DWC + Compost Tea

[simplehouse]

I'm just starting in on my all-organic hydroponics grow. I've decided to use 9 DWC buckets, with Organic Compost Tea by Bountea compost tea, 2x1000w, all the works. This is my first time using compost tea with DWC culture though. If anyone has any experience, I would like to hear about it : How often they switched out compost tea solution, if they added any other nutrients, usual pH of compost teas. I just want to know what to expect so it doesn't take so long to dial in.

 

[Brussels]

I have no idea about the results of this particular product, but early on in my dwc growing, I had used a compost tea, and had unfavorable results, with slimy root mass, and a foul smell. It took me a week to flush and bring the roots back to clean and white.
As a soil grower, I've always been organic, and one does not have to give that up in water grows. I've used Bontaicare organic products for almost two years in dwc's, with excellent results, though the strains I grow prefer about 75% of recommended solution mix. I don't do a final flush using botanicare as I had to do with other solutions; and have no chem. taste.
For what's it's worth, that's my experience. Good luck with your grow...Brussels

 

[Whiteboyindahood]

See this article
http://www.cannabishealth.com/issue_02/compost.htm

My personal experience was excellent. I used expanded clay pellets with an ebb and flow system. I also also apply sucanat or maple syrup as a food source for the microbes. Also using additives like fulvic and humic acid for a source of fungi.

I started compost 7 days before applying to system to give the tea a chance to ferment and stabilize. Once the smell subsides after 5 days or so, you're ready to go. Dilute the tea with another 5 gallons of clean water.

One major benefit is being able to apply methods for eliminating fungus knat by use of nematodes or mosquito dunks. Must more difficult to control knats in soil.

I was unable to find resources on preferrable pH so I targeted 6.7pH which worked superbly well. Photos below of Nirvana's Master Kush show healthy results and I guarantee superb taste. This is not the best representation of a SCROG set up though. We'll save that for another entry. Looking forward to the day when I can legally perfect growing hydro with compost teas.

 

[mr.bowlsworth]

Hey whiteboy,do u get a lot of pH drift using compost teas,if so,whats best way to correct?

 

[mr.bowlsworth]

brussels?any input?

 

[Whiteboyindahood]

Sorry for extremely late reply. Yes. I get drift. I've debated using organic vs chemical pH additives and after trial and error conclude that chemicals are the way to go for me. Negligible impact on tast becase I still flush anyhow. Down side is that I can't say 100% organic but I'm ok with that compromise.

 

[outliergenetix]

See this article
http://www.cannabishealth.com/issue_02/compost.htm

My personal experience was excellent. I used expanded clay pellets with an ebb and flow system. I also also apply sucanat or maple syrup as a food source for the microbes. Also using additives like fulvic and humic acid for a source of fungi.

I started compost 7 days before applying to system to give the tea a chance to ferment and stabilize. Once the smell subsides after 5 days or so, you're ready to go. Dilute the tea with another 5 gallons of clean water.

One major benefit is being able to apply methods for eliminating fungus knat by use of nematodes or mosquito dunks. Must more difficult to control knats in soil.

I was unable to find resources on preferrable pH so I targeted 6.7pH which worked superbly well. Photos below of Nirvana's Master Kush show healthy results and I guarantee superb taste. This is not the best representation of a SCROG set up though. We'll save that for another entry. Looking forward to the day when I can legally perfect growing hydro with compost teas.

i have seen someone here that grates up mosquito dunk on a chese grater and mixes it with neem meal and DE for a top dress. i would imagine the ground up dunk owuld work by themselves to. this is in soil if it wasn't clear

 

[outliergenetix]

Sorry for extremely late reply. Yes. I get drift. I've debated using organic vs chemical pH additives and after trial and error conclude that chemicals are the way to go for me. Negligible impact on tast becase I still flush anyhow. Down side is that I can't say 100% organic but I'm ok with that compromise.

idk if it me but i get a drift of almost 2 full points and reeach over 8 on the meter. i don''t use this in hydro it's just for my soil. any reason i may get that much drift just brewing the tea? to be clear i ph down with limes to kill the cholramines adn 2 days later it's higher than before i ph downed and i need to resqueeze more lime into it to get it ready for apllication. i read you or someone above say for the hydro application you let it sit 5 days to stabalize, were you refering to ph here. in other words if i let the tea brew for 5 days i assume also adding sugars for the micobe polulation would there be less drift say from that day 5 mark to day 7 than from day 1 to 3. hope that made sense