Brewing Bountea - the lazy way

Yes, I have only just got round to brewing my first batch of Bountea! 

 

Being a rather rough-and-ready gardener, I am not too picky about the brewing process.  Sometimes I brew for 24 hours - sometimes I leave it for as long as four days (and pop in a little extra Bioactivator).  Instead of a 4-gallon Brew Kit, I use a large 50-gallon Brewer.  This allows me to make a diluted batch and treat the greenhouses straight from the barrel.

During the Winter, water barrels in the greenhouse provide thermal mass; the one nearest the door now becomes the brewing container.  I simply throw in the diffuser unit, attach the air pump and put in a heater unit if it is cold at night.  Then I add the same ingredients as for a 4 gallon brew: 2 quarts of Humisoil and a cup of Bioactivator.  This makes a rather dilute brew but is easy for me to remember.

Because the temperature is cold, I brew for 48 hours.  I like to see a bit of foam on the top as this tells me the bacterial microbes are reproducing well; this only happens if the brew is warm.  Longer, cooler brews tend not to produce much foam but often have a stronger population of fungal microbes.  Early in the season, I am looking for more bacteria than fungi in the brew as this is what fast-growing, leafy vegetables like.

During the last hour or two of the brewing process I add a cup of M3.  This is particularly important if I want my greens and salads to grow fast and sweet.  Right at the end, I add 1/2 - 1 cup of Root Web (if this is the first brew).  Root Web is amazing.  It not only helps the roots of most vegetables grow stronger and more efficient, it also puts carbon into the soil.  Mycorrhizae capture carbon dioxide from the air and create a stable sticky black carbon chain called glomalin. This is the binding substance of fertile soil.

When my Bountea brewing is done, I fill my watering can and splash it all over the greenhouses and garden.  Even easier, I use a cheap sump pump that I cover with a strainer bag.  This is dumped into the barrel of Bountea  and I hose the beautiful brown stuff wherever I want - can't be easier!