GH Subculture

So, I don't have a lot of money and wanted to kick up my beneficials. I wanted to try Roots organic Oregeonism XL which has 2 Trichoderma, 8 ecdo/endo mycorrhizae and 13 or so different additional bacteria. Unfortunately, the only local place that sells it only had the 1lb for $50. I didn't want to spend $50, so I went with Rooters mycorrhizae + GH subculture.

The reason I don't like the subculture is because of the minor amount of carbonates and sulfate that they have inside of the mix. The Rooters was $11 and the subculture was $13. I didn't get as many bacteria and one less tricoderma, but the two will last me a very long time and cost less.


In 1 gallon of distilled water I added:
1 tsp of Braggs liquid amino acids (fungi love proteins)
2 Tbsp granular mycorrhizae (8 species of endo/ecdo)
1 tsp of subculture
1 tsp Earth juice catalyst
1 tsp Earth juice microblast
1 tsp certified organic, unsulfured blackstrap molasses (has about 8% more calcium then most other brands)
1/2 cup of fresh EWC
1/2 tsp of fulvic acid

It'll brew 24-36 hours.


However, I did a little research and wanted to explain each beneficial in Subculture and some of its intended uses.

Streptomyces lydicus

Streptomyces lydicus is a naturally occurring bacterium that is commonly found in soil. When applied to soil mixes or turf grass, the bacterium protects the plant against a range of root decay fungi. Streptomyces lydicus can also be applied to plant foliage in greenhouses to control powdery mildew. No harm to humans or the environment is expected from use of Streptomyces lydicus as a pesticide active ingredient.

Streptomyces griseus

S. griseus produces the antibiotic Streptomycin. Streptomycin is used as a pesticide, to combat the growth of bacteria, fungi, and algae. Streptomycin controls bacterial and fungal diseases of certain fruit, vegetables, seed, and ornamental crops, and controls algae in ornamental ponds and aquaria. A major use is in the control of fireblight on apple and pear trees. As in medical applications, extensive use can be associated with the development of resistant strains.

Pseudomonas fluorescens

Some P. fluorescens strains (CHA0 or Pf-5 for example) present biocontrol properties, protecting the roots of some plant species against parasitic fungi such as Fusarium or Pythium, as well as some phytophagous nematodes[10].

It is not clear exactly how the plant growth promoting properties of P. fluorescens are achieved; theories include:

* that the bacteria might induce systemic resistance in the host plant, so it can better resist attack by a true pathogen
* the bacteria might out compete other (pathogenic) soil microbes, e.g. by siderophores giving a competitive advantage at scavenging for iron
* the bacteria might produce compounds antagonistic to other soil microbes, such as phenazine-type antibiotics or hydrogen cyanide

Trichoderma harzianum

Trichoderma harzianum is a fungus that is also used as a fungicide. It is used for foliar application, seed treatment and soil treatment for suppression of various disease causing fungal pathogens. Commercial biotechnological products such as 3Tac have been useful for treatment of Botrytis, Fusarium and Penicillium sp.[1]. It is also used for manufacturing enzymes.

Bacillus subtilis

B. subtilis has the ability to form a tough, protective endospore, allowing the organism to tolerate extreme environmental conditions.

B. subtilis can divide asymmetrically, producing an endospore that is resistant to environmental factors such as heat, acid, and salt, and which can persist in the environment for long periods of time. The endospore is formed at times of nutritional stress, allowing the organism to persist in the environment until conditions become favorable.

Bacillus licheniformis

It is a gram positive, thermophillic bacterium. Optimal growth temperature is around 50°C, though it can survive at much higher temperatures. Optimal temperature for enzyme secretion is 37°C. It can exist in spore form to resist harsh environs, or in a vegetative state when conditions are good. Currently, scientists are exploring its ability to degrade feathers for agricultural purposes. Feathers contain high amounts of non digestible proteins, but researchers hope that by fementation with B. licheniformis, they can use waste feathers to produce cheap and nutritious feather meal to feed to livestock.

