Plants that help our plants

[jaykush]

haha sophisto ratios are one thing i do not do, im sorry i cant give you exact numbers. its just not how i garden. its all touch and feel and visual.

for example the recipe above says 2 lbs of nettles to 2.5 gallons of water. i dont add that much, maybe 1 lb of fresh plant matter, 1/4 lb of dried? see i dont even know never measured it. there making a really strong brew with 2 lbs in only 2 gallons. they only say to brew for a few days as well. i have used nettle tea that has been soaking for a month. then when its gone i refill and get a second batch out of it sometimes. the general rule is the stronger you make it the more you have to dilute it. and also try not to use it when its fermenting ( when you shake it bubbles like crazy ) or you will have to dilute more its a bit more unstable. best used when the liquid starts to turn clear.

 

[sophisto]

haha sophisto ratios are one thing i do not do, im sorry i cant give you exact numbers. its just not how i garden. its all touch and feel and visual.

for example the recipe above says 2 lbs of nettles to 2.5 gallons of water. i dont add that much, maybe 1 lb of fresh plant matter, 1/4 lb of dried? see i dont even know never measured it. there making a really strong brew with 2 lbs in only 2 gallons. they only say to brew for a few days as well. i have used nettle tea that has been soaking for a month. then when its gone i refill and get a second batch out of it sometimes. the general rule is the stronger you make it the more you have to dilute it. and also try not to use it when its fermenting ( when you shake it bubbles like crazy ) or you will have to dilute more its a bit more unstable. best used when the liquid starts to turn clear.

You da man, I'm going to order some stuff from this company, and get some brews going. Muchas Gracias Amigo....

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Jaykush

A question about alfalfa tea (or nettle, comfrey, et al. or any known beneficial plant). When you make these teas the regular way by adding plant material to water, you're letting this mixture ferment - am I correct on that?

And if that's correct then what are your thoughts of using live alfalfa (right out of the ground with roots intact) in a 'fermented plant extract'?

I'm eyeing my neighbors alfalfa field with lust in my heart - LOL

Thanks for any input.

CC

 

[jaykush]

A question about alfalfa tea (or nettle, comfrey, et al. or any known beneficial plant). When you make these teas the regular way by adding plant material to water, you're letting this mixture ferment - am I correct on that?

you are correct, fermentation is the key to this method. without it, i don't think it would be possible. fermentation is an amazing thing, it helps unlock lots of goodies in the plant matter that otherwise would not be utilized.

And if that's correct then what are your thoughts of using live alfalfa (right out of the ground with roots intact) in a 'fermented plant extract'?

i say go for it. i use the whole nettle plant for special reasons. the roots are known to fight off disease causing fungi and i use it regularly as a foliar spray and root drench. with amazing results.

if its fresh out of the ground im sure it would make wonderful extract.

 

[neongreen]

Seemed appropriate to post in this thread rather than the FPE thread...

I got a few pics while I was working today


Nettles, before and after.

The Ivy I've been eying up

Lemon Balm

Here's something that looks like it could be useful. I've seen it grow over a foot tall, but most is only 4-6 inches here,

Anyone know what it is?

 

[jaykush]

pictures always seem to help, so here are the rest of the yarrow extract pictures, above we have them being dried and then crushed into a powder.

here we have that powder added to 1 liter of water. i actually weighed the powder it came out to about one gram for this batch of yarrow extract.

here we can see fermentation taking place, this is not done yet. if you shake lightly and you get this wait a few more days.

here we have the finished extract strained into a glass jar for storage. all it needs is lid preferably with a small hole or two on top. all thats needed is diluting and applying.

and last but not least one happy plant grown with only plant extracts and homemade compost.

 

[habeeb]

^ that does look like one happy plant Jay

your knowledge is always appreciated here..

 

[foggy]

Very good thread here, been expermenting with these also, and my plants are doing great.
I am done with al the chemical nutes, no way i am going to use it ever again, seen the potential of teas with plants from my garden.
I just want to smoke chemical free.


Just take look here, organic and nothing else

 

[Yeti]

Thank you

Thank you

Nice find Sophisto. I'll be giving this a shot. It seems an effective healthy way to guard your plants.

May the herbs or various plant material be dried for use indoors during winter months?

