A Basic Compost Tea Guide

[Smurf]

It is not possible to burn plants with properly made compost tea. That being said, if it's not properly made, depending on your inputs, the potential is there I suppose, but not likely. The idea behind compost tea is adding biology (with some soluble nutrients), however you have to let go of the NPK paradigm because you're not working with things with NPK in double digits, where burning can occur. Instead, the biology makes the nutrients already in the soil available to the plant through nutrient cycling.

Thats exactly what I was thinking, the catch phrase here is "you have to let go of the NPK paradigm because you're not working with things with NPK" , but once you have grasped this "out of the norm methodology", it's full steam ahead.

The only reason I've posted these pics is to prove a point about teas (both in sickness & in health)
these ladies have been fed nothing but 100% AAC Teas, (absolutely no NPK ferts) they've now cracked the 8 - 9ft marker,,, with NO burning & NO deficiencies to date,,, and this is the best part - I didn't germinate these plants here, they came up on their own,, (seeds fell from the mother plant grown in this exact spot from last year),,, what can I say except?,, the soil is fertile & teas work.



Honestly tho I didn't know they were gonna grow this large, in hindsight I should have tied them down or lst them.



I didn't bother taping the (12" split) trunk only to see what would happen after I yanked her down to make room for the plants behind to grow.



and here she is healthy as can be.



admittedly she's flowering very slowly,, but the point I'm trying to make is her health is from teas alone.

and not one bug in sight anywhere!

smurf

 

[Guest]

Smurf, every time you post i'm freakin drooling! Questions, please sir.

How often do you water in teas for your girls?

What type of teas are you using (ratios) for your girls outdoors in Winter?

Were they in pots or straight in the soil?

Any specific genetics you found better in the cold?

I finished my fungal tea at 3 days brewing. It averaged about 20 degrees temp in the brew time. I have no microscope anymore (damn thieves!) so I got up close and personal with a loupe to look for mycelium. it was there on dirt, straw, flax, and wood chip.

A very fine bio-film had begun on the container. This leads me to theorise the aloe held the bacteria in check for 2-ish days or so and then they staged a comeback.

Have no fear of this stuff being a problem but for safety's sake I sprayed a mold/fungus ridden tomato first. It looked better next day so the tea went to

The garden, the TP clones, the compost heap, the soil I'm aging to grow in, the lawns, and under all my fruit trees.

I'm not gonna look at my clones for a few days see if the growth jumps out at me or not.

I love not adding ferts, this forum has truly transformed my growing approach and now I'm seeing it in my gardens.

 

[Suby]

You fucking rock...period.

 

[Smurf]

Please forgive me guys for not responding sooner,,,, atm we are in the longest heat wave in recorded Oz history (consecutive days over 35 deg C) but its not even summer!

A few of the plants in pots have fried,, this weather has definitely sorted out what soil mixes are better & what strains can handle it better than others etc. etc.
I've had to water before going to work and then again at sunset,,,, it getting out of hand!,, so you might understand I'm slightly stressing atm.

If I have learnt anything this season, its how to grow drought resistant plants,, or at least learnt how to keep them alive during extreme heat conditions,,, and to make things worse the last few days we have been receiving up to 50km hot winds blowing in from central Oz (Simpson Desert), so there is no moisture in the air at all, Add that on top of 40 deg C (104 deg F) in the shade - gives you an indication of what the plants have had to cop.

Night time temps have maxed out at 31.2 deg C (88.16 deg F) so far & the dept. of meteorology have claimed a possible end by mid next week, when its predicted a cool change back down to 31 deg C (daytime).

By the way all the temps given (from the dept of meteorology) are from under a tree in the park lands not out in the blazing sun where most of the ladies are.

Shit, it would be lovely if we had some rain for a change. I've run out of rain water so I'm using crappy mains.

But as usual life goes on,, I only hope all you guys don't get ripped off with your weather.



BongsSong I'll get back to ya mate...
Silversurfer I still haven't done anything about yours yet mate, but I haven't forgotten! sorry.

ciao, smurf

 

[PHB]

If I have learnt anything this season, its how to grow drought resistant plants,, or at least learnt how to keep them alive during extreme heat conditions...

I for one would love to learn from any insights you have had.

PHB

 

[sophisto]

smurf unreal brother, nice work.....Oh wait you didnt even do anything......Score mayng....

Teas rule, compost is king..

