Total Noob using teas and I am a believer

I love top dressing!!! Why put the good stuff on the bottom?! I'm doing good with coco and VC/amendments on top. I keep it moist so microbes can do work. Just put some leaves on top to retain moisture.
 
AllDayToker said:
Trying to figure out how much, my strains I'm running now, they need. I've been doing less then more to be safe, and they desperately needed fed, so I feed them today with a flowering nute recipe.

I know each plant/strain is different.

How often do you organic guys normal feed nute teas? For a general rule of thumb. I'm thinking at least once every two weeks if not more.
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I find that my teas work best for me if I use them every 10 days. Sometimes it is every 7. It depends on the specific needs like you said.
 
I'm sorry to hear about the seedlings Hamish. I've recently had a loss as well, hurts every time. Keep your head up bro, better times to come.
Peace & Love. Myco
 
May, the next time you head to that super-cool state directly north of you, let me know. I'm working with a strain that I suspect could offer a great deal of help with your ailments.....
 
hyroot said:
I only do nute teas during veg. once every 2 weeks or so. I just topdress enough at the beginning of flower to last all the way through. I do compost teas and seed sprout teas and the occasional botanical tea. I topdress vc every few weeks too
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I have read of the sprout teas, where one blends just popped sprouts and
uses the resulting amino acid broth (immediately, yes?) as a tea.

What I am not as clear on is the different schedules on which each of the various
types of teas (compost, nute, sprout (are there others to list here?)) can/should be used.

Can anyone comment on the big picture?

Also, what is "vc" above?

Thanks for the time.

JD
 
st0wandgrow said:
May, the next time you head to that super-cool state directly north of you, let me know. I'm working with a strain that I suspect could offer a great deal of help with your ailments.....
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Noooo! Stay with me May :( As soon as we can go legit, we'll have a great head start on the "synthetic" rest! Plus the Buckeyes are much better than...I forget their team name they suck so bad. Just watch Hardcore Pawn Shop before making a decision.
 
VC = Vermicompost. My fave.

Personally I like enzyme teas and a gourmet VC. I don't ACT, even though I'm a gadget guy. But I applaud those that use ACT.
 
RedCarpetMatches said:
Noooo! Stay with me May :( As soon as we can go legit, we'll have a great head start on the "synthetic" rest! Plus the Buckeyes are much better than...I forget their team name they suck so bad. Just watch Hardcore Pawn Shop before making a decision.
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Ahh Red, don't get me wrong here. I'm not looking for a roomey here or anything. You two love birds can keep kickin it. Just figured if he's ever up this way for a visit I might be able to hook him up. :-)
 
Rrog said:
VC = Vermicompost. My fave.

Personally I like enzyme teas and a gourmet VC. I don't ACT, even though I'm a gadget guy. But I applaud those that use ACT.
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I am starting to kinda feel the same Rrog. VC is close on miraculous. The seedlings look a LOT happier after I got some around the base. I am starting to feel this is the only microbial boost I want to use. I have some concerns with ACT. One being that it can SERIOUSLY affect pH. I think VC in the soil cook and some top-dressed will have the effect of them multiplying in a natural and balanced way. In a sense, ACT is like hydro, you are forcing a LOT in there. Force feeding microbes to the soil.

With an ACT, there is a phase of over-abundance. Most of the critters are going to go dormant or die off. Too many fungi or bacteria and it can swing acidic or alkaline.

I am finding uses for ACT in other places: One was a heap of sun-baked soil, and I mean baked for a few YEARS in the sun. I fed it ACT because I knew there was no life left in it. It has made an amazing difference! It drains better, smells better, feels better, and is growing the biggest Canary Creeper I have ever seen.

Another is a patch of clay soil that everything used to struggle in. Fed it ACT, drainage improved, I saw earthworms in a few days, and finally the plants are growing at a decent rate.

I feel nute teas will have a place in my garden for a long time to come. I like extracting the goodness from organic pellets to make it available to the soil/plants FAST, without cooking the soil. Until I have my soil dialled in, this is going to be a tool I use OFTEN. It is easing the bumps of the learning curve. A fair amount of experimentation is going on as far as my soils go, due to the fact I cannot really follow many recipes I find. Availability of products mostly. And it is a helluva lot cheaper than bottle feeding. And just overall more friendly.

