localhero
Member
i thought it was the fungal hyphae that got chopped up in the impellar but benes were ok and sprayers under high pressure were the worst for application. i chose the "softest" looking impellar pump for my teas to try to cover as much ground as possible. the impellars for solids handling pumps were different than the normal impellars.
chopping up hyphae is fine in my book. only spores matter really.
lots of people are making separate flower teas. I feel this is misguided. A good tea should be balanced, and the environment decides what survives.
If you brew tea from fungal compost you get fungal tea. For cannabis, plain old compost seems to be best.
If you brew tea from fungal compost you get fungal tea. For cannabis, plain old compost seems to be best.
I actually like to keep the fungi relatively intact so it gets a foot hold and grows into the soil. To have spores as a result of brewing you need to have fungi which is producing spores/conidia. Otherwise you are just extracting existent spores from your (vermi)compost. Pump impellers will not harm bacteria nor protozoa and I have seen venturi systems which cause 'not too much' damage to hyphae. Nice job Superhero! [Does your pump heat up your tea?] [one reason to consider non-submersible pumps]
As far as using a fungal tea during flower, I am presently open minded but dubious based on reports I've had from some pretty good growers. I'm hoping to set some time this year to begin researching this subject. Generally what Mad has suggested is the best practice; to apply a diverse CT and let the plant/soil system straighten things out in choosing the correct microbial crew for the job.
As far as using a fungal tea during flower, I am presently open minded but dubious based on reports I've had from some pretty good growers. I'm hoping to set some time this year to begin researching this subject. Generally what Mad has suggested is the best practice; to apply a diverse CT and let the plant/soil system straighten things out in choosing the correct microbial crew for the job.
It's probably because it's good tea.
My quibble is that it isn't necessary to give one or the other because the plant is in flower. Fungi play an important role even in bacterial-dominated broccoli soil. There is nowhere on the planet really where fungi aren't the interface between life and death (thanks paul stamets).
I always got the feeling the spores I see in my tea are just extracted directly from the compost. Only once have I cultured a sample that clearly had fungi reproducing and making millons of spores in vitro.
localhero
Member
i think that was referring to me, not to sound conceded im just a local hero lol. the only time the pump heats up my brew is if debris at the bottom of the barrel begins to snuff out the flow of liquid into the pump. even though its a solids handling pump, if enough crap gets around it, it will still place a drag on the motor. the way i fixed that was by suspending the pump 3 inches above the bottom by hanging with a string. the top of the string connects to a hook that hangs on the 55 gal barrel lid that way it can be taken apart easily and no metal is submerged in the tea. now i never have overheating issues.
i chose the solids handling submersible pump because the impellar was soft looking with rounded edges on the blades and it wouldnt be a pain in the ass to plumb up and elevate in order to collect the tea at the bottom. that led to an idea to make use of the solids handling aspect and be able to brew up some suspended teas without using tea bags. that works with this system but its a pain in the ass to clean up after. there is a trick to remove the suspended debis if anyone want to try this method: hold a mesh bag under the return flow of tea, it might take 10 minutes to get it all out but that seems to do a good job. also its impossible to use certain venturis that obstruct the tea flow (notched teeth on end of tube venturi method for example) with a suspended tea. the crap in your brew will quickly clog those types of venturis>dead venturi>clogged pipe>overheating pump>hot tea.
the down side to using a submersible pump is that the tea is harder to clean out after use without dumping out and hosing down the barrel. i ended up reusing the last unpumpable inches of tea into the next brew which appeared to jump start the brewing time.
if i didnt need an immediate tea id just fill the barrel with clean water and let the pump run, which kept the tea from skunking. all this is non scientifical however, i dont have a proper microscope. either way i figured it would be hard for anearobic microbes to get a foothold with the constant aeration.
Zarezhu
Member
@local - after reading through your posts I looked into your 2010 outdoor thread. very similar to what I plan on doing this year. How much were you yielding per 100-150g pot?
I'm doing all my plants in 150 galloners, going out tomorrow.
EDIT: I noticed you had spacing that were slightly smaller than recommended (6-8 foot on center). My plants are fairly close together as well, do you think if yours were to veg longer and the plants got quite a bit bigger, would the spacings have been a real PITA or would it be okay if they grew a little together?
Did you notice (like within the next one or two days) any differences in plants after applying your foliar teas or root drenching with your compost teas? I'm wondering if I should go through making myself a tea brewer this year.
Sorry for jacking this thread, I can't send pms yet.
I'm doing all my plants in 150 galloners, going out tomorrow.
EDIT: I noticed you had spacing that were slightly smaller than recommended (6-8 foot on center). My plants are fairly close together as well, do you think if yours were to veg longer and the plants got quite a bit bigger, would the spacings have been a real PITA or would it be okay if they grew a little together?
Did you notice (like within the next one or two days) any differences in plants after applying your foliar teas or root drenching with your compost teas? I'm wondering if I should go through making myself a tea brewer this year.
