A Basic Compost Tea Guide

[Clackamas Coot]

IMO, if you have healthy soil... adding humus is redundant.

Dig

Dig

I thought adding compost/humus (whatever term one uses) to garden beds each year was pretty standard stuff.

We use John Jeavon's (Ecology Center's bio-intensive gardening) recommendation of 8 cf. of compost/humus per 100 sq. ft which is a single raised bed (5' x 20'). That amount, with teas, produces a very fertile growing environment.

I suppose that you could bypass the compost addition and strictly recharge the soil with compost teas assuming that the soil has been properly amended with organic humus for several years. I'd still be concerned about a huge drop in yield though.

 

[Dignan]

I apologize... I didn't click on your links above and assumed they were links to humic acid commercial products, which I feel are a waste of money. Sorry about that.

I add compost to my soil each year, but it comes from my compost pile or from composted manure, worm bin, etc.

Carry on.

Dig

 

[quadracer]

has anyone tried making their own airstone? I'm thinking about getting some pumice and carving out a spot for the tube. It's about time to make one or invest in a really good stone, no use to keep buying one every couple of weeks.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

has anyone tried making their own airstone? I'm thinking about getting some pumice and carving out a spot for the tube. It's about time to make one or invest in a really good stone, no use to keep buying one every couple of weeks.

These airstones might be a way to go for you. They're designed for aerating outdoor ponds.

CC

 

[Smurf]

I give mine a clean with a small wire brush.

 

[Suby]

I drop my airstones in concentrated peroxyde, it cleans ver well and a toothbrush, I don't go nuts cleaning them but REUSE is one of those all important 3 x R's.

S

 

[Clackamas Coot]

RE: Cleaning Airstones

An easy way to clean the components in your brewer (including the airstone if that's what you use) is to soak them in a mixture of water and Oxyclean.

Everything will look like its brand new in about 30 minutes.

HTH

CC

 

[minds_I]

Hello all,

Wanted to post that when I was using my first box of bat guano (3-10-1) froim one company to make ,my teas with I would get a pH of around 8.5.

I am using another bat guano brand (.5-12-.2) and now my teas pH at about 6.8...perfect I think.

Anyway, just to stir the shit (so to speak) I have had much better grows when I keep my watering/feeding solutions in the mid 6's when administered. While I believe that the soil has the capacity to buffer the higher pH ranges I see no reason to assualt the soil environment with wide ranging pH solutions.

minds_I

PS. I use plastic dual indicating pH strips accurate to .25 pH...240 strips for 18 duckets. No calibrating or cleaning. You can use tehm in the muckiest of solutions and get an accurate reading unlike liquid pH test kits and there is no danger of fooling your probe and trashing it.

 

[vonforne]

I give mine a clean with a small wire brush.

I use hot water and a small hand held fiber brush. Kind of like a steel brush with out the steel. I use one like it to scrub the garage floor if you know the type. Costs about 3.00. I find that the hot water loosens the grime. Once this is done I use an air compressor at about 120 psi to blow air through it.

V

 

[MrFista]

Questions please good people...

I have some leftover EJ products and wonder if they're good for brewing teas.

Obviously the catalyst is good, but I don't use that I use molasses.

But I do have - bloom, microblast and meta K.

My typical teas are very simple. I tried to get complex once and created a black mold on my tomatoes which took several foliar applications of kelp to control...

So, a typical tea, for me

5 gallons pond water siphoned off bottom (humus, fulvic and humic acids, nitrate approx 25 ppm)
25 ml seasol original (organic liquid seaweed)
25 ml molasses
2 cups fresh compost
25 ml juice of alfalfa or nettle or fruit according to availability.

Brewed with free floating compost (no sock) for 2-3 days according to external temps.

My soil contains dolomite, charcoal, bone meal and smashed up bones. Lots of compost, some clay, some topsoil.

Now, I know you people prefer not to work with bottled goods and I am the same, however, I have the stuff so want to use it.

That's Bloom, meta K and microblast.

Will they go in the teas and complement them?

Are they better as a watered in additive?

I've read EJ is best after a bubble session, but still am unsure as to the results of mixing with other substances.

 

[MrFista]

Really want to utilise the EJ products but don't want to overload my teas. Have used tiny portions of Meta K and Microblast in an alfalfa tea experiment, but not sure what dose of bloom is good/bad for a tea...

Flowering approaches fast.

Anyone?

 

[vonforne]

Here are some teas I made on a run about a year ago. Some of the amounts need to be adjusted but they all worked well. You can check out my Organic grow thread and see for your self.

V



5 gallons of tepid water
2 handfuls of Worm castings in a sock
4 TSP of molasses
4 cap fulls of Liquid Humic acid by Safergro (organic)
5 capfuls of Maxi-crop liquid seaweed

5 gallons of tepid water
4 capfuls of Maxi-crop liquid seaweed
4 TBS of molasses
2 handfuls of castings in a sock
1 TBS of guano with Mycorrhizal Fungi in sock
4 TBS of liquid Humic acid
1 TBS of rock phosphate in sock
2 TBS of ground Alfalfa loose in bucket


4.5 gallons of tepid water
In sock:
1 handful worm castings
3 TBS Alfalfa meal
In water @ 6.0 ph
70 ml Maxi-crop seaweed
3TSP (scoops) Yucca extract
5 TBS molasses

4 TBS of Liquid Seaweed
4 TBS Molasses
1 capfull (1 1/2 TSP) Fulvic acid
1 capfull (1 1/2 TSP) Humic acid
Hand squeezed Worm castings-

2 TSP Fulvic acid
2 TSP Humic acid
4 capfuls of liquid seaweed (about 2 TBS per gallon)



6 TBS Alfalfa
4 TBS of molasses (60 ml)
3 TBS of Fulvic acid (45 ml)
1 handful castings
3 TBS Yucca extract

4 TBS liquefied Hydrolyzed Fish Poop
4 TBS of Liquid seaweed
4 TBS of molasses

8 TBS of Indonesian guano
3 TBS of Mexican guano
3 TBS Leonardite
1 TBS K-Mag Natural
1 handful of EWC
4 TBS of Molasses

 

[Maddlights]

V- You are the man when it comes to tea!

