Fireknot farm 2016

[leadsled]

I think its a myth that people are making bad teas........ If it smells bad, it's anaerobic. If it smells good, then it's aerobic. Pretty simple.

Here is what Teaming with Microbes has to say about Compost Extract:

Page 148-149

"Compost extract is what you get when you soak compost in water.....The end result is an anaerobic soup with perhaps a bit of aerobic activity on the surface. The loss of aerobic microbial diversity alone (not to mention the risk of it's containing anaerobic pathogens and alcohols) suggest that compost extracts are not worth the effort. We don't consider it safe or advisable to use them."

Teaming with Microbes on AACT's:

Continued from page 149

"Modern compost tea, on the other hand, are aerobic mixtures. If the tea is properly made, it is a concentrate of beneficial, aerobic microbes. The bacterial population, for example, grows from 1 billion in a teaspoon of compost to 4 billion in a teaspoon of actively aerated compost tea.

THen from the same chapter, page 161

"If you are still worried about E. coli

We find it hard to believe that e coli, an anaerobic organism, can be found in a properly aerated tea......Still, some folks remain concerned about the possibility of e coli growing in their teas.


An ACT is far superior to a compost extract for many reasons. Making a bad AACT is hard to do, keep the dissolved oxygen above 6 part per million and having a pump that supplies at least .05 cubic feet of air per minute, per gallon of water. Easy peasy.

This is not living biological extract a compost extract not to be confused with putting a tea bag in water.

If you got the proper tools and techniques to do it right, aact is excellent.

But if someone does not have a do meter and microscope here is way to do thing for less money and time and still get excellent result.

Bad aact. Not a myth at all. Bad compost not a myth either. Does not solely mean ecoli in the aact.

If you really want to make sure the aact is good use a microscope.
Going off smell alone does not mean you brewed a good tea.
There is not the same air in the medium the microbes then do not take hold in the medium.

 

[leadsled]

Great work on the citation. Aact is super effective, folks I know using it have amazing plants and the green up effect is really rapid.
I'm basing my decision off of the words out of the mouth of a biologist that sells brewers and looks at samples for a living. I also made the decision after having root disease issues in a commerical orchard and cannabis farm after using aact for years.
It's money out of his pocket for all the people who don't buy a Brewer. Ian Davidson of Biologic Systems told me that just because an organism is aerobic does not mean it is "good". I could not tell you any more than that. He used to recommend analyzing a sample of aact after any change in recipe, equipment or operating conditions.
So I'm rocking elastic paint strainer bags from the hardware store. I can have my helper whip up extract in 10 minutes and if they get lazy and don't wash out the bag I just chuck it. Endless ways to skin this cat.

You nailed it.
Big part of the income is selling the brewers big bucks.

Been through a similar experience and found you can spend less time and money and get as good or better results.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[_tessarecting]

First off thanks everyone for the great reading material and suggestions as always. Im going to look into the extract.

Second, plants, fear eats the soul. Overcome by understanding. Its physically impossible for bms to survive if your ipm is on point. If you have them you are just fucking up. There is no real separation between us and nature....or anything....and nothing.......

I feel like shit today though. I got 2 mounds chicken wired. It took tons of u staples to get it to conform to the mound. Seems like a huge waste of time and money. But im biased/exhausted. I might need a day off or work on something else. I want to just say fuck this but I also want to do the right thing...yin yang of balance that is my life.

It's nice to see things coming together at least.

 

[Shcrews]

There is no real separation between us and nature....or anything....and nothing.......

there's a big difference between anything and nothing... try eating nothing for a week or two.

I feel like shit today though. I got 2 mounds chicken wired. It took tons of u staples to get it to conform to the mound. Seems like a huge waste of time and money. But im biased/exhausted. I might need a day off or work on something else. I want to just say fuck this but I also want to do the right thing...yin yang of balance that is my life

at least a lot of the shitty work is done. you should try to take good care of your immune system just as you would the plants.

 

[_tessarecting]

Well...technically...even that nothing is something...

I'll probably head up there and keep working until it drives me crazy again.

 

[theJointedOne]

Not living on site can make it a bit more stressful that's for sure.

I'm assuming you don't based on your last post.

 

[_tessarecting]

I do actually its just a hike or a safari ride.

