Total Noob using teas and I am a believer

[GandalfdaGreen]

Gand, how much water are you brewing your ACT in? I use 3 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket, so the math comes out to 1 heaping cup full. If you are using 5 gallons of water (with sufficient oxygen) then 2 rounded cups would be fine.

I am using 5 gallons of water. Here are pictures of my brewer. I have a second brewer that is a 5 gallon bucket with a larger aquarium pump and two stones. I love teas. I feed them to all my wife's outdoor plants. I test all my teas on her stuff.

 

[mycomaster]

Daybreaker P2

DB X KM. Looking pretty female.

DB X Alexander Kush P3. The "sweet cream cheese and berries with a chem twist" pheno.

For some reason this song came to mind when I seen these.
[video=youtube;gUHGzKS2dAE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUHGzKS2dAE[/video]

Beautiful beans brother, just beautiful. Peace & Love!

 

[MayoMaster]

You don't have to dilute that tea. Just apply as is.

When you wet your soil down for the first time, be sure to thoroughly break up the bail of peat (pro-mix) as it really compacts in the bail. Once you have it broken up well on the tarp, you can wet it down at that point a bit or wait until you add your ewc, aeration, and organic inputs. Peat moss is fairly hydrophobic, so you will want to wet it down in small sections, being certain that everything is moist, but not *wet*. You should be able to grab a handfull of it and have it clump together when you squeeze it, but it shouldn't have water dripping out of it when you give it a squeeze. Put it in the container that you will be storing it in at this point, but be sure to leave the tarp out that you mixed it on ..... because there's a good chance you may have to dump it out in a couple days if it's too moist and you start noticing an ammonia scent. If it does start smelling funky, just dump it back out on your tarp and spread it out a bit to get some air for 24 hours ..... then back in to your bin. You will notice that the soil will feel a bit hot in the middle. This is to be expected as the microbes are busy going to work on all the goodies in your soil, and that creates some thermal action. Also be sure that you have some holes drilled in the lid of your container for some oxygen, and don't put the lid on tight. Just set it kind of loosely on top of your container.

So If I have 6 plants in 7 gallon containers, and I water them with lets say, ~1.5 gallons of water each, I would most likely have to make 2 teas consisting of 1/2 cup EWC and 1/2 cup ancient forest, with 2 tablespoons of molasses? So Id have 2-5 gallon buckets filled to 4 gallons of tea? I would do this on initial transplant. But I just want to make sure. Is two buckets worth roughly the same as using double the ingredients in one bucket, then diluting? Or does it just mess with the whole process. Also, must the soil mix remain moist during the entire cooking process? Or can it dry out after the initial wetting?

 

[st0wandgrow]

So If I have 6 plants in 7 gallon containers, and I water them with lets say, ~1.5 gallons of water each, I would most likely have to make 2 teas consisting of 1/2 cup EWC and 1/2 cup ancient forest, with 2 tablespoons of molasses? So Id have 2-5 gallon buckets filled to 4 gallons of tea? I would do this on initial transplant. But I just want to make sure. Is two buckets worth roughly the same as using double the ingredients in one bucket, then diluting? Or does it just mess with the whole process. Also, must the soil mix remain moist during the entire cooking process? Or can it dry out after the initial wetting?

First off, you shouldn't need to water that much. I use 5 gallon containers, and I give my plants roughly a 1/2 gallon of water every second day (depending on what stage the plant is in). I am dealing with 10-15 plants at any given time that are getting teas of some sort, and I find that 1 five gallon bucket does the job for all of my plants. I typically brew 3'ish gallons of tea at a time in my 5 gallon bucket. I don't exceed that because I don't have a vortex brewer or a real high output pump, so I stay on the conservative side with 3 gallons of water and I will dilute the finished tea if necessary to cover more plants.

Your soil should remain moist through the whole cooking process. I only wet my soil down once, then let it sit. You'll notice that the top inch or so will dry out a bit, but I just dig in there and mix it up some to keep it as evenly moist throughout as possible. I also toss some of my spent alfalfa/kelp from my nutrient tea (some goes to the worms) in to my soil container, along with the ewc from my ACT's in to my soil bin which re hydrates the top layer of soil nicely. You shouldn't need to wet your soil down again after the initial one for a soil that is sitting 45-60 days, imo

 

[GandalfdaGreen]

I appreciate st0w's input greatly on this stuff. This is what people really need to hear. The applications of the teas. I also water the exact same way. I have recently been practicing not having runoff. I was washing the good stuff away.

• You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to st0wandgrow again.
  
  
  
  

 

[MayoMaster]

First off, you shouldn't need to water that much. I use 5 gallon containers, and I give my plants roughly a 1/2 gallon of water every second day (depending on what stage the plant is in). I am dealing with 10-15 plants at any given time that are getting teas of some sort, and I find that 1 five gallon bucket does the job for all of my plants. I typically brew 3'ish gallons of tea at a time in my 5 gallon bucket. I don't exceed that because I don't have a vortex brewer or a real high output pump, so I stay on the conservative side with 3 gallons of water and I will dilute the finished tea if necessary to cover more plants.

