Organic Tea Party with The Rev.

[Suby]

Jeff Lowenfells has a new book out called "teaming with microbes"...if you haven't had a chance to check that out you really should. Jeff goes into great detail about the differences in bacterial dominated teas/soils and fungi dominated teas/soils. Very very informative.

http://www.timberpress.com/books/isbn.cfm/9780881927771

fungi dominated soil

I'll definately pick that.
Kokua thanks for that.

S

 

[hobosapien]

hey all! i almost feel guilty bringing this thread back from the grave, but i have found it to be VERY informative.

i was wondering if anyone is currently using such tea's and if so, what is the 'shelf life' of a healthy tea w/o being aerated?

that book by jeff lowenfel seems a great read for anyone interested in microbial interaction.... which i am quickly becoming..

PEACE IC, HOPE YOU FORGIVE MY RESURRECTION!

 

[fortragni]

I'm experimenting with fungal tea at the moment. My plants are all seedlings, 2 outside 2 inside.. I want the fungus to get a good foothold inthe soil by the time bloom/flowering comes around. I used 2 handfuls of mushroom compost in pantyhose, a shot of EarthJuice Bloom (fish emulsion), a shot of soy sauce, some brown sugar and maple syrup, plus i peed in it twice. I added two fine-bubble air stoned and it started foaming 5 to 6 hours later. After squeezing out the compost it's a rich dark brown , smells very earthy. guess it's about 2 or 3 gallons. cant give any more info right now cause i just gave it to my soil yesterday. peace

 

[Suby]

I'm experimenting with fungal tea at the moment. My plants are all seedlings, 2 outside 2 inside.. I want the fungus to get a good foothold inthe soil by the time bloom/flowering comes around. I used 2 handfuls of mushroom compost in pantyhose, a shot of EarthJuice Bloom (fish emulsion), a shot of soy sauce, some brown sugar and maple syrup, plus i peed in it twice. I added two fine-bubble air stoned and it started foaming 5 to 6 hours later. After squeezing out the compost it's a rich dark brown , smells very earthy. guess it's about 2 or 3 gallons. cant give any more info right now cause i just gave it to my soil yesterday. peace

Make good on that and post us a pic please.
As far as I know I haven't seen any pics of a genuine trial

Peace
S

 

[hidden]

I was doing some academic type research, and there are some recent articles that say in large controlled experiments that teas don't actually have much effect on plant growth and health - and that's both aerobic and anaerobic teas. I had been brewing up teas and was sort of bummed out by this.

But then, the actual additives like fish emulsion, kelp extract, molasses and earth worm castings are what I use for fertilizer anyway - and in almost the same dilution as recommended for the tea. I have settled into the idea that aerating a mixture of all these is certainly not going to hurt anything and it's fun. Since I use home made soil I figure bumping up the number of bacteria, if only temporarily, must be good at some level.

 

[Dignan]

You should email Elaine Ingham at Soil Food Web about those studies, see what she says.

 

[ThisBuds4You]

I have used all of these teas (this is my first grow) and my plants look FANTASTIC!!! I've added 2 cups of Diamond Nectar - humic acid (per 5 gallons) to my flowering batches and it has been fantastic. I can't upload any pics of my plants because I'm a newbie (this is my first post), but I have added them to my gallery

 

[Suby]

Hey TB4U,

I hope you don't mins if i post the link for that gorgeous looking plant .

I can tell the difference in my plants the next few days when I hit them with teas.
I don't need a scientist or a lab tecnician to tell me they do or don't, I can see the results.
I'm all about less is more so I feed only about 3 teas during the life of my plants but I find it brings all the soil elements together perfectly.

Suby

 

[ThisBuds4You]

Thanks Suby I've been reading these boards forever and have never posted. I figured it was time to come out of my shell. Love these organic forums!!!! I've learned sooo much, it's been a wonderful experience. I'll be sure to post more pics of the rest of my garden soon: Dutch Passion's Strawberry Cough & MasterKush, Flying Dutchman's ThaiTanic, and some High Grade Seed Mixes

 

[Dignan]

Hey TB4U,
I don't need a scientist or a lab tecnician to tell me they do or don't, I can see the results.

Of course, 99% of scientists are saying that compost teas help immensely.

I'm all about less is more so I feed only about 3 teas during the life of my plants but I find it brings all the soil elements together perfectly.

Suby

FWIW, The Rev advises exactly what you do, Suby. i.e. rather than trying to keep the soil biology booming throughout the lifecycle of your plant/soil, he advises allowing the life to fluctuate, wax and wane, to "breathe".

Dig

 

[Guest]

I've added 2 cups of Diamond Nectar - humic acid (per 5 gallons) to my flowering batches and it has been fantastic.

If you're gonna use a fulvic product replace the Diamond Nectar. After doing some research it's basically crap. I've used it. Maybe take a look at Liquid Gold for fulvic or Liquid Black for humic. Roots Organics has a product better than DN called Ancient Amber. I'm pretty sure all those products are harsh chemical rock extracts though. Better to go, probably, with something like Down To Earth's ore. There are some bottle compost tea concentrates available also supposedly fairly high in fulvic and humic acids.

 

[FRIENDinDEED]

this is great stuff to know and have, thanks again will tag for shure!!

 

[hidden]

I can't say for sure whether the teas are making my plants better off or not. They were actually looking pretty good prior to the teas, and since the teas are what my fertilizer program was anyway (except without the bubbling) then I guess the fundamental difference might not be that great. I suspect that my soil was acting as a "tea" already, since it has earth worm castings, blood meal, bone meal, kelp meal, etc. in it from the beginning. The bubbled tea certainly has hurt nothing and I continue to use it because it's fun to tinker with.

I think that when I first started adding a dilute molasses solution to the soil it did make a noticeable difference, as this allowed the "tea" components already in the soil to brew more effectively.

 

[Suby]

Agreed guys!

I've felt the same way about the wax and wane of the soil biology and ph.
As hidden puts it, the medium is in itself a sort of micobial tea environment to begin with.
I find teas are a good "reset", say I'm on my 3rd watering and I'm not sure I want to feed my girls yet I use a tea.
Using a flowering tea with a higher fungal count to "reset" for flowering is a good indoor tecnique that I am testing right now.
I follow a different recipe than The Rev suggests, I use one I found online which in in the OFC but the end result in a higher fungal count in the rootzone.
We have to also recognize that if soil conditions are perfect then a tea won't really change anything unless your introducing a different mix of soil biology, and when I use the word tea in this context I'm speaking of a microbial tea and not a fertilizer tea with guano or meals.
I like to err on the safe side as in organics it is easier to fix a deficienty than it is an overdose of one or another elements.

S

 

[Zealious]

Late. But nice. Very nice post. Skunk is my fav rag actually, more good growing content then most. Big fan of rev really talented guy.

 

[ShamelessJames]

Great thread, deserves a bump.

Question though, would it be pointless to make a nice soil mix to last the whole plant's cycle and use the same ingredients to brew a tea?

And if not all the same, how about some of the same ingredients? Like castings, quano, and some meal.

 

[Dignan]

Sounds like a good question for Rev in the mag... submit a Budwise Question, brother!

 

[Chesticles]

Quick question
i tried to make a "fungal mash" to get my tea in the fungal direction
i mixed a bit of organic red wheat flour and some wormcastings, wet them, and let it sit for a few days, when i checked on it there was a white "webbing" 1/4=1/2" above the mix, was this fungal or mold???
thanks

 

[JAHWORKS]

...

oNe

 

[gravy]

nice info.

So has anoyone tried this, or is planning to do so ?

gravy