Increasing Pressure for Compost Tea

I had a thought the other day based on 2 axioms.
1. Aerobic organisms grow better when there is more oxygen dissolved in the tea.
2. Increased pressure means a higher amount of dissolved oxygen.

I am using 2 crappy aquarium bubblers to make my compost tea. Some places say that they don't output enough oxygen to guarantee the magic 6 ppm number for oxygen in tea. Would increasing the pressure of the system via putting on an airtight top with a relief valve harm the process in any way? I feel like I'm missing something obvious.

I'm not convinced its aerobic strains we want to cultivate in the first place. Where is the literature on this?

Ijustlikegardening said:

I had a thought the other day based on 2 axioms.
1. Aerobic organisms grow better when there is more oxygen dissolved in the tea.
2. Increased pressure means a higher amount of dissolved oxygen.

I am using 2 crappy aquarium bubblers to make my compost tea. Some places say that they don't output enough oxygen to guarantee the magic 6 ppm number for oxygen in tea. Would increasing the pressure of the system via putting on an airtight top with a relief valve harm the process in any way? I feel like I'm missing something obvious.

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Your pumps will be restricted. They aren't designed to fight positive pressure, so as pressure increases, airflow would decrease, even potentially causing backflow of tea into the pump.

I ordered a 4 outlet pump a few years ago and works great for a 5 gallon volume. It's been running non stop for about half that time. I have to stir it a couple times a day. I haven't used a microscope, but i can tell you it works.

Ijustlikegardening said:

I had a thought the other day based on 2 axioms.
1. Aerobic organisms grow better when there is more oxygen dissolved in the tea.
2. Increased pressure means a higher amount of dissolved oxygen.

I am using 2 crappy aquarium bubblers to make my compost tea. Some places say that they don't output enough oxygen to guarantee the magic 6 ppm number for oxygen in tea. Would increasing the pressure of the system via putting on an airtight top with a relief valve harm the process in any way? I feel like I'm missing something obvious.

Click to expand...

Look up the diy videos on how to make a hydro electrolysis unit. It's cheap, easy, and the most effective thing. If I hadn't already spent the 200 or so on my TeaLab Bubblesnake set up I'd have done it a long time ago.

I started out using cheap aquarium airstones for bubbling teas but they kept getting clogged up from heavy use. Had to soak & clean them out every so often. Then one day I dropped one and it shattered. Upgraded to a red frog air diffuser; best $14 ever spent. It's got many more and larger diameter air holes than an aquarium airstone. Made from old tires; it never clogs up and I hardly ever clean it. Just run it in a bucket of clean water for a few mins after each use. Still using the same dual line fish tank air pump from Walmart that I've had for years; works great.
https://redfrogcompostteas.com/collections/air-diffusers

Ijustlikegardening said:

I had a thought the other day based on 2 axioms.
1. Aerobic organisms grow better when there is more oxygen dissolved in the tea.
2. Increased pressure means a higher amount of dissolved oxygen.

I am using 2 crappy aquarium bubblers to make my compost tea. Some places say that they don't output enough oxygen to guarantee the magic 6 ppm number for oxygen in tea. Would increasing the pressure of the system via putting on an airtight top with a relief valve harm the process in any way? I feel like I'm missing something obvious.

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I would retire the airstones/ bubblers and build yourself a airlift brewer. Problem solved. This is the best resource out there regarding everything relating compost tea IMO.

http://microbeorganics.com/

farmerjoe420 said:

I would retire the airstones/ bubblers and build yourself a airlift brewer. Problem solved. This is the best resource out there regarding everything relating compost tea IMO.

http://microbeorganics.com/

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And you can buy the tapered drums and build it yourself for a fraction of the cost of a commercial kit.