Tea Recipe

[shaypes]

Due to the fact the bacterial cultures start to replicate within 4-8 hours of application, and fungal cultures will take 12-16 hours to germinate, the best way to apply the bennies is by brewing a tea for 24 hours.

IF you are in soil, you only need to add a mycorrhizal product like the nute pack once or twice as early as possible in the plant life cycle, and again when you pot up to a bigger size. It is better to apply as a powder, not in tea, and mix at the rate of 1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon per gallon of soil.


Here is a tea recipe copied from ICMAG, with my own twist, that will put your plants in to a happy state of being.

1) Add 4 gallons non-chlorinated water a 5 gallon bucket.

2) Add 100 ml of regular unsulphured black strap molasses, you can get this from the grocery store.

3) pH solution to 6.5-7.0 (not necessary, but helps).

3) Throw in a cup of earth worm castings.

4) Add 1 tablespoon per gallon of each OG Biowar root and foliar packs.

4) Bubble with an air stone and air pump for anywhere between 1-24 hours. Bubblng ess time will give you more species diversity. More time will give you more bacteria, but may also reduce diversity as some species will outpopulate others as they compete for food.

5)Unplug air. Strain again with a cheesecloth, or let settle and take off the top.

5) Dilute 1-2 cups per 5 gallons and add to the reservoir, or use as an individual drench. This works GREAT in a turbo or easy cloner, or even on your cuttings in a dome.



Now, the bacteria will die off no matter what if there is nothing for them to eat, so really you are killing bacteria all the time in a hydro setting, where there is no soil that is "breaking down"

The packs are a mix of a shitload of bacteria, but they rarely all go to work right away when they are applied. some make it and some don't, it depends on their environment and what they have to process. This is why you want to add 1x per week.


Additional goodies:
Add a couple of handfuls of alfalfa meal in with the earth worm castings, to provide a great boost to plant vitality.

Apply tea once a week or every other week for best results during veg and flower

Can be used up to flush.

I have found that this tea will deter all soil borne pathogens and insects, especially if using the foliar pack. I have successfully used this tea to destroy a fungus gnat population and keep my roots white and pythium free. There are other farmers here that have used it to kill their root aphid infestations.




ENJOY!

Hello just a quick question as I'm very interested in using these bennies. The maximum full strength tea to water dilution is 2 cup to 5 gallons, drench or sprayed. Seems very lite!
Also I can only use these with organic nutes.?

 

[Capulator]

Hello just a quick question as I'm very interested in using these bennies. The maximum full strength tea to water dilution is 2 cup to 5 gallons, drench or sprayed. Seems very lite!
Also I can only use these with organic nutes.?

It is 1 gallon tea to 100 gallons nutrient solution in a recirculating system (ebb flow/cloner/NFT DWC, RDWC aero, etc) and 1 gallon of tea to 10 gallons of nutrient solution in a drain to waste (soil/peat/coco).

 

[Capulator]

And yes they can be ued with organic or synthetic nutes @shaypes

 

[shaypes]

And yes they can be ued with organic or synthetic nutes @shaypes

thanks for your answers! how about seedlings? thx cap!

 

[Capulator]

In my experience as a seed treatment/seed soak it works great but to saturate young seedlings with bennies has never worked well for me. Damping off usually happens.

 

[tStark]

Holy shit. I just went through 84 pages of history from almost 1896 until postings from 2017 just a few hours ago. Talk about a educating thread. I learned a LOT.

So basically I've concluded that Capulator is a fcking HEISENBERG of marijuana and a walking encyclopedia. I am/was a data scientist and recently retired and started my first serious grow. I like really potent, fresh, properly cured, properly trimmed pot. I think I found the right place.

I decided to go with Current Culture DWC modules controlled by an Intellidose controller and a couple Fluence BML 1200 lights, Solunar controller, Atlas C02 regulator, Atlas c02 generator and a few other bells and whistles. I wanted to do it correctly from the start.

