Some tea to go with that?

myke

Well-Known Member
My soil has been cooking for 18 days. Wondering if it’s worth the effort to give it some tea? Perhaps some ewc or???
my mix is a combo of kelp,alfalfa insect frass and some organic 444. Rock dust and dolomite lime.
 

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
You can always brew up a tea to increase microbial activity but throwing ewc directly into the mix does very much the same thing. It just goes to work slower. A super ez tea:
3-5 gal clean water
1/2 cup kelp meal
1 cup ewc
1 tsp molasses
bubble for 36+ hours and serve..,All of it
 

rkmcdon

Well-Known Member
My soil has been cooking for 18 days. Wondering if it’s worth the effort to give it some tea? Perhaps some ewc or???
my mix is a combo of kelp,alfalfa insect frass and some organic 444. Rock dust and dolomite lime.
If you're at 18 days cooking and havent planted yet, I personally wouldn't go through the hassle of a compost tea and i'm not sure it will make much of a difference. That being said, it won't hurt anything either if you decide to do it. If that's the case, I think Richards recipe is a great option
 

myke

Well-Known Member
You can always brew up a tea to increase microbial activity but throwing ewc directly into the mix does very much the same thing. It just goes to work slower. A super ez tea:
3-5 gal clean water
1/2 cup kelp meal
1 cup ewc
1 tsp molasses
bubble for 36+ hours and serve..,All of it
This goes in a bag of some sort, pantyhose etc?Or all in and strain or it all just goes in?
Thanks much.
 

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Usually when I brew teas it is for plants and then I’ll save any remnants left over for the soil. You can put your dry ingredients in something like a net or mesh bag to “teabag” it but I just throw it in there loose; any “sludge” left over in the bottom of your bucket is good to toss in with your recycling soil. Problem is airstones can get clogged after a few uses. I recommend an air diffuser instead of a stone; got one from the red frog compost tea co. & they are really great. Never clog & easy to clean; just give it a rinse when tea is done....

 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Usually when I brew teas it is for plants and then I’ll save any remnants left over for the soil. You can put your dry ingredients in something like a net or mesh bag to “teabag” it but I just throw it in there loose; any “sludge” left over in the bottom of your bucket is good to toss in with your recycling soil. Problem is airstones can get clogged after a few uses. I recommend an air diffuser instead of a stone; got one from the red frog compost tea co. & they are really great. Never clog & easy to clean; just give it a rinse when tea is done....

How do you clean it really good if you need to? I have stones, but they're good ones that you can boil to make like new again.
 

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
Those are nice; I was using crappy $4 Walmart fish tank airstones. The diffuser is pretty much just a piece of rubber with holes in but it’s got like metal washers to weight it down. Nothing sticks to it; pretty sure these are made from recycled tires.
 

myke

Well-Known Member
Those are nice; I was using crappy $4 Walmart fish tank airstones. The diffuser is pretty much just a piece of rubber with holes in but it’s got like metal washers to weight it down. Nothing sticks to it; pretty sure these are made from recycled tires.
Being a hydro guy i have many of diy diffusers ,take apart easy to clean.Thx.
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Those are nice; I was using crappy $4 Walmart fish tank airstones. The diffuser is pretty much just a piece of rubber with holes in but it’s got like metal washers to weight it down. Nothing sticks to it; pretty sure these are made from recycled tires.
Ya the Walmart ones suck. These are totally different. I have small ones too for my smaller air pump. They rock. I can't believe I ever bought the cheap ones now. My hydro store has them so I don't need to order mine online, but I would if I had to.
 

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
Here is the new brewer I made, it is AMAZINGLY better then just an air stone. If you make this I would very much advise a few things... get a tote to keep this in that is leak proof it WILL come out. Also get a cover for the same reason... I just used some plastic. this thing and the pump are LOUD... I had to move it twice once the wife and I tried to go to sleep and kept hearing it gurgle in the basement.. if it is inside your house put it somewhere your exit fan will get the gasses. but this thing makes the most active tea i have seen! (well based on foam alone I guess)
 

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PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
Here is the new brewer I made, it is AMAZINGLY better then just an air stone. If you make this I would very much advise a few things... get a tote to keep this in that is leak proof it WILL come out. Also get a cover for the same reason... I just used some plastic. this thing and the pump are LOUD... I had to move it twice once the wife and I tried to go to sleep and kept hearing it gurgle in the basement.. if it is inside your house put it somewhere your exit fan will get the gasses. but this thing makes the most active tea i have seen! (well based on foam alone I guess)
Looks fun to clean up, lol.
 

myke

Well-Known Member
Here is the new brewer I made, it is AMAZINGLY better then just an air stone. If you make this I would very much advise a few things... get a tote to keep this in that is leak proof it WILL come out. Also get a cover for the same reason... I just used some plastic. this thing and the pump are LOUD... I had to move it twice once the wife and I tried to go to sleep and kept hearing it gurgle in the basement.. if it is inside your house put it somewhere your exit fan will get the gasses. but this thing makes the most active tea i have seen! (well based on foam alone I guess)
looks like an outside type deal.So foam is what im after?
 

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
i mean you mix it turn it on and then dump the shit in a waterer and give it to the plants. is it GROSS to clean up? yes. but its not difficult at all. trimming is honestly the hardest part of this whole process to me lol
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
i mean you mix it turn it on and then dump the shit in a waterer and give it to the plants. is it GROSS to clean up? yes. but its not difficult at all. trimming is honestly the hardest part of this whole process to me lol
Ya, I'm not a fan of trimming either. My helpers also hate it. We just pluck leaves anymore. No scissors required, lol. Here's a pic of my wife plucking buds off our first outdoor mini grow. It was just for fun. My indoor plants are way bigger.
IMG_4394.JPG
IMG_4395.JPG
 

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
looks like an outside type deal.So foam is what im after?
foam is a good sign of microbial life yes, but it is not necessary. BUT I have made many teas and this one has had the most foam by FAR of them all. so yes I would say that is a good goal. This thing is very easy to make and will give you far better teas then just an air stone.
 

meangreengrowinmachine

Well-Known Member
Ya, I'm not a fan of trimming either. My helpers also hate it. We just pluck leaves anymore. No scissors required, lol. Here's a pic of my wife plucking buds off our first outdoor mini grow. It was just for fun. My indoor plants are way bigger.
View attachment 4699234
View attachment 4699235
hey man I'm with you for sure! Hence I am into SIPs it is the BEST and easiest way to grow! Check out our thread man! here is a sample pic..
 

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myke

Well-Known Member
foam is a good sign of microbial life yes, but it is not necessary. BUT I have made many teas and this one has had the most foam by FAR of them all. so yes I would say that is a good goal. This thing is very easy to make and will give you far better teas then just an air stone.
I see an air line going into a bucket, it appears its attached to the pvc pipe ?
 
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