Your soil should remain moist through the whole cooking process. I only wet my soil down once, then let it sit. You'll notice that the top inch or so will dry out a bit, but I just dig in there and mix it up some to keep it as evenly moist throughout as possible. I also toss some of my spent alfalfa/kelp from my nutrient tea (some goes to the worms) in to my soil container, along with the ewc from my ACT's in to my soil bin which re hydrates the top layer of soil nicely. You shouldn't need to wet your soil down again after the initial one for a soil that is sitting 45-60 days, imo

Ahh okay. With chemical nutes I usually water to the point of run off, and water less often. I know you don't want run off. So watering more often with less water is the way to go then huh? Also, you think 30 days is enough time for this mix to cook? or should I still give it the 45 to 60 like you say? I planned on using my left over alfalfa/kelp/ewc/ancient forest as top dressing the plants, and that was all I was gonna top dress with. I guess there are a million ways I could go about this. I feel like I am finally comfortable enough to try this. And dont you worry, I will make a vermicomposting bin just like you said, it will just be another couple months.

 

[st0wandgrow]

I appreciate st0w's input greatly on this stuff. This is what people really need to hear. The applications of the teas. I also water the exact same way. I have recently been practicing not having runoff. I was washing the good stuff away.

• You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to st0wandgrow again.

I think using a wand to water with helps too. I used to just use a watering can and a lot of the water just ran through the soil without being absorbed. I've noticed that I use less water now that I use a wand. I also use less water due to Rrog pointing out the runoff thing. Makes perfect sense, but I didn't clue in to that until he mentioned it.

 

[st0wandgrow]

Ahh okay. With chemical nutes I usually water to the point of run off, and water less often. I know you don't want run off. So watering more often with less water is the way to go then huh? Also, you think 30 days is enough time for this mix to cook? or should I still give it the 45 to 60 like you say? I planned on using my left over alfalfa/kelp/ewc/ancient forest as top dressing the plants, and that was all I was gonna top dress with. I guess there are a million ways I could go about this. I feel like I am finally comfortable enough to try this. And dont you worry, I will make a vermicomposting bin just like you said, it will just be another couple months.

You want to avoid the wet/dry cycles with organics. Remember that the microbes in the soil are feeding your plant, and they do best in an evenly moist environment. If it gets too dry they will go dormant. Your #1 focus should be creating and maintaining a hospitable environment for your soil dwelling critters. They will take care of the rest.

 

[MayoMaster]

You want to avoid the wet/dry cycles with organics. Remember that the microbes in the soil are feeding your plant, and they do best in an evenly moist environment. If it gets too dry they will go dormant. Your #1 focus should be creating and maintaining a hospitable environment for your soil dwelling critters. They will take care of the rest.

Ahh I see. So just keep the soil moist not drenched. This will be a fun new thing to learn. I normally do the wet dry cycles. So just keep giving them enough water to keep them constantly moist. Got it. I guess the next step is experience. By the first of november I will build my soil and start the transition. It is going ot be a mess as I do perpetual monthly harvest and am gonna slowly transition everything to organics. But November and December will pretty much be half and half with Chemical An and organics. Lots of fun. I will also be doing a side by side comparison of this soil mix vs AN nutrients that have had great results in the past. This will give all those other synthetic users a reason to switch!

 

[GandalfdaGreen]

I run my teas by this rough schedule.

One month old to flowering 1 part tea to 3 parts water

4 to 6 weeks old 1 part tea to 2 parts water

1st week of flowering until 3 weeks left 1:1.

I mix it up based upon signs like stem color, pistil appearance, leaf health, etc. Sometimes 1 part tea and 2 parts water is best the whole way. Each strain has different needs too. I am playing with everything and I keep track of it very well. I really like playing around with different ingredients too.

I need to graduate to a wand. I always double water. I water with plain water then come back and add my tea 45 mins later.

How do you pack your soil into your containers? Do you pack in it with some pressure or let it be loose? I have been giving this thought lately pertaining to allowing for truly aerobic conditions within the mix. Soil which is condensed too much encourages the dry spots also.

 

[MayoMaster]

I run my teas by this rough schedule.

One month old to flowering 1 part tea to 3 parts water

4 to 6 weeks old 1 part tea to 2 parts water

1st week of flowering until 3 weeks left 1:1.

I mix it up based upon signs like stem color, pistil appearance, leaf health, etc. Sometimes 1 part tea and 2 parts water is best the whole way. Each strain has different needs too. I am playing with everything and I keep track of it very well. I really like playing around with different ingredients too.

I need to graduate to a wand. I always double water. I water with plain water then come back and add my tea 45 mins later.

How do you pack your soil into your containers? Do you pack in it with some pressure or let it be loose? I have been giving this thought lately pertaining to allowing for truly aerobic conditions within the mix. Soil which is condensed too much encourages the dry spots also.

Wait so you water with plain water first then add tea? I thought I was supposed to water with pure tea. Is there a big difference between the two?