Sorry for jacking this thread, I can't send pms yet.
odogyouknow
Member
1st Tea bubbling away!!!
1st Tea bubbling away!!!
So I've done a ton of browsing through this thread and others where people are brewing teas and thought I'd give it a shot. All advice will be much appreciated!
- 2 gallons of spring water in the 5 gallon bucket
- Aeration is my main concern and have 3 airstones powered by two aquarium pumps powered by 6 watts total for what I believe is somewhere between .1 and .15 c.f.m.
Recipe is simple
- 1/2 cup EWC from a cup of fishing worms
- 1 1/2 tbs grocery store unsulphered molasess
- 2 tbs Fish emulsion product with kelp
My main question and concern is if the fish emulsion is going to be good or bad. I am looking around for a good hydrolysate just didn't find it today. Would I be better off just using some cold processed liquid kelp than a fish product? Also, which is better, a dry seaweed product like maxicrop or a some sort of liquid seaweed product?
Anyways, I'm happy with the good rolling aeration but anyone who wants to drop some knowledge on fish emulsion in AACT lay it on me. We'll see after 18 - 24 hours how it smells and decide whether or not to soak the young ECSD babies. If I use it, should I probably dilute it pretty heavily @ like 3 or 4 to 1 as there is a good amount of food in there?
This is the start, onwards and upwards from here. Stoked! peace.
1st Tea bubbling away!!!
So I've done a ton of browsing through this thread and others where people are brewing teas and thought I'd give it a shot. All advice will be much appreciated!
- 2 gallons of spring water in the 5 gallon bucket
- Aeration is my main concern and have 3 airstones powered by two aquarium pumps powered by 6 watts total for what I believe is somewhere between .1 and .15 c.f.m.
Recipe is simple
- 1/2 cup EWC from a cup of fishing worms
- 1 1/2 tbs grocery store unsulphered molasess
- 2 tbs Fish emulsion product with kelp
My main question and concern is if the fish emulsion is going to be good or bad. I am looking around for a good hydrolysate just didn't find it today. Would I be better off just using some cold processed liquid kelp than a fish product? Also, which is better, a dry seaweed product like maxicrop or a some sort of liquid seaweed product?
Anyways, I'm happy with the good rolling aeration but anyone who wants to drop some knowledge on fish emulsion in AACT lay it on me. We'll see after 18 - 24 hours how it smells and decide whether or not to soak the young ECSD babies. If I use it, should I probably dilute it pretty heavily @ like 3 or 4 to 1 as there is a good amount of food in there?
This is the start, onwards and upwards from here. Stoked! peace.
I hear people talk about nettles and comfrey. However, is there any use for cow parsley as a source? It grows everywhere, grows fast and on ground that seems suitable for weed too.
sounds like you crashed your tea. you can't always tell by smell.
thizzness
Member
Yeah it didn't smell bad at all. And I built one of those airlift pumps to aerate it nicely. The only things I can think of that might have gone wrong are putting in too much castings or not enough molasses.
Actually, now that i think of it, I started the tea and let it go for at least 5-7 hours without molasses so that probably fucked something up. Time to start a new batch and hope the poor veggies don't die from my negligence.
Actually, now that i think of it, I started the tea and let it go for at least 5-7 hours without molasses so that probably fucked something up. Time to start a new batch and hope the poor veggies don't die from my negligence.
not enough molasses is harmless. too much can crash your tea.
could be your temps are higher and you are using the same recipe/brew time as winter?
could be your temps are higher and you are using the same recipe/brew time as winter?
thizzness
Member
Damn you're quick dude! Edited my last post but you replied before I could finish aha.
So I started brewing the tea for at least 5 hours without any molasses, then added about 4 tbsp for a little over 2 gallons of tea. I think it was definitely the molasses that screwed something up.
And I should prob go flush these veggies with some clean water soon..because whatever was in that tea is some nasty stuff.
So I started brewing the tea for at least 5 hours without any molasses, then added about 4 tbsp for a little over 2 gallons of tea. I think it was definitely the molasses that screwed something up.
And I should prob go flush these veggies with some clean water soon..because whatever was in that tea is some nasty stuff.
Hi there 
Great and informative thread for sure.
I'm kinda new to this tea brewing, but have been doing organic soil grows some time now.
My soilbase:
Champost which is a waste product from growing mushroom, compost from my own compost pile, a little sand, vermiculite, and perlite.
Fertilizers and minerals:
Kelp, Bone, Blood meal, bat guano, pulverized basalt and dolomite lime.
1 watering per week with kelp extract, else pure water in between. Every 2nd week during veg and pre flower foliar spray with kelp extract.
So far my plants have done well
But I'm getting really interested in all this tea brewing as I believe I could tweak my grows even more with all the beneficial bacteria and fungus.
I could use some soil from my compost pile to bring life to my tea.
