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- #141
Bio char
- Thread starter seaofgreen18
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- #142
seaofgreen18
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If it smells bad it's anerobic
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- #143
seaofgreen18
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The best way I can explain aneaobic is when all the GOOD guys use up all the oxygen in your brew or fermentation and they die and that's where the BAD guys come in microbiology is circle and ruthless it's eat or be eatin so like in a compost tea you are actually multiplying the biology and what happens if you say put a room ppl in a sealed room with no air and then you add more ppl it the same room same thing the good critters use up all the air and if your not putting any back eventually they use it up and die then the bad guys come to eat the dead good guy's and there you go anerobic it produces all kinds of bad shit so I hope this is an explanation you can understand I might not be explaining it very well
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- #144
seaofgreen18
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Another example like when you start your compost pile they explain that you want to turn the pile at least every other day that is to incorporate air into the pockets that don't have air. Have you ever started a compost pile and after a week or so you go check it and it's smelling funny? It should smell like good soil. Research aerated compost piles. There's some good information about that as well it's ALL RELIVANT! It's the soil food web!
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- #145
seaofgreen18
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Take some time read these book. Teaming with microbes read it a couple times Priceless information in there!
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- #146
seaofgreen18
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Here's some pictures of my plants I used to buy soil, now I make all my own soil if I need it otherwise I use the same soil over and over again I've had my bed with the same soil for about 3 years now with good outputs for taste and yield but I'm still learning new stuff every day! When I first started oh man
you get the point but now it's much easier from some good advice like Stunger gives or through books or the internet and MOST of ALL trial and error learn by doing from the stuff you've read ,ppl make it sound good if their selling you something when you read it ever noticed how if you use their products you'll get higher yield and so on what a BUNCH OF FLIPPING CRAP find a reliable source of information like college extensions try Google scholar when researching once see what links it comes up with as well as a reliable source of amendment I use KIS and I tell you I can email them anytime with a question and I get a PROMPT response with good advice and it has almost always solved my problem I tried BAS but they were good just to slow for me now I have an EXCELLENT relationship with KIS organics
you get the point but now it's much easier from some good advice like Stunger gives or through books or the internet and MOST of ALL trial and error learn by doing from the stuff you've read ,ppl make it sound good if their selling you something when you read it ever noticed how if you use their products you'll get higher yield and so on what a BUNCH OF FLIPPING CRAP find a reliable source of information like college extensions try Google scholar when researching once see what links it comes up with as well as a reliable source of amendment I use KIS and I tell you I can email them anytime with a question and I get a PROMPT response with good advice and it has almost always solved my problem I tried BAS but they were good just to slow for me now I have an EXCELLENT relationship with KIS organics- Thread starter
- #147
seaofgreen18
Well-Known Member
Its winter here yet toHere's some pictures of my plants I used to buy soil, now I make all my own soil if I need it otherwise I use the same soil over and over again I've had my bed with the same soil for about 3 years now with good outputs for taste and yield but I'm still learning new stuff every day! When I first started oh man
for spring
BuzzzD
Well-Known Member
I just found it at my library and can read it online - Thanx.
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- #149
seaofgreen18
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He has Teaming with Nutrients as well it gives you a better understanding of how nutrient cycling takes place those 2 books go really good together then he has 1 more teaming with fungi that one is kinda hard to understand because if you don't know the terminology like I don't then it's hard to understand but I got the jist I'm sure you can I'm not the sharpest tool in the box sometimes
Interesting question.
I was under the impression that putting compost into a cloth or net bag and then the bag into a bucket of water is to made a simple & basic compost tea. If done quickly enough the soaking for a day or two would pull the soluble nutrients from the compost along with all the still living micro-organism. Then remove the bag and water plants with the tea. If spraying the tea as a folier spray the tea should be filter so it does not plug up the sprayer nozzle.
But if the compost sits in the water for too long and if there is still a lot of organic material that is not yet decomposed an anaerobic (without oxygen) process starts and then we get the smells and weird slime floating on the water that @seaofgreen18 refers to. Then we end up with the methane and other gases.
Trivia of the day found while looking up the difference between anaerobic and aerobic composting. Beer fermentation involves anaerobic digestion to produce the alcohol that people desire. And aerobic (with oxygen) digestion takes place and that is what contributes the tastes and aromas that people like, especially in their "craft" beers.
