The kelp helps with the foam. If you can regulate the aeration it helps also. An airstone inside your bag/sock will help in diffusion, by the end of the cycle most of the contents have leeched out of the bag. the goal of the tea is a healthy, aerobically selected, microbial/fungal culture, a sock--while being a barrier for us--to them is shall we say a non-issue. The couple of times I've gone directly into solution, it got slimy relatively quickly. Another plus for the sock/bag is the lucky plant that gets the used contents (worm castings, vegetable compost, +/- guano, +/- alfalfa) gets a superboost. As I understand it, kelp provides many minerals, micronutrients, hormones, and other growth factors. The rock dust is basically a fjord salt lick for the culture. And I concur on the earthy smell indicating all is well.
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