whoops

[OrganicBuds]

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

[Microbeman]

Obuds;

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

[John Deere]

You may not vote on any more threads today.

I ran out again. Nice pix, everybody.

Originally Posted by Microbeman

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]

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?

Originally Posted by BugJar

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.

[warthog]

Very beautiful buds/plants OB

cool thread, i'll be chillen...

Originally Posted by bigshrimp

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?

Originally Posted by vonforne

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