Soil Food Web Gardening with Compost Teas

What Are Humic and Fulvic Acids?
In case someone wants to know - good for humans too - I use a similar product to my teas

Humic acid and fulvic acid are types of “humic substances,” the major components of organic matter found throughout nature as a result of the action of millions of beneficial microbes on decomposing plants (humification). Considered to be the most chemically active compounds in soil, humic substances contain many nutritional phytochemical groups, including natural sterols, hormones, fatty acids, polyphenols, and ketones, as well as phytochemical subgroups of compounds such as flavonoids, flavones, flavins, catechins, tannins, quinones, isoflavones, and tocopherols, among others. These compounds are some of the most valuable and promising anti-cancer nutrients known today.

trichmasta said:

In

Looking good bluej +rep! What all are you amending with homie?

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Trichmasta - oh man the list is endless LOL

I recycle all my soil, reamend and reuse yadda yadda, I also have several no-till buckets/tubs/smart pots going which I topdress with a select few amendments & an inch or so of EWC.

Pretty much all of the following went in there @ a rate of 1cup, some @ 1/2 cup, per each 14gal. of mix, & not all at the same reamend, but it's in there. It's also very nutrient rich so going forward i'm only amending with a select few and very little.

Alfalfa - Kelp - neem - horsetail - yucca root - D.E. - gypsum - limestone - granite/rock dust - bentonite clay - dolomite lime - azomite - bone meal - fish bone meal - fish meal - crab meal -------- I THINK that's it LOL and of course EWC & compost in the mix.

Going forward no more animal products except the crab shell meal - excelent source of calcium carbonate, chitin & it's the Phosphorus source.

From there it's botanical teas & EWC/Compost teas as needed, foliars too.

Hi all,
I'm a noob and reading reading reading. I'm just throwing a quick question out there about making compost tea and doubt that it has been asked before or at least it's not one of those 'asked a thousand times noobie questions'.

I was give a rather large ultrasonic cleaner that was used to clean photographic developing trays. Assuming that it is clean enough that no chemical residue remains (it's very clean and hasn't been used in over ten years). I think it would be perfect for making compost and worm teas.

It's made of stainless steel, it has a built in heater and a large ultrasonic transducer to accelerate the cleaning process by agitating the water and creating tiny bubbles (I need to more research on how this works). I also have the option of providing aeration using compressed air, I just need to buy some air stones at the local petshop.

Anyway, has anyone ever heard of using ultrasonic stimulation used this way? Even if I remove the transducer, I think this would be an excellent vessel (because of built in heating and I live in Canada and winter is coming) for worm and compost tea.

The vessel is about 26 - 30" wide 8-10" deep and 28-30" tall, it has wheels and a drain on the bottom.

Plus I have a lot of comfrey around and I just learned yesterday about how good that is for activating the soil and I am very interested in going organic with both my indoor(cannabis) and outdoor (food) garden.

Any comments are welcome,
Thanks
doodle

Sounds like an expensive worm bin! If you don't have any other use for this ultrasonic cleaner, then have it bro, but many throw the worms in a $10 plastic tote and it works out just fine

COMFREY, that's gonna become your best friend, compost it, mulch with it, make a tea with it, make Fermented Plant Extract with it. Comfrey's awesome, add the following to the list if you have access and use it in the same way:

Stinging Nettle
Yarrow
Horsetail
Alfalfa
Kelp

and honestly the list goes on

Thanks blueJ, no I have no other use for it, but just to clarify I plan to use it to brew worm(worm castings) and compost tea. I'll get into a worm bin next spring and buy castings in the mean time. I live near the ocean so harvesting some sea weed is also quite possible.

If I use sea weed should I wash the salt water off? I'm assuming yes.

Right now my plants are only two weeks old from seed so I have time to gear myself up a bit, plus going organic I have a LOT to learn but I think after a while it's probably pretty intuitive once you grok what you are trying to achieve, feeding the soil seems to be the first concept to grasp.

