A Basic Compost Tea Guide

[vonforne]

hi eveyone

i was wondering when to start feeding guano tea for flowering outdoors should i start when the first buds start or could i just start anytime i want o make sure i get enough in the soil for the bud

You can start at any time. I would start as soon as possible. The plants will take in what the require. Did you prepare the soil prior to planting? The idea with the teas is to place bacteria and fungi into the soil to aid in the decomposition process.

Good luck and keep us posted.

V

 

[vonforne]

High guys

I have finished bottling a batch of home brew and thought i would make a tea out of the dregs left in the barrel...i chucked in some aquarium water, worm juice, molasses, kelp and some concentrated trace elements. It has frothed super fast and smells very yeast with a ph of 7. Sound good?

The froth you are seeing is simply worm bodies or proteins similar to a salt water tank.

If the smell is sweet then all is ok. If it smells like sewage then it is not what you are looking for and you should add some worm castings and a sugar product to help aid the good bacteria.

V

 

[cave]

hey vonforne

i did prepare the soil, was just not sure when to feed the tea i will start right way
thanks

 

[WJS]

Can Timothy Hay be used like alfalfa?

I realize they are totally different plants and all....... just curious if the tim hay would have the same benefits in making compost tea?

 

[WJS]

Forgot.

Just started my first bucket of tea!

The plants are 16 days old. They were just transplanted from a seed start tray into gallon pots.

I got stuck using miracle grow organic in my soil mix. But here is what I ended up with as a mix:
Soil mix:
60% miracle grow organic soil (green bag)
30% perlite
10% 'cow manure soil' from home depot
1/2 cup bone meal

And the tea.
Simple starter tea:
2 or so gallons of rain water
1/3 cup year old home made compost from the backyard bin
1 Tablespoon mollasses
1/4 Teaspoon of Fish Emulsion

Hows that start for a first time organic grow?


Plan on using V's veg tea back on the first page after a couple weeks.

Love this thread. So helpful.
I really think I have a good grasp on what it's all about now.

 

[vonforne]

And the tea.
Simple starter tea:
2 or so gallons of rain water
1/3 cup year old home made compost from the backyard bin
1 Tablespoon mollasses
1/4 Teaspoon of Fish Emulsion

This is a good tea mix to use. Compost for the BB and a fungal food (fish emulsions) Molasses for the carbs. and trace minerals. Rain water with a ph of about 6.3-Goos start.

The tea mix on the first page is also a manure tea. Meant to feed the unamended soil. Now you have an amended soil mix so I would just use the Compost tea mix to feed the soil substrate BB to digest the organic nutrients there.

Good start. Next time lets mix some home made soil and it will get even better.

V

 

[vonforne]

Can Timothy Hay be used like alfalfa?

I realize they are totally different plants and all....... just curious if the tim hay would have the same benefits in making compost tea?

I never used Timothy before. It does not have the same qualities at Alfalfa. I would use it in compost though.

V

 

[WJS]

This is a good tea mix to use. Compost for the BB and a fungal food (fish emulsions) Molasses for the carbs. and trace minerals. Rain water with a ph of about 6.3-Goos start.

The tea mix on the first page is also a manure tea. Meant to feed the unamended soil. Now you have an amended soil mix so I would just use the Compost tea mix to feed the soil substrate BB to digest the organic nutrients there.

Ok.

So you mean just use the tea mix that I just posted through out the veg period?

Should I then amend that mix for flowering?

Thanks for your help.

 

[vonforne]

Ok.

So you mean just use the tea mix that I just posted through out the veg period?

Should I then amend that mix for flowering?

Thanks for your help.

Yes, I make a veg mix for stage one. A second for the second transplant and then a flower mix. I forgot....I make a seedling mix also.

You can vary your ingredients as much as you want. A manure tea is not bad I simply stated that one is a Bacterial tea and one is a manure tea. I have grown in just peat, perlite and EWC and fed the plants various types of manure tea and fish emulsions and of course I use guanos for veg and flower. Depends on what stage you are in.

V

 

[WJS]

Just to be absolutely clear: because I'm using amended soil with my 'Starter Compost Tea' I will not have to change my tea recipe until I flower? Right?

Plants are just starting to get their fourth set of leaves. So just really starting to veg.

Thanks, just want to make sure I understand.

 

[Microbeman]

The froth you are seeing is simply worm bodies or proteins similar to a salt water tank.

