[OldMan&theWeed]

Enzymes prevent root rot from fungus and bacteria. They also may help enhance growth and yield. Most people willingly shell out almost $40 per grow for a liter of the stuff to keep their gardens healthy.

Is there a better way? I believe there is.

Let’s look at what’s out there:

CANNAZYM


SENSIZYM


HYGROZYME


All these products promise to break down dead root material and prevent root rot. Each $40 liter is meant to treat about 100 gallons of nutrient solution. If you’re stingy with the stuff you may be able to stretch it out to 200 gallons.


I don’t believe ANY of these companies make their own enzymes. Enzymes are a commodity. There is a world-wide market for them and they are made by a handful of factories that produce them and sell them wholesale to other factories where they are consumed in various industrial processes or formulated into different products, or to firms that dilute them, package them in liter or gallon containers, and market them as household products such as drain-cleaners, pond cleaners, or hydroponics additives. It is the pond cleaners that have got my attention.

Pond cleaners
Like the enzymes packaged for hydroponics use, these pool enzymes claim to digest and promote the reduction of organic matter and convert it into nitrogen and water, all the while being completely non-toxic to living plants and animals.



Some of these pond enzymes are so concentrated that two liters are enough to treat one acre-foot. An acre-foot is 325,851.4 U.S. gallons! That means one liter of pond enzyme is meant to treat OVER 150,000 GALLONS verses the diluted Cannazym, SensiZym, or Hygrozyme which are only meant to treat 100 gallons.

https://www.stillpondfarm.com/Microbe..._p/rmlcbse.htm

https://myownstore.aquaticbiologists....ProductID=3241

https://www.improvementscatalog.com/p...in-cleaner.do#

https://myownstore.aquaticbiologists....ProductID=3249

https://www.azponds.com/microbe_lift.htm


Based on the product descriptions I believe the ONLY difference between enzymes marketed to gardeners and pond owners is CONCENTRATION.

I propose that a gardener could buy a liter of one of these pond cleaners, dilute it at say 10 ml per liter, and save himself hundreds of dollars.


P.S. I’m not the first person to pick up on this:

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.p...hlight=enzymes

CANNAZYM

I likey me some cannazym....

I’m not the first person to pick up on this:
https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.p...hlight=enzymes

well you CAN be the first person to try it out.... why don't you give it a whirl and let us know how it works?

might work... never know... cannabis is a weed.....

I'll stick with cannazym


GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL!

[~fvk~]

Yeah, I need to get ahold of an enzyme. I was thinking Hygro. I know there's a difference between all of them, but I can't remember which one made the moot point, ha. I don't even remember what the moot point was...

Got bins upon bins of coco that'll eventually be reused for vegging plants. Can't be wasteful now...

[OldMan&theWeed]

Originally Posted by ~fvk~

Yeah, I need to get ahold of an enzyme. I was thinking Hygro. I know there's a difference between all of them, but I can't remember which one made the moot point, ha. I don't even remember what the moot point was...

Got bins upon bins of coco that'll eventually be reused for vegging plants. Can't be wasteful now...

The main difference in enzyme products sold in hydroponics stores is that some of them, like Cannazym, contain live microbes (which they use as selling point) while Hygrozyme and SensiZym are sterile (which THEY use as a selling point).

What’s interesting is that pond enzyme products make the same selling points about either being loaded with live microbes, or being sterile. Often times of two products offered by the same seller one will contain micro-life and one will be sterile - just as in done in the hydroponics market. The REAL difference between enzymes sold for use in ponds, and enzymes sold for hydroponics use is their concentrations.

For example, Bio Boost Enzyme #75 dosage rate is 30 ml per 1000 gallons

https://myownstore.aquaticbiologists....ProductID=3249

While from the same company is offered Bio Boost Enzyme 300, which is so concentrated that one liter will treat 325,869 gallons of water and users are cautioned to “Wear proper safety equipment including rubber gloves and eye protection when handling or applying ABI BIO BOOST enzyme.”

https://myownstore.aquaticbiologists....ProductID=3241

Then there’s Mother Nature's Pond Clarifier natural, barley-based enzyme which has a dosage rate of 1⁄4 cup (1 oz) per 1,000 gallons of water.

https://www.pristineponds.com/enzymeinstructions.htm

And then there is Fountain Cleaner, which promises to be, “safe for birds, pets and plants.” A 16-fl.-oz. bottle treats up to 6400 gallons, and costs less than 20 bucks.

https://www.improvementscatalog.com/h...n-cleaner.html

Compare any of these with the $40 bottle of enzyme from the hydro store, diluted down so it will only treat 100 gallons.

But what about those magical ingredients, things like Cannazym’s extracts of, “rare desert plants?” I believe this would be nothing more than yucca, which is used as a non-ionic surfactant. A pound of the stuff (enough to treat 100s of gallons) sells for about 10 bucks.

I’m done with shelling out 20 times more than I have to. I’ve been on my same bottle of pond enzyme for a year. I dilute it 1:10 with water in my old Cannazym bottle and apply it just like I did Cannazym.

I don’t want to be accused of spamming so I’ll refrain from saying which brand of pool enzyme I’ve been using. I doesn’t matter anyway, aside from their dilution ratios they’re all pretty much identical.

