The correct way to make an actively aerated compost tea AACT

My last pot up is 3-5 weeks before flower from a 1.5L to 14L. Not surprisingly some varieties will get hungry early in flowering if I don't water in some ferts.

I give them microbial tea (Microbeman recipe) right after potting up and some fert teas just before and after the flip. For the fert tea I have been using EWC, Neptune's Harvest Fish Hydrolysate, Indo bat guano and blackstrap. Expensive and not Coot approved but it works.

I try not to feed anything after week 4 of flowering. I don't want to cause them to grow new pistils late in the cycle.

I've gotten away from the high P guano and switched to the top dressed fish bone. I foliar aloe and ProTekt til harvest. There should be a collective when, where, and why tea and foliar thread.

Supra how are you getting by after week 4 with no food? Is it in the soil? Surely they can't go the last 4 weeks with absolutely no nutes from somewhere? Or are they just getting compost tea all that time?

And I still only got one response I think on my question... do you guys feed aact teas til harvest or do you stop and switch to plain water at some point?

ReefBongwell said:

Supra how are you getting by after week 4 with no food? Is it in the soil? Surely they can't go the last 4 weeks with absolutely no nutes from somewhere? Or are they just getting compost tea all that time?

And I still only got one response I think on my question... do you guys feed aact teas til harvest or do you stop and switch to plain water at some point?

Click to expand...

Like I said before, start with a well diverse living soil. Teas are supplementary or quick fixes.

OK so you are feeding them after week 4 then... just not with added food That answers my question.

ReefBongwell said:

OK so you are feeding them after week 4 then... just not with added food That answers my question.

Click to expand...

Anytime you water you feed If you have microbes in your soil (which your teas have provided), then your plants will have everything they need...if provided in your mix. If not top dress what you need, or make a feed tea. I personally keep my girls fed throughout harvest. A thriving soil will continue to feed, unless dry. Keep moist so the microbes don't go dormant.

I recycle the soil by reammending with EWC, organic chicken manure, kelp meal, alfalfa meal, P guano, greensand, azomite etc. That stuff is slowly breaking down all the time. My theory is that granular ferts are better than bottled because they are so much cheaper and the soil ecosystem has a chance to get balanced. I usually run a bit short on ferts which is OK it is better to undershoot than overshoot.

The only thing I give them after 4 weeks of flowering is a bit of blackstrap which is a bit of calmag, a microbial food and a source of K. I never foliar spray but I know some growers love to, everyone has their own technique.

ProTekt and aloe til harvest will help with K and PM.

Recently got a LB of Agsil16 thanks to KISorganics. Looking forward to less brittle stems on the OGs and since COOT recommended it I trust it. Luckily I have never had PM but I have seen bud rot during the humid season in the center of the biggest colas.

So you probably wouldn't want to ever wait until the pot was light to water then? How dry does soil have to get before the microbes die off and you have to re-tea?

ReefBongwell said:

So you probably wouldn't want to ever wait until the pot was light to water then? How dry does soil have to get before the microbes die off and you have to re-tea?

Click to expand...

Thats a good ? I 'Greenthumb' it and water every couple days slow n steady. No prob with good aeration...around a third of your soil mix. Another trick is to water with a good wetting agent like yucca or fresh aloe fillet puréed (or powder). I keep my soil drunken bar chick moist. There's also irrigation testers and equipment like blumats, SIP pots, drip systems, bla bla bla. I go by weight of pot. Some people like to stick finger through top 2 inches, but I keep my top microbes moist with mulch.

Or you can even water slow, then water again an hour or so after.

I go by weight too. The top few inches dries out so mulch is a good idea. I don't use drain holes, lots of granular DE and pumice in the soil mix so air can exchange.

what do you guys use for mulch. I stopped using canna leaves like a year ago. I think it produced too much nitrogen. I had small buds. Then I stopped using canna leaves and then buds quadrupled in size..

hyroot said:

what do you guys use for mulch. I stopped using canna leaves like a year ago. I think it produced too much nitrogen. I had small buds. Then I stopped using canna leaves and then buds quadrupled in size..

Click to expand...

Wrong thread ass monkey. Are you sure they didn't octuple?

RedCarpetMatches said:

Wrong thread ass monkey. Are you sure they didn't octuple?

Click to expand...

well you guys were talking about mulch ass munch

hyroot said:

well you guys were talking about mulch ass munch

Click to expand...

So sensitive as of late. Anything you want to talk about? I really liked the clover, but it didn't retain the moisture like leaves or straw. I'm thinking about a combination of living mulch and whatever's dead outside. I don't get the too much N comment. My soil has too much of everything lol. I personally like green leaves and fat buds @ harvest. Something I'm missing?!

I may try bahia grass next round. You can get bahia seed very cheap at home depot. Did you see that video about making mychorrizzae using bahia grass? .

I used the clover mainly for enzymes and food for bacteria and fungi. it helps speed along the cooking process in rols pots too.

hyroot said:

I may try bahia grass next round. You can get bahia seed very cheap at home depot. Did you see that video about making mychorrizzae using bahia grass? .

I used the clover mainly for enzymes and food for bacteria and fungi. it helps speed along the cooking process in rols pots too.

Click to expand...

Bahia is amazing stuff and gives awesome fungi action. Probs are growth rate and FINDING it. I checked several HDs and Lowe's...WTF. Those vids crack me up. Love the IMO series from ProKashi guy (still want to say 'brokashi')...A++++

Clover is amazing chop n drop. Maybe better dead than alive eh? I swear it's a worm aphrodisiac. They smother that shit like Psu on Chinese noodles.

i wonder if I could get them to sprout in my worm bin.. have a top layer of clover.. Its always in the dark. they might sprout but then die right away.

hyroot said:

i wonder if I could get them to sprout in my worm bin.. have a top layer of clover.. Its always in the dark. they might sprout but then die right away.

Click to expand...

Interesting idea, think it'll work. I just have a deep dish from some carry out loaded with white and mini clover. Cut some and more'll pop up in a week. Having probs sprouting lavender though??? Does it really take 10-14 days?! If I had the room I'd do comfrey, nettle, dandelions, etc. throw it all in the worm bin. Super VC!!!