How I Made a Compost Tea Brewer & Saved $4,000 USD | Regenerative Agriculture

I love compost tea! I have been able to reduce my fertilizer bill to pennies. There are companies charging well over $4,700+ for the "vortex brewer" that I built for just under $1,000.
...
In this video, I show you how I built one. The system worked so well last year that a neighbor wanted the exact same for his farm.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated cost is about $1,000 for parts. Prices have gone up significantly since I posted this video.
Amazon 110 Gallon tank w/ Stand includes shipping - amzn.to/3rVOirt
2 hp Blower amzn.to/3qLbIoy
150 Gallon Tank - $330 + shipping
www.tank-depot.com/productdet...
150 Gallon Tank Stand - $345 + shipping
www.tank-depot.com/productdet...
PVC Parts
1x - 10ft PVC 2" pipe
2x - 2" Union/slip joint
1x - 2" 90 degree elbow
1x - 2" Tee
1x - 2" Coupling
1x - 2" to 3/4" Reducer
1x - 2" Threaded male-to-female slip coupling
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow me on Instagram for exclusive posts and updates:
/ permaculture_stef
Growing food is more important than ever these days! But it’s not just about planting seeds; it’s also about planting at the RIGHT time, so you can get the most harvest possible. And this amazing free Garden Planning Tool will help you calculate your planting dates for this year in a snap! Learn more: bit.ly/3JZDELJ
Thanks and subscribe to get more useful content on your KZbin feed!
- Stefano

[@PermaResilience]

Nice Stef - that really makes a large scale brewer more accessible.

[@StefanoCreatini]

Thanks Bret!

[@jasonrobinson9242]

Great info for the people! I also rock the home made brewer vary similar same results!

[@SurvivalBetty]

I just want to say thank you. This is hands down, one of the most valuable things I have found online to help my farm. I greatly appreciate it and am a new sub!

[@StefanoCreatini]

Thanks!

[@ericschmitzer]

Great tips. Cool aerial shots and editing!

[@StefanoCreatini]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@svnt_]

Good job mate!

[@lindagates9150]

I am already a subscriber so I feel that I have to be a commenter just to add the extra thumbs up 👍 because I can’t believe that KZbin will only allow one official 👍 it isn’t what I want never just one for my favourite teachers🍎🍏🍎🍏🍎🤔👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🖖🤷🏼‍♀️. Thank you for this brewing tea episode 🙋🏼‍♀️

[@StefanoCreatini]

Thanks Linda! you rock!

[@michaelmanculich4004]

Thank you so much, much. Appreciated

[@carfvallrightsreservedwith6649]

Actually a pretty good build. No mention of air blower cost that I caught.

[@StefanoCreatini]

Thanks! its about 100 dollars for blower, id get a 2 hp motor so it doesnt over heat. Middle of summer, the motor would over heat with direct sun.

[@littlenugs9942]

Very nice brewer! Almost like my version

[@StefanoCreatini]

Thanks, how is your setup?

[@wanderingwyoming5030]

Love your Brewer and Tea recipe! Are you still using the same brewer? have you made any modifications? How long does the tea stay viable?

[@StefanoCreatini]

I'm not brewing at the moment, I did make some modifications. I recommend a 2 hp blower vs 1hp, the 1 hp blower over heats

[@maricrea106]

Great practical tips! Where can you buy the tank and base?

[@StefanoCreatini]

check out description, I put links. Thanks

[@KenBarton]

where did you get your air pump from? how do you rate a pump for 150 gallonbrewer

[@David-oe1xj]

not a slip joint but a compression fitting

[@chrispfister4595]

Hey Stefano, in the process of building one now. Where did you get the air check valve? The one from Amazon needs a coupler and yours seems to slip right on. Thanks!

[@StefanoCreatini]

They sell ones with the valves, and ones without. You can get a union valve for the ones without. Let me know if you cant find it

[@chrispfister4595]

I got it figured out! Tank and stand arrive tomorrow@@StefanoCreatini Thanks!

[@bobm1136]

How did this work out for you? I made a 250 gal brewer using the same blower after watching this. Fired it up today and found this blower puts out really really hot air! Just noticed these spa blowers don’t have an external heat sink like regenerative blowers usually sold for large brewers. So appears to have something Internal and blows that hot air right into the delivery tube. Did you notice this? If so, how did you manage it? I’m pretty bummed right now. Ambient temp is currently over 90 during the day. Not sure how good an idea it would be to blow 150 degree air into the brewer.