 

[st0wandgrow]

Wait so you water with plain water first then add tea? I thought I was supposed to water with pure tea. Is there a big difference between the two?

You don't have to do it that way, but have you seen his plants? Whatever he's doing I would say is a good approach to follow!

 

[AllDayToker]

I water every 3rd watering with undiluted tea.

I'll water a little bit, then go do something for 10-15min, come back and water a little more, and so forth until I get runoff. You can feel the difference in weight but it helps the soil absorb the water. I've done test with this with success, instead of doing one big watering all at once, little bit little over like an 45min or so.

 

[mycomaster]

Personally, I try to pack my soil just enough to where it doesn't crater, and canyon on me when I water. I might pack the bottom a tad bit harder so the roots grow into it slower, but mostly just so it doesn't do the cratering. I like the roots to be able to grow out into the medium at will without much resistance. Then I can water them, and know they're getting the full benefit of the soil, and watering. Then they can creep a little into the hotter soil at the bottom, and feed up on what they need to. Seems to be working out ok.

I have to agree with Stow, and Gandalf about watering. I try pretty hard to just keep the soil MOIST, and it seems to keep the plant, and soil happy. I try not to over-water, and have any run-off for the most part. I always thought that ending up with a bunch of water in the bottom is kin to flushing your soil. Not something an organic farmer is looking to do before harvest, or ever really.

Peace & Love.

 

[GandalfdaGreen]

Wait so you water with plain water first then add tea? I thought I was supposed to water with pure tea. Is there a big difference between the two?

I have just found a way that works for me. If the plants ever call for more I can go for it. If everyone did the same thing it would be boring.

 

[MayoMaster]

Personally, I try to pack my soil just enough to where it doesn't crater, and canyon on me when I water. I might pack the bottom a tad bit harder so the roots grow into it slower, but mostly just so it doesn't do the cratering. I like the roots to be able to grow out into the medium at will without much resistance. Then I can water them, and know they're getting the full benefit of the soil, and watering. Then they can creep a little into the hotter soil at the bottom, and feed up on what they need to. Seems to be working out ok.

I have to agree with Stow, and Gandalf about watering. I try pretty hard to just keep the soil MOIST, and it seems to keep the plant, and soil happy. I try not to over-water, and have any run-off for the most part. I always thought that ending up with a bunch of water in the bottom is kin to flushing your soil. Not something an organic farmer is looking to do before harvest, or ever really.

Peace & Love.

My mentor and I argue about the two week flush before harvest. I don't like the idea of giving them nothing, he doesn't like the idea of chemicals in the end product. It was my call this round and I am going with molasses and half strength emerald triangle killer tea for the last two weeks. I am using AN nutes right now, but I am switching as soon as possible. I absolutely love the idea of never having to think about flushing and depriving these poor girls of all that is holy.

Also, do you find that having a bottom super soil works better than having a single complete soil with everything? I am trying an in-between balance, not too hot- not too cold.

 

[GandalfdaGreen]

Personally, I try to pack my soil just enough to where it doesn't crater, and canyon on me when I water. I might pack the bottom a tad bit harder so the roots grow into it slower, but mostly just so it doesn't do the cratering. I like the roots to be able to grow out into the medium at will without much resistance. Then I can water them, and know they're getting the full benefit of the soil, and watering. Then they can creep a little into the hotter soil at the bottom, and feed up on what they need to. Seems to be working out ok.

I have to agree with Stow, and Gandalf about watering. I try pretty hard to just keep the soil MOIST, and it seems to keep the plant, and soil happy. I try not to over-water, and have any run-off for the most part. I always thought that ending up with a bunch of water in the bottom is kin to flushing your soil. Not something an organic farmer is looking to do before harvest, or ever really.

Peace & Love.

I try to do the exact same thing Myco with my soil. Just enough to avoid the change in structure and density throughout the container. I squeeze my pots too. At least once a week when I sweep the floor. I move the pots once a week too. Just a small rotation. I rotate it back and forth weekly.

 

[MayoMaster]

I have just found a way that works for me. If the plants ever call for more I can go for it. If everyone did the same thing it would be boring.

I guess I will just wait and see what I develop into. I am getting so excited about switching to organics I can't see to stop learning every single of information available. I know experience will do me wonders, but since I have a month I don't think it will do much harm constantly learning details. It's all gonna come down to one thing... Space. With the veg tents and bloom rooms, I am in the works of making my space work.

 

[GandalfdaGreen]

I guess I will just wait and see what I develop into. I am getting so excited about switching to organics I can't see to stop learning every single of information available. I know experience will do me wonders, but since I have a month I don't think it will do much harm constantly learning details. It's all gonna come down to one thing... Space. With the veg tents and bloom rooms, I am in the works of making my space work.

You will find what works for you. Everyone's conditions vary. I find experimentation fun. Have fun with it. If you are not having fun then why do it?

 

[mycomaster]

I squeeze my pots too.

Just to keep things loose, and Happy I assume?