I feel like im missing something with the chicken wire. I bought 200 u staples for 20 thinking it would be enough for all...but I only got 3 done. That cant be right. Maybe they dont need to conform as much as I've been making them? I think I might put this job off a month maybe.

What do you guys do about the topsoil drying out with the cootz until the cover crop gets going? Im wondering if I should be wetting it a little.

I replaced a blueberry. Looks way better. The heaven mountain looks ok. It didnt break up as much.

 

[Robrites]

I do actually its just a hike or a safari ride.

I feel like im missing something with the chicken wire. I bought 200 u staples for 20 thinking it would be enough for all...but I only got 3 done. That cant be right. Maybe they dont need to conform as much as I've been making them? I think I might put this job off a month maybe.

What do you guys do about the topsoil drying out with the cootz until the cover crop gets going? Im wondering if I should be wetting it a little.

I replaced a blueberry. Looks way better. The heaven mountain looks ok. It didnt break up as much.

You will want to keep the cover crop moist until the seeds pop.

 

[_tessarecting]

Thanks Robrites! Just went up there and did it.

Took pics of the 20 girls. The second heaven mountain is really the sky lotus I just replaced it with:

http://m.imgur.com/a/kdqXu

 

[Noonin NorCal]

First off thanks everyone for the great reading material and suggestions as always. Im going to look into the extract.

Second, plants, fear eats the soul. Overcome by understanding. Its physically impossible for bms to survive if your ipm is on point. If you have them you are just fucking up. There is no real separation between us and nature....or anything....and nothing.......

I feel like shit today though. I got 2 mounds chicken wired. It took tons of u staples to get it to conform to the mound. Seems like a huge waste of time and money. But im biased/exhausted. I might need a day off or work on something else. I want to just say fuck this but I also want to do the right thing...yin yang of balance that is my life.

It's nice to see things coming together at least.

Things are looking good, keep your head up. Smoke a fatty with some of that killer looking hash you got from your Candyland and take a break you deserve it

 

[Noonin NorCal]

Oh and go mushroom picking. You might find a patch or two of Morels

 

[_tessarecting]

Wake up and rage

4' cages fit nice inside the 5' baskets...I will tie them in with wire once I know they're good...here's a sky lotus

A blueberry I planted yesterday was a male. Swapped it out.

How long would you keep the starts around? Like a week? 20something remain.

 

[maxmurder]

Wake up and rage

4' cages fit nice inside the 5' baskets...I will tie them in with wire once I know they're good...here's a sky lotus

A blueberry I planted yesterday was a male. Swapped it out.

How long would you keep the starts around? Like a week? 20something remain.

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You have the greenhouse already I would dep the shittiest half and keep the best half for backups. Dep prices are close to indoor where I'm at. You could have some extra cash in two months.

 

[plantingplants]

Keep them a while just in case you have any that flower early. I second depping half of them.

 

[Shcrews]

wow that looks hilarious. you werent joking about that chicken wire huh. hey at least the gophers won't get in those mounds without some serious effort

if you are sure you have all females planted then you dont really need to save many extras. they might be ok for another couple weeks, or dep them if you can

 

[_tessarecting]

I triple checked today on their sex. I wonder about the space monkeys though. If new growth and vigor is on point by next week I'll let them live. If not then I'll just go with SL or SA or whatevers healthiest at that time.

I'm thinking if you're going to use chicken wire at all use bigger pieces. I guess you should measure your mounds first and just do a 4 piece grid instead of trying to bend it like I did.

I got lazy and forgot their calcium last night so I'll do that later. Will also check on the topsoil I watered earlier this afternoon. I'm thinking compost extract tomorrow.

 

[Bradley_Danks]

Ain't no gophers getting us this year

 

[Shcrews]

Ain't no gophers getting us this year

I'm thinking if you're going to use chicken wire at all use bigger pieces. I guess you should measure your mounds first and just do a 4 piece grid instead of trying to bend it like I did.

these pics was the first year at my spot:

 

[jbarsk8]

these pics was the first year at my spot:
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Damn i forgot how dry and dead it was a few years back

 

[Bradley_Danks]

these pics was the first year at my spot:
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That's some hardcore gopher patrol. Those baskets must have sucked ass to assemble. So what happened? I'm guessing that didn't work out. Did the gophers go away or do they not chew through smart pots or what?