Bacillus megaterium

Treatment of apple seeds with charcoal based inoculant of Bacillus megaterium a plant growth promoting rhizobacterium originally isolated from roots of apple seedlings significantly increased the various growth attributes of six months old apple seedlings under unsterilized soil conditions. The effect of seed treatment was more pronounced when jaggery was used as adhesive and seed treatment was given after stratification. The per cent increase in shoot length, shoot dry weight, root length and root dry weight ranged between 32.04 to 62.12 per cent over the untreated control. Rhizosphere soil bacterial population and rhizobacterial population of apple seedlings were positively and significantly correlated with the above mentioned parameters. Similarly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium content of whole shoot system was found more in bacterial treated seedlings and ranged between 1.15-2.72, 0.13-0.36 and 1.21-1.92, respectively.

Bacillus pumilis

B. pumilus has been proven to fight against Powdery Mildew, Rust, Sclerotinia, Downy Mildew, Phytophthora, Leaf spots.

Paenibacillus polymyxa

A strain of Paenibacillus polymyxa capable of suppressing plant diseases and promoting plant growth was isolated from the rhizosphere. P. polymyxa, the type species of the genus, is known to produce two types of peptide antibiotics (Beatty & Jensen, 2002). One group is active against bacteria and includes the polymyxin-colistin-circulin family, polypeptins, jolipeptin, gavaserin, and saltavalin, which contain 2,4-diaminobutyric acid. The other is active against fungi and actinomycetes and includes gatavalin and fusaricidins. The species also synthesizes plant hormones auxin (Lebuhn et al., 1997) and
cytokinin (Timmusk et al., 1999).

Well hope this helps anyone looking for some beneficials to jump start their soil a lil bit.

Check out en/ea i have used it lots and works great.Its a liquid you mix in youre nutes every few weeks.Ill find a link and post it.

These where grown in promix with extra perlite,lime,worm castings,And EN/EA. THAY ATE PURE BLEND PRO GROW & FLOWER (sorry caps).Liquid karma, cal-mag-sprayed almost every nite with nitrozyme.And i always use top max from bio bizz in flower.I have only tried b-cuzz bloomm booster and floralishus bloom.Top max brings out the trichs in a plant i think.Thay are always frosty when i us it.Soiless hydrophonic at its best and its easy after you get it all dialed in.I think anyone who followed my soil mix and feeding regimin would have a great grow.Long as thay had good seeds!Thats most import. i.m.o

Here ya go Mr. Celcius!!!! From a rodent scientist.....

good morning,

i have prepared this lecture on how to get the healthiest plants. it is hard to find a brief summary of all of the beneficial additives, enhancers and innoculants that are available to the consumer. although the following is a list of ingredients in a plant tonic prepared by a specific company, the information is well-organized with brief explanations of the function of each component. it has come to my attention that some of my previous posts have caused confusion and head-spinning . i apologize for this and will avoid obfuscation in perpetuity....


