one of the brewers we carry from Growing Solutions set-up at her house. Founder and president of Growing Solutions, Michael Alms, gives a lesson in compost tea, a valuable organic alternative to chemical fertilizers. Watch the video!

Learn more about the Ten gallon Growing Solutions brewer carried by Peaceful Valley Farm and Garden Supply by clicking here.

I used to scoff at lawns… I thought that a real, lush, soft, bed of grass was only possible with lots of chemical fertilizer and far too much water. Despite my past prejudice I decided last fall to give this organic lawn idea a try. So we dug up a small patch near our house, flattened it out the best we could, added Soft Rock Phosphate, CalCM+ Gypsum and Peaceful Valley Compost and tilled it together. We spread Tough Turf Lawn Seed at the suggested distribution rate once in fall, then again in winter and then one more time in spring. The reason for some of the extra seed was that we had some run off that would carry the seed away. But I would say that even without the run-off issue I would have doubled the suggested distribution rate (I really wanted a lush lawn).

A lush lawn I got! See for yourself:

This lawn was planted in the fall of 07, this picture was taken in April of 08… no chemical fertilizers used, just a little compost tea every other month or so. I water with a Gardena Hydro Fan Sprinkler for 5 minutes a day. I have to admit it turned out better than I thought it would… especially in the first year… now if I could get out of that hammock long enough to mow it (maybe next year).