Compost tea PH adjustment options

[OpTikFiber]

Crush dolomite lime to a powder and add it to your water for ph up. I have done this a few times and it works great.

 

[justiceman]

Crush dolomite lime to a powder and add it to your water for ph up. I have done this a few times and it works great.

I thought about trying that. Good to hear it works out for ya!

So I kinda left this thread because i thought it died, but it seems not haha.

Anyway in my venture of Organic teas I have found that simply bubbling it raises the ph because as the Bacterial/fungi ratio rises the ph rises. More fungi=acidic(Fungi excrete acids in order to unlock certain nutrients in the medium). More bacteria=alkaline(basic)(Bacteria excrete alkaline slimes to bind soil particles and create a friendly environment). As a result Bacteria/Fungi balance each other out. Different ratios of the two different types in turn mean a different PH. In turn you can say that plants who prefer a lower PH prefer a higher count of fungi/bacteria where ass plants who prefer a higher PH prefer a higher count of bacteria/fungi.Fungi don't multiply in tea's they merely grow bigger where as the bacteria multiply very fast. That is why the PH of a tea usually raises very fast after 12-24 hours. Adding molasses helps feed the bacteria and fungi, but more so the bacteria because they love eating simply easy to digest sugars where fungi love things that are harder to digest.

As Time stated. It is ridiculous to try and adjust a compost tea with additives. It defeats the purpose of organics, and it is not how Jedi's do it haha. The microbes will do everything for you. Just treat them right.

I do have to add I like the idea of adding dolomite lime not just because it helps to raise and stabilize PH but because it provides cal mag. It might not be a bad thing to add to teas in very small powdered amounts.

I learned a lot from a book called "Teaming With Microbes"

 

[OpTikFiber]

I thought about trying that. Good to hear it works out for ya!

So I kinda left this thread because i thought it died, but it seems not haha.

You provided some great info thanks! I added into bring the thread back...but some else started it first lol :animal0057:

Yeah I actually first tried the crushed lime because I found out that calmag plus was not how jedi walk :) Glad to understand more about the organic ph now, thanks again.

 

[Mud Man]

dont adjust ph in your teas for micos will take care of that as cheech & revolt have pointed out. doesnt do any good unless youre looking for a headache. thats the beauty of organics. only time i ph anything while doing organics is my plain water to start.

nice man, this thread rocks,, May i ask you or anyone else what you lower your plain water to, before adding your mix..?? :star

 

[Mud Man]

I thought about trying that. Good to hear it works out for ya!

So I kinda left this thread because i thought it died, but it seems not haha.

Anyway in my venture of Organic teas I have found that simply bubbling it raises the ph because as the Bacterial/fungi ratio rises the ph rises. More fungi=acidic(Fungi excrete acids in order to unlock certain nutrients in the medium). More bacteria=alkaline(basic)(Bacteria excrete alkaline slimes to bind soil particles and create a friendly environment). As a result Bacteria/Fungi balance each other out. Different ratios of the two different types in turn mean a different PH. In turn you can say that plants who prefer a lower PH prefer a higher count of fungi/bacteria where ass plants who prefer a higher PH prefer a higher count of bacteria/fungi.Fungi don't multiply in tea's they merely grow bigger where as the bacteria multiply very fast. That is why the PH of a tea usually raises very fast after 12-24 hours. Adding molasses helps feed the bacteria and fungi, but more so the bacteria because they love eating simply easy to digest sugars where fungi love things that are harder to digest.

As Time stated. It is ridiculous to try and adjust a compost tea with additives. It defeats the purpose of organics, and it is not how Jedi's do it haha. The microbes will do everything for you. Just treat them right.

I do have to add I like the idea of adding dolomite lime not just because it helps to raise and stabilize PH but because it provides cal mag. It might not be a bad thing to add to teas in very small powdered amounts.

I learned a lot from a book called "Teaming With Microbes"

you are my friggin hero right now. Many thanks. Grabbing that book man.. nice tip
:mysterymachine:
:fixed:

wicked thread! :afroweed:. Gonna hit the bong and delve a little deeper. :character0103:

Where can one Find These JEDIS' hmmm[/SIZE]

 

[justiceman]

nice man, this thread rocks,, May i ask you or anyone else what you lower your plain water to, before adding your mix..?? :star

Thanks man. No need to lower your water before you mix. The ingredients you add should affect the ph and most likely bring it down(depends on what you add), but then it goes back up from the microbial life.

