Help needed with tea recipe!!!!!!

Chris323

Well-Known Member
Hello fellow growers !! this is my first post in the organic section so pleas take it easy on me lol!! I want to whip up some aact but i am limited to my ingredients. I have worm castings black strap molasses sea kelp extract and a organic fertilizer. i was wondering if the fert was ok to add to the mix .. its ingredients are : Alfalfa meal, bone meal, blood meal, glacial rock dust, mined potassium sulphate, fossilized carbon complex, rock phosphate, greensand, kelp meal, gypsum. looking forward toyour thoughts on the subject lol !!!
 

Chunky Stool

Well-Known Member
Sure sounds complicated.
1/4 cup kelp meal, 1/4 cup alfalfa meal, 1/4 cup molasses for plants, big scoop fresh worm castings. Bubble 24 hrs minimum.
 

Chunky Stool

Well-Known Member
I'm making a fresh batch of tea that is boiled instead of bubbled. The last batch was experimental & my plants totally dug it.
 

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
Five gallons of De-chlorinated or r/o
2-4 cups of castings or compost
1/4-1/2 cup of molasses (I lean closer to 1/2 cup if I'm gonna brew for over 24 hours to let more fungal stuff develop)
1/4 cup of kelp

Brew 24-48 hours

I would use the organic fert as a top dressing or soil mix. It's got no place in your tea.
 

backtracker

Well-Known Member
Hello fellow growers !! this is my first post in the organic section so pleas take it easy on me lol!! I want to whip up some aact but i am limited to my ingredients. I have worm castings black strap molasses sea kelp extract and a organic fertilizer. i was wondering if the fert was ok to add to the mix .. its ingredients are : Alfalfa meal, bone meal, blood meal, glacial rock dust, mined potassium sulphate, fossilized carbon complex, rock phosphate, greensand, kelp meal, gypsum. looking forward toyour thoughts on the subject lol !!!
You can make a great tea from those ingredients it will be a fertilizer because the brewing process will break everything down to make them ready for the plants to use now and it won't have to go through the process of being broken down in the soil before the roots can take it up. Dilute it too much will burn them .
 

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
You can make a great tea from those ingredients it will be a fertilizer because the brewing process will break everything down to make them ready for the plants to use now and it won't have to go through the process of being broken down in the soil before the roots can take it up. Dilute it too much will burn them .
I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree with you sir. Some of those ingredients are water soluble, a good majority are not. You can Google them individually to find out which ones for yourself, but I can tell you more of them aren't than are. An actively aerated tea will bring the already existing microbiology in compost or manure and feed it so that it multiplies and becomes more complex. When these microorganisms are added to your soil, they work to break down the organic matter and turn it into nutrients that the plant can uptake. There is nothing about an aact that makes stuff "break down". Well, post application there is. But not in its creation itself.

Some things like kelp meal, alfalfa, and Bat Guano. When steeped in water over a 24 hour to 48 hour period can have their nutritional benefits leeched out into the water. So that they will be instantly absorbed by the roots when the water is applied to the soil. Or through the leaves by way of foliar feeding.

Just saying, not trying to salt your game bro. The Fert should be applied as a top dressing or evenly mixed in the soil.
 

nobodies

Active Member
I use 5 gallon buckets.. I take two handfuls of (charlies chicken compost, 2 handfuls of worm castings, a capful of Alaskan Fish poop, & Alaskan Seaweed Extract, then I put in maybe 2-3 tablespoons of black strap molasses. If I have it on hand, i'll throw in that mornings coffee grounds as well.
 

nobodies

Active Member
I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree with you sir. Some of those ingredients are water soluble, a good majority are not. You can Google them individually to find out which ones for yourself, but I can tell you more of them aren't than are. An actively aerated tea will bring the already existing microbiology in compost or manure and feed it so that it multiplies and becomes more complex. When these microorganisms are added to your soil, they work to break down the organic matter and turn it into nutrients that the plant can uptake. There is nothing about an aact that makes stuff "break down". Well, post application there is. But not in its creation itself.

Some things like kelp meal, alfalfa, and Bat Guano. When steeped in water over a 24 hour to 48 hour period can have their nutritional benefits leeched out into the water. So that they will be instantly absorbed by the roots when the water is applied to the soil. Or through the leaves by way of foliar feeding.

Just saying, not trying to salt your game bro. The Fert should be applied as a top dressing or evenly mixed in the soil.
not 100% true. The bacteria you are brewing in your tea will most definitely break down some amount of organic material. Especially if your buckets are outside in the hot sun/air. The combination of anaerobic bacteria, the air from your air pump, sugars, and heat will produce so much bacteria that any organic material will immediately begin to be eaten. The rest of it will be converted inside your pots throughout your plants lifetime.

However that isn't the point of tea. The point of tea is the immediate uptake of water soluble nutrients, and to replenish the bacteria in the soil, as well as feed the existing bacteria as you've said.
 

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
not 100% true. The bacteria you are brewing in your tea will most definitely break down some amount of organic material. Especially if your buckets are outside in the hot sun/air. The combination of anaerobic bacteria, the air from your air pump, sugars, and heat will produce so much bacteria that any organic material will immediately begin to be eaten. The rest of it will be converted inside your pots throughout your plants lifetime.