Thanks again,
doodle

Perhaps there is a better use for the ultrasonic generator
doodle

Interesting hehe, yeah dude I totally misread . Seaweed, yea just rinse it off n soak a ill and rinse off and let dry and chop up and they're you have homemade kelp meal! Browns are the best for what we use it for, micro nutes, rooting compounds etc. but greens or reds wouldn't be bad, just not as much goodies.

New at growing weed and new at organics. Used a airstone in tea but them read that sometimes that can be dangerous breathing around this if too potent. Does anyone know alot about this danger??

mackey said:

New at growing weed and new at organics. Used a airstone in tea but them read that sometimes that can be dangerous breathing around this if too potent. Does anyone know alot about this danger??

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Sorry found the answer. People should use extreme caution with air stones & manures

Why haven't I seen this thread! Damn guys your really flying the flag for us organic ppl.

Well as an organic grower and compost tea maker MAJOR PROPS. Good debate, good information and no children arguing, am I still on RIU?

Jokes aside I am still in the process of reading this but I'm subbed!

Here is some more information on humic acid I have on google doc's. Source is here

HUMIC ACID — BLACK NECTAR FROM THE GODS
By Cindy Rea

HUMIC ACID is nature’s “black nectar from the gods.” Known by its rich dark brown-to-black colour, this organically charged biostimulant has proven to have powerful and significant health effects on humans, animals, plants, and the environment, demonstrating the essential unity of all living things.

Because human bodies are made of materials that come from the earth, it is often the case that materials from the earth are agents of health. Humic acid was used by ancient cultures and in folk remedies for a wide variety of illnesses. It is known to be a powerful free-radical scavenger and a natural antioxidant. Humates taken internally are believed to boost the immune system by attacking unwanted injured or dead cells, thereby decreasing or eliminating infection. Experimentally, humic acid has been used both topically and internally to treat and prevent infection in burn victims. The humates destroy the invading infectious cells, allowing the healthy cells to take over. Russian scientists have had measured success in trials using humic acid to treat radiation sickness in rats.

Ingestion of humic acids through organic foods and clean natural water from unpolluted rivers is believed to reduce or block the body’s absorption of heavy metals and pesticides. This may help diminish the buildup of cancer-causing toxins and pollutants in the human body. It is believed that humic acid is anti-carcinogenic.

Humic acids have also been employed as veterinary medicine therapy successfully using peat mull (extracted humic acid) to prevent the transmission of foot and mouth disease in pigs.

Before mega-production farming practices depleted our land of its natural goodness, humic acid was an abundant part of the soil. Plants and animals nurtured on the land ingested a balanced diet that included humates. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. Animals and soil-grown plants have been deprived of the many health benefits that humic acid delivers.

Humic acid can be extracted from recently composted organic manure or peat, but it is not as effective in absorbing and distributing micronutrients as the humic acid that is derived from Leonardite. (Recently is a relative term, which in this case refers to several thousand years.) The humic acid referred to as “black” in hydroponic formulations is the rich material extracted from naturally oxidized and carefully selected sources of Leonardite.

Leonardite is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon shale formed in the earth over millions of years by the chemical and biological decomposition of prehistoric plant and animal matter. Being highly decomposed, natural humus, and having been subject to a significant level of microbial activity, it contains high concentrations of the organic humic and fulvic acids. This organic acid concentration varies from deposit to deposit. Some of the highest quality Leonardite deposits in the world are found in South America.

Humic acid has virtually been leached from our agricultural soil, and crops have endured the deficiency. The natural antioxidant protection provided to plants rich in a humic-based soil is not available.

Humic acids help to improve the soil’s water-holding capacity, improve the soil structure, and help to maintain soil stability. Humic acids readily form salts with inorganic trace minerals in a form that can be more easily utilized by plants.

Humic acids promote vigor, disease resistance, and root development in agricultural crops. The result is faster growth. The acids assist roots by increasing soil permeability, increasing water retention, reducing water evaporation, and promoting the growth of beneficial microbial colonies in the root zone. The creation of a healthy, microbially active root zone environment creates stronger plants that take up nutrients better.