I have heard that a good compost tea should have a PH of 5.5 to 7. Anywhere out of that range and your ingredients are out of balance, or you let it bubble for too long. A compost tea can is usually brewed anywhere from 12-72 hours. Many don't even bother to check the PH because the micro herd technically buffers, locks up, and makes nutrients available with their own functions.

I have often heard of people adding Fulvic acid to their compost teas not to bring the PH down but to for its added benefits. It just so happens to acidify nutrients solutions as well. Another organic method to lower the PH would be with lemon juice. I also beleive that liquid kelp is slightly acidic and is a great additive to a compost tea.

Keep in mind that if you are forced to adjust the PH of your compost tea because it is out of the 5.5 to 7 range then your ingredient ratios should probably reconsidered, or you brewer, or the amount of molasses you add to feed the microbes, ect.

Ideally one shouldn't even have to check the PH of a compost tea let alone adjust it's PH. It's funny that I started this thread a while back asking how to adjust compost tea when I now know that I shouldn't have to at all. Man do I love improving my knowledge.

Jedi's aren't easy to find my friend. They often lurk in the shadows and help the people without them knowing. I wouldn't call myself one of them, but I do know a few things concerning portions of their trade. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[Mud Man]

You rock man, so does this thread. !
A jedi is humble beyond humble, the force is strong with you.
I will have get busy learning and wait for my new book. Many thanks again.
The world needs the Jedi more than ever:fighting0040:

 

[OpTikFiber]

I learned a lot from a book called "Teaming With Microbes"

Good recommendation! I just got this, going off of you and countless others mentioning how good this book is. :rofl THANKS! So far it is a great read and I'm learning a lot.

 

[shavits]

Whats poppin farmers! I use the EJ ph up to raise ph after bubbling my EJ tea for 36 hrs to about 5.8 - 6.0 (flowering stage) and then I let my soil (FFOF) do the rest! EJ tends to be very low ph straight out the bottle so it needs adjusting IMO. I have had no problems doing it this way! When I brew my own blend of compost tea it usually finish's brewing around 8.0! To correct the ph I bubble some water treated with chlorine and chloramine removing drops for atleast 2 hrs, to make sure all chlorine is removed, seperately and then adjust my water with citric acid to the desired ph level! Next I cut my tea 50/50 water/tea to reach my desired ph, about 6.5 for veg and 6.0 - 6.2 for flowering! This took some practice to hit the desire ph level but I havent had any problems with this method so I keep doing it in this manner! I thought I would share with you guys my method and I will keep reading this thread for other ways of adjusting ph as well! Also, can anyone provide links or share there compost tea recipes for all stages of growth, I would greatly appreciate it, peace!

 

[Blucross]

I am just starting to think in terms of Organic Tea's and wondering if any can suggest a good book ?

 

[jgez]

Blucross teaming with microbes best place to start

 

[slap14]

I would have to go with the you should not have to ever adjust your teas. If the micro heard are growing in your teas while you are brewing them it must mean they like the PH or they would't colonize in the first place. Now you have spent all this time growing these microbes why would you want to change the PH and risk killing what you just spent the time creating.

Now if you are using the teas as a nutrient mix for the plants kinda pseudo organic or "soup style" growing then go ahead and adjust the PH with what ever you want. What you are doing with type of style is you're force feeding the plant as opposed to organic where you are feeding the soil and the fungi and microbes are feeding the plant. For the most part if you are using bottled nutes you have killed the fungi in the soil because of the chelating salts used to stabilize these products. Stick you PH pen right in the bottle and your PH will be in the 3's or 4's. Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying one style is better than the other just pointing out the difference.

I mix and cook my own soil and using the slurry test my mix PH's out at about 6.4. I never even check the PH of any teas or water during a grow anymore as the soil does that for me.

What ever you decide good luck
Slap

 

[slap14]

I am just starting to think in terms of Organic Tea's and wondering if any can suggest a good book ?

True Living Organics - great book with some great organic tea recipes.
Teaming with Microbes - is a great all around book about organic soil.

 

[Black Lab]

I would have to go with the you should not have to ever adjust your teas. If the micro heard are growing in your teas while you are brewing them it must mean they like the PH or they would't colonize in the first place. Now you have spent all this time growing these microbes why would you want to change the PH and risk killing what you just spent the time creating.