However that isn't the point of tea. The point of tea is the immediate uptake of water soluble nutrients, and to replenish the bacteria in the soil, as well as feed the existing bacteria as you've said.
the solid non soluble nutrients aren't gonna break down, no matter how long you brew,
it's like throwing rocks in a pot of boiling water and expecting it to melt.
the bone meal, the greensand, the minerals, etc.
those are doing nothing
also it's not the anaerobic bacteria you want, hence the bubbling, thats aerobic bacteria
and you don't want heat and sunlight.
 

backtracker

Well-Known Member
I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree with you sir. Some of those ingredients are water soluble, a good majority are not. You can Google them individually to find out which ones for yourself, but I can tell you more of them aren't than are. An actively aerated tea will bring the already existing microbiology in compost or manure and feed it so that it multiplies and becomes more complex. When these microorganisms are added to your soil, they work to break down the organic matter and turn it into nutrients that the plant can uptake. There is nothing about an aact that makes stuff "break down". Well, post application there is. But not in its creation itself.

Some things like kelp meal, alfalfa, and Bat Guano. When steeped in water over a 24 hour to 48 hour period can have their nutritional benefits leeched out into the water. So that they will be instantly absorbed by the roots when the water is applied to the soil. Or through the leaves by way of foliar feeding.

Just saying, not trying to salt your game bro. The Fert should be applied as a top dressing or evenly mixed in the soil.
The microbes in the castings and the enzymes in the guano start to break down the minerals just like they do in soil only quicker in the brewing process that's the whole point of tea and rock dust and molasses feeds the whole process and in soil it works the same way only much slower. Put that in your google bro.:)
 

nobodies

Active Member
the solid non soluble nutrients aren't gonna break down, no matter how long you brew,
it's like throwing rocks in a pot of boiling water and expecting it to melt.
the bone meal, the greensand, the minerals, etc.
those are doing nothing
also it's not the anaerobic bacteria you want, hence the bubbling, thats aerobic bacteria
and you don't want heat and sunlight.
Yes I meant aerobic bacteria, Have you never seen organic matter decay? That is bacteria and fungi doing that. In fact fungi/bacteria can break down rocks, among other things. Even plastics, and petrols, they can even break down radiation. Bacteria also grow faster in heat.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/the-world-s-largest-mining-operation-is-run-by-fungi/

http://www.phschool.com/science/science_news/articles/attack_rock_eating.html
 
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Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
The microbes in the castings and the enzymes in the guano start to break down the minerals just like they do in soil only quicker in the brewing process that's the whole point of tea and rock dust and molasses feeds the whole process and in soil it works the same way only much slower. Put that in your google bro.:)
I'm gonna echo @greasemonkeymann, those nonsoluble nutrients aren't gonna break down no matter how long you brew.
 

greasemonkeymann

Well-Known Member
Yes I meant aerobic bacteria, Have you never seen organic matter decay? That is bacteria and fungi doing that. In fact fungi/bacteria can break down rocks, among other things. Even plastics, and petrols, they can even break down radiation.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/artful-amoeba/the-world-s-largest-mining-operation-is-run-by-fungi/

http://www.phschool.com/science/science_news/articles/attack_rock_eating.html
Yes sir.
I am well aware of how composting happens.

making a tea in order to make those bioavailable is a futile endeavor
that happens in the soil, and it doesn't happen fast.
that's my point
if you make a bonemeal and greensand tea, with soft rock phosphates it ain't gonna work
unless the rock phosphates are colloidal and soluble, but for the majority those aren't
 
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Chris323

Well-Known Member
forgive me for being dumb.. but would it not be beneficial to add the fertilizer with all those ingredients even if only some will be broken down?? isnt it better to have something rather than nothing ... and what is not broken down or water soluble is just joing to get filtered out and put in to the garden outside any way..I guess what i am getting at is ..... will it hurt my tea and or plants if the fert is added to the tea ?
 

Rasta Roy

Well-Known Member
forgive me for being dumb.. but would it not be beneficial to add the fertilizer with all those ingredients even if only some will be broken down?? isnt it better to have something rather than nothing ... and what is not broken down or water soluble is just joing to get filtered out and put in to the garden outside any way..I guess what i am getting at is ..... will it hurt my tea and or plants if the fert is added to the tea ?
It won't hurt your tea...just your wallet as it is a complete unnecessary waste. You have everything you need for the tea with your castings, kelp, and molasses. The Fert would be most beneficial to your plant as a top dressing or mixed into your soil. You can put it in the tea...I don't suppose it would hurt anything...it's just a huge waste.
 

Chris323

Well-Known Member
the fert i use is gaia green 4-4-4 .. i use it mixed with pro mix and usually do nothing but water with dechlorinated water from start to finish.. thought i would try a tea as well to see if there is any added benefits. As for the Gaia green ... i would strongly recommend to anyone.. results so far have been great for a very low maintenance grow. I love all the info i have received from everyone this great !!!!!!!!!
 
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