 

[Suby]

That some serious heat there Smurf.
Here we have the opposite, it's been a record year for snow, a total of 2.5 meters.
Last Sunday we got 18" along with gale force winds, it's been an AWD heaven for sure but spring feels far away.

 

[jaykush]

sounds like my place haha, except 104 is average in summer and 115+ is not unheard of even still if you keep on the foliar spraying the plants with water they do better i think.

 

[Scay Beez]

Smurf: Heat/drought resistant strains are a must in super hot weather. Aim for sativas. Neville's Haze would dominate out there! Aloe vera, coconut water, yucca, and mulla mulla (african herb) for cooling effects.


- sbz

 

[CT Guy]

I've heard that seaweed is the best product for drought resistance...any thoughts?

 

[cway]

Urban City Rainwater

Urban City Rainwater

What do you guys think about using Urban City Rainwater for my girls.. The PH is right about 7.. I figured with so many pollutants in the air that it would be more acidic.. Anyhow you guys think thats its safe to use it even being near so may industrial type plants?


Thanks and

 

[halloweed2006]

Woot, halloweed2006 reporting in and joining the Compost Tea goodness.

I just started brewing my first batch ever of flower compost tea:

1 cup jamaican bat guano
1 cup earth worm castings
10 TBSP maxicrop liquified seaweed
5 TBSP blackstrap molasses in 5 gal. of bubbling water.

I can't wait to hit my organic soil medium with this tea! Tomorrow I'll get some Peruvian or Mexican guano and start up a veg batch. Thank you everyone on this thread for spreading the information, i wont name names cause i dont want to leave one of you big info heads out.

PEACE and Happiness.

 

[CT Guy]

Wow, I think that's way too much molasses! Dr. E recommends starting with 1 tsp. and then progressing to 2 tsp. in a 5 gal. brew! I think you're putting in too much seaweed also. I'd start with a tablespoon.

 

[Merfolk]

glad these are stickeyed!

 

[halloweed2006]

Wow, I think that's way too much molasses! Dr. E recommends starting with 1 tsp. and then progressing to 2 tsp. in a 5 gal. brew! I think you're putting in too much seaweed also. I'd start with a tablespoon.

CT Guy, this conflicts with the first post that recommends the above recipe. I doubled the seaweed because I'm using the less concentrated liquid variant. I trust you and what you've been saying and I certainly don't want to create an environment for nasty pathogens. So when you say 1 tsp, you're saying one teaspoon? My god I'm giving way to much molasses at even 1 tablespoon, let alone 5 We'll i'll brew up a batch with what you're recommending and compare tastes/smells/growth rates. I'll be sure to report back.

 

[Dignan]

For a compost tea, that's also a LOT of guano. If you're making a guano/nutrient tea, you're fine. But for a compost tea (meant to introduce beneficials to your soil, as opposed to directly feeding your plants), the nutrient content is going to be high.

1 cup of guano in a 5-gal bucket is going to make a very nutrient-rich brew, indeed.

 

[Guest]

What would one recomend if a fellow had the following products

Peruvian Seabird Guano 10-10-2
Em1 Bukashi Rice
MetaNaturals Organic 16-0-0 (1tbs per gal)
MetaNaturals Organic 3-3-3 (1tsp per gal)
EarthWorm Castings
MaxiCrop Liquid Seaweed
Molasses
Liquid Karma
Per gallon please.
Temp?

will be brewing for 4-5 days.

Looking for a BIG boost of nitrogen for well established sites indoor two weeks before flip!!!!
Thanks for your help on the poo

 

[halloweed2006]

My women and baby girls loved my tea. Perkiest i've ever seen them. W00t. On a side note, the tea I've been bubbling for a few days is starting to no longer smell sweet and or like molasses. Can I use the rest of it or should i dump it?

 

[Guest]

Help two guys on easter please. I need to make my tea and dont want to fry em.

 

[vonforne]

Woot, halloweed2006 reporting in and joining the Compost Tea goodness.

I just started brewing my first batch ever of flower compost tea:

1 cup jamaican bat guano
1 cup earth worm castings
10 TBSP maxicrop liquified seaweed
5 TBSP blackstrap molasses in 5 gal. of bubbling water.

I can't wait to hit my organic soil medium with this tea! Tomorrow I'll get some Peruvian or Mexican guano and start up a veg batch. Thank you everyone on this thread for spreading the information, i wont name names cause i dont want to leave one of you big info heads out.

PEACE and Happiness.

When you brew a tea of this strength.....remember to dilute.

V