Making Tea - is EZ.... & Cheap !

bossman88188

Well-Known Member
ok-iv been reading this thread and big thanx 4 useful info thread host.so i have this compost pile-i throw in thre all sorts of things, like:grass,potato shells,all kinds of water liquids,banana shells and so so may things as well-so im thinking can i take some of that compost and mix it with watre and let it stirr 4 a couple of days and then feed that tea to my plants????is it posiible-no animal manure is in there.



Keep up the good organic work man....
i would not use it on my girls.
Unless are sure of what went in there is ok.
No dairy,meats,and there are others that can make the mix.
Unstable. Just imo.
The air stone is a must. If you are going to make a tea.
 

Slab

Well-Known Member
i do 1 tbs per gallon , i use bat guano!
and i try to ALWAYS have some worm castings, those are life savers!!! also at a 1tbs/gal of unchlorinated water!!! i mix at a rate of 2tbs/gal to make a concentrate, then i mix 1:1 with water

hope i didnt make that sound too confusing!!! if you need help shout me !!
:peace:
My tea is

3 tbs per gal Bat Quano
3 Cups per gal Composted Cow Manure
5 tbs molasses.

I want to take a couple of quarts and inoculate my friends 5 gal of water so he start his own colony of "micobeasties" and then he can water down and use when he needs
 

somebody041

Well-Known Member
My tea is

3 tbs per gal Bat Quano
3 Cups per gal Composted Cow Manure
5 tbs molasses.

I want to take a couple of quarts and inoculate my friends 5 gal of water so he start his own colony of "micobeasties" and then he can water down and use when he needs

if he doesn't bubble it it will go anerobic
 

grow space

Well-Known Member
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Grow Space.... You can get by without a air pump, but they do really improve a fertilizer tea.
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Two clean 5 gallon buckets work well also. Just pour your mix from one to the other, twice daily for extra oxygen that keeps your tea sweet (aerobic).
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Just a thought.....you get better mixing & oxygenating that way, use a big stick to keep your neighbors & wife in line.... LOL ....
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Any amendment you add for nutrients, should be composted first, to ensure you get the most value out of it......
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Hope this helps....
Keep it Real....Organic........
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PS... Don't tell your wife I said that.........
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Hahaha-ok, will do.Thanx man.:peace:
 

Slab

Well-Known Member
Just watered my 5 gallon pot with Guano, Cow Manure and Mollasses. the tea was a "nutty" brown.
Gave her 2 liters and the run off was almost clear. crazy shite lol
 

swishatwista

Well-Known Member
Hey ohso, or anybody else knowledgeable, i added half a cap full(about half a tsp) hydrogen peroxide to my tea, and iv noticed its already starting to smell foul after one day, so will that little bit of alcol kill off the good bacteria from my SPT and other elements of my tea?
 

Ohsogreen

Well-Known Member
Hey ohso, or anybody else knowledgeable, i added half a cap full(about half a tsp) hydrogen peroxide to my tea, and iv noticed its already starting to smell foul after one day, so will that little bit of alcol kill off the good bacteria from my SPT and other elements of my tea?
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Swishatwista...... There is no alcohol in hydrogen peroxide, just excess oxygen in a liquid form. That tiny amount would kill very few micro-beasties.
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Adding hydrogen peroxide to teas will not keep them aerobic, it will just kill micro-beasties.
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The lack of disolved oxygen in your tea is causing the anerobic (anti-oxygen) micro-beasties to multiply, feeding on the good (aerobic) micro-beasties.
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Aerobic is better, anerobic in not. Pour that tea into a compost pile and start over. Introducing large amounts of anerobic bacteria into your growing medium will work against you.
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To keep your teas aerobic (sweet & wholesum), bubble them with a aquarium air pump or pour them bucket to bucket several times a day, to add oxygen.
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Hope this helps.....
Keep it Real....Organic..... & Aerobic .....
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NewGrowth

Well-Known Member
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Swishatwista...... There is no alcohol in hydrogen peroxide, just excess oxygen in a liquid form. That tiny amount would kill very few micro-beasties.
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Adding hydrogen peroxide to teas will not keep them aerobic, it will just kill micro-beasties.
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The lack of disolved oxygen in your tea is causing the anerobic (anti-oxygen) micro-beasties to multiply, feeding on the good (aerobic) micro-beasties.
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Aerobic is better, anerobic in not. Pour that tea into a compost pile and start over. Introducing large amounts of anerobic bacteria into your growing medium will work against you.
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To keep your teas aerobic (sweet & wholesum), bubble them with a aquarium air pump or pour them bucket to bucket several times a day, to add oxygen.
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Hope this helps.....
Keep it Real....Organic..... & Aerobic .....
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Osho I just wanted to say thanks for all your posts here on RIU. You are one of the reason's I have decided to go completely organic with my next grow.