If the smell is sweet then all is ok. If it smells like sewage then it is not what you are looking for and you should add some worm castings and a sugar product to help aid the good bacteria.

V

Hi Vonforne,

I was wondering if, considering that you have ostensibly learned more about aerated compost tea (ACT), that you should endeavour to rewrite the first page of this sticky, thereby avoiding countless people reading it and making errors.

Some things that come to mind are;

1. Compost tea is made with compost or vermicompost combined with microbial foods and not manure of any kind as is stated.

2. Compost tea does not contain soluble nutrients except for minor residual amounts

3. I have seen no legitimate evidence that organic compounds can be absorbed through the leaves. (love to see some and change my mind)

4. Manures and guanos (unless composted) are not catagorized as compost

5. Black strap molasses is not an anti-fungal. It is a great fungal food (and bacterial). Other sugar (carb) forms are no where near as complete a microbial food and should only be used as a last resort.

6. How can cornmeal be both a fungal food and natural fungicide?

7. A fish tank pump (unless huge) does not provide enough air flow to sustain dissolved oxygen levels above 6 PPM in 5 gallons of ACT. A good rule of thumb is 0.05 CFM per gallon minimum.

8. Socks or panty-hose do not make the best mesh containers. It is generally accepted that a mesh of 400 micron size is the best size to allow passage of microbial life, inclusive of fungal hyphae

9. As you have pointed out, a head of foam is not necessarily indicative of microbial division. One can get a head of foam just mixing molasses in water.

10. Although the facts are still undetermined for lack of research, I'm aware of no evidence that brewing a fungal ACT or bacterial tea during vegetation or flower (fruiting) has any bearing. It could be argued that using a highly bacterial ACT during flower may be a waste of time (and I wonder if counter-productive; research needed) but the types of fungal hyphae which generally grow in ACT are of the degrader type which are not (to my knowledge) like the mycorrhizal hyphae which deliver nutrients (P) directly to the roots. There may be some anecdotal evidence to support the use of fungal brews during flower but I'd want to know that the fungal content was observed microscopically and logged. This is why, I generally recommend a microbially balanced ACT throughout the entire growing period, allowing the plant, through release of carbon compounds to dictate which microbial group remains active in the rhizosphere.
Of course the only way of knowing for sure what you have is with a microscope. I check every brew to make sure I have a functional microbial consortia, prior to use.

BTW, I like 65 to 72 degrees as an optimal brewing temperature.

So what do you think?

Microbeman

 

[vonforne]

I have been considering that as of late. I did write this several years ago before the coming of the commercial industry. When most of us were learning in a closet.

Thank you for the professional pointers though it is much appreciated. I have infact learned a thing of two from you yourself. It is much easier for you in the profi field to gather information through the information exchange via research, I myself do not own a microscope.....it is a bit out of my price range. I would rather buy a nice HPS bulb and rely on nature for the rest.

V

 

[Microbeman]

Vonforne,

Good on ya mate. BTW I've got some inexpensive microscopes, although the shipping might be a killer. At least you are in the land of the best microscopes in the world and might come upon a used Leitz cheap. Email me thru my webpage if you want any help.

 

[vonforne]

PLEASE STAND BY FOR AN UPDATE :

This will be approved by Microman. It will be updated according to the lastest information available.

Thanks for understanding.

V-man

 

[WJS]

Should really just make a new "Updated Basic Compost Tea Guide" sticky thread and let this one fall away.......

Would make it all less confusing.

 

[vonforne]

We might do that. I would have to talk to B1 first. And I would like the input of a few special people I know also.

V

 

[CT Guy]

How about combining the 2 tea stickies into one? Might make it easier for people....Let me know what you think!

 

[vonforne]

Thats what I am doing CT. I will include you and Microman for industry profis and some of us on the user end in the closet. I will try and keep it simple but cover all the important bases.

V

 

[CT Guy]

V,

Sounds great, let me know if there's any info. or anything I can do to help! Thanks!

 

[habeeb]

^ taking alot of info from that lady form soil food web would be beneficial I say, as she basically one of the smartest ( as she researches on this topic) when it comes to teas. I always look at my compost tea brewing manual for information

maybe when you update it will be more simple and less words?

-recipes for a 5 gallon brewer: ..

-what to do..

-what not to do..

-compost tea from a microscope..



I know nothing, but I know short, sweet and to the point works well with alot of people. good luck making a new version guys