Originally Posted by
Corbat420
Fungi Tea's are another form of Compost tea which is rarely explored. Different forms of fungi live EVERYWHERE, some are good and some are bad. Fungal Teas use Naturaly ocuring good forms of fungi to inoculate the soil and form a symbiotic Bond with the roots of your plants. With a balance of Fungi, Bacteria and Enzymes an organic grower will be MUCH happier with the results the final product has to offer.
Fungal-Dominated Compost Tea Recipe
2 pounds of fungal-dominated compost (see Tips at bottom of page)
2 ounces humic acids
2 teaspoons of yucca extract*
1 ounce of liquid kelp
2 tablespoons of ground oatmeal
5 Gallons Water
We like to add yucca extract near the end of the brewing process, since it has a tendency to create a lot of foam. Also, you'll want to make sure your yucca doesn't have any preservatives, but does have a high saponin content.
A Few Fungi Tips from the Experts
Tip #1
If you want to increase the diversity of your compost tea, we suggest adding a cup or two of garden soil. Better yet, if your compost tea recipe calls for fungal compost, include a cup or two of soil from a nearby forest. By adding these additional soils, you're ensuring your tea is inoculated with a wide range of soil microbes. These soils are like a biological catalyst, or compost tea activator.
Tip #2
When we want to ensure we've got fungi in our tea, we will brew it, and then add spores of mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi act as a wonderful inoculum to any fungal compost tea recipe. These fungi naturally form beneficial relationships with approximately 95% of all plant species. They aid in nutrient transfer to plants, and help to create better soil conditions. Here is a great site if you'd like more information on mycorrhizal fungi.
Tip #3
We can't claim this last tip to be our own. It comes from the incredible book, Teaming with Microbes, by authors, Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis. In it, Lowenfels and Lewis suggest you "give fungi a head start." Since it can be difficult to get fungi to multiple (they do grow in size, just rarely in number) during the compost tea brewing process, the authors recommend growing them prior to the brewing process.To do this, you'll want to moisten a couple cups of compost (just damp, not dripping wet), and then put it in a light-resistant container. Then grind up some simple proteins (fungal foods), such as oatmeal, and mix them in with the moist compost. Cover partially with a lid, and then place in a warm, dark area. We typically put ours under our sink, or above our fridge in a cupboard. After about 3 days, you'll remove the lid, and find a bunch of fungal mycelia throughout the compost. You can now use this compost to brew your fungal tea.
Tip #4
Don't accidentally filter out your fungi (and nematodes) when straining your tea. When filtering your tea, be sure your screen is as close to 400 micrometers as possible. Paint strainers, from your local hardware store, work quite well for this function. Avoid using socks or pillowcases, since their fibers are too tight.