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Tea Article

Sooooo i got Maxicrop liquid kelp in the mail yesterday and the label says it has "less than 1% CHLORINE"!!!!!!! WTF!!??

I can't use that in my tea!!! right!!??? again... WTF!
 
S

SeaMaiden

Yes, you can use it in your tea, I use it or similar all the time in my teas. Chlorine is a natural component (and a necessary one) of sea water.

Maybe if I can get my husband to hook up the scanner I can post up an article I just read in Acres, U.S.A. on trace and ultratrace elements.
 
C

CT Guy

Sooooo i got Maxicrop liquid kelp in the mail yesterday and the label says it has "less than 1% CHLORINE"!!!!!!! WTF!!??

I can't use that in my tea!!! right!!??? again... WTF!

There are better options than MaxiCrop though. I'd use kelp meal in your tea (way cheaper, and can be typically sourced at a farm/feed store) and then use seaweed extract powder for watering and foliar sprays.

Something like this:
http://www.simplici-tea.com/seaweed.htm
or the Acadian brand if you can find it locally.
 

Bullfrog44

Active member
Veteran
Sooooo i got Maxicrop liquid kelp in the mail yesterday and the label says it has "less than 1% CHLORINE"!!!!!!! WTF!!??

I can't use that in my tea!!! right!!??? again... WTF!

Add kelp to your tea with molasses before adding your EWC/compost. Let it brew for 20 min, the molasses will take care of the chlorine in the kelp.

Future use, skip the chlorine kelp, wtf?
 
S

SeaMaiden

Seriously? It's a natural component, and believe it or not small amounts of Cl are indeed needed for certain cellular/molecular reactions to occur.

As are elements like arsenic, beryllium, bismuth, bromine, cadmium, cerium, chromium, cobalt, gadolinium, dysprosium, erbium, (I'm going alphabetically off a list I have from a magazine in front of me) europium (I've never heard of half of these, jeez!), fluorine, gallium, germanium, holmium, indium, lanthanum (oh yeah, I'm leaving out the ones that 'we' readily accept as essential), LEAD, LITHIUM, lutetium, neodymium, praseodymium, rhodium, rubidium, samarium, scandium (seriously?), selenium (known necessary dietary addition in aquatics), strontium, terbium, thallium, thulium, tin, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, ytterbium, zinc, and zirconium.

Trace and ultratrace, not needed in large amounts, but needed nonetheless. Irrespective of MaxiCrop's particular utility in a tea, I suggest the amount of Cl is not only of no concern, but is, as Martha would say, a good thing.

Heyyy... why is GOLD not in that list? Seriously, a gal always needs a little bit o' gold. Sheesh. I feel gypped.
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Hi y'all. The small amount of chlorine is not a big deal, considering the product is made for soil applications. When it comes to making ACT, one is better off keeping ingredients simple, as CT Guy has mentioned. You are better off using straight ordinary kelp meal and even then just use a tiny bit or you will suppress microbial division. Look at humic acid. Fine for your soil but I've yet to see its usefulness in ACT. At first I got sucked in by the whole SFI humic acid thing and even included it in recipes. Then I gave it a thorough testing and noticed more suppression than feeding happening, even with minor amounts.

Just because something is good for plants in soil, does not necessarily make it a good ingredient to feed microbes in a liquid.
 
Last edited:

Dkgrower

Active member
Veteran
Brewer design,

i am thinking that instead off a massiv airpump, what if one pump the tee in a fountain style with steps where it fall back down would that air it enuff ?
 

xmobotx

ecks moe baw teeks
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I run 3 aquarium style; 1 w/ 2 outlets into a gang valve so 4 into 1 that goes up the bottom of a chunk of 1" pipe

seems like a lot of air but it just goes glurp glurp; doesnt 'flow' pipe is maybe 12" long and sits on the surface too so not much lift

w/ aquarium pumps it might just be better to run a stone; it takes some volume to lift the water

:wave:
 

grapeman

Active member
Veteran
Hi y'all. The small amount of chlorine is not a big deal, considering the product is made for soil applications. When it comes to making ACT, one is better off keeping ingredients simple, as CT Guy has mentioned. You are better off using straight ordinary kelp meal and even then just use a tiny bit or you will suppress microbial division. Look at humic acid. Fine for your soil but I've yet to see its usefulness in ACT. At first I got sucked in by the whole SFI humic acid thing and even included it in recipes. Then I gave it a thorough testing and noticed more suppression than feeding happening, even with minor amounts.

Just because something is good for plants in soil, does not necessarily make it a good ingredient to feed microbes in a liquid.


Even then, I've found that on Perennial crops, applications of Humic is helpful once, no more then twice during the growing season. I used to apply Humic weekly on this crop with the watering. Now I may apply it 2x during a grow with as good or better results.
 

Bullfrog44

Active member
Veteran
I was wondering if it would be a good idea to start watering my soil with ACT now, months before the season starts. Right now I don't have anything growing, but I am going to implement the no till approach this year. Would this just be a waste of money and time?
 
S

schwagg

kinda depends on your weather... shit is frozen here. if i lived further south and had a decent climate i would love to be brewing aact on the porch.
 

heady blunts

prescription blunts
Veteran
I was wondering if it would be a good idea to start watering my soil with ACT now, months before the season starts. Right now I don't have anything growing, but I am going to implement the no till approach this year. Would this just be a waste of money and time?

can you sow a cover crop in the meantime?
 

pinecone

Sativa Tamer
Veteran
I was wondering if it would be a good idea to start watering my soil with ACT now, months before the season starts. Right now I don't have anything growing, but I am going to implement the no till approach this year. Would this just be a waste of money and time?

Sounds like a lot of work to me. Depending on your weather, it seems like you would be better off planting something - a winter or cover crop than you can chop and drop when time comes from spring planting.

Pine
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I was wondering if it would be a good idea to start watering my soil with ACT now, months before the season starts. Right now I don't have anything growing, but I am going to implement the no till approach this year. Would this just be a waste of money and time?

It certainly would not hurt. It would be especially beneficial if you had clover (living mulch) growing. A friend who grows commercial flowers keeps weeds growing in vacant parts of his garden to maintain the microbial population of the rhyzosphere.
 

Bullfrog44

Active member
Veteran
I will be planting in late april - mid may. Is that enough time for a cover crop? If so, what is cheap because I have a 35' x 25' area to cover. Thanks you guys.

Edit: I live in Nor Cal and I think it has only froze once all year.
 

mad librettist

Active member
Veteran
I will be planting in late april - mid may. Is that enough time for a cover crop? If so, what is cheap because I have a 35' x 25' area to cover. Thanks you guys.

Edit: I live in Nor Cal and I think it has only froze once all year.

plenty of time

crimson clover and chickweed

the chickweed will be not cheap, but you don't need a lot. just a few little packets in some choice areas.

crimson clover is not expensive at all. just get a 5lb bag and you are set
 

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