[Kosmo]

I once heard of a good way to test enzyme products but have yet to try myself. Take a glass cup(mason jar) fill 25% your enzyme product and the other 25% water. Stir then add some organic matter, the example i read they used an apple. The idea was that the stronger and more concentrated product would brake down the apple faster, thus being more economical once diluted.

Ive also given some thought over enzyme products, especially these last months and since started using Home-Made Bokashi as my cheap alternative to most hydro sold enzyme products. Thanks for sharing OldMan&theWeed

[OldMan&theWeed]

Originally Posted by Kosmo

I once heard of a good way to test enzyme products but have yet to try myself. Take a glass cup(mason jar) fill 25% your enzyme product and the other 25% water. Stir then add some organic matter, the example i read they used an apple. The idea was that the stronger and more concentrated product would brake down the apple faster, thus being more economical once diluted.

I’m skeptical that you could brew your own enzymes in that way, but I’m skeptical of most things. Maybe it would work.

As far as making your own enzymes, the one thing that has caught my attention are enzymes made from barley straw. According to what I’ve read barley-based enzyme has been used for centuries as a natural water clarifier. As the straw decomposes it produces natural enzymes. They sell a product called Barley Bails that might be a good source of enzymes, especially for those growers that like everything 100% organic:

https://www.carefreeenzymes.com/id17.html

I imagine you could put one or two of these in a five-gallon pail of water, add some molasses, plug in an aerator and see what brews.

Here’s a whole page of barley straw enzyme products designed to clarify ponds:

https://www.aqua-mart.com/barley

I have tried none of these, nor do I plan to. I’m quite satisfied with using the concentrated pond enzyme product I have now. At the rate I’m using it the $20 liter bottle will still be half full by this time next year.

Originally Posted by OldMan&theWeed

I’m done with shelling out 20 times more than I have to. I’ve been on my same bottle of pond enzyme for a year. I dilute it 1:10 with water in my old Cannazym bottle and apply it just like I did Cannazym.

I don’t want to be accused of spamming so I’ll refrain from saying which brand of pool enzyme I’ve been using. I doesn’t matter anyway, aside from their dilution ratios they’re all pretty much identical.

I doubt you would be accused of spamming.
Please share with us what you use and what enzymes are in it...

Originally Posted by OldMan&theWeed

I’m skeptical that you could brew your own enzymes in that way

I think they were talking about testing if the enzymes work, not brewing your own?
You should try the test with your pool enzyme.

[Dee9]

How about digestive enzymes found in the health store?
A capsule will typically contain:
amylase
lipase
cellulase
lactase
protease
derived from fermented grain

I sprinkle a capsule content on my coir that I would like to re-use, and it seems to keep the left over roots from going moldy...

Not too expensive to.

[~fvk~]

Originally Posted by OldMan&theWeed

The main difference in enzyme products sold in hydroponics stores is that some of them, like Cannazym, contain live microbes (which they use as selling point) while Hygrozyme and SensiZym are sterile (which THEY use as a selling point).

What’s interesting is that pond enzyme products make the same selling points about either being loaded with live microbes, or being sterile. Often times of two products offered by the same seller one will contain micro-life and one will be sterile - just as in done in the hydroponics market. The REAL difference between enzymes sold for use in ponds, and enzymes sold for hydroponics use is their concentrations.

For example, Bio Boost Enzyme #75 dosage rate is 30 ml per 1000 gallons

https://myownstore.aquaticbiologists....ProductID=3249

While from the same company is offered Bio Boost Enzyme 300, which is so concentrated that one liter will treat 325,869 gallons of water and users are cautioned to “Wear proper safety equipment including rubber gloves and eye protection when handling or applying ABI BIO BOOST enzyme.”

https://myownstore.aquaticbiologists....ProductID=3241

Then there’s Mother Nature's Pond Clarifier natural, barley-based enzyme which has a dosage rate of 1⁄4 cup (1 oz) per 1,000 gallons of water.

https://www.pristineponds.com/enzymeinstructions.htm

And then there is Fountain Cleaner, which promises to be, “safe for birds, pets and plants.” A 16-fl.-oz. bottle treats up to 6400 gallons, and costs less than 20 bucks.

https://www.improvementscatalog.com/h...n-cleaner.html

Compare any of these with the $40 bottle of enzyme from the hydro store, diluted down so it will only treat 100 gallons.

But what about those magical ingredients, things like Cannazym’s extracts of, “rare desert plants?” I believe this would be nothing more than yucca, which is used as a non-ionic surfactant. A pound of the stuff (enough to treat 100s of gallons) sells for about 10 bucks.

I’m done with shelling out 20 times more than I have to. I’ve been on my same bottle of pond enzyme for a year. I dilute it 1:10 with water in my old Cannazym bottle and apply it just like I did Cannazym.

I don’t want to be accused of spamming so I’ll refrain from saying which brand of pool enzyme I’ve been using. I doesn’t matter anyway, aside from their dilution ratios they’re all pretty much identical.

Hey bro, thanks for all the info. Very good thread and thanks for sharing this with us. Enzymes don't get discussed a whole lot. You're right though, that's why I was going with Hygrozyme but couldn't remember. I don't cater to bacteria in my root zone. Keep on man, we know you aren't spamming.