Components Used In DIEHARD™
Mycorrhizal "Cocktails"
I. Mycorrhizae - An estimated 10,000 research studies have been done on mycorrhizae during the past 25
years. Mycorrhizal fungi inoculants have been available to commercial markets only during the past 5
years.
A. Endomycorrhizae - A symbiotic relationship of endomycorrhizal fungi with roots of 90% of plant
species worldwide.
1. Inoculant contains multi strains of live spores of Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradices,
Glomus fasciculatum, Glomus dussii, Glomus clarum, Glomus deserticola and Glomus microaggregatum.
2. Available in dry form with a shelf live of 18 months.
B. Ectomycorrhizae – A symbiotic relationship of ectomycorrhizal fungi with many tree species i.e.
pines, oaks and select hardwoods.
1. Inoculant contains multi strains of Pisolithus tinctorius and a variety of species of Rhizopogon.
II. Trichoderma and other beneficial fungi- Trichoderma (6 species), Gliocladium virens (2 strains), Trichoderma
harzianum (2 strains), Trichoderma viride (2 strains).
Trichoderma is a recognized beneficial fungus that is used to compete with the food source and space of
negative causing fungi in the soil. Spores of the fungus, when mixed with soils, germinate and grow around
plant roots depriving negative fungi the living space and food source thereby causing death to them, therefore
preventing fungal diseases.
III. Stimulants
A. Humic Acid
1. Physically modifies the soil.
i. Increases water holding capacity.
ii. Increases aeration of soil.
iii. Improves soil workability.
iv. Helps resist drought.
v. Improves seedbed productivity.
vi. Makes soil more friable or crumbly.
vii. Reduces soil erosion.
2. Chemically change the fixation properties of the soil.
i. Retains water soluble inorganic fertilizers in the root zones and releases them to plants when
needed.
ii. Promotes the conversion of a number of elements into forms available to plants.
iii. Possesses extremely high ion-exchange capacities.
iv. Participates in the decomposition of rocks and minerals.
v. Increases buffering properties of soil.
vi. Chelates metal ions under alkaline conditions.
vii. Rich in both organic and mineral substances essential to plant growth.
viii. Increases percentage of total nitrogen in the soil.
ix. Provides the carbon necessary for humus building.
x. Provides a multitude of carbon and anion exchange sites.
xi. Provides the organic chemicals for chelation of both major and minor mineral nutrients.
3. Biological benefits:
i. Stimulates plant growth by accelerating cell division.
ii. Increases the rate of development in root systems.
iii. Increases vitamin content of plants.
iv. Increases the permeability of plant membranes; promoting the uptake of nutrients.
v. Stimulates root growth, especially lengthwise.
. vi. Increases root respiration and formation.
vii. Stimulates growth and proliferation of desirable soil microorganisms as well as algae and
yeasts.
viii. Aids in photosynthesis.
ix. Stimulates plant enzymes.
x. Acts as an organic catalyst.
B. Yucca Plant Extract
1. Increases cell wall permeability allowing the roots to take up water and nutrients faster and easier.
2. Increases microbiological activity.
3. Inhibit ammonia production and nitrate accumulation.
4. Is an effective wetting agent and promotes growth.
5. Increases proliferation of organisms during high pH, copper poison and oxygen starvation stresses.
6. Helps control nematodes - is toxic to a wide number of insects.
7. Has been widely used for years as a soil conditioner.
C. Carbohydrates
1. Simple sugars and starches provide an immediate surge of energy for the beneficial microorganisms
during initial organic matter degradation.
IV. Plant Growth Enhancers
A. Microorganisms
1. Main components in soil health and soil productivity, not only responsible for the degradation of organic
matter, but necessary for making nutrients available for plant use.
2.Contains a microbial blend of many species of Bacillus, Flavobacterium, Saccharomyces, Penicillium
and a host of other beneficial microorganisms.
3. Boosting these microbe populations in the soil.
B. Sea kelp
1. Contains more than 60 macro and trace elements.
C. Amino Acids
1. Alanine, Valine, Glycine, Isoleucine, Leucine, Proline, Threonine, Serine, Methionine, Hy
droxyproline, Phenylalanine, Aspartic Acid, Glumatic Acid, Tyrosine, Ornithine. Lyaine, Arganine,
Ly sine (proprietary concentrations)
2. Enhances health and improves the overall nutrient efficiency by buffering heavy metals and sodium
in the soil.
3. Improve the availability and exchange of plant nutrients on the root surface, and microbial activity
in the soil.
D. Humus