In a hydroponic environment humic acid supplementation offers many of the same benefits to plants that it does in a soil culture. Because hydroponic growing takes place in an enclosed environment, it is possible to specifically target plants with a minimum of waste.

Adding a humic-acid–based solution, referred to as “BLACK” in hydroponic preparations, to the nutrient reservoir will increase the efficacy of the nutrients, making both micro and macronutrients more readily available to the root zone. Humic acid’s high cation capacity serves as a chelator, which helps plants better assimilate all the nutrients in the solution. The chelation process helps make and keep nutrients readily available to be used by plants as needed.

Environmental stresses can cause irreparable damage to plants — stunting or delaying growth, prohibiting flower production, or even causing death. Free-radical molecules result from stress such as high heat or temperature fluctuations, too high humidity, pesticide applications, and nutrient deficiencies or toxicities. The biostimulant activity of humic acid black produces antioxidants that combat these free radicals, making plants more resistant to these and other environmental stressors. Humic acid black remains in the cells, providing ongoing protection.

One of the organic compounds in humic acid black is carbon, which manufactures sugars in plants. Sugars are especially important during flowering because plants require an increased amount of carbohydrates to produce fruit. The carbohydrate infusion delivered in humic acid black will also organically enhance flavour, colour, and aroma of fruit.

Seed germination is accelerated when humic acid black is added. Humic acid’s effect on seed germination is similar to its effect on rooted plants. Humic acid, carrying both micronutrients and water, is drawn into the seed through the pore, stimulating growth of the radical. Not only do they germinate faster but also there is a higher percentage of seeds germinating.

Beneficial bacteria and fungi reproduction created in the presence of humic acid black biologically increase plant growth. The microbial activity produced by these bacteria and fungi are excellent root stimulators. Humic acid black has also been shown to lower pH to a more neutral level, helping with the availability of nutrients. All this translates into healthier, stronger, and more pest-resistant plants.

Humic acid black is an environmentally safe biostimulant that can be used throughout the entire growth cycle. The addition of humic acid black to a high-quality nutrient regimen will result in superior quality crop production, whether it is through soil or hydroponic cultivation. The crops will, in turn, be ingested by animals and humans, enriching the diet of the entire food chain.

Just dialed in my tea game some mo!! Got some 5 gal mesh tea bags to really stack some microbes!!
http://www.simplici-tea.com/

Lots of humic and fulvic acids in compost

trichmasta said:

Just dialed in my tea game some mo!! Got some 5 gal mesh tea bags to really stack some microbes!!
http://www.simplici-tea.com/

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That is an excellent and highly recommended site for quality products. Those guys know their stuff, and are very MJ knowledgeable.

Rrog said:

That is an excellent and highly recommended site for quality products. Those guys know their stuff, and are very MJ knowledgeable.

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For sure!! Today I'm ordering some fungal compost, microbe catalyst, and mineral mix for ammending!! Their Alaska humisoil looks amazing too, but it s outta stock...happy brewing all! Soil and microbe <3

blueJ said:

Sounds like an expensive worm bin! If you don't have any other use for this ultrasonic cleaner, then have it bro, but many throw the worms in a $10 plastic tote and it works out just fine

COMFREY, that's gonna become your best friend, compost it, mulch with it, make a tea with it, make Fermented Plant Extract with it. Comfrey's awesome, add the following to the list if you have access and use it in the same way:

Stinging Nettle
Yarrow
Horsetail
Alfalfa
Kelp

and honestly the list goes on

Click to expand...

really interested in this buddy....are you using the powders or the actual flowers in your brews?? I wanna ditch the dependence of bottles of nutes as well!!

For people that can't have a full blown compost heap, you should look at making Bokashi from all of your table scraps, etc. Prokashi.com has some cool videos

You will need EM (effective microorganism) to make your own bokashi, I buy mine from http://www.gardenerspantry.ca/

I'll be collecting my own EM and inoculating my bran.

nice how do you collect EM!?