I had construction performed and built a "clean room" with appropriate air flow dynamics, grow room AC installed with 3 carbon and HEPA filters. I even slip protective feet covering when I enter the grow room. I picked up clones from two different locations and placed them in the system. After one week I was astonished at the rate of root growth and stem/leaf development. I've never seen roots grow so fast.

I had been attempting to automate the room with the Atlas controller and Belkin wifi plugs (they rock btw) and was adjusting/testing temperature banding over a couple days and the water temp had risen for a couple hours to a nasty 78-83. Just for a few hours on a single day. That was enough to screw me.

I have a water chiller but like an idiot I didn't think it was necessary to use it since I assumed that I was controlling the ambient temp of the room so precisely. I've found it very difficult getting the precise balance of AC, C02 from a propane generator, the heat from a Water Chiller's coils, heat dissipating from the 2x 1200 BML LEDs, and oscillating fans at 6 various speed settings to all play nicely, without constantly banding the intake/exhaust and air exchange. Tomorrow morning I will head to the hydro-rip-off store and purchase the tube adapter I need to install the water cooler and remove that variable entirely.

This morning I opened the room and BAM....my plants looks wilted and almost dead. Inspecting the roots I can see slight browning and certain clones from one dispensary have a dark green algae growing all over the rockwool. Since the room is almost hermetically sealed, there was also a noticeable biological smell wafting in the air, typically it simply smells like a mix between PVC and a new pool toy.

So today I drained out the 12 module system (and epicenter) and shop vac'd all the water out, then I cleaned the entire system with (CVS 3%) hydrogen peroxide and papertowels. I cleaned out the (Flexitank 105 gal) reservoir and scrubbed it as well with hydrogen peroxide.

I did pour hydrogen peroxide directly on top of the rockwool because at this point I figured I've lost a lot of time and money and said "fuck it", I can always go and get more clones (although I dislike seeing any plant die). It bubbled like crazy. I made sure to saturate the entire rockwool through. I then PH balanced my tap water (my tap water is 99.994% (Lake Tahoe Tap) to 5.6 and added my nutrients VEG A, VEG B, and UC Roots and refilled my system. It came out the tap at a balmy 39 degrees and when I mixed everything in the res it rose to about 44, Now back in the modules and forcing the ambient air down to 72 degrees, is keeping the water at 67 degrees. (Again, tomorrow I will plug in the chiller).

It has been about 4-5 hours now and some have sprung slightly back to life, some others still do not look well. Inspecting the roots (initially) did NOT show enormous amount of browning, closer to trace amounts, but I know it's still present in the system. I am not foolish enough to think I solved my problem, I figure I simply bought myself some time, and hopefully I haven't shocked the shit out the plants.

I have Mycostop, but it seems like some extremely harsh stuff to add to my system, hence how I ended up here. I also read in a previous post from like 1905 ( it was on page 3 or 4 of this thread) that adding anything like mycostop is detrimental to a "bennie" system. Although I don't have a "bennie" system, I'd like to just order this tea and make mine a "bennie"

So I have a few questions and in advance I really appreciate any help.

1. So I am adding my water chiller tomorrow morning, a matter of hours, and will set the temp at 67 degrees. Will I have to worry about root rot continuing or can it not thrive (at all) in cold DO water?

2. Should I add mycostop?* Or should I buy the tea, overnight it and hope for the best?

3. My reservoir is not diffused with a pump/stone, however it has a pump circulating the water. Should I diffuse the reservoir? Should the reservoir be chilled? It sits in a completely separate area than the DWC modules.

4. When I originally place rockwool planted clones in the system modules, should I cover the rockwool with growstones or leave the top of the rockwool exposed? I believe leaving it exposed caused the algae.

5. Is some algae ever expected in a DWC water chilled system, or none at all?

6. If the water is chilled consistently, how long is the nutrient/water good for in the modules? Until it's consumed by the plants and subsequently replenished by the res?

7. Where can I buy this amazing tea?!!? And how much will I need?


Thanks again.

 

[Seamaiden]

@Capulator This dude ain't playin' around!

