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The IC Organic Growers Community Thread.

OrganicBuds

Active member
Veteran
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This years outdoor thread, with brix, plant sap ph, and soil readings. https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=262017
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Obuds;

How do you check your plant sap ph accurately? Is your goal the 6.4 thing?
 
B

BugJar

Obuds;

How do you check your plant sap ph accurately? Is your goal the 6.4 thing?

To me it has always seemed like taking enough sap to take pH reading would do more harm than good but still very interesting regardless
 

bigshrimp

Active member
Veteran
VG- Nice comfrey back there! I like the spot in the poision ivy too...

Buljur- what about barley flour air dried? Would this be more potent assuming said enzymes are directly useable by the plant?

I have some light briess malt extract left over from my shrooming days, would this be useful? Or would it be closer to feeding molasses?
 
V

vonforne

I am not totally discounting malt as being a good strata for microbial growth. in fact we rely on the fact that the amylase is there and does it's job, and then Saccharomyces can ferment it. every time we raise a bottle of liquor or beer made with barley.

Its enzymatic contribution to the soil web when steeped at room temperature is what I doubt and want to make sure that people don't have misconceptions about it being used as a sugar without proper extraction.

starch is pretty complex usually so I feel like it would be fairly difficult for any microbe to cleave it in any sort of helpful or orderly fashion.

all that said I am really on versed on the malt side. The organic matter contributed might make a happy home for all of our bug buddies in the soil and therefore *could* have great benefits.

Just so we can make sure we are all on the same page

malted barley = sprouted and then kilned to around 120f average

the reported beneficial enzymes are denatured in that range so steeping in room temperature is really not doing anything.

I do have a very very strong feeling that throwing malt flour into a composting batch of soil would have profound effects and provide a medium complex enough to keep our little buddies happier and healthier for the duration of the composting. I actually added a pound of un-milled malt barley to my most recent batch of soil to see if there were any noticeable results.

mushroom cultivators edible and otherwise have used malt barley to culture mycelium and it can be pretty rapid so we can only hope it has the same effect in out rootzone.

it should be noted that the results are better with unmilled grains then spent grain and much much better than flour.

Bugjar what about digestive enzymes? It contains more than the diastase (spelling) enzymes we seek from the barley. Most of the brands at the HFS contain amylase which you speak of.

I have to agree with UncleM as I believe it provides another food source for the microflora to feed upon.
 
B

BugJar

VG- Nice comfrey back there! I like the spot in the poision ivy too...

Buljur- what about barley flour air dried? Would this be more potent assuming said enzymes are directly useable by the plant?

I have some light briess malt extract left over from my shrooming days, would this be useful? Or would it be closer to feeding molasses?

The dried malt extract is probably best used to feed the bugs.

I imagine sprouted and then air dried barley flour would be really nice.

Like I mentioned before mechanical denaturing is a factor I can't imagine it would be anything but good.

in the end when we add organic matter to our soil it has a benefit. I still feel like if we are looking for catalyzing effect it might be better amended earlier or right before potting.

I'm totally not hating on anyone's use. by all means do what works for you I just like to present both sides.

I personally can't imagine a really good and diversee compost tea being less effective.

hey Microbe man have you ever used bokashi?
 
B

BugJar

Bugjar what about digestive enzymes? It contains more than the diastase (spelling) enzymes we seek from the barley. Most of the brands at the HFS contain amylase which you speak of.

I have to agree with UncleM as I believe it provides another food source for the microflora to feed upon.

what digestive enzymes are you speaking of? the amylase in the barley or the ones in the soil?

I can give you the shortish answer for both pretty much

in cell culturing of any type a simpler sugar is always the best for quick conversion. use this analogy would it take you longer for a tablespoon of canesugar to melt on your tongue or a piece of hard carmel? both similar but in different forms. the bugs have a much much easier time digesting simpler and digesting them completely than the more complex sugars.

a protease is going to be the only type of enzyme able to digest a complex starch like room temp steeped flour. it is going to take it longer to do than you would most likely want or really even be able to measure positive effects.

my apologies for the clumsy metaphor but I hope this helped
 
V

vonforne

The recent rains has set my outdoor plants good. Here are this weeks updated shots of them. Got a few more in after the rain and we are expecting more rain this week.

