how do I know/adjust the NPK ratios in compost tea?

Corbat420

Well-Known Member
How do you keep one bacteria or fungi from becoming dominant and eating the rest?
the ingredients take care of that job. if the tea has worm castings = N bacteria, if it has outdoor Compost it has N bacteria and Fungi, andit it was made from a Fungal patch (Thats covered in the thread) it is a totaly fungal dominant tea.

(according to Teaming with Microbes) that an ACT was best when used fresh to take advantage of a wide range of biodiversity....not just a bacterial or fungally dominant tea?
if using it properly you dont need the biodiversity in the TEA, because its in the SOIL :D the tea is used to feed specific nutrients when the plant needs it. all trace + High N = all purpose fertalizer, High P + targeted nutrients = bloom supliments.

when teas are brewed with care you can know exactly what is in them. you can make them weak enough for seedlings started yesterday or strong enough to fully feed flowering plants.....

I use fish emulsion halfway thru flower for a fugal dominant tea. Do this sound right to you.
Fungi have to be brought in from an outside source, such as a mushroom matsh outside or green forest mold (trich). Fish emulsion will feed it if it is there, but it has to be introduced into the soil first.
 

Buddy Hemphill

Active Member
I dont think I want to use 2 week old tea dude...lol....thats just me though!

I dont have an organic program...I use chem nutes and teas.

I have a little different approach, but it works for me.

garage steps 020.JPG
 

Corbat420

Well-Known Member
I dont have an organic program...I use chem nutes and teas.

I have a little different approach, but it works for me.
that was my life a year ago :D i know how chaotic it can get keeping track of everything. thats why i started all of this research, to come up with my own nutrient program.

i dont get involved with the Chem VS Organic because i use Semi-synthetic and organic nutes. i figure, if its not hurting the earth and it works for you, got for it!

P.S: just for those of you who dont know, Semi-synthetic means derived from things like rocks (Ammonium Phosphate exc.) and wood ash (Potasium Phosphate).
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
that was my life a year ago :D i know how chaotic it can get keeping track of everything. thats why i started all of this research, to come up with my own nutrient program.

i dont get involved with the Chem VS Organic because i use Semi-synthetic and organic nutes. i figure, if its not hurting the earth and it works for you, got for it!

P.S: just for those of you who dont know, Semi-synthetic means derived from things like rocks (Ammonium Phosphate exc.) and wood ash (Potasium Phosphate).
you have really done your research in fact i dont talk about organics too much because the common understanding of it is so wrong. im glad you took the time to explain some of these things to people the only reason i dont chime in, is because im not much of the writer on the spot, and explaining all the variables that go into a proper organic system takes too many words for me to type. anyways im the same type organic and chemical train, but mostly phosphates like you. i use hydroponic nute though to help with microbe regulation.(i have too, very small pots 1gal) if i was using big pot(5gal+) 100% organic soil compost tea and phosphates is the way too go
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
my system works like this low nutrient organic soil with slow release organics such as phosphates, green sand and bonemeal. feed almost daily with compost tea and biweekly with hydroponic nute to regulate the microbes. my plants are always in contact with a nutrient source.
 

Buddy Hemphill

Active Member
I totally agree about semi synthetics....also low dose TOTAL synthetic...when followed with tea and plain water ....the soil food web behaves much the way you describe.


LOL....A year ago I was on the same struggle. I came up with a feed/tea/water.....feed/tea/water regiment.

I use bennies/ACT to clean up my soil. I get the advantage of chem nutes ...without ugly things like lock out.

I am running big beds....I am gonna prove them all wrong about reusing soil that has been used in a salt-based chem fert garden.

I feed heavy straight chems...but by the end of the water only days....my plants will start slightly begin to yellow. In other words, I dont FEED them until they are hungry.

Thats why I dont use add-ons in my tea. I have plenty of NPK in the chem feeding. The ACT and plain water clean up everything before the next feeding.


I think we may have the same goal(ish) just a different path to get there.


Its refreshing seeing somebody agree on the synth nutes NOT killing off ALL microbes...

peace..
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
yep i have been reusing my soil just fine, lol my plants arent leaving any nute behind and my dirt if i didnt regulate the microbes would be a shroom cake basically. i think abiut inoculating somw jars with great whit cuz i about run out and just start using chunks of that and keep spawning it. and low dose is all i do Ionic bloom 50 ml for 5 gal
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
mayan microzyme is some nice shit i put in my tea and use it all the way around as long as your spare soil has got some time to sit they will eat all your old roots and everything so its ready for reuse, as far as salts never add more than needed or you will have a build up left in the soil
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
and i cant believe after all this talk of molasses most people still dont understand that certain FOOD is better for certain microbial life and if you want to encourage that type of life use that type of food for them. some foods that feed microbe life feed plants too and some don't, some have hormones, vitamins minerals ect a lot of research and thats why organics yield less for most people no proper knowledge of a microsystem and how to maintain it.
 