I had a bunch of mothers that I recently used compost tea on.

I used peruvian seabird guano, molasses and worm castings. Brewed for 24-48 hours.

Here is a picture of one of them all organic . . .

Do you recycle soil as well? It seems like if you had a good system to compost old soil and then add back beneficials and fresh organic matter you could re-use soil over and over.
 

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swishatwista

Well-Known Member
alright i gotta get this cleared up once in for all cause this sway of information is killin me. I bubble my teas from the moment i mix up all the ingredients. Iv been using peruvian guano consisting of 10-10-2, as well as liquid kelp, molassas(concentrated stuff called heavy weight), SPT, worm castings, and the occasional dolimite lime, while always using tap water thats sat no less then 48 hours so its clorine free-also checked with the water department to make sure there's no chloramine.

Every time i brew this batch with the 10-10-2, it always turns to an unpleasant smell rather quickly, and after brewed for a couple days i have to keep "knocking" the bubbles back down that it creates in the bucket(while always bubbling), but when i would brew with a Nitrogen guano it wouldn't succumb to a foul smelling brew.

iv been using the 10-10-2 because iv been on the verge of flowering, was waiting on an a/c window unit. and will continue to use the 10-10-2 going into the flowering until the 3rd week when ill start to cut back on the Nitrogen.

But my quetion is, why would my natual tea start to go sour on me? i have given no reason to start to become anerobic. to hit any possible angles on this problem, i use the same air stone each time but soak it, clean it, and then hook it up to the pump to get any water out.

Ohso you said that the anerobic start to increase because of the lack of disolved oxygen but its always bubbling. The only factor that i can see is the increased number in nutes- 10-10-2, reacting with the SPT to produce alot of bioconversion with the SPT going to town with all the nutes. So im not sure whats the deal, but its really my only problem with my grow, and its kind of a big one so could you help me out and try to address it, thanks man
 

Ohsogreen

Well-Known Member
alright i gotta get this cleared up once in for all cause this sway of information is killin me. I bubble my teas from the moment i mix up all the ingredients. Iv been using peruvian guano consisting of 10-10-2, as well as liquid kelp, molassas(concentrated stuff called heavy weight), SPT, worm castings, and the occasional dolimite lime, while always using tap water thats sat no less then 48 hours so its clorine free-also checked with the water department to make sure there's no chloramine.

Every time i brew this batch with the 10-10-2, it always turns to an unpleasant smell rather quickly, and after brewed for a couple days i have to keep "knocking" the bubbles back down that it creates in the bucket(while always bubbling), but when i would brew with a Nitrogen guano it wouldn't succumb to a foul smelling brew.

iv been using the 10-10-2 because iv been on the verge of flowering, was waiting on an a/c window unit. and will continue to use the 10-10-2 going into the flowering until the 3rd week when ill start to cut back on the Nitrogen.

But my quetion is, why would my natual tea start to go sour on me? i have given no reason to start to become anerobic. to hit any possible angles on this problem, i use the same air stone each time but soak it, clean it, and then hook it up to the pump to get any water out.

