A Basic Compost Tea Guide

[CT Guy]

You might not be getting good extraction and aeration which could case anaerobic pockets in your tea or compost, resulting in the "white slimy looking things"

 

[candamo]

brewed up some tea couple days ago and today it had lots of white slimy looking things bobbing about in the tea... 1 cup ewc, 1/4 cup high p bat guano, 4tbsp molasses, 2tbsp kelp extract, 1 tbsp liquid karma and 1 tbsp dolomite lime into 5 gallons of water.

i believe the dolomite lime is supposed to be mixed in the soil not in the tea...

 

[hdn155]

I read some where on this thread that you can dolo lime to the tea.. i dont have any lime in my soil.

 

[hdn155]

Btw, despite the white slimy things in my tea i used it anyway with good results. the plants responded very well. i am going to add another air pump and air stone to the brew next time.

 

[CT Guy]

Add the lime to the soil, not your tea.

 

[CT Guy]

Btw, despite the white slimy things in my tea i used it anyway with good results. the plants responded very well. i am going to add another air pump and air stone to the brew next time.

Run a diffuser and air pump directly in the mesh bag that holds the compost (400 microns is the ideal size). This will agitate the compost and help keep it aerobic, along with stripping the microbes off the soil particulate.

 

[vonforne]

Add the lime to the soil, not your tea.

Ha Ha alot of peeps first try and correct a soil problem this way. It just causes more problems in the long run. What most do not understand is the teas are a supplement and not just a nutrient supplement. The organic compounds should be already in the soil for the bacteria and fungi to digest and feed the plant.

But hey my first tea years ago was guanos and EWC in a 44 gallon Rubbermaid trash can with a fish tank jet as a water circulator. It worked but not as it should. But then again the Wright brothers first plane was not an 747.

V

 

[Smurf]

I remember that fish tank jet propulsion system you had Von, lol,,, I think I've upgraded a few times since then too. Its a different buzz when you don't have to worry about feeding the plants,, & just concentrate on the soil.

I'm still cannibalizing my plants tho,, but its worth it ,,, got my brix levels up from last yr, must be doing something right.

I would still like a scope tho

 

[vonforne]

Hey Smurf, good to read you. All those new toys they have now. Just think where we would be if we had those from the start.

V

 

[CT Guy]

Ha Ha alot of peeps first try and correct a soil problem this way. It just causes more problems in the long run. What most do not understand is the teas are a supplement and not just a nutrient supplement. The organic compounds should be already in the soil for the bacteria and fungi to digest and feed the plant.

But hey my first tea years ago was guanos and EWC in a 44 gallon Rubbermaid trash can with a fish tank jet as a water circulator. It worked but not as it should. But then again the Wright brothers first plane was not an 747.

V

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of lime, I agree that it's far better to let the organisms correct imbalances in your soil. There are instances where it could have benefit though. In general, with all that goes into these soil mixes you guys are using, I wouldn't think it necessary....

 

[vonforne]

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of lime, I agree that it's far better to let the organisms correct imbalances in your soil. There are instances where it could have benefit though. In general, with all that goes into these soil mixes you guys are using, I wouldn't think it necessary....

Don´t get me wrong Tad. Dolomite lime in any form is a staple in my soil mix.....just not in the teas. I have worked on soil mixes without lime and have used organic compounds to balance the soil out but that takes time and space that some cannot afford. I believe that the lime is a working compound in nature and try and follow that as closely as possible but we do all agree that is hard to do in a closet.

V

 

[Clackamas Coot]

This time of the year, we have a HUGE problem with 'mold' (specifically "powdery mildew") and so I brewed up a 'high-fungi' aerated compost tea and applied it to all of the plants in my garden.

4 weeks forward - no powdery mildew at all. All the plants are strong and disease free.

It works for me.

 

[CTSV]

"but sometimes people do stupid things and don't say anything and you end up drenching your early flowering plants in a drainless tub with the salty starch water and watching as your plant turn crispy brown over the next 4 weeks leaving you with the fugliest plants, a pitiful harvest, and a spouse who thinks you should just 'get over it' because it's not like it was the last 4 months of effort or anything... (but i am definitely not bitter or anything...)"

LMAO! That is funny!

 

[C21H30O2]

can anyone recommend a good nitrogen rich tea mix. I have been using CT for awhile now and love them but i just put some clones into my veg box and they are looking a little light in its shade of green. I need to give them a quick shot of nitrogen... any suggestions.

 

[Moppel]

i need to make a flowertea for my outdoor plants, but there isnt any batguano available here. Can anyone give me a recipe which doesnt contain batguano?

thnx

 

[Smurf]

Hey Moppel, try some kelp in any form, (one of the best natural additives for blooming),, can you get your hands on some molasses as well?

 

[Hash Man]

i used vonforms veg recipe for a foliar spray for my plants that were overdosed with nitrogen for some odd reason by the caretaker. as descrinbed by dr. ingham i applied it with no regard to sq. foot per acre....lol.... its indoor and not that large. the plants seemed to love it. my question is, how often can i apply this foliar spray undiluted...

also, tomorrow i will flip to a 12/12 light cycle. do u have any recomendations on an early flower to mid flower tea mix? I use the vermicrop teamaker to brew all my teas. and theya ll turn out really foamy after 24 hrs.

 

[Moppel]

Hey Moppel, try some kelp in any form, (one of the best natural additives for blooming),, can you get your hands on some molasses as well?

i can get molasses, yes. And where should i be able to by kelp? is kelp a algae? (sorry , english is not my first language)

isnt kelp very low in npk?

 

[Hash Man]

is it ok to add diamond nectar to the tea or other micronutrients?

 

[DocLeaf]

Nice thread

Just started making our own organic nutrients

Guano Tea Veg: (approx. 1.2 -1.4 ec)

5 litres of warm water
1 small cup of urine
3 large table spoons of Gualong Bat Guano
1 tea spoon Sea Bird Guano
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon wood ash
1 tablespoon golden syrup (molasses)
20ml Atami Alga-C (sea weed juice)


Guano Tea Bloom: (approx. 1.6 - 1.8 ec)

5 litres of warm water
1 small cup of urine
5 large table spoons of worm castings
2 large table spoons of Gualong Bat Guano
1 large table spoon of Kenyan Bat Guano
2 tablespoon of sugar
1 tablespoon wood ash
2 tablespoon golden syrup (molasses)


All fermented for between 7 - 30 days using a double set of air-stones.
Adding fresh base ingredients and warm water to top up as required.