Ohsogreen
Well-Known Member
Hello all.... About teas.... Yes, they do smell, but when properly made - modest amounts of manure (bat guano, or bunny poop, chicken manure & or worm castings), a few gallons of unchlorianted water, an ounce or two of molasses and a good air pump - they mellow over the course of a couple of days. I do mine in the garage (winter) or on the back porch (summer) - just to keep the peace. My wife is pretty easy going & I want to keep it that way... LOL .... I do my growing off the plantation - Grow-illa style so offensive odors - not at my house.
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The BMO stuff - Grow it Green, Flower Power ... etc is pretty mellow. Their Super Plant Tonic - well, it Stinks - but since it gets such great results - I don't sweat it. Your tea, their ferts - whatever you use - just use small amounts & odor is not really an issue. Overwatered soil - with organic nutes - is a green cloud waiting to happen. So just go low, slow & steady on the feeding / watering and your grow area does not have to stink.
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About teas & pH - ingredients make the difference. Fish emulsions, High N Bat Guano, Composted - Chicken, Cow or Rabbit Manure - all drive tea pH down.
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Molasses will raise pH, so will High P Bat Guano, Dolimite Lime, & Egg Shells. The reason molasses will push pH up is - it feeds bacteria - the bacteria multiply and as they bioconvert things (eat & poop them out) they excrete a form of plauqe - which raises pH ( 9 out of 10 times ). Mixing things that drive pH down, with things that push it up - can bring balance to your mix.
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The whole pH thing is not such an issue with soil. Wheter your tea is a 5 or a 7 is really no big deal. The micro-life in your soil - will eventually level it out. That is part of the reason - I feed one week, the water only the next in constant rotation. It allows things in the soil to get used up a bit, before more are applied. Plus it gives the micro-beasties (good bacteria & mcyo fungi) I add / maintain - using SPT on my water only week - a chance to do their thing - level out pH - kill off bad bacteria - bioconvert insoluble (locked up) NPK and help feed Mary all their goodness.
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I'm not saying don't check your soil pH. You should, when you first mix it. When you are about to transplant small seedlings into it and after a few feedings. Make small adjustments as necessary.
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If after a few feedings your soil is sitting in the 6.8 to 7.2 range - next feeding using an slightly more acidic tea. If your soil is sitting in the 5.8 to 6.2 range - next feeding use a slightly more alkaline tea. Small adjustments work best - if your soil is between 6.2 and 6.8 - just let it be. You have a good balance - nothing is being locked out (nute wise) - and as long as you feed reasonably - it will stay that way.
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OK, I hope this helps.....
Keep it Real....Organic.....
.
The BMO stuff - Grow it Green, Flower Power ... etc is pretty mellow. Their Super Plant Tonic - well, it Stinks - but since it gets such great results - I don't sweat it. Your tea, their ferts - whatever you use - just use small amounts & odor is not really an issue. Overwatered soil - with organic nutes - is a green cloud waiting to happen. So just go low, slow & steady on the feeding / watering and your grow area does not have to stink.
.
About teas & pH - ingredients make the difference. Fish emulsions, High N Bat Guano, Composted - Chicken, Cow or Rabbit Manure - all drive tea pH down.
.
Molasses will raise pH, so will High P Bat Guano, Dolimite Lime, & Egg Shells. The reason molasses will push pH up is - it feeds bacteria - the bacteria multiply and as they bioconvert things (eat & poop them out) they excrete a form of plauqe - which raises pH ( 9 out of 10 times ). Mixing things that drive pH down, with things that push it up - can bring balance to your mix.
.
The whole pH thing is not such an issue with soil. Wheter your tea is a 5 or a 7 is really no big deal. The micro-life in your soil - will eventually level it out. That is part of the reason - I feed one week, the water only the next in constant rotation. It allows things in the soil to get used up a bit, before more are applied. Plus it gives the micro-beasties (good bacteria & mcyo fungi) I add / maintain - using SPT on my water only week - a chance to do their thing - level out pH - kill off bad bacteria - bioconvert insoluble (locked up) NPK and help feed Mary all their goodness.
.
I'm not saying don't check your soil pH. You should, when you first mix it. When you are about to transplant small seedlings into it and after a few feedings. Make small adjustments as necessary.
.
If after a few feedings your soil is sitting in the 6.8 to 7.2 range - next feeding using an slightly more acidic tea. If your soil is sitting in the 5.8 to 6.2 range - next feeding use a slightly more alkaline tea. Small adjustments work best - if your soil is between 6.2 and 6.8 - just let it be. You have a good balance - nothing is being locked out (nute wise) - and as long as you feed reasonably - it will stay that way.
.
OK, I hope this helps.....
Keep it Real....Organic.....