Buddy Hemphill

Active Member
Dude...you wanna save some money AND put a much higher quality store bought bennie?

Go to ebay....search "for the farm only"

Look at genus/sub species. Great white is .01%.. CAP's version of the SAME spore is 30% strength. If you do the math its 30000 times higher spore count.


Its amazing what his bennies will do. I know I sound like a cheerleader. I cant help it.

He has a foliar, nute, and root pack.

I use all three LIBERALLY !! Its soooooooo cheap compared to GW or other across the counter spoers. I never realized how bad I jew out on bennies. They jusy cost so damn much.


I will take 1 quart of RO water...add 1 tsp each of the spore packs, a touch of kelp and molasses...with a couple of drops of Humic. To this I add i cup od EWC.
Stir it and add 8 oz or so to the root base.

It almost snake oily....this is the biggest cure all I have.

The foliar is awesome.....hell, just check it out. The spore counts tell it all.
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
yes i will check that out as i am on the low sid eof all my bennies and i was looking at prices yesterday and was wondering what brand i was going to switch to. lol

great white has fucking doubled the price since i bought it 8 months ago! thats fucking bullshit. but mayan microzme (hyped up brand i know) is super powerful. a drop of this shit will multiply on a tsp of worm castings and eat it all overnite
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
a little hint for you about humic acids all humic acids can be derived from plant tissue decay. some of the highest being alpha alpha and peat moss add a dash of peat moss to the mix instead of humic acid and you will be pleased. i brew special peatmoss teas just for high levels of fulvic acid to use with coconut milk and seaweed extract as a foliar
 

Buddy Hemphill

Active Member
That recipe wasn't for a brew. I just stir and pour.

GrowMore Humic is 4.99 a quart. The dilution rate is 1oz for 10 gallons. It's cheap and potent.

But yeah...Alfalfa is the shit.

I get more consistent results with the bottled Humic. There are days when I dont want all the other stuff alfalfa has with it.


Again...I dont ammend teas very much. I use them for clean up. Its just my style...what works for me.

Lotsa ways to heaven!!!
 

Buddy Hemphill

Active Member
Absolutely 100%.

He has a subforum at THCFarmer. Tell him I sent you and he will prolly hook you up with a a shipping discount or something

Check him out....like I say...research it out. His shits bomb.
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
if the co2 wasnt on i would show you some really amazing shit. some clones i fucked up real bad that barely had root nubs when i put them in the soil 6 days ago and all of them went limp. now they have roots to the bottom of 4x4" pots and took their first chemical feeding today....
 

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
That recipe wasn't for a brew. I just stir and pour.

GrowMore Humic is 4.99 a quart. The dilution rate is 1oz for 10 gallons. It's cheap and potent.

But yeah...Alfalfa is the shit.

I get more consistent results with the bottled Humic. There are days when I dont want all the other stuff alfalfa has with it.


Again...I dont ammend teas very much. I use them for clean up. Its just my style...what works for me.

Lotsa ways to heaven!!!

okay i understand not a tea. yeah i brew it but like you said i use certain ingredients at certain time like coconut milk is for mid flower and seaweed for early (foliar wise) i dont put alpha alpaha coconut milk or too much seaweed extract in my teas because of the cytokines slow down veg and vise versa i dont add super thrive to flower water because it will slow down flower
 

Bargar

Well-Known Member
Well if your Q .. was how do you adjust your Your npk just look at what your putting in there ...for example if your put in a fish emoision what was a 5-1-1 for example than 5% of the product is N 1 % P 1% K right so if your want a a ratio of lets say 5 /16 /16
fish emoishin 5-11 indosion bat 1-15-1 and water soulbe seaweed extract 1-1-16 all in equal amount would be close to what your are looking 4 i think
That was exactly the sort of answer I needed, thanks so much +rep!!!


when adding things like the flower power and grow it green..its more like soup style organis.... not TLO like u guys are talking about... what is proper organics?... with subs super soil at 50% strenth you can grow with water only water and ...guess what else...water. it may well be a good idea to add in a light TLO style tea arround mid flowering as alot of TLO ppl tend to struggle with their plants at that stage..but i wouldnt go soup style and put junk in like flower power as that totally depletes the purpose of TLO those synthetic products kill off the mico life like no other...i have last months skunk mag on my coffee table the rev said so....
From what I understand, BMO is organic without certification... Or "All natural". They do not incorperate inorganic things into their products, and they also tell you what is in each of their products, unlike most nutrient companies. Lastly, they invite anyone who wants to see how they make their product, to the spot it is made... Yet another thing most nutrient companies would not do. They are a small mom n pop shop so it is understandable that there is misinformation out there.
 

jamboss

Well-Known Member
Yeah I have some cow manure tea brewing ATM with molasses. My cow manure came straight from a cow on a pasture near my home that eats grass all day, no feed no chemicals nothing just grass, I'll post some of the cow and tea tomorrow.
 
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