In the meantime, to go ogbiowar.com for the packs.

 

[tStark]

@Capulator This dude ain't playin' around!

In the meantime, to go ogbiowar.com for the packs.

Thanks, I appreciate the link :)

Some people post a comment in a panic and bounce out, never to return. That is not me.

I'm going to order a cycle's worth and try it out with in my wife's eb and flow system (she doesn't know yet). She grows food unlike myself.

My largest and healthiest plant (initially) didn't make it, today I held memorial services for her in my backyard. The rest of the plants are on life support however I am about to pull the plug and just grab some new clones and start right over with the current nute soup. I did end up installing the water chiller and set it to 66 degrees. It holds the temp spot on throughout all environment ambient temp fluctuations.

I also played around with the (Titan and all of the rest of the grow controller companies products are TERRIBLY antiquated technology, if I get bored I may change that) BS fuzzy logic Titan C02 controller and set that up properly to the cubic size of my grow room and sat my unhappy ass in the room for a few hours to perfect the balance and banding between AC temp+Fan speeds+Exhaust speeds+Humidifier/Dehumidifier+Water chiller heat radiator heat dissipation+LED lighting heat dissipation. I had it perfected yesterday and then just my luck...the power went out. I had to re-setup all of my settings in a couple of the various timers/controllers. In all these overly priced, poorly designed, boxy "grow room timers" they didn't think to add a battery backup for redundancy. What a load of rubbish. I ordered another APC battery backup system from newegg today.

I moved my Intellidose to a more convenient location and decided that I should order something better looking than a zip tie to hold the EC and PH probe (I don't use the pump-to-samplebox method) in the epicenter. A quick google search revealed nobody else in the world thought of designing one. I opened up netfabb and in a few minutes I exported my STL and 3d printed a EC and PH probe holder in various clip widths (quick to create, too lazy to re-measure and be precise) in white ABS. If you would like the STL file I would be more than glad to send it to anyone. I would have uploaded it to thingiverse, however that would reveal my identity :P

I had to smoke and slow down and go back to basic science to understand what was occurring in my system. If you already know this...then I'm just speaking aloud.

Root rot is a condition not a disease. People mistaken the rotting of the roots and the subsequent slime (phytophthora;), bacterial buildup, and algae as "root rot disease" but that's a slip. Root rot is the process of the roots rotting (duh), because of the environment it's IN. It is not an isolated bacteria/disease to "cure". However the slime and bacteria/algae that EAT the rotting root isn't healthy at all for the plant and inhibits growth lethally in almost all cases, plants that do survive root rot do not produce "the best it could have been" marijuana. That slime, bacteria, and/or algae that EAT the rotting root doesn't thrive in cold water. Keyword is "thrive". The spores and bacteria will still be present in the system, however...just in a state of permanent suspension. Permanent as long as the temperature doesn't increase.

There isn't a commercial "cure" for root rot because it's not something *to* cure, you simply need to fix/correct your shitty environment and stop *all* things from rotting. Best way to think of it is : If you had plants rotting in a nasty wet, overly humid jungle, you couldn't add any nutrient or chemical that's going to stop the (bad) rotting environment and deteriorating conditions. I now think of root rot comparable to gangrene and subsequent septic shock. In most cases, this is lethal. I like seeing success stories however my hypothesis is that out of 10,000 cases of root rot, less than 5% survive once it incurs the visually noticeable rot (again similar to gangrene and timeliness of treatment). I'm pretty shocked at how little scientific information exists on root rot. Even the wikipedia page is just a few sentences. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_rot

The products that I did find that were "specifically for Root Rot" were usually just fortifying enzymes with chemical silica additives, basically "stuff to give the plant to BUILD up an immune system [prior to rot developing], in case the local environment goes bad". This might assist the plant in building a higher tolerance, however it is not a "cure". Any "cure" is most likely a company trying to market a product and make a dollar.