1. Composed of a complex mixture of colloidal substances containing of lignin, protein, and polyuronides
and carbon that improves the exchange capacity of the soil and enhances uptake of
phosphates and other essential micro nutrients.
2. Increases plant vigor, helps keep fertilizer from leaching through the soil, and buffers plants
against extreme concentrations of salts.
E. Fish Meal
1. Dried ground tissue of whole fish or fish cuttings, which contains Nitrogen and is rich in essential
amino acids.
F. Langbeinite
1. Originating from evaporated seawater; it contains Sulfur, Potash, Magnesium and many other
important trace elements.
G. Vitamins & Enzymes
1. B, B2, B3, B6, B7, B12, C, E and K.
2. Riboflavin, biotin, choline, thiamine, pantothenic acid, folic acid, and niacin.
3. Enhance the properties of fertilizer and are essential for the basic metabolic processes of the
plant such as chlorophyll production, cell division, transpiration and respiration.
H. Sulfate of Potash
1. A natural mined mineral high in soluble potash.
V. Beneficial Bacteria
A. Effect on soil
1. Converts soil elements, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, into plant available form.
2. Increases conversion of soil elements, including phosphorous, into plant available forms.
3. Adds in the decomposition of soil organics thereby making them available to the plant.
4. Increases soil buffering properties.
5. Chelates metal ions in alkaline conditions, increasing plant availability
6. Enhances soil biology by inoculating the soil with beneficial microbes, and providing a food
source to maintain them in a soil.
B. Effects on plants
1. Contains nitrogen fixing Bacillus species that converts atmospheric nitrogen to available nitrogen
for plants, a phosphate-solubilizing bacillus that converts insoluble phosphorus to soluble, and a
growth hormone promoting bacillus that stimulates root growth.
2. Stimulates plant growth by naturally accelerating cell division.
3. Stimulates root formation and growth.
4. Increases plant cell membrane permeability allowing for more efficient uptake of water, nutrients
and oxygen.
5. Reduces transplant shock.
6. Increases plant membrane permeability for more efficient nutrient uptake.
7. Stimulates root growth, respiration and formation, the presence of soil microorganisms and plant
enzymes.
Our KEY MICROBIAL COMPONENTS include:
BACILLUS: (32 SPECIES)
Bacillus azotofixans (2 strains): nitrogen fixation
Bacillus azotoformans (3 strains): nitrogen fixation, plant growth hormones
Bacillus megaterium (2 strains): decomposition, nutrient cycling
Bacillus polymyza (5 strains): anti-fungal, nitrogen fixation, nutrient cycling
Bacillus thuringiensis (2 strains): entomopathogenic
Bacillus licheniformis (6 strains): enzymes, plant growth hormones, soil structure
Bacillus pumulis (2 strains): decomposition, nutrient cycling
Bacillus subtilla (10 strains): anti-fungal
PSUEDOMONAS: (2 SPECIES)
Psuedomonas aureofaceans (2 strains): anti-fungal
STREPTOMYCES : (2 SPECIES)
Streptomyces lydicus (2 strains): anti-fungal
TRICHODERMA (6 SPECIES)
Trichoderma harzianum (2 strains): anti-fungal, plant growth hormones
Trichoderma viride (2 strains): anti-fungal, plant growth hormones
Gliocladium virens (2 strains): anti-fungal
VI. Minor Element Package
A. Boron (B)
1. Helps in the use of nutrients and regulates other nutrients.
2. Aids production of sugar and carbohydrates.
3. Essential for seed and fruit development.
4. Sources of boron are organic matter and borax
B. Copper (Cu)
1. Important for reproductive growth.
2. Aids in root metabolism and helps in the utilization of proteins.
C. Chloride (Cl)
1. Aids plant metabolism.
2. Chloride is found in the soil.
D. Iron (Fe)
1. Essential for formation of chlorophyll.
2. Sources of iron are the soil, iron sulfate, and chelated iron.
E. Manganese (Mn)
1. Functions with enzyme systems involved in breakdown of carbohydrates, and nitrogen metabolism.
2. Soil is a source of manganese.
F. Molybdenum (Mo)
1. Helps in the use of nitrogen
G. Zinc (Zn)
1. Essential for the transformation of carbohydrates.
2. Regulates consumption of carbohydrates
3. Part of the enzyme systems that regulate plant growth.
VII. Water Management Gel
A. Effects in soil
1. Holds soluble fertilizers in the root zone slowly releasing the soluble thereby reducing leaching
2. Increases soil water holding capacity and availability
3. Increases water infiltration, soil aeration, soil friability, and soil permeability.
4. Reduces compaction
5. Improves micro flora and bacterial content of soil
B. Effects on plant
1. Reduces iron chlorosis in plants
2. Improves nutrient soil/moisture osmotic plant uptake
3. Reduced transplant stress
4. Increased yields, survival, and shelf life

