Compost-Guano Tea Tastes Yummie!

[CT Guy]

This recipe is for making an aerated compost tea. I agree that people confuse the two.
So you don't agree with the statement regarding the minerals adding support for the fungal hypae? I guess there's different theories floating around.
Good to know about the humic acids in your testing. I will try just adding that as a separate watering for those other benefits.
Thanks for your input.

I just don't have enough experience with this to comment. I haven't done any experiments with various minerals and fungal growth in teas. I do know some people add rock dust for this reason, but I can't comment on it.

I do think minerals are very important in your soil for healthy plants, which was the logic behind my earlier post.

 

[mrbong73]

I use a 51 l/min pump for a 5 gallon brewer. Just make sure it's getting good dispersion throughout the bucket. Oh, and that the compost is not just sitting in a clump or falling to the bottom of the container. If it's in a mesh bag, you may need to run a diffuser directly into the bag.

For your review:
Here is my current set up.

CT Guy. Thanks for your replies and comments. You are obviously very knowledgable about this subject.

 

[mrbong73]

Touche....that obviously needs fixing....I'd drop the rate down to 1/2 T. too if you do decide to add it to the tea. :)

Sorry about that. I couldn't resist. I've read through the site several times. Much respect to you and the family.

 

[CT Guy]

For your review:
Here is my current set up.

CT Guy. Thanks for your replies and comments. You are obviously very knowledgable about this subject.

I can see you put some thought into your design, that should work well for you!

Thanks for the kind words and good luck!

 

[Seamaiden]

Peat does work for microbial activity, provided you have a good source. I'd get the minerals in the soil mix, rather than add them as a tea.

Are you trying to make a 'nutrient' tea or an 'aerated compost tea'? I think this is something that people get confused on. One has a goal of added nutrients, the other of added biology.

Lastly, I think the claims of humic acid as a good fungal food are highly overstated. Done some testing in conjunction with Tim and neither of us got good fungal growth from the humic acid (I tried a couple of the top US brands). I think it has other benefits though.....

Very important to make that distinction, it is and can be confusing for many people.

Unless I can get the Canadian peat that I *know* is being harvested sustainably, I'm staying away from it. I would love to move away from all mined products, to tell the truth, I feel they keep us, as a society, locked into and highly dependent on fossil fuels.

For your review:
Here is my current set up.

CT Guy. Thanks for your replies and comments. You are obviously very knowledgable about this subject.

Ooo! Very nice work.

I don't have a scope, so I'm curious as to whether you or anyone you know who's worked with the minerals in tea has quantified fungal attachment to these "benthic" surfaces. I still have mostly nitrifiers in my head, Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas. It's my fishiness. They are also benthics and require substrata upon which to attach. In the fish world, gravel/substrate or filter media is the inoculant and substrate upon which most attach. But those have some weight to them, don't get bounced around.

Things that make you go, "Hmmmm..."

 

[feildofdreams]

Just wanted to thank you for this most informative thread. So much information and you break it all down very well. Even for a noob like me can understand. lol
I wanted to start going more organics/brewing teas ect..have a great reciepe but was getting confused at "what was really organic" and how to actually make the teas themself. The info here summed it up pretty well.
Also there is a part were you stress the difference between store bought organic liquids and how the can kill the living microbes. Very cool man as I have done this twice now and your explanation is the only one that fits exactly what has happened to my girls. After they have had a good start with an active soil, I get on this blind routine of adding liquid nutes; organic and not organic sometimes.. running into some weird problems
Will see here in a few weeks how things go as I am going to give the nutrient mix a shot and see if I can't get the soil back in shape.
Thanks again . Very helpful

 

[Venom818]

Good info in this thread ,thnx guys

 

[slausongardens]

glad i came up on this.. ive been reading up a lot more in this section lately. this was a good read, ive been really curious about teas lately cuz i plan to start using them very soon. im using a true living organics soil mix from the rev and just feeding water... and am about to start adding teas so this thread was perfect for me at this moment. thanks yall.

damn now that i look this threads kinda old. glad venom brought it back. really glad. im gonna go try these recipes out now.

 

[highstandards]

So its clear then that when the goal is to add biology via an ACT, only very small amounts of guano are beneficial.

Would anyone be able to elaborate on the proper way to mix guanos, and how much to use, for use by "soil drench" in between applications of ACT? This would seem to be more effective and would definitely be an easier application IMO

And if I were to go the route of top dressing, how and when to apply guanos that way as well.

Great thread!

 

[juggernaut]

great info.

thanks

 

[reeldrag]

well gonna bump the thread I am one month in to my tea making experiment and am dam happy with results my basic mix is this sun leaves guano sea weed extract earth juice micro hi-brix and a small amount of bud swell. plants really seem to b digging it looking great I am gonna add some azos and mykos in again this week just to top off the herd. Plants are doing awesome so far no issues at all. so far this is way easier then using standard nutes but the jurys not out yet still got weeks before we see the full end results of this new way.

 

[Theoneandonly Z]

bumpin this thread up a bit, has a lot of good info.

still wondering about Azomite in AACT recipes... i use a Tbsp/ 5 gal brew. ive read mulitple times about its uses as a food source that is to then be broken down... any recent opinions on this??

*edit to add*
i only use the Azomite recipe maybe 2-3 times between veg - early flower

 

[Seamaiden]

I use Azomite for two reasons--it's a place for benthic microbes to cling to, and once it's in or on the soil then the microbes can get to work doin' their thang on it. It's really there for the micros, so you don't need to use a whole lot of it.

Do you keep up on the KIS organics or microbeman websites? Best I know of.

 

[Theoneandonly Z]

Big KIS fan. I also like Tim Wilson's page, he claims to do alot of work with KIS. Im sure you have ran across his website microbeorganics.com. As far as Microbeman, ive only seen his postings in other forums.
I just have never really found a solid answer about azomite in teas. the reason i use it, is the same which you stated in ur last post, as transportation and food source. maybe i should only use tsp in my brews, not trying to waste anything. gotta borrow my buddies scope again:D

 

[Theoneandonly Z]

oh wait... Tim Wilson aka microbeman.... duuurrrr:asshat:

 

[Seamaiden]

I do have personal communications with both Tim and KIS. :) Don't forget who KIS is--they're cited in Elaine Ingham's work.

 

[Cannaguy72]

For your review:
Here is my current set up.

CT Guy. Thanks for your replies and comments. You are obviously very knowledgable about this subject.

I was hoping the creator of the aerator would post the directions for making your aerator. If it's easier, contact me @ [email protected]. Thank you