I have been working on a formula for a daily complete Coco feed. Currently I’m using a formula of:

5 gallons of rain barrel water
2 cups of Worm castings / screened compost in pantyhose tea bag
4 TSP of molasses
2 oz. of Liquid Humic acid
½ cup kelp meal
1 TBS of rock phosphate in pantyhose tea bag
½ cup of Alfalfa pellets in pantyhose tea bag
Aerated for 2 days makes enough to feed 25+ girls for 4 days


I add 10ml cal/mag., 4 cups of tea to 2 gals of water and hand water daily. So far it has been working OK for the light eaters (DJ’s F-13). But the heavy feeders are showing a lack of overall vigor. Please I need some guidance. I’m think that the right tea formula should be able to supply everything for a complete Coco grow from veg to flower with some adjustment when they start the flower cycle.

 

[ixnay007]

Hey maddlights, have a look at the alfafa thread, most people brew it for about a week, or more, then add that mixture into their teas. You should get a more potent brew that way.

 

[vonforne]

V- You are the man when it comes to tea!

I have been working on a formula for a daily complete Coco feed. Currently I’m using a formula of:

5 gallons of rain barrel water
2 cups of Worm castings / screened compost in pantyhose tea bag
4 TSP of molasses
2 oz. of Liquid Humic acid
½ cup kelp meal
1 TBS of rock phosphate in pantyhose tea bag
½ cup of Alfalfa pellets in pantyhose tea bag
Aerated for 2 days makes enough to feed 25+ girls for 4 days


I add 10ml cal/mag., 4 cups of tea to 2 gals of water and hand water daily. So far it has been working OK for the light eaters (DJ’s F-13). But the heavy feeders are showing a lack of overall vigor. Please I need some guidance. I’m think that the right tea formula should be able to supply everything for a complete Coco grow from veg to flower with some adjustment when they start the flower cycle.

Rain water all right. PH of about 6.3
I do not screen the WC because I like all the goodies in there but I am not the most conventional brewer around.
Perfect on the Molasses.
Kelp also.
Is the RP crushed?
You can soak the Alfalfa for two days prior to brewing to increase the strength. And I like to grind mine up in a blender also.

Ahhhh, coco as an un amended medium. Each plant will feed different. If your plants are not showing vigor then increase slightly until the growth is increased. Try adding another source of N....like a guano. Peruvian Seabird guano is a good one. 10-10-5 I think. I would also folair feed with an Alfalfa solution at least once a week. I would also folair feed once a week with the kelp. You can feed your plants also this way.

And maybe once a week in rotation feed with the complete tea but dilute it a bit more to prevent burning.

Increase the solution to 5 cups per 2 gallons for the heavy feeders.

Keep us posted.

V

 

[Maddlights]

Excellent!

Just the specific advice I was hoping for Von. I'll make the adjustments to the mix with tomorrow’s batch of tea. I know this will work. My goal is to be as organic as possible while eliminate the need to pay for a commercial feeding product. Someday I would like to able to make exactly what my plants need in a fresh and fine tunable tea.

Thanks for spreading the knowledge!

 

[ithruxix]

Von, how long and at what temp can tea be stored before going rancid? thank you

 

[quadracer]

fresh brewed teas should be used imediately, or at the most 24 hours past brew. Putting it in the fridge will increase the shelf-life by a couple of days.

You know it goes bad when it turns anaerobic and starts to STINK!

 

[MrFista]

Bone Tea?

Am looking at flowering and how I might get the most of it from household wastes.

I'm also into Terra Preta soil, and have been storing up bones for use as part of the mix.

It is practised by some to bury a cows horn and then after time they uncover and put this in some water then walk round the farm with a twig putting it in the cow horn water and flicking drops about for innoculation of bacteria. The porosity of bone/horn would house a multitude of bacteria, and the contents of the horn provide ample nutrition for wide speciation.

Basically, I want to innoculate the bones via a tea and then put them in my compost pile, but at the same time, add flowering nutrition from the bones to my tea.

Theory: Alfalfa and barley sprouts contain enzymes that help bacteria break down fats and many other things. Bones in a tea may contain fats that may otherwise cause oxidative rancidity. These enzymes will also help break down any insects that made it into the tea with compost.

So, a tea with a handful of smashed up bones, a handful of blended alfalfa and barley sprouts, some compost, and molasses.

The bones and other organic matter in the tea should promote high enzyme activity and these should be available and active when the tea is added to your soil.

With the correct enzymes present the bones should provide some organic flower nutes.

After the brew the bones will do wonders for the compost and eventually wind up in a Terra Preta mix..

 

[MrFista]

The process of burying a horn is part of the practise of macrobiotics. Less is obviously more in this scenario.

Less is also more in this forums approach. I'm hoping the bones will provide a small amount of nutrients but more importantly, promote the enzyme and bacterial activity associated with fats and proteins. I theorise a soil with insects and their wastes plus bone and blood meal will benefit greatly from these micro organisms.

Feedback? Good idea? Bad idea?