But I actually have an even better idea I think, I'm just not sure if it will work.
I got some huge freshwater aquariums, with some huge biofilters in them. Furthermore I got fluidized sand bed filters on my tanks, which is a heavy aerobic filtration system that replenishes and renews aerobic bacteria nonstop. Also called a "Moving Sand Bed filter".
My idea was, to take a little cup of sand or sludge from my biofilter and use that in my brewing. The sand from my filter has HUGE numbers of fresh new aerobic bacteria in it.
In my eye's this would work. But I'm not 100% sure as I'm new in this brewing area.
Let me know your thoughts
Cheers
Sabe
Great and informative thread for sure.
I'm kinda new to this tea brewing, but have been doing organic soil grows some time now.
My soilbase:
Champost which is a waste product from growing mushroom, compost from my own compost pile, a little sand, vermiculite, and perlite.
Fertilizers and minerals:
Kelp, Bone, Blood meal, bat guano, pulverized basalt and dolomite lime.
1 watering per week with kelp extract, else pure water in between. Every 2nd week during veg and pre flower foliar spray with kelp extract.
So far my plants have done well
But I'm getting really interested in all this tea brewing as I believe I could tweak my grows even more with all the beneficial bacteria and fungus.
I could use some soil from my compost pile to bring life to my tea.
But I actually have an even better idea I think, I'm just not sure if it will work.
I got some huge freshwater aquariums, with some huge biofilters in them. Furthermore I got fluidized sand bed filters on my tanks, which is a heavy aerobic filtration system that replenishes and renews aerobic bacteria nonstop. Also called a "Moving Sand Bed filter".
My idea was, to take a little cup of sand or sludge from my biofilter and use that in my brewing. The sand from my filter has HUGE numbers of fresh new aerobic bacteria in it.
In my eye's this would work. But I'm not 100% sure as I'm new in this brewing area.
Let me know your thoughts
Cheers
Sabe
G
greenmatter
Hi there
Great and informative thread for sure.
I'm kinda new to this tea brewing, but have been doing organic soil grows some time now.
My soilbase:
Champost which is a waste product from growing mushroom, compost from my own compost pile, a little sand, vermiculite, and perlite.
Fertilizers and minerals:
Kelp, Bone, Blood meal, bat guano, pulverized basalt and dolomite lime.
1 watering per week with kelp extract, else pure water in between. Every 2nd week during veg and pre flower foliar spray with kelp extract.
So far my plants have done well
But I'm getting really interested in all this tea brewing as I believe I could tweak my grows even more with all the beneficial bacteria and fungus.
I could use some soil from my compost pile to bring life to my tea.
But I actually have an even better idea I think, I'm just not sure if it will work.
I got some huge freshwater aquariums, with some huge biofilters in them. Furthermore I got fluidized sand bed filters on my tanks, which is a heavy aerobic filtration system that replenishes and renews aerobic bacteria nonstop. Also called a "Moving Sand Bed filter".
My idea was, to take a little cup of sand or sludge from my biofilter and use that in my brewing. The sand from my filter has HUGE numbers of fresh new aerobic bacteria in it.
In my eye's this would work. But I'm not 100% sure as I'm new in this brewing area.
Let me know your thoughts
Cheers
Sabe
aquaponics work great on a lot of crops. what you are talking about is in the same ball park. i have watered plants with old fish tank water and the "juice" from a filter cleaning and the girls seemed to like it. i always wanted to have a big enough tank to try your idea out through a whole grow. go for it. if it works as good as you (and i) think it could there will be lots of people on ic buying fish tanks.
Use some water from the tank to bolster your brew, in the tea you are growing numbers of bacteria fungi protists etc, and as you are growing for a soil environment you really want some fungi. Fungi do very poorly (if at all) in aquatic environments. I use pond water in teas it's all good. The filter waste etc is a bit dense in microbes and you'll wind up tipping the balance away from a soil consortia if you use too much of it. So....
A bit of aqua water, plenty of compost.
That filter waste can be diluted and poured on plants/soil as a free fert though, just careful how much sludge goes in the tea. As for the sand.... could be interesting sand is grazed non stop from protists as it has no refuges for the microbes that inhabit its surface. So there should be good diversity as no specific microbial species gets to dominate too heavily in a constantly changing environment (like the surface of sand) for reasons already described.
The sand is worth a shot, overpower it with compost though and remember it'll sink you need it either suspended in the brew or air churning the bottom up.
A bit of aqua water, plenty of compost.
That filter waste can be diluted and poured on plants/soil as a free fert though, just careful how much sludge goes in the tea. As for the sand.... could be interesting sand is grazed non stop from protists as it has no refuges for the microbes that inhabit its surface. So there should be good diversity as no specific microbial species gets to dominate too heavily in a constantly changing environment (like the surface of sand) for reasons already described.
The sand is worth a shot, overpower it with compost though and remember it'll sink you need it either suspended in the brew or air churning the bottom up.
