Two heads are better than one (compost tea)

flaxseedoil1000

Well-Known Member

• Jan 9, 2014

• #1

Walked outside about an hour after I started this brew and this is what I found, lol.

No, that's not soap!

5 gallon buckets
4 gallons tap water (bubbled for 2 hours)
2 cups steer manure
2 cups alfalfa cubes
1 oz unsulphured molasses
1 oz seaweed extract

Pump is a Danner / Supreme AP-40. 2900 cubic inches / minute.

One 2" OxyStone in each bucket.

Temp is 45 f and not using heaters

 

vostok

Well-Known Member

• Jan 9, 2014

• #2

Locate sturdy rope,
secure rope around the mid section,
secure one end around tree,
wait for 24 hours

 

SpicySativa

Well-Known Member

• Jan 9, 2014

• #3

Don't get too caught up in the foaminess... It really doesn't tell you much about what's going on in the tea. What your likely seeing is foam from the alfalfa pellets, not from microbial action. That's not to say you don't have a good tea, just saying...

 

flaxseedoil1000

Well-Known Member

• Jan 9, 2014

• #4

^ thx, gonna do without the alfalfa and see what happens

 

mrwood

Well-Known Member

• Jan 10, 2014

• #5

my teas foam, but i use a lid. foam stays in bucket.
if you want to reduce the foam, you could try
'To prevent foaming, add 1 tsp. vegetable oil.' (I have not tried this....)

 

flaxseedoil1000

Well-Known Member

• Jan 11, 2014

• #6

No alfalfa, 24 hours later, seems about right.




What is it about alfalfa that makes it explode so fast? I agree it seems too quick to increase the bacteria and fungi population.

Wood, my next batch will be with alfalfa and vegetable oil. We will see what happens.

 

SpicySativa

Well-Known Member

• Jan 11, 2014

• #7

I believe that would be the saponins in the alfalfa. They give things like aloe, yucca, alfalfa, etc that "soapy" feel. And they bubble a lot...

 

SpicySativa

Well-Known Member

• Jan 11, 2014

• #8

Try something more like 1/4 cup of alfalfa in that 5-gal bucket, along with a cup or so of compost and 3 TBSP of molasses.

Alfalfa is is very potent stuff. It doesn't take much to see the benefits.

I would avoid the veg oil. A teaspoon or two of fish hydrolysate will cut down on foaming.

 

flaxseedoil1000

Well-Known Member

• Jan 11, 2014

• #9

Well now u tell me, lol

I took that non-alfalfa batch that had been brewing for 24 hours, added some alfalfa, and it started foaming in 5 minutes.

Then added 1 tsp Olive Oil (all I have) and immediately the foam went away.

I will substitute fish hydrolysate for the oil next batch and see what happens.

Thx for the tips all, fun stuff, lots to learn.

 

Tjingles

Well-Known Member

• Jan 11, 2014

• #10

Just a thought I would throw some worm castings in there to increase the biological diversity.

 

B

bootyforusall

Member

• Jan 11, 2014

• #11

that compost tea stuff is bunk none of it works
think about it, putting rotting things onto your bud? that youre doing to smoke? PLEASE DONT MISTREAT YOURSELF

 

hyroot

Well-Known Member

• Jan 11, 2014

• #12

bootyforusall said:

that compost tea stuff is bunk none of it works
think about it, putting rotting things onto your bud? that youre doing to smoke? PLEASE DONT MISTREAT YOURSELF

Click to expand...

you got this from.......? You obviously never used teas. Millions of growers and scientist with phd's disagree with you. Look at nature, forests feed themselves in the same manor and have been doing so for mlions of years. Plants animals die and decompose and go back into the earth to feed the plants...

you water the soil not the buds. Go ahead stick to using your cancer causing chemicals on your plants.

 

flaxseedoil1000

Well-Known Member

• Jan 12, 2014

• #13

Tjingles said:

Just a thought I would throw some worm castings in there to increase the biological diversity.

Click to expand...

I do for my inside 'medical' plants.

But these brews are for my 2 acres of outside California Native plants (ceanothus Ray Hartman, etc.) so cost is an issue.

I can get 1 cf of steer manure for $1. Same amount of castings would cost me $40.

I get 50 pounds of Alfalfa cubes for $11 so it's cheap too.

 

flaxseedoil1000

Well-Known Member

• Jan 12, 2014

• #14

Update

So I did a 24 hr steer manure and molasses brew. Normal amount of biological bubble activity.

Added 1 cup alfalfa cubes. Took about 10 minutes and it was foaming over the top.

Added about 30ml Alaska Fish 5-1-1 (emulsion, not hydrolysate, it's all I have) knocked the foam down right away.

So fish emulsion works as well as vegetable oil for knocking down the foam.

 

flaxseedoil1000

Well-Known Member

• Jan 12, 2014

• #15

bootyforusall said:

that compost tea stuff is bunk none of it works
think about it, putting rotting things onto your bud? that youre doing to smoke? PLEASE DONT MISTREAT YOURSELF

Click to expand...

This is actively aerated tea.

In a 5 gallon bucket with 4 gallons of water I am adding 4 gallons of air every minute. So this is a very aerobic environment.

Try using a small aquarium pump and it ends up anaerobic.

You can tell the difference by smelling it. Aerobic smells earthy and sweet. Anaerobic smells like a septic tank.