I really like the simple science behind a bennie system, but for ease of cleaning modules, I'm going to keep the DWC system sterile for this run and test it on the eb and flow with a couple plants.

Since my first post, I have answered all my questions. :)

 

[buddahslave]

I think the system you chose is too complex for someone starting a new grow but you have it now and it is what it is. You must keep a large air stone in a DWC system, because the system has a tendency to drown the roots. It must stay oxygenated at all times. You should be using 35% hydrogen peroxide in the system. The top of the medium should be covered, usually with some kind of plastic. This will stop algae growth and salt build up. Rockwool is very difficult to use in a DWC system even though it can be done, I would not recommend it. The cube is designed to hold a certain amount of water and oxygen mix, and the problem is that the DWC keeps the cubes too wet. If you are buying clones from someone and there using rockwool cubes I would use clay pebbles to the point where the water is hitting the bottom of the cube so that the cube doesn't get so soaked. When I was using DWC years ago I would use my ez clone machine to make the clones and then put them directly into the clay pebbles. Make sure not to use the water out of your tap at 44 degrees, because it needs to be warmer than that or the plants will go into shock. I highly recommend a grow bible if you don't already have one. I hope this helps you!

 

[THELORAX802]

Yep, ive spent thousands of dollars on caps packs(REAL TALK), I just use diluted maple syrup instead of blackstrap.
One thing i struggle with is using sunshine mix or going soil.

 

[tStark]

I think the system you chose is too complex for someone starting a new grow but you have it now and it is what it is. You must keep a large air stone in a DWC system, because the system has a tendency to drown the roots. It must stay oxygenated at all times. You should be using 35% hydrogen peroxide in the system. The top of the medium should be covered, usually with some kind of plastic. This will stop algae growth and salt build up. Rockwool is very difficult to use in a DWC system even though it can be done, I would not recommend it. The cube is designed to hold a certain amount of water and oxygen mix, and the problem is that the DWC keeps the cubes too wet. If you are buying clones from someone and there using rockwool cubes I would use clay pebbles to the point where the water is hitting the bottom of the cube so that the cube doesn't get so soaked. When I was using DWC years ago I would use my ez clone machine to make the clones and then put them directly into the clay pebbles. Make sure not to use the water out of your tap at 44 degrees, because it needs to be warmer than that or the plants will go into shock. I highly recommend a grow bible if you don't already have one. I hope this helps you!

I agree with your opening statement. It was quite a bit to learn within a short period of time. With accelerated systems, problems occur at an accelerated pace and the amount of variables (when things go wrong) can be overwhelming. Plant responsiveness to corrective measures isn't exactly immediate as well lol.

Thanks for the advice and input, cheers

 

[mandalaman]

Check out the thread on could airstones be doing more harm than good by @FooDoo :)

 

[jpdnkstr]

I agree with your opening statement. It was quite a bit to learn within a short period of time. With accelerated systems, problems occur at an accelerated pace and the amount of variables (when things go wrong) can be overwhelming. Plant responsiveness to corrective measures isn't exactly immediate as well lol.

Thanks for the advice and input, cheers

I jumped into aero/nft without enough experience, but stuck with it and love it now! Hang in there, you seem like the kind of person that'll catch on no problem.

 

[FooDoo]

Check out the thread on could airstones be doing more harm than good by @FooDoo :)

indeed. i would never recommend airstones or airpumps to anyone. just causes root damage, rot, and heats the water.

id also never use hydrogen peroxide. that stuff kills everything. including good bacteria and the outer layer of roots which causes them to die and fall off.

id also never cover the medium. you need it to breath. if you trap moisture between your water and the cover, itll be cold, dark and damp which will breed mold on your roots that arent submerged in water.

be very careful about the advice you come across on the internet

 

[icanfarm]

Can I use raw honey instead of molasses in my tea I'm new to the all natural I have just been mixing roots and foliage packs in water let the talc settle but I will pick up the castings and alfalfa meal tomorrow btw I had a little out break with some mother plants with gnats and just mixing in water I'm wining the battle thanks

 

[THELORAX802]

indeed. i would never recommend airstones or airpumps to anyone. just causes root damage, rot, and heats the water.

id also never use hydrogen peroxide. that stuff kills everything. including good bacteria and the outer layer of roots which causes them to die and fall off.

id also never cover the medium. you need it to breath. if you trap moisture between your water and the cover, itll be cold, dark and damp which will breed mold on your roots that arent submerged in water.

be very careful about the advice you come across on the internet

i hear ya foodoo,
thoughts please on this?