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- #151
seaofgreen18
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- #152
seaofgreen18
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If you passively strain quality compost through cheese cloth it's a good source of humic acid but you get no microbes it's better if you break the compost apart in the bag in the water to create as much surface area as possible and never will you have to much air for the microbes They need to be extracted out of the compost so they can breed it's kinda of a art to get good tea that has high fungul strands and things other than bacteria in it , what I've read and I believe It it has to do with the foods and how the compost or castings were made how long you brew and temperature I'm kinda long winded sorry
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- #153
seaofgreen18
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And a microscope will only tell you that other than the plants will to if you are aware and my opinion only but to those who buy tea brew kits if they don't have test results with the recipe I wouldn't buy it you have no idea how good it is better to make your own outta your own stuffIf you passively strain quality compost through cheese cloth it's a good source of humic acid but you get no microbes it's better if you break the compost apart in the bag in the water to create as much surface area as possible and never will you have to much air for the microbes They need to be extracted out of the compost so they can breed it's kinda of a art to get good tea that has high fungul strands and things other than bacteria in it , what I've read and I believe It it has to do with the foods and how the compost or castings were made how long you brew and temperature I'm kinda long winded sorry
That's why I stopped brewing tea with an airstone. The success of your brew depends on several factors like time, inputs, temperatures, etc, and without a microscope you really have no idea what microbes you are cultivating at any given time along the brew.and I believe It it has to do with the foods and how the compost or castings were made how long you brew and temperature I'm kinda long winded sorry
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- #155
seaofgreen18
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That is a true statement unless you got a microscope and know what the biology looks like I'm slowly learning that got a long ways to go. But for now I take my chances without the scope. I use the air lift method with the large air pump ,easy to clean and no pourous locations that I can't clean and I use 3-5 cups of my castings which smell like fresh soil, 1 TBS Pacific Gro fish Hydroslate w/10% Bio char 1/2 tbsp humic acid, and a tsp of alfalfa meal to 5 gals of filtered water I brew at room temp for 36 hrs I take my chances with the bad stuff because my inputs smell clean from the start and smells good when I'm finished and I see when I water with it my plants turn a nice pea green instantly and last year not much of a problem outside with pm (powdery mildew)or boltritus (bud rot) and humidity levels were 65% to 80% most of the summer and HOT sometimes I substitute that alfalfa with Neem seed meal for bugs I seem too see good results but I don't use it all the time only when I see a lag in growth and color
Hayron1088
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Lots of good info here guys. I’m definitely picking up these books and also mycology. But that’s a different conversation entirely. So when you harvest from you worm bin, how do you extract said castings? What’s your method from bin to plant?
I personally always add atleast a couple worms when I amend with castings(if I didn’t make a tea with it) and I pull from the very bottom. Once I do that, I always try to replace that void with existing castings in the surrounding area so I’m not pulling worms or recent food to the bottom. I’m sure that’s not necessary but I feel that keeping everything on its existing “level” is how nature does it, so that is my bro science logic. I have a hay mulch layer, pull that back, wet the existing medium prior to amending then castings then water in. To be honest I’ve been amending with castings more often the past two grows and I’m finding that they will carry my grow until atleast week 6 before starting to see fading or signs it needs fed. Not sure what I could supplement on the “free scale” like castings for the last several weeks of flower besides what I use now. This is all great guys, lots of great info and I’ve got so much more reading to do on this thread I know that
I personally always add atleast a couple worms when I amend with castings(if I didn’t make a tea with it) and I pull from the very bottom. Once I do that, I always try to replace that void with existing castings in the surrounding area so I’m not pulling worms or recent food to the bottom. I’m sure that’s not necessary but I feel that keeping everything on its existing “level” is how nature does it, so that is my bro science logic. I have a hay mulch layer, pull that back, wet the existing medium prior to amending then castings then water in. To be honest I’ve been amending with castings more often the past two grows and I’m finding that they will carry my grow until atleast week 6 before starting to see fading or signs it needs fed. Not sure what I could supplement on the “free scale” like castings for the last several weeks of flower besides what I use now. This is all great guys, lots of great info and I’ve got so much more reading to do on this thread I know that
Hi Heyron, only because you asked as there is no elegance to what I do. I just take what I need from the lowest tray of my worm farm, 2-4 cups, these days I am liquifying it before topdressing. But when I amend between grows I mix some worm castings into the soil with the other amendments before letting it sit for a while. My pots have all got a worm population in them. The moment you have worm castings, if they're fresh, then you're bound to have worm cocoons as well as the mature worms amongst it.Lots of good info here guys. I’m definitely picking up these books and also mycology. But that’s a different conversation entirely. So when you harvest from you worm bin, how do you extract said castings? What’s your method from bin to plant?
I personally always add atleast a couple worms when I amend with castings(if I didn’t make a tea with it) and I pull from the very bottom. Once I do that, I always try to replace that void with existing castings in the surrounding area so I’m not pulling worms or recent food to the bottom. I’m sure that’s not necessary but I feel that keeping everything on its existing “level” is how nