the protege
Member
After you all have finished mixing up your soil and adding all the amendments, how concentrated do you make the molasses to start the beneficial colonies? I think I read somewhere to keep it most, to allow the bacteria to breed?
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Organic Fanatic Collective
- Thread starter Suby
- Start date
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vonforne
I wet my soil mixture with a microbial tea consisting of Fish emulsions(2 cap fulls per gallon), Kelp(1 cap full per gallon), Mollasses(2 TBS per gallon). Brew for 48 hours. Wet the soil until it compacts but no moisture drips from your hand. Turn the soil daily and make sure you keep it covered. covering it lets less moisture transpire. During the 2 weeks to 4 weeks it is sitting the micro-organisms will start to breed fast.
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the protege
Member
thank you! I have done just this. I am going wet it some more as I know I didn't wet it to field capacity. My soil is a very rich mix, I am hoping that my plants enjoy this!! It is a bit different than my last round, so I am waiting for the results
Scay Beez
Active member
I've read that endo/ecto mycos have to attach themselves to roots, stem, leaf, or food source within 24 hours. If there is something in the tea that provides a good surface area for the fungi to attach, and your water or air pump doesn't have too much pressure, your tea mixture not too thick, then the fungi can grow in size in your teas. Starting fungi in a separate culture and then adding it to your tea will dramatically increase active fungi populations in your teas.
vonforne: 2TBS/Gal of molasses is a heavy feeding. I wouldn't recommend doing this every watering. I usually use about 1-2 tbsp per 5 gallons of ACT. Nice system you got there. My first "complaint" would be that those root plugs get expensive! Also a filter for your pump is very necessary to keep it going strong. Marine cuisine & ocean forest IMO are a rushed compost process that results in very hot compost. Not the best "compost" for ACT, IMO.
chosen: After about 4 - 6 hours without oxygen, the tea will start to go bad. If refrigerated, the active organisms would surely die because they are most active at temps higher than 55F. A "bad" (anaerobic) tea can still be used but it must be diluted because the ammonia levels start to rise. Ammonia is absorbed super fast into plants and can burn them. Some folks just use milk jugs and put their guano in there for a day or two and shake it periodically. This would be making an anaerobic guano tea. Not as effective as an aerobic tea but better than nothing.
I'm thinking liquid budswel is just a guano extraction, with added sugar, low PH, refrigerated to put bacteria and fungi to sleep. Amazing easy mix of guanos which can be emulated much cheaper with other brands (sunleaves 4 life right here).
- sbz
Hello All Fellow Fanatics! 
Glad to see some new faces.
I have not had great luck with keeping teas longterm, some members say that as long as you keep an airstone in there then it will keep well.
I like to brew the perfect amount and use it all, anything left over goes outside or even in the recycled soil heap.
I like the fact that my sampling of bacteria comes from a reliable source af aerobic bacteria (ie:wormcastings) so I start fresh, but when I think about it, farmers leave stinging nettle and comfrey leaves brewing in a barrel for weeks and use it as a tea outdoors.
I guess the contents of the tea will have something to do with the long terrm effects of storage, freezing a tea could leave you with a long term source of guano tea, it would kill off the bacteria and fungi but it would still be a viable additive to a regular tea.
Guano teas can last by my account 2-3 weeks when left in a cool dark place and given the right conditions.
If your lazy and don't want a guano mess just use it mixed with some worm casting as a topdress and water, it's worked well on my past outdoor grows.
I'm sure we can figure the hows and whys of keeping and breeding mychorizae in a tea, Pirhana and Voodo Juivce ( I think) boast these very same critters in their products, It's also used in hydro setups.
It's worth looking into, I want to try breeding Mike in a soil bed with the right crop, JK posted a link or somethign to that effect and I'm itsching to grow..well just about anything.
Peace
S
Glad to see some new faces.
I have not had great luck with keeping teas longterm, some members say that as long as you keep an airstone in there then it will keep well.
I like to brew the perfect amount and use it all, anything left over goes outside or even in the recycled soil heap.
I like the fact that my sampling of bacteria comes from a reliable source af aerobic bacteria (ie:wormcastings) so I start fresh, but when I think about it, farmers leave stinging nettle and comfrey leaves brewing in a barrel for weeks and use it as a tea outdoors.
I guess the contents of the tea will have something to do with the long terrm effects of storage, freezing a tea could leave you with a long term source of guano tea, it would kill off the bacteria and fungi but it would still be a viable additive to a regular tea.
Guano teas can last by my account 2-3 weeks when left in a cool dark place and given the right conditions.
If your lazy and don't want a guano mess just use it mixed with some worm casting as a topdress and water, it's worked well on my past outdoor grows.
I'm sure we can figure the hows and whys of keeping and breeding mychorizae in a tea, Pirhana and Voodo Juivce ( I think) boast these very same critters in their products, It's also used in hydro setups.
It's worth looking into, I want to try breeding Mike in a soil bed with the right crop, JK posted a link or somethign to that effect and I'm itsching to grow..well just about anything.
Peace
S
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hola fanatics. been away for a few just got back and lurkin around.
chosen - pureblend aint stuffed with micros just nutrients unlike a good tea, tea is full of living things and without air and food they die. deff dont bottle it that would REEEK after 2 months.
suby sometimes i always keep tea brewing, hell i think ive got some brewin now thats been there for 2+ weeks. just add molasses every now and then to feed them. works just as good as fresh tea imo. i usually make fresh but when im lazy you know its easier to just keep a tea going. im straight on leaving some guano tea out for 2 weeks. fuck that shit will be stinky by then with the heat here. ive done the soil breeding before a few times and cultured micros from natural areas around me which is hella easy to do. i dont remember where i posted that info though.
scay beez whats up? glad to see ya in here.
same with you V!
chosen - pureblend aint stuffed with micros just nutrients unlike a good tea, tea is full of living things and without air and food they die. deff dont bottle it that would REEEK after 2 months.
suby sometimes i always keep tea brewing, hell i think ive got some brewin now thats been there for 2+ weeks. just add molasses every now and then to feed them. works just as good as fresh tea imo. i usually make fresh but when im lazy you know its easier to just keep a tea going. im straight on leaving some guano tea out for 2 weeks. fuck that shit will be stinky by then with the heat here. ive done the soil breeding before a few times and cultured micros from natural areas around me which is hella easy to do. i dont remember where i posted that info though.
scay beez whats up? glad to see ya in here.
same with you V!
Most of those products probably don't have much in the way of microorganisms living within them after they've been stored for long periods. But if you have them healthy and thriving in your soil already, what you are looking to do is to add the organic nutrients that feed/are processed by the microorganisms already present in the soil. Depends on the product in question.
Thus, a compost tea shouldn't only be seen as useful when it is introducing new populations of microbial life, IMO... you should have healthy pops in your soil already.
Regarding freezing... not something I'd recommend or do myself, but I did just recently read an abstract from a study that showed that a single freeze-thaw cycle would kill off 40-60% of the microbeasties in a soil sample and that subsequent freeze-thaw cycles after the first would have NO effect at all on mortality rates.
Beside the fact that killing 40-60% of my beasties isn't what I'm after, the study was of microorganisms being frozen in soil, not in liquid/tea. There's probably a difference. Interesting stuff though.
Personally, I say make your compost teas and use them as quickly as possible... don't plan on storing them. It's cheap enough to make, and easy as pie.
Dignan
Thus, a compost tea shouldn't only be seen as useful when it is introducing new populations of microbial life, IMO... you should have healthy pops in your soil already.
Regarding freezing... not something I'd recommend or do myself, but I did just recently read an abstract from a study that showed that a single freeze-thaw cycle would kill off 40-60% of the microbeasties in a soil sample and that subsequent freeze-thaw cycles after the first would have NO effect at all on mortality rates.
Beside the fact that killing 40-60% of my beasties isn't what I'm after, the study was of microorganisms being frozen in soil, not in liquid/tea. There's probably a difference. Interesting stuff though.
Personally, I say make your compost teas and use them as quickly as possible... don't plan on storing them. It's cheap enough to make, and easy as pie.
Dignan
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vonforne
Also providing a surface in the teas prior to brewing that the fungi can attach themselves to. Similiar to what Pyrex is doing with his Bio-cultivator.
You water with molasses in the same way you would your nutrient teas, not at every watering. And I believe I was giving a soil innoculant formula not a watering schedule.
That's correct Dig. If you are using frozen items such as homade fish imulsions and have frozen it, when you add it to a tea and brew it for a short period of time the micro-organism populations will grow from the population left after freezing.
As far a nutient value it will be nearly the same as before freezing it.
And if it was so unhealthy to freeze then nothing would survive in nature after a freeze.
IMO
I use the tea as soon as possible when I brew them. As Dig said, it is cheap and easy to brew. I usually go no longer then a week of continious brewing with added sugar products.
Although, one of our founding members MindsI, has been brewing now non stop for a year with no problems.
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vonforne
chosen said:
If you read through the thread, we were also working on a home made LK version. Maybe you could pick up some additional ideas. Also post up what you are using in your LK version.
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G
Guest
Jay's right, So long as you keep it bubbling and their is a food source, you're good. Add a piece of fruit in the bucket if your gonna let it stand a while; molasses is good too but fruit works just as good for sugars if you can't visit often. Even in my bucket I trade off molasses and fruit as a feed. It's not an efficient way to breed but it'll extend the life of the tea.
J.
Mr. forne,
I believe I may be getting close to a homemade LK. I figure with all the different things being fed to my herds, I can't be far off from the enzymes and micros that are in LK. One of these days maybe I'll see if the local University will test my tea for it's actual value.
J.