 

[buddahslave]

In 20 years of growing I have never had a problem with an air stone oxygenating my water. I guess I just learned something and should shut down all my commercial grows and erase all my photos of such grows because of this information I just learned on the internet. I would suggest going to wherever you bought your system from and asking them why in the hell did they include this stupid pump with it. So you can cut out the internet!

 

[THELORAX802]

In 20 years of growing I have never had a problem with an air stone oxygenating my water. I guess I just learned something and should shut down all my commercial grows and erase all my photos of such grows because of this information I just learned on the internet. I would suggest going to wherever you bought your system from and asking them why in the hell did they include this stupid pump with it. So you can cut out the internet!

If airstones didnt oxygenate water fish and aquarium life would suffer as well. Whatever works for farmers is whats best imho. things start going sideways when you try fixing shit that aint broken!

 

[Seamaiden]

Just to clarify, with specific regard to airstones that do NOT create venturi-sized bubbles--it is not the bubbles that help achieve the O2:CO2 exchange and balance, it is the surface turbulence where this occurs. The bubbles themselves, unless superfine, do not have sufficient surface area to really make a difference in this exchange.

 

[straincreation]

Due to the fact the bacterial cultures start to replicate within 4-8 hours of application, and fungal cultures will take 12-16 hours to germinate, the best way to apply the bennies is by brewing a tea for 24 hours.

IF you are in soil, you only need to add a mycorrhizal product like the nute pack once or twice as early as possible in the plant life cycle, and again when you pot up to a bigger size. It is better to apply as a powder, not in tea, and mix at the rate of 1/4 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon per gallon of soil.


Here is a tea recipe copied from ICMAG, with my own twist, that will put your plants in to a happy state of being.

1) Add 4 gallons non-chlorinated water a 5 gallon bucket.

2) Add 100 ml of regular unsulphured black strap molasses, you can get this from the grocery store.

3) pH solution to 6.5-7.0 (not necessary, but helps).

3) Throw in a cup of earth worm castings.

4) Add 1 tablespoon per gallon of each OG Biowar root and foliar packs.

4) Bubble with an air stone and air pump for anywhere between 1-24 hours. Bubblng ess time will give you more species diversity. More time will give you more bacteria, but may also reduce diversity as some species will outpopulate others as they compete for food.

5)Unplug air. Strain again with a cheesecloth, or let settle and take off the top.

5) Dilute 1-2 cups per 5 gallons and add to the reservoir, or use as an individual drench. This works GREAT in a turbo or easy cloner, or even on your cuttings in a dome.



Now, the bacteria will die off no matter what if there is nothing for them to eat, so really you are killing bacteria all the time in a hydro setting, where there is no soil that is "breaking down"

The packs are a mix of a shitload of bacteria, but they rarely all go to work right away when they are applied. some make it and some don't, it depends on their environment and what they have to process. This is why you want to add 1x per week.


Additional goodies:
Add a couple of handfuls of alfalfa meal in with the earth worm castings, to provide a great boost to plant vitality.

Apply tea once a week or every other week for best results during veg and flower

Can be used up to flush.

I have found that this tea will deter all soil borne pathogens and insects, especially if using the foliar pack. I have successfully used this tea to destroy a fungus gnat population and keep my roots white and pythium free. There are other farmers here that have used it to kill their root aphid infestations.




ENJOY!

hey cap after i brew my tea will it last in a bottle or do you suggest keeping an airstone in it till i use it all, basically will the bacterias die if they arents supplied with fresh oxygen?