Thanks

 

[jaykush]

May the herbs or various plant material be dried for use indoors during winter months?

yes that is the smart thing to do yeti, dry and store as you would your cannabis for best results. i prefer to use fresh all spring/summer then in the fall do one final big harvest and dry enough for all winter and early spring until i can use fresh plants again.

edit: foggy that plant looks great, keep it up. our plants love to eat other plants!

 

[neongreen]

Nice plant foggy!

Yours is looking nice and healthy too jay.

Hopefully I'll be able to post some pics in a few weeks when my extracts are ready and have been applied.

How often does everyone apply their EM-FPEs or FPEs, and in what proportion to teas?

I foliar with EWC/guano teas alternating, with seaweed extract/fish emulsion added every night usually.

I suppose FPEs like nettle (and comfrey) could be used quite frequently, but are they best used in addition to teas, or substituted?

 

[jaykush]

I suppose FPEs like nettle (and comfrey) could be used quite frequently, but are they best used in addition to teas, or substituted?

you can get by with only nettles and comfrey to grow some great nugs. if you want to use other ingredients to add diversity, alternate. nettles will replace high N guano and comfrey is for flowering.

i personally do compost teas once or twice a month, and apply plant extracts every other watering when i water about every 2-3 days. they are diluted and can be applied as a soil drench or diluted even more as a foliar spray.

really, find what works best for you and your situation. i used to use guanos and all those all the time, i stood by them for great nugs, and still do. but over time i stopped seeing the need to go to the store to buy fertilizers when i can grow my own, and improve my soil at the same time.

 

[neongreen]

Thanks jay, yeah, everyone does it a little differently!

 

[foggy]

@ neongreen, i give my babies every 2 days tea, the other day just water.
I am considering now to ad oxigen to the tea before i give to them. i just need a pump with a stone, make my tea in de morning and turn the pump on for a whole day and give it to them in de evening.

I use 1/10 l. for the teas.

 

[foggy]

@jay thanks. like what you are doing here, we should atract more growers here and learn them about what herbs and plants can do to grow weed instead of using chemical shit.

 

[neongreen]

Thanks foggy.

I am considering now to ad oxigen to the tea before i give to them. i just need a pump with a stone, make my tea in de morning and turn the pump on for a whole day and give it to them in de evening.

I use 1/10 l. for the teas.

If you get a pump, get a good high powered one, or else keep the container/tea small. You also want to brew at least 24 hours give or take depending on temperature, or at least that is the standard advice for ACT. I usually start my ACT the night before, and use it the following night (just when the sun is going down, since thats a good time to foliar feed)

 

[jaykush]

@ neongreen, i give my babies every 2 days tea, the other day just water.
I am considering now to ad oxigen to the tea before i give to them. i just need a pump with a stone, make my tea in de morning and turn the pump on for a whole day and give it to them in de evening.

I use 1/10 l. for the teas.

are you talking about compost tea or plant extract teas? no need to aerate with them. your trying to create soluble nutrients not microbial rich teas. and anaerobes do a damn fine job at it. compost tea....aerate like hell.

@jay thanks. like what you are doing here, we should atract more growers here and learn them about what herbs and plants can do to grow weed instead of using chemical shit.

thanks, id like to not get everyone thinking that this is the cure all to organic gardening. this is just one part of many that all fit together. though id love to see more people using sustainable gardening methods, specially since they work so damn good for FREE ( most of the time )

 

[jaykush]

phew went hiking and found a great patch today. nettles, yarrow, horsetail, and lemon balm. harvested about 20 lbs of nettles and some of the others as well. got enough ferts for a while!

 

[jaykush]

some more pics for you all.

here is a pile of nettles, harvested in the wild locally not even a mile away from where i live. most of this is going to be dried for later use.

here is a 5 gallon bucket, filled with water up to about 5 inches from the rim, then enough nettles to cover the surface well is added, what you see is all floating and nothing is submerged yet.

and a rock to help keep it down, then a lid is put on lightly.( no picture of lid)

and last we have a nice scene, was hiking and found a great yarrow patch, 90% of the flower heads you see are wild yarrow ( Achillea millefolium ) a awesome patch to collect fresh flower heads and leaves. just be sure to leave nature some to replenish itself. it is just great when this is where you get your fertilizers, and not the hydroponics store.

 

[neongreen]

I recognize the yarrow now. Nice patch there jay. You hit the jackpot by the looks of it.

I have my eye on some elderberry as well as lavender, and also on the look out for nasturtiums and dock.