here is an addendum to today's lecture. below you will find a description of the different types of endomycorrhizae species...


Characteristics of Endo Species Used:
Glomus dussii
Adapted to a large range of pH from 4,5 to 7, and is efficient on plant growth, and
preferably on tropical plants.
Glomus intraradices
Very common throughout the world. Shows disease resistance mechanisms against
Fusarium oxysporum.
Glomus fasciculatum
Adapted for drought conditions in high phosphorus soil. Also very effective in high
salinity conditions and is efficient on plant protection again some pathogenic fungi within
soil.
Glomus deserticola
Adapted for drought conditions, and has shown good agronomical effect under low soil
fertility.
Glomus microaggregatum
Adapted for drought conditions, and can have agronomical effect under low soil fertility.
Glomus clarum
Adapted to acidic pH 5-6, this specie is highly proliferous and can produce large quantity
of external mycelium in the soil and can occupy the rhizosphere.
Glomus mosseae
Adapted to acidic pH 6-8.5, this specie is highly proliferous and can produce large
quantity of external mycelium in the soil and can occupy the rhizosphere.

Sporulation Characteristics of Endo Species Used:
Inoculants
Some strains such as Glomus deserticola, Glomus microaggregatum, Glomus mosseae,
and sometime Glomus intraradices produce clusters of spores very (like a "popcorn ball").
Most of time, Glomus deserticola and Glomus microaggregatum produce clusters with as
many as 500 spores minimum stuck together.
Glomus mosseae produce external sporocarps (5-10 spores inside) or
external clusters of "young spores" and Glomus dussii produce external sporocarps
(containing hundred of very small spores) and also external spores entrapped within the
external mycelium.
Glomus intraradices produce large quantity of INTERNAL spores inside the root
(hundred spores /cm of root can be counted sometime).
All these "natural occurring” sporulation configurations must be considered for the
counting of spores.
Endomycorrhizaes are not Ecto. and this difference must be
considered.
The most important aspect is the standardization of the product and
the efficiency and quality.

All information is provided in good faith and believed to be accurate (their words....awesome job of providing the public with good info!)

kind regards from guineapig

Mr Pig thank you for all that great information. Where did you get this info?

Okie, those buds look wonderful. I'm familiar with EN/EA. Aren't they only mycorrhizae? I'm a pretty hardcore stickler when it comes to organics.

Thanks everyone

No offense, but not what I really want to be talking about in this thread.

I know PBP isn't organic. I contains Potassium carbonate, Magnesium carbonate & Calcium carbonate.

oday potassium carbonate is prepared commercially by the electrolysis of potassium chloride. The resulting potassium hydroxide is then carbonated using carbon dioxide to form potassium carbonate, which is often used to produce other potassium compounds.

Click to expand...

Anything with sulfate or carbonate isn't organic and never will be certified. They are salt based and can be harmful to microbes.

I much rather use earth juice, age old organics or cannabio.

If you are looking for really excellent thorough microbe research: Heres my best link; http://www.agriton.nl/higa.html
its the best reference i've come upon so far.
Thanks for the additional info!