But trust me when I say, come next summer for you guys, I am going to blow your minds with ORGANIC HYDRO! I am really pumped up on the idea.

EDIT: The only thing I refuse to do is feed salt-based. That is why I kicked Hydro. I still believe I can get better results in hydro, BUT, knowing how nasty the salts are to the earth and that they sink down to the water table from my run-off, not cool. I just can't do that to my planet. I have to take care of my planet. It is where I keep all my stuff.
 
Stow, I was actually thinking of heading up to lansing either this weekend or next. I plan to go to htg supply and pick up a new big ass hood, a Parabolic refelector, worm castings and a few other small stuff. That would be awesome, I could bring you a few things also, I have lavender x blueberry seeds id like to somehow give you guys to try out, also stow if you from the mid to southern part id highly recommend you check out the boys at cultivation innovstions, very good hydro shop, they know their stuff and are great guys, I always sit and chat w them for a hour before I head home.
 
May11th said:
Stow, I was actually thinking of heading up to lansing either this weekend or next. I plan to go to htg supply and pick up a new big ass hood, a Parabolic refelector, worm castings and a few other small stuff. That would be awesome, I could bring you a few things also, I have lavender x blueberry seeds id like to somehow give you guys to try out, also stow if you from the mid to southern part id highly recommend you check out the boys at cultivation innovstions, very good hydro shop, they know their stuff and are great guys, I always sit and chat w them for a hour before I head home.
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Shoot me a pm when you get a date set. I'm heading out to see another RIU member that has brain cancer to help him out a bit. He's not too far from Lansing, so I'll be out that way. I'm tentatively planning for the 24'th.
 
Regarding ACT's:

I don't use them often. I really like inoculating my soil with an ACT while it's "cooking". I figure with all of the dry organic amendments that have been added to the soil, it can't hurt to send in the cavalry to get to work on breaking that stuff down. I've been adding one during veg, and another one during early flower as well.

I think there are a couple more solid reasons to use an ACT. I would say if you're short on castings, it's a good way to stretch them out and make the best use of what otherwise would be an insufficient amount of vermicompost. Another thing that I've seen MM bring up a couple times too is that ACT's are a nutrient boost of sorts if you think about it. A plant derives it's nutrients through the death and deification of soil microbes. Here is a quote from MM regarding the uses of an ACT.....

"1/ to provide a quick nutrient kick to the rhizosphere. This works mainly because as the flagellates (protozoa) consume the *bacteria/archaea they utilize only 10 to 40% of the energy intake for their sustenance and the remaining 60 to 90% is expelled as ionic form nutrient which is directly bio-available to the roots of the plants. This is known as ‘the microbial nutrient loop (cycle)’."
 
North East Ohio,North West Ohio, and the good gentlemen in Michigan. It's the mid-west emerald triangle :mrgreen:!

Peace & Love. Myco
 
GandalfdaGreen said:
Well I like them and I'll just put up with you lesser people. :eyesmoke: Off to transplant.
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That is what I like about you. You're not scared to associate with us peasantry.

st0wandgrow said:
Regarding ACT's:

I don't use them often. I really like inoculating my soil with an ACT while it's "cooking". I figure with all of the dry organic amendments that have been added to the soil, it can't hurt to send in the cavalry to get to work on breaking that stuff down. I've been adding one during veg, and another one during early flower as well.

I think there are a couple more solid reasons to use an ACT. I would say if you're short on castings, it's a good way to stretch them out and make the best use of what otherwise would be an insufficient amount of vermicompost. Another thing that I've seen MM bring up a couple times too is that ACT's are a nutrient boost of sorts if you think about it. A plant derives it's nutrients through the death and deification of soil microbes. Here is a quote from MM regarding the uses of an ACT.....

"1/ to provide a quick nutrient kick to the rhizosphere. This works mainly because as the flagellates (protozoa) consume the *bacteria/archaea they utilize only 10 to 40% of the energy intake for their sustenance and the remaining 60 to 90% is expelled as ionic form nutrient which is directly bio-available to the roots of the plants. This is known as ‘the microbial nutrient loop (cycle)’."
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I also make pretty heavy use of it during soil cooks. And I LOVE it as a foliar. Plants really, really dig it. Good point about using it to stretch your EWC a bit.
 
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