[@StefanoCreatini]

Hey Bob, Try putting less water in the tank. I run about 100 gallons per brew.. Did you use 2 hp or 1 hp? That brought my temperature down. Do you reduce the volume of air feeding pipe? That creates heat.

[@BioVermicompost]

Where did you buy the cone and base at?

[@StefanoCreatini]

I bought it off craigslist, so i get a very nice deal on it.

[@deirdremyers9385]

Curious how much vermicompost is suggested for this size tank?

[@StefanoCreatini]

I use about a kilo to 2 kilos of vermicompost. I mix humic acid, kelp, and cold processed fish hydrolysate. I'm going to release a longer video on how I make it. I got a 60 second video with recipes in description out now.

[@mirsidorov5112]

Hey Stefano, thanks for the info, very much appreciated for putting this out there. Is there information in Elaine's program about the benefits of a tea vs an extract? I would assume a tea has magnitudes more bacteria/fungi spores since it has time to multiply. Also, is there a "best" time to have the tea ferment? Ive heard 12 hours is great, after which the bacteria has eaten all the food and no point leaving it on for longer. Also, do you use the johnson su reactor to make your compost?

[@yd8104]

The tea has more bacteria and fungi but less diversity of species because you lose some which can't thrive in the water, this bubbly disturbance, light or temperature. That's why Dr Elaine suggest to use the tea for foliage application. For foliage it's about coverage (quantity), not diversity. Of course the tea will always be better than nothing for the soil especially if you get to the right fungi:bacteria ratio for your crop. The extract is better for soil than since you have more diversity. Diversity is the best way to ensure your plant gets to fight pests, diseases and climate diversity (drought, temperature, flood, seasons, etc.). Extract is also easier to apply on large acrages than compost itself due to it's liquid form, but to have the required quantity of organisms you will have to have more quantity of liquid extract than the tea (that's why people prefer tea over extract, but they shouldn't).

[@mirsidorov5112]

@@yd8104 Oh wow, Ive always heard that tea has more of everything because it is given time to reproduce along with the additions like mycos/ceramic powder/kelp/fish emulsion, but at the same time ive wondered whether the air destroys some biology. So the only thing that is negative about teas are the air/light/water disturbance. What if we think of a new way to create a tea-extract synergy, where we fill up a full container of soil with water, then put bubbles through it, that will save the biology and at the same time give it time to multiply.

[@yd8104]

@@mirsidorov5112 There is also temperature that can hurt your diversity. It's not really that it's negative in absolute. It depends on what you want to use it for. If you mostly need to innoculate diversity : extract. If you mostly need to cover surfaces quantity : tea. If you absolutely need both : more extract. The principle is : different species of organisms thrive in different environmental conditions (oxygen, temperature, disturbance, light, moisture,...). In the bubbler it's a specific set of conditions, so species which are not made for it will go dormant or die. What you are describing seems to be the very principle of compost tea

[@mirsidorov5112]

@@yd8104 So whats the purpose of doing the tea, if we get more biology in an extract, and that biology will multiply in the soil anyway? Wouldnt it just be more efficient to do an extract, and let all that biology multiply in the soil vs losing the biology while making the tea? I guess the only reason for teas is if you have a giant farm, you dont have a lot of good compost, and you need a massive amount of liquid, and an extract will simply not give enough biology if you dilute it too much. Basically, if you have plenty of compost there is no reason to make a tea, go for extract all the time. I think I got it:)

[@dumbsathanass8669]

Can you use this in a square IBC tote?

[@StefanoCreatini]

The cleaning will be hard to deal with but yes it can be done, also you will have anaerobic areas if you can get enough oxygen in the corners for example.

[@chucklefuck]

Wouldn't drilling directly into the tank risk it cracking?

[@StefanoCreatini]

I haven't had any issues with it, the plastic is thick. My first tank is 2 years old.

[@budgreene3774]

where can I buy the reservoir. I can make own stand

[@StefanoCreatini]

I’d check online or keep looking on Facebook or Craiglist

[@gilgameschvonuruk4982]

Can you post the Motor?

[@StefanoCreatini]

amzn.to/3qLbIoy , I would go with the 2 hp motor, that was a mistake I learned, 1 hp would overheat.

[@benjaminhead1944]

Hey Stefano- nice work. Was sent by Bret over at PermaResilience. One concern that I have is how you mounted the motor to the plastic tank with a substantial cantilever. You are working against physics in this scenario. At a minimum, I would apply a vertical support to the cantilevered board but better yet, support the motor vertically. My 2 cents. Thanks for the video.