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and one that is a week or two behind the others

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all put out with ROLS soil and fresh amendments.
 

self

Member
Od 2013

Od 2013

Very nice vonforne! Growing outdoors is good for the soul.
Here's a few from my garden
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Diesel-daywrecker
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A good friend looked after my plants for three weeks while I went and got some well needed stress relief in thailand. He did awesome except for labeling my crosses while drunk...so this is either mango haze x sweet tooth4 or DGs sweetest cindy99 x sweet tooth4. I've been calling the stouter ones the sweetest Cindy cross, and the bigger more sativa leaning I'm calling the haze, but it will be hard to tell until closer to harvest time. Her name is topless Tiffany, as I just named them stripper names once i realized I didn't know what they were...
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And a BOG medley, chicken pruned. They do most of my lolly popping for me, and they never take tops or tips.
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And another spot...
https://www.icmag.com/ic/picture.php?
albumid=46657&pictureid=1091017
:tree:
Self
 

OrganicBuds

Active member
Veteran
Some pictures from this years outdoor: (pictures taken 6-8-13)
Double Og Sour
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Blue Dream x 5g's already covering the 150 gal pot.
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All unsexed, waiting to be planted in their final pots:
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Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Bugjar; I have not used bokashi, only EM fermentations stressing high PNSB populations

Von; Good on ya.

OB: nice as usual. You guys and yer warm climates!
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Bugjar; What is your take on what I outlined, using fresh sprouts (fairly long) in aerated water. Do you think there would be the plant/grain/sprout enzymes present or just the ones produced by the bacteria, fungi/yeast present?

I'm going to try it out. At least my ducks will really enjoy the sprouts.
 

xmobotx

ecks moe baw teeks
ICMag Donor
Veteran
FTR i have done the sprout tea 2 ways;

the 1; i sprouted the barley and, once they had tails as long as the barley grain; i rinsed them {leaving the barley sprouting} & used the rinse w/ my water ~w/ this method i am able to take a 2nd and even 3rd rinse the next couple days {and get 'praying leaves' each time}

the other; @ the same point, i topped my sprouts off w/ water and blended it all together ina blender/using the final concoction ass the water for my plants

i may vascillate as time goes on but havent noticed a difference from what would seem like a more concentrated application yet

NOW; per MM {but not precise} i m thinking a good method would be to aerate some water w/ the sprouts @ the same 'start point' {tails as long as the grain} for IDK, an hour or 2? USE that water for watering then; make the blended concoction the next day

it seems to me like getting more waterings from the same cycle {of barley sprouting} may be as or more beneficial as blending the sprouts and combining aeration w/ multiple use and blending could be the be-all end-all of the application of this tech
 

VortexPower420

Active member
Veteran
I have also rinsed sprouts more then once. I would let them bubble for 24 hours use that.

Fill again bubble 24 more, then I would fill again but after 24 hours i would crush all the grains. I would find the third rinse the water would not get to cloudy, which I take as less potent.

Another thing I have been thinking about is the fact enzymes are not destroyed when they are done with one reaction, the can do many.

I was wondering if anyone knew what actually breaks the enzymes down in the soil (i would love to research but have little time.) I know heat is a culprit but that is of little worry in my situation.

Second if enzymes take a while to degrade what does everyone think is a proper application time frame. I like weekly applications but maybe a more diverse variety of sprouts might be beneficial.

Ex- week1 - Barley
Week 2 - alfalfa
week 3 - wheat
week 4 - beans

Or something to the effect to get a more diverse enzyme count in the soil.

I am in the process of chopping my last run in this house so I can not trial myself, but it is something I have been thinking about and wanted to run it by you guys.

Comments?

Timbuktu
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Vortex; I suspect you may have things a little backwards. Enzymes degrade matter.

eg. bacteria, fungi create/release enzymes to dissolve dinner.
 

VortexPower420

Active member
Veteran
I understand that. What I am say is enzymes with the help of co-enzymes either degrade, combine or just change in some way something is that it can affect.

I know enzymes are very specific. They only do one job the same way every time.

From my understanding they can do reactions more than once, they do their job, spit out the end product, then start all over again.

As opposed to doing their reaction then either become part of the finished product or degrading into some thing smaller.

My question is what degrades them (enzymes) or makes them stop working at at what point we should be worried about reapplying a sprout tea to keep the enzyme levels very high without the plant needing to make them all by itself.

Timbuktu
 
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