Compost teas brewing with Herbi's Brew product

[StickyBladez]

Hi from New Zealand. Been doing compost teas for a while, but have brought a more powerful air pump and a bubble snake for this season. I've also purchased a product called Herbi's Brew for activating compost teas.

Here's the ingredients list: Kelp, Brewers Yeast, Humic Acids, SEA-90, Soybean Meal, Yucca extract, Organic Cane Sugar, Amino Acids, Alfalfa, Humates, Langbeinite, Rockdust, Sugar beet Molasses, Silica, Dolomit, Rapeseed Meal and Algae Extract.

I thought teas were all the same, until leaning about bacterial vs's fungal dominated teas. Should i use this product in my bacterial teas as well as fungal? Is this product mainly for activating fungal teas or good for all general usage. I wont add the molasses for fungal for flower, and will brew it longer say 36-48 hours. Home-made worm castings used in both. Herbi's says to use 1/2 cup Herbi's Brew with 1/2 cup castings.

 

[MisterHelix]

With no experience with that product I could not comment, but the ingredients list looks ok. I dunno about sugar or sea90, but the rest looks like what I’d throw in a bucket. Pretty much what’s on my shelf.

Do you use the AACT as a foliar spray?

 

[StickyBladez]

With no experience with that product I could not comment, but the ingredients list looks ok. I dunno about sugar or sea90, but the rest looks like what I’d throw in a bucket. Pretty much what’s on my shelf.

Do you use the AACT as a foliar spray?

Yeah ive foliar sprayed a few times in the past....plan to more this season. Running 12 x Bruce Banner #3 and 4 x Amnesia Lemons from Herbies. Have only grown a few before each season. Started them indoors, its now 1 month into spring and they're 5 and 6 weeks old already off to a HUGE start im genuinly worried about their size and the work we have to do this season with my cousin up at his property. Have spent $2k NZD on soil and dry ammendment ferts also from Herbi's their 444 and 248. Carrying it all into new native planted bush cutting trails making clearings.

But back to spraying :D will definitely load up the backpack sprayer and have a go at them. Any tips? Dilute 1/10 for spraying or 1/4 like soil drenching?

 

[MisterHelix]

I didn’t brew aact’s this year, because I found straight teas and dry top dressing and a few other things to be much more efficient.

I grow in my own garden so I’ve had and will have time to really nurture the soil in the beds.

But anyway, These are my notes from last year when I brewed a lot. If you have q’s I can try to remember but I sort of live in the moment for better or worse.

“
I use a pretty basic AACT recipe, though I can’t say if it’s any better or worse than any other. I just put everything in the bucket loose. I tried the mesh bags but can’t be bothered.

5 gallon bucket:

1 oz fulvic acid
1 oz Neptune hydrolyzed fish liquid 2-4-1
1 oz Neptune liquid seaweed 0-0-1
1 oz Azomite powder
1 cup alfalfa meal
2 cups earthworm castings (and/or clean compost Or Alaskan Humus)
4.5 gallons well water

Aerate has for 24-48 hours.

I dilute 1:3-ish I have been working for all last week to with water for manual fertigation or dilute and strain for foliar feed.

I brew and apply it about once a week. Usually as a root soak since straining it for the sprayer is kind of tedious.

I used to use molasses in the tea, but I quit. I think there’s enough food in there without resorting to simple sugars.
“

 

[MisterHelix]

Yeah ive foliar sprayed a few times in the past....plan to more this season. Running 12 x Bruce Banner #3 and 4 x Amnesia Lemons from Herbies. Have only grown a few before each season. Started them indoors, its now 1 month into spring and they're 5 and 6 weeks old already off to a HUGE start im genuinly worried about their size and the work we have to do this season with my cousin up at his property. Have spent $2k NZD on soil and dry ammendment ferts also from Herbi's their 444 and 248. Carrying it all into new native planted bush cutting trails making clearings.

Sounds like a pretty big commitment. I hope it goes great for you.

I’ve no experience using commercial fertilizers. I just use horse manure and compost and magical alfalfa meal. But I don’t have to make dozens of new holes this year, right?

This year I used AACT as a soil drench 1:4 once in the beginning. Then I switched to soil drench and foliar feed with Neptune’s fish/kelp then rose/flower plus some Protekt silica. Top dressed with alfalfa meal and then malted barley at the end.

Lots of plants could be lots of work. Man I’d be avoiding unnecessarily complicated processes. I’d prune hard early so there’s no lowers to mess with.

Anyways. I hope it goes great for you!