Couple of questions? Sugar?

[lovehaze]

Anybody toyed with anything other than molasses for compost teas?...or is molasses just hands down the way to go?



How about something like putting granulated sugar into the soil mix to boost bacteria populations? Is this crazy? I mean it makes sense in my mind but i might be missing something here.

 

[Granger2]

Any source of sugars is useful to our micro buddies. Go to a brew store an get some dark malt. I switch them around, using organic molasses about half the time. Good luck. -granger

 

[h.h.]

Fermentations where I’m trying to break material down, I use sugar and yeast. I’m basically producing alcohol, converting it to vinegar before bringing the pH back up.Cultivating a more specific group of microbes, making them do my bidding before I destroy most of them.
ACT is for lefties. Coexistence.
The microbes are fed and encouraged to grow before being released into utopia.Molasses is known to produce better results.

 

[Drewsif]

Commercial molasses is garbitch. For personal teas, replace however much molasses you're using with an equal volume of dried fruit. For slangin use 90% table sugar 10% orchard scraps. If you insist on mersh molasses use Rapunzel, not that grandma's bullfaggotry.

For composting use coke and beer, because it's novel and hippies love that

 

[DrLongbottom]

you could use humic acid

 

[lovehaze]

So essentially any sugar...anything thats a calorie i guess... so molasses, honey, maple syrup.... cane sugar, table sugar....ok fruits?


You mean fruits like dry papya and dry mango? Dry bananas? I mean...thank makes sense please clarify?


Humic acid? How does that translate for sugar just curious? Wouldn't that be a supplement on top of sugar?

 

[lovehaze]

Another question since i'm at it...if you are making tea....does you strain the tea....like lets say i put a cup of compost and a cup of earthworm castings in the mix do i strain it...do i use a "tea bag" and pull the solids out after? reuse? thanks

 

[Microbeman]

How many have used a microscope to validate their advice? Humic acid is for sure not going to be effective. Cane molasses is the best.

 

[DrLongbottom]

How many have used a microscope to validate their advice? Humic acid is for sure not going to be effective. Cane molasses is the best.

my understanding is that humic acid is a food source for beneficial microbes....how is that not effective?

 

[Microbeman]

my understanding is that humic acid is a food source for beneficial microbes....how is that not effective?

https://www.microbeorganics.com/#More_on_Compost_Tea_2013_

remove the s from https

Along the line somewhere we left humic acid out of a brew and noticed an increase in microbial numbers so we stopped using it ourselves but, possibly irresponsibly, I continued to recommend it because the ‘bigwigs’ did so. It was not until I devised a method to test each foodstock independently that I began to change my tune and begin to go against the grain of the contemporary experts.

By testing some ingredients independently in a liquid I observed;

1/ that humic acid in varying dilutions does not feed any sort of microscopically visible microbe. I observed that it actually suppresses microbial division and growth. This was confirmed by joint testing with Keep It Simple Inc. (KIS) in the Seattle area. We tested two of the most effective and popular brands. I cannot say definitively that all brands of humic acid will have similar suppressive effects in a liquid (ACT) but it is enough for me to discontinue using it or recommending it as an ACT foodstock. Please note that this does not mean that it is not good to use on/in soil….just not ACT.