Continuous Brew Live Tea/fertilizer Protocol

[Limelight.BX]

I was curious if anyone is using a live food protocol? I have been working one up over the last few years and am a big proponent. I use a continuous brew compost tea / digested fertilizer setup that uses around 30 different ingredients dependent on the cycle. with each draw off you add a small amount of different food to make the cycle a consistent curve. digested sugars increase brix content causing higher resin formation and essential oil content. and lots of other correlations to be discussed. Not that I want to spill all my secrets and post my spreadsheets but would like to find a few people to have a conversation with.

 

[3G Labs]

Not quite to your level but I keep a culture of lactobacillus alive using molasses . I use the lacto all over the house and yard, but mainly as an ingredient for my Natural Nutes I make using plant material.

 

[Seamaiden]

I've been using sugars such as molasses, but not always molasses. I know that vodka is used now in reefkeeping, so that catches my attention.

 

[donmekka]

Humates

 

[Limelight.BX]

vodka and vitamin c have been used in reefkeeping for the better part of a decade.

one basic base:

wormcastings
Alasken high humic compost
fulvic acid extract
Humic acid extract
kelp extract
Azomite
Soy extract
Beneficial Bacteria Starter
Molasses
Biochar
yucca extract

This base can have the effect of adding quite the microbial load in the soil. Use tends to
require added level to a standard feeding protocol. Especially Nitrogen within flowering cycle.

I like charting in ppm and drainage ppm. That way you can track uptake curves.

 

[Seamaiden]

Microbeman says that he found that kelp reduces microbial populations, seems to keep them down.

It's been well over a decade since I've worked the trade, the Vit. C thing is new to me, too. I'll hit be hitting up my old trade friends for an explanation.

Because you say you use a continuous brew, I'm curious about how it scopes out, what critters are dominant, what might not be so dominant, etc. :)

 

[Limelight.BX]

the amount of kelp I use is small, kinda for as a trace element. The base I use for microbial inoculation is MycoApply Max Soluble plus lab grade food additives with soil probiotics. plus microbes from the worm and humic compost so scoping would be a mess as there are probably like 20 + varieties of beneficial bacteria present. I feel the only accurate test would be more like in the form of a DNA concentration analysis.

At like 400 dollars a test.... I would need to have some non-profit backing. Considering the batch varies slightly every other day.
I would love to have that info though. maybe one day

It was in the beginning stages of research by there are a few studies in Japan looking into the Vit. C curve withing plant growth. From what I remember in the study they were actually able to isolate the gene sequence dependent on the production of Vit. C so that the offspring could not survive without Vit. C supplementation. Interesting to me...

Vit C is used in reefkeeping simply because it has lots of carbon molecules that flake off easy just like Vodka. Both are quasi clean, and Vit. C can be bought in a powdered form with a PH range close to where you are looking to put it on at.

 

[Seamaiden]

Sure, for accuracy in determining exact species something like a DNA test would be required, but to identify on a general basis--protozoa, bacteria, algal cells, amoeba, fungal hyphae and so on, I would think an occasional scoping would be educational at the very least.

My problem is that I'm 50 and have lots of floaties in my eyes (I finally learned what those are, too, and you can't wipe them off, they're inside the eye) and that makes seeing the smaller bodies and distinguishing them from the floaties difficult. I need a better scope, but sometimes you've gotta pick where the money goes.

 

[Limelight.BX]

yep you are correct. I need a better scope also myself. Same place with budget. maybe soon though...

 

[cephalopod]

I've been using sugars such as molasses, but not always molasses. I know that vodka is used now in reefkeeping, so that catches my attention.

They've been doing that for at least a decade, but I have never tried it. I sure have been looking at some leds and thinking of setting up a lps cube or seahorse tank. It's been a long time and I'm missing the reef. It's cool that you and a couple other "reefers" lol are floating around here.

 

[smokin jay]

What type of brewer are you using to keep your compost tea going? I bought a cone tank and stand a couple months back to build my own vortex brewer. Been tossing around the idea of keeping a brew going myself.

 

[Limelight.BX]

one of my own design from a few years ago, though the new ones I will be making will be more like a combination of a vortex brewer with the addition of a pump driven air water draw forced thru a media basket. I am currently using a horizontal leg tank. The filter sock goes into the opening at the top with my raw nutrients as well as my extracts I use. This has 2 bubblers and a lid that seals. I run I high pressure pump that feeds and eductor/penductor plumbed thru the roof.. This suck the air from the top of the tank and reintroduces it into the mix.. You are on the right track with the vortex brewer for dissolved O concentrations. The only trick for the vortex style systems is how do you incorporate a media basket suspended within the mix. I have seen some videos where they just dump shit in but IMO that is not good. I would look at trying to turn batches that use at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the total volume of the brewer every other day..

 

[mojavegreen]

Got some tea flooming as we speak.
Ima kiss guy so a bit o sub-b, a bit o sub-m, a bit o molasses, and a bit o neptunes harvest.:D

 

[smokin jay]

one of my own design from a few years ago, though the new ones I will be making will be more like a combination of a vortex brewer with the addition of a pump driven air water draw forced thru a media basket. I am currently using a horizontal leg tank. The filter sock goes into the opening at the top with my raw nutrients as well as my extracts I use. This has 2 bubblers and a lid that seals. I run I high pressure pump that feeds and eductor/penductor plumbed thru the roof.. This suck the air from the top of the tank and reintroduces it into the mix.. You are on the right track with the vortex brewer for dissolved O concentrations. The only trick for the vortex style systems is how do you incorporate a media basket suspended within the mix. I have seen some videos where they just dump shit in but IMO that is not good. I would look at trying to turn batches that use at least 1/2 to 3/4 of the total volume of the brewer every other day..

That sounds awesome! would like to see pics of your setup if that's not a trade secret LOL. Was thinking about drilling a hole in the lid at the top and dropping a paint filter in, but smaller particles still get through the paint filter bags. I'm trying to find a 300-400 micron bag that wont allow that particulate to fall into the tank. Any suggestions? I saw the same videos of people dumping crap right in the tank that's one of the reasons I haven't completed the project as I didn't want to do that.

 

[Limelight.BX]

filterbags .com for the socks. it is possible to run in your air tubes into the sock. grab some sort of foam gasket material and wrap it around below the bag opening and use a poly clamp that screws down and tighten. then hang the bag would be the simple method. The new one I mentioned is a "trade secret" as I am working up the prototypes and custom fabrications with a business in mind.. think you have to order 25 bags from them but they are cheap..

 

[smokin jay]

Thanks for the web site on the socks! I was thinking about running an air stone in the sock too thanks for the tip!

 

[tromak]

I only have one true organic grow under my belt so...... bump and while I do brew worm tea, a lot of this is over my head. If anyone has any links to information for someone looking take the next step with their worm teas please let me know. I do have my own compost worms and what I think the plants need dictates what I feed worms. I think that is really an overlooked part of the whole process. I understand the convo here is more about microbiology of the culture though.