Compost teas and subs super soil

[J Bone]

Hi everyone, I recently transplanted into subs super soil mix and I was wondering if using compost teas would hurt or help at all through the plants life cycle?

 

[M1dAmber]

I would highly recommend using teas in conjunction with Super Soil.
It will most definitely help.

 

[GandalfdaGreen]

A big help. Huge. Meant to work together.

 

[greenlikemoney]

Teas are never a negative.

 

[M1dAmber]

Unless someone tries to pour a compost tea into their hydro unit.

 

[prosperian]

Just don't over do it. I've added nothing but water to my grow for over 80 days.

Yes, my soil is amended, but I wouldn't add a tea or anything else unless I saw deficiency in my plants.

Plant toxicity and PH swings are never a good thing and should be avoided. Sometimes less is more.

 

[J Bone]

Thanks for the responses guys! I have a couple tea recipes I can try incase I get a deficiency.

 

[M1dAmber]

In general most compost teas have negligible N-P-K value, what you are doing is adding beneficial microbes to your soil when you apply compost tea. The microbes themselves convert the nutrients in the soil into ions that the plant can then uptake. I apply compost teas, (on average) once every two weeks, without deficiencies. The plants love me for it.

 

[J Bone]

Thanks M1dAmber, that clears it up a little more for me. I'm definitely going to start brewing some teas. Do you put an airstone in a pitcher and bubble your teas? I believe it's called AACT(Actively Aerated Compost Teas)

 

[M1dAmber]

No problem, man.
Essentially I have 2 cheaper air pumps that have two ports each.
The first pump is connected to two 4" air stones, and the second pump splits each line to create 4 lines and 4 smaller 1", cube air stones. Oxygenation of the water is your number one concern while brewing teas. Then temps...To keep your tea aerobic you need lots of bubbles...



I toss those little guys into a 5 gal. bucket with about 3.5 gallons of (De-chlorinated) water. Add your compost/guanos/other ingredients into your "mesh bag", (I use dollar store panty hose) then add your molasses/kelp/fish emulsion/humics..ect, and you are good to go after 24 hrs of brew time. Some brew for longer, but you would want to add more food for the bacteria/fungus at that point.

 

[gretta1]

I remember reading microbeman saying that adding fish emulsion to the tea itself actually killed some of the herd. He does all his amending separately.

 

[M1dAmber]

It was just a list of ingredients that some people do or do not add.
I generally don't use it in MY teas, but I have heard that others do.
I add fish emulsion via general organics during feedings.

 

[Dgringo69]

Just don't over do it. I've added nothing but water to my grow for over 80 days.

Yes, my soil is amended, but I wouldn't add a tea or anything else unless I saw deficiency in my plants.

Plant toxicity and PH swings are never a good thing and should be avoided. Sometimes less is more.

Compost teas are primarily a means of introducing beneficial bacteria and fungi to your rhizosphere. A simple tea of compost, dechlorinated water and molasses is the standard base. There are countless ways to tweak your tea in order to provide support for various actions in your plant. A simple base tea will not cause a toxicity nor will it swing your ph, especially with a soil amended with dolomite lime. If you follow your super soil recipe correctly then you have lime in your soil. I would never steer someone away from a tea when growing organically. I recommend a tea drench every third watering.