Ohsogreen
Well-Known Member
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To make a tea : which can be done with compost, worm castings or bat guano (really any manure or guano) you just do the following:
Get yourself a clean 5 gallon bucket (smaller size is fine), Put a couple of gallons of unchlorinated water in it (if you only have chlorinated water - just put it in the bucket & let it sit for 48 hours - 99 % of the chlorine will evaporate).
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Next decide will I let my amendment (castings, guano..etc) free float (possibly a little messy), or do I want to put the amendment in a old nylon stocking, piece of cheesecloth, or old pillow cases.
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Pour in the amendment in or place the holding sock you've made with it's goodies in the bucket of water. For worm casting (4 tablespoons per gallon of water), bat guano (2-4 tablespoons per gallon - start low, you can always add more later), compost (2 cups per gallon of water.) You can mix & match - if doing so, mix lightly on all amendments.
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Now, some people just stir or swish it around every morning & every evening for a couple of days. I like to bubble it, using a cheap aquarium air pump & air stone.
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If you stir or swish, you end up with a fairly decent tea. If you bubble it (oxygenate it) it really pumps up the number of benefical fungi, bacteria and other microscopic critters - they reproduce faster than the anti-oxygen loving micro critters, kill them off & eat them. So, it really makes a better end product.
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Either way works. I used to just pour from one bucket to another empty bucket a couple of times a day. I learned to pour more slowly after a couple of splash accidents. The whole idea is to add oxygen & mix things up.
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If you don't use a holding sock of some sort. Just let the amendment settle for an hour or two, before pouring your tea from bucket to watering can.
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The Tea is best used within 72 hours of (mixing or bubbling) commonly referred to as making or brewing tea. I like to put the left over crud in my compost barrel to enrich it. Later, I use it to make Compost Tea. Recycle, Recycle & buy less.
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Since, you plant is ready for flowering. Make sure you use Higher P guano for tea or soil amendment. Higher N guano is for veggie growth. Worm Castings can be used any time (they only have about .1 % N, no P, no K).
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If, you are going to mix guano directly in with the soil. Mix about two tablespoons in with the top inch of you soil. Then it will slowly leach into all of the soil feeding your plant slowly. Worm Castings should be no more than 20 % by volume, of you soil mix - so, you can mix in a pretty health dose of worm castings - they will not burn (even at 100 %). People just don't use them straight because their very heavy/dense for their size. Roots need fluffy soil to spread easy.
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Hope this helps.. Type at you later...
Keep it Real... Organic.
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either way i should see some growth in the next two days.