[@StefanoCreatini]

Do you think its needed, the motor weighs maybe 3 lbs tops. 🤔 thanks for input

[@benjaminhead1944]

@@StefanoCreatini Well there are a couple of ways to answer that and they are dependent on time. Is this a temporary setup? If so, you are probably just fine. If you are intending to use it indefinitely, then yes. Create a support. While the motor weighs only 3 lbs., it is hanging on a long lever (the board) that is applying constant pressure to the screws and ultimately to the plastic tank. This downward force combined with the vibration of the pump will likely cause this to fail at the top and/or on your pvc fittings below. YMMV. That said, you have inspired me to build one.

[@StefanoCreatini]

@@benjaminhead1944 sweet, let me know how it works. The first tank I built, is 2 year old now. I used a double plank system and 1 hp motor on it. I just reversed it this time, 1 plank, 2 hp .... lol

[@kaiunruh9498]

Wondering what kind of motor you used for that?

[@StefanoCreatini]

Hey Kai, i used a 1 hp spa blower I'd recommend a 2 hp spa blower

[@kaiunruh9498]

Thanks!

[@kaiunruh9498]

Got any good recommendations for where I could get a good one?

[@edition-deluxe]

Still seems like way to much to spend--over $600 for the tank?! Well I guess if you need something right out of the box ready to go. And I can't even believe the price of the vortex brewer--guess I need to go into the compost tea system making business. Thanks for your video though, nice build.

[@StefanoCreatini]

It does! Tanks are so pricey, Amazon carries cheap induction tanks with a base. A local company sells compost tea at 5 dollars per gallon.

[@NagashiChidorii]

should have made this a vortex brewer!

[@StefanoCreatini]

How come?

[@NagashiChidorii]

@@StefanoCreatini much more efficient, quiet and brings in more air

[@ericcarve4476]

@@NagashiChidorii did you see the end of the vid? That was a huge amount of agitation, doesn’t that introduce massive oxygenation?

[@earthblock369]

To create the vortex effect should be fairly simple right?

[@StefanoCreatini]

According to the microbes course I did, vortex doesn't provide additional benefits

[@earthblock369]

@@StefanoCreatini as far as microbial content goes maybe not however as a Viktor Schauberger student I learned that vortexing water is always an important factor for virtually every situation water is used.

[@shamanking5195]

I was about to enroll in soil food web class, I think is quite expensive ,, may I ask why there was no benefit taking it ???

[@StefanoCreatini]

Hi, it's good if you are looking to make a career out of it. I found it very hard to convert farmers to believe in it for them to pay me. Depending on your situation and how farmers it can work. Are you looking to do consulting?

[@elibennett3034]

@@StefanoCreatini I am. I would like to take the course, but the price is steep. Have you had any luck at all getting clients? Have you been farming yourself?

[@evoliveoil]

@@elibennett3034 I talked to a farmer who figured out how to reduce his nitrogen 50% and with that his profit margin has gone up. Farmers nearby don't make the money he is making, they know what he is doing but they refuse to change. I asked him why? He told me their pride gets in the way.

[@rogerd0]

How's the 2 HP holding up?

[@StefanoCreatini]

I sold the brewer in 2021, was working fine for the new owners. I just bought a farm and will be making another one soon

[@rogerd0]

@@StefanoCreatini did the 1 HP not provide enough volume of air?

[@StefanoCreatini]

It would over heat in direct sun

[@BigFarm_ah365]

That is just an air pump? I take it you don't fill the brewer to the top as I didn't see a check valve or anything that would protect the pump if power was lost

[@StefanoCreatini]

The pump is higher than the water level,

[@carfvallrightsreservedwith6649]

$1,000? Naw. We use these inductors in agriculture herbicide applications. Can be picked up used for next to nothing or even free, cleaned, neutralized with PRO TANK or even household bleach, and rinsed. An oiless air compressor (from Harbour Freight), a little PVC, a few plastic ball valves......., if you go over $300 you're not a tinkerer at heart.😊

[@StefanoCreatini]

Love it, Ill try it next time.

[@dumbsathanass8669]

this rules! Lmao those vortex brewers are a scam

[@StefanoCreatini]

100%, I took a $5k soil course from Elaine Ingham, and there is no difference in the quality of microbes under the microscope.

[@marvinparker7872]

I made one out of 2 5gallon🪣