Mr. forne,
I believe I may be getting close to a homemade LK. I figure with all the different things being fed to my herds, I can't be far off from the enzymes and micros that are in LK. One of these days maybe I'll see if the local University will test my tea for it's actual value.
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vonforne
Mr. Pyrex, that is good to hear. Have you added any yeast products yet besides beer? Or maybe thought about adding some grains also. How do you think spirluna would do in your heavy duty brewer? It is a grown culture also. You can also buy it in the health food store in the powdered form.
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G
Guest
I hadn't thought about spiralina but you're right I think it would be good; have to check it out. No yeast yet, I have brewers yeast but not sure thats really what I'm lookin for. I had thought of throwing some different kinds of bread in but i don't wanna clog things up.
J.
J.
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vonforne
Brewers yeast is what beer has .....right? I think you can get live cultures(spirilina) from the University of Texas.
And bread would have to many preservatives to be productive. It would do more harm than good.You are probably right that it would clog up the system.
And bread would have to many preservatives to be productive. It would do more harm than good.You are probably right that it would clog up the system.
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Scay Beez
Active member
I know LK has either spirulina or chlorella in it. Whenever I mix spirulina up into water or buy a health drink at the store (kombucha...ahhh..can't get enough) it doesn't ever seem to be mixed in well until ya give it a good shake. I have tried to put spirulina in my tea and it just seems to stick to the sides of my brewer. I think this ingredient would be best composted or mixed in the soil.
I try to use all my tea at once but it doesn't always go as planned. My flower tea always gets used up cause I'm feeding every watering but the veg tea usually goes about a week. Smell your teas often and get familiar with what a good and bad tea smells like. A mix of mexican and indonesian or jamacian lasts a lot longer than straight PSG tea.
JayKush - What's up man?!
Ok, I misunderstood what you were trying to accomplish. You are making a brewer type device with a different layers for microbes to grow on instead of an organic hydro machine. Cool!
I was thinking that AN tarantula was bacteria, piranha was fungi, and voodoo juice was 5 strains of microbes? One is azobacter as stated on the label. I wonder wondering if it was a protozoa inoculant since they claim that there's nothing like it on the market. I have a listing for a protozoa inoculant somewhere on the computer.
- sbz
I try to use all my tea at once but it doesn't always go as planned. My flower tea always gets used up cause I'm feeding every watering but the veg tea usually goes about a week. Smell your teas often and get familiar with what a good and bad tea smells like. A mix of mexican and indonesian or jamacian lasts a lot longer than straight PSG tea.
JayKush - What's up man?!
Ok, I misunderstood what you were trying to accomplish. You are making a brewer type device with a different layers for microbes to grow on instead of an organic hydro machine. Cool!
I was thinking that AN tarantula was bacteria, piranha was fungi, and voodoo juice was 5 strains of microbes? One is azobacter as stated on the label. I wonder wondering if it was a protozoa inoculant since they claim that there's nothing like it on the market. I have a listing for a protozoa inoculant somewhere on the computer.
- sbz
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vonforne
Quote:
vonforne: And I believe I was giving a soil innoculant formula not a watering schedule.
Ok, I misunderstood what you were trying to accomplish. You are making a brewer type device with a different layers for microbes to grow on instead of an organic hydro machine. Cool!
You have me mixed up with Pyrex. He is the one that made the Biocultivator.
vonforne: And I believe I was giving a soil innoculant formula not a watering schedule.
Ok, I misunderstood what you were trying to accomplish. You are making a brewer type device with a different layers for microbes to grow on instead of an organic hydro machine. Cool!
You have me mixed up with Pyrex. He is the one that made the Biocultivator.
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Hello all,
What are you doing for your amino acids in your tea????
I use dried molasses which is sprayed on either soy meal or corn cobs. A 50lb sack contains 15lbs blackstrap molasses. It is often given as a livestock feed. Has tons of amino acids in the subtrate as well as phosphorus. In addition, it provides protiens and carbos for the microkiddies.
Just wanted to point out the benifits of amino acids. LK makes a selling point of amino acids.
minds_I
PS: I have three cans of this beer called guiness strout. Well, I do not know what happened to this stuff but I would not let my enemy drink it..
I mean it tastes nasty...not bad, nasty! bla
Could I use that in my teas for the microkiddies???
What are you doing for your amino acids in your tea????
I use dried molasses which is sprayed on either soy meal or corn cobs. A 50lb sack contains 15lbs blackstrap molasses. It is often given as a livestock feed. Has tons of amino acids in the subtrate as well as phosphorus. In addition, it provides protiens and carbos for the microkiddies.
Just wanted to point out the benifits of amino acids. LK makes a selling point of amino acids.
minds_I
PS: I have three cans of this beer called guiness strout. Well, I do not know what happened to this stuff but I would not let my enemy drink it..
I mean it tastes nasty...not bad, nasty! bla
Could I use that in my teas for the microkiddies???
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