Now if you are using the teas as a nutrient mix for the plants kinda pseudo organic or "soup style" growing then go ahead and adjust the PH with what ever you want. What you are doing with type of style is you're force feeding the plant as opposed to organic where you are feeding the soil and the fungi and microbes are feeding the plant. For the most part if you are using bottled nutes you have killed the fungi in the soil because of the chelating salts used to stabilize these products. Stick you PH pen right in the bottle and your PH will be in the 3's or 4's. Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying one style is better than the other just pointing out the difference.

I mix and cook my own soil and using the slurry test my mix PH's out at about 6.4. I never even check the PH of any teas or water during a grow anymore as the soil does that for me.

What ever you decide good luck
Slap

Thank you for bringing this up. I am using Earth Juice liquids from the bottle in my teas and have been worried that the low pH is negatively effecting the ingredients. The bottles sit on the shelf with a pH in the 3's and this is probably degrading the ingredients of the fertilizer. In addition to that issue; I have to aerate my tea for 36 hours to bring the pH up without using pH adjust. This makes it difficult to maintain a feeding schedule. The plants are dry sometimes before the pH is down. Because of this I am now using Earth Juice natural up. When I use up the EJ I have I will look for a powder that might have a more neutral pH.

 

[We Solidarity]

Wow almost a 4 year old thread...awesome!

I never ph tea - I've fed straight teas as low as 4.5 to plants and seen nothing but supreme happiness. Same with high ph teas.

 

[Dr.J20]

Wow almost a 4 year old thread...awesome!

I never ph tea - I've fed straight teas as low as 4.5 to plants and seen nothing but supreme happiness. Same with high ph teas.

yep, its been said earlier that pH is up to the plant-microbe symbiosis. Chasing pH is a fool's errand , so long as the water you're using isn't totally whacked--i'd say 8.7+ and below 5.5 out of the tap would qualify as 'totally whacked,' and i'm pretty sure i'm being conservative here, plants and microbes are pretty amazing teammates.
be easy,
Dr.J

 

[Tnelz]

So depending on your compost tea ingredients and microbial life the PH of Tea varies. I would like to discuss the different options that exist for safe PH adjustment to teas.Some people complain theire teas are too alkaline for instance 8.0 or others complain their teas are too acidic for instance 4.0

I have heard that humates like fulvic, and humic acid help to buffer nutrients so they can be absorbed across a wider PH range, but wouldn't a tea that is very acid hurt the microheard in the soil if you gave it to a plant with a soil ph of 6.5?

PH Down
Generally speaking acidifying(lowering PH) teas is not a problem. Many just add citric acid, lime juice, vinegar ect.

PH Up
This is where the problem arises. How does one raise the PH of their tea. I have heard of only two ways. Adding baking soda or Bubbling the tea for a day.


Considerations:
So does bubbling(aerating) a tea in fact raise PH?

Are there other options to raising PH such as adding Dolomite lime, hydrated lime, oyster shell flour, or coral calcium to Teas?

Yes most of those are soil amendments but is it plausible to use them for PH adjustment?

Not sure if anyone said this yet. Olympus up nectar for the gods.

 

[Tnelz]

Basically just liquid calcium. There ph down aka hades down is pretty awesome stuff as well.hope this helps u guys.look both products up. Honest company look them up. Nectar for the gods. Good luck fellas.


Tmb

 

[Tnelz]

For the record we solidarity is pretty spot on. I've gone way low and without problems. However my current teas never fall below 5.5 so nothing to be afraid of there. But if u really feel like u must ph both of those products are fine.

 

[Slowitdown]

For the record we solidarity is pretty spot on. I've gone way low and without problems. However my current teas never fall below 5.5 so nothing to be afraid of there. But if u really feel like u must ph both of those products are fine.

Wow almost a 4 year old thread...awesome!

I never ph tea - I've fed straight teas as low as 4.5 to plants and seen nothing but supreme happiness. Same with high ph teas.

This is tough bec everyone has a diff answer. I bubbled 5 gallon tea for 48 hours then dumped the tea into 30 gallon ro water. I was lazy that day and didnt do a ph test and feel like i caused a issue... Not sure yet but will find out soon.