Ohso you said that the anerobic start to increase because of the lack of disolved oxygen but its always bubbling. The only factor that i can see is the increased number in nutes- 10-10-2, reacting with the SPT to produce alot of bioconversion with the SPT going to town with all the nutes. So im not sure whats the deal, but its really my only problem with my grow, and its kind of a big one so could you help me out and try to address it, thanks man
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Swishatwista.... What "Grow Space" was talking about was making fertilizer tea without using a source of constant oxygen like an aquarium air pump. I told him, pouring his tea from bucket to bucket, several times a day would add oxygen and help keep his tea aerobic. This will work for several days, but after that, the anerobic bacteria will start to gain ground. Because as the micro-beasties increase in population, they will begin to exhaust (use up) the oxygen at a faster and faster rate. In his situation, not having an air pump, will allow this to happen faster.
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If you constantly bubble a tea, it will stay aerobic (sweet). The longer you bubble (brew) it, the more it is broken down by the micro-beasties. If you use it in the first few days, say 24 hours to 72 hours of bubbling, I have always seen the best results.
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I once bubbled a tea for an entire month and used it on just a few plants. They did not show any improvements over the other plants feed teas, bubbled only a few days.
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I later learned, what had happened was I allowed so many micro-beasties to reproduce that they actually consumed a large portion of the NPK in the mix. Did it get lost ? No, just converted. Later the dead bodies of the micro-beasties will either breakdown (freeing up the NPK from their bodies) or they will act as a food source for other micro-beasties (& get bioconverted - eaten & pooped out in a smaller / more soluble size). So, you don't really lose NPK, it just gets converted from one form to another.
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Bubbling for long periods of time, say more than three days, tips the scales and causes more micro-beasties to be present in your tea. Bubbling for 24 to 72 hours provides the best compromise / balance of NPK value & micro-beastie population.
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That being said, don't get hung up on smells. What smells fresh & earthy to one person, does not smell the same to another person. Especially with bat guanos, their odors do vary, based on what they ate in their diets, the age of the guano, how it was stored, moisture content...etc....
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Hope this helps.....
Keep it Real....Organic...
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plantsinpants

Well-Known Member
hey everyone! im makin some guano tea and im done with the veg tea and moved on to the bloom tea, my question is about seabird guano , i have some that is from asia and its really moist, will moist guano desolve properly in a tea??
the NPK of the stuff is 9-27- .17 ( weird eh?? ),, anyways idk if the stuff is any good for tea??

anyone??
 

Slab

Well-Known Member
I don't think those NPK values are correct you, not sure why you are "inventing" a new tea. Instruction in the FAq and in this thread on what is best for flowering.
 

swishatwista

Well-Known Member
O ok, thanks for adressing my issue Ohso. Sorry to come off aggetated, its just i dont ahve internet so its really unproductive to not gain info from when i do make the trip to get on RIU. And it kind of scared me when you mentioned i could be feeding my plants potentially bad bacteria lol, still makes me un easy thinkin about it

That said i was still curious as to why my tea becomes sour, kind of foul smelly. I'm not sure why peole dont like the smell of SPT, smells like greatness to me, shit i even smell my soaking rotting compost, but i just dont feel right about the pungent smell of my tea. I know its the 10-10-2(peruvian i think) bat guano that gives it that smell but im not sure if its just the more potent guano will have that effect or if i got a bad batch of the guano, which i think is unlikely.
 

plantsinpants

Well-Known Member
I don't think those NPK values are correct you, not sure why you are "inventing" a new tea. Instruction in the FAq and in this thread on what is best for flowering.
woah!! easy on the sarcasm buddy!

i didnt " invent" a new tea, i got the local versions of what i saw on the net,,,
 

Ohsogreen

Well-Known Member
hey everyone! im makin some guano tea and im done with the veg tea and moved on to the bloom tea, my question is about seabird guano , i have some that is from asia and its really moist, will moist guano desolve properly in a tea??
the NPK of the stuff is 9-27- .17 ( weird eh?? ),, anyways idk if the stuff is any good for tea??

anyone??
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PlantsinPants....... If the numbers on your High P Bat Guano are correct 9-27-.17 that's pretty strong.
I'd use it with caution.
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The reason I say that is, the NPK numbers on any guano relfect the NPK that is immediately available (soluble in water). Often, with High P Bat Guano the total P is much higher.
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I use a 0-7-0, that is 7 % soluble P, with 14 % insoluble P that will breakdown overtime (usually 4 to 8 weeks) by bacterial action and weathering.
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All High P Bat Guanos are alkaline (push pH upwards), so over application can push soil pH above 6.8, which starts to lock out Nitrogen. This will lead to premature loss of fan leaves (older / larger sugar factories). Lose too many fan leaves too soon and yeild goes down.
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So, I'd start off low, mixing only 1 tsp of your guano per gallon of water. Give each plant 1/2 gallon, then slowly give them more volume at that strength.
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I'd also check soil pH often. When it's near or at 7, start watering with pH adjusted water, in the range of 5 to 6.2, to help bring it down. Or use a very mild nitrogen fertilizer tea, made with bunny, bat (high N), cow or composted chicken manure. Since, these manures are acidic (lower pH).
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Plus it helps to temporarily stop using your High P Bat Guano, until your soil pH is back in range (pH 6 to 6.8 is best).
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Hope this helps...
Keep it Real....Organic.....
.
.
 

swishatwista

Well-Known Member
Hey Ohso, reading that last post, iv been feeding my 6 month(still vegging) a guano of 10-10-2. It seems like my plant is happy and continuing to need the tea feeding every time, but will that P stay in my soil for 4 to 8 weeks and lock out N, or is my plant using all the P im giving it. I plan on flowering in a little over a week, about the same time that i give my next feeding.

Which guano would you prefer to start my first week of flowering, i was thinking the 10-10-2 seeing as i want to still give it N but also help it kick into flowering with the 10% soluable P. Would this be correct or should i start off with more of a N tea?

Also, im wanting feed it a tea consisting of about 9-9-9, maybe a little higher, for the 3rd week. Will this be too much for the plant to handle and over dose on cal or lock anything out?

Lastly, what do you think my 5th week NPK count would be, i have a high P guano, somewhere around 1-12-1. would that be sufficant for it? If it helps the plant is Blueberry, and is said to have an 8 week flowering period.

If you could anwswer my questions it'd appreciated, thanks Ohso
 

plantsinpants

Well-Known Member
Pardon me Plants for being overly harsh.
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PlantsinPants....... If the numbers on your High P Bat Guano are correct 9-27-.17 that's pretty strong.
I'd use it with caution.
.
The reason I say that is, the NPK numbers on any guano relfect the NPK that is immediately available (soluble in water). Often, with High P Bat Guano the total P is much higher.
.
I use a 0-7-0, that is 7 % soluble P, with 14 % insoluble P that will breakdown overtime (usually 4 to 8 weeks) by bacterial action and weathering.
.
All High P Bat Guanos are alkaline (push pH upwards), so over application can push soil pH above 6.8, which starts to lock out Nitrogen. This will lead to premature loss of fan leaves (older / larger sugar factories). Lose too many fan leaves too soon and yeild goes down.
.
So, I'd start off low, mixing only 1 tsp of your guano per gallon of water. Give each plant 1/2 gallon, then slowly give them more volume at that strength.
.
I'd also check soil pH often. When it's near or at 7, start watering with pH adjusted water, in the range of 5 to 6.2, to help bring it down. Or use a very mild nitrogen fertilizer tea, made with bunny, bat (high N), cow or composted chicken manure. Since, these manures are acidic (lower pH).
.
Plus it helps to temporarily stop using your High P Bat Guano, until your soil pH is back in range (pH 6 to 6.8 is best).
.
Hope this helps...
Keep it Real....Organic.....
.
.
no sweat slab! and thank you AGAIN ohsogreen! x-nay on tea-tay!! gonna go check the Ph right away!! tutaloo
 

Green Cross

Well-Known Member
Hey Ohso, reading that last post, iv been feeding my 6 month(still vegging) a guano of 10-10-2. It seems like my plant is happy and continuing to need the tea feeding every time, but will that P stay in my soil for 4 to 8 weeks and lock out N, or is my plant using all the P im giving it. I plan on flowering in a little over a week, about the same time that i give my next feeding.

Which guano would you prefer to start my first week of flowering, i was thinking the 10-10-2 seeing as i want to still give it N but also help it kick into flowering with the 10% soluable P. Would this be correct or should i start off with more of a N tea?

Also, im wanting feed it a tea consisting of about 9-9-9, maybe a little higher, for the 3rd week. Will this be too much for the plant to handle and over dose on cal or lock anything out?

Lastly, what do you think my 5th week NPK count would be, i have a high P guano, somewhere around 1-12-1. would that be sufficant for it? If it helps the plant is Blueberry, and is said to have an 8 week flowering period.

If you could anwswer my questions it'd appreciated, thanks Ohso
Cool thread! My plants love poop tea!

P doesn't lock out N, but too much N in flower, can inhibit flowering. 10-10-2 is too much nitro for flowering

I usually do a flush at the start of flower, and start 1-12-1 half strength at first, with some worm casings 1-0-0 in the soil - but you could just add some to the tea - its just enough N to keep the leaves from all turning yellow and falling off too soon. Then toward the end of flowering I starve the plant of nitrogen.

I also add 1 TBLS molasses (per gallon) to my teas - to help feed the bacteria, as well as to add carbs. It's just easier to mix it all in a bucket and dip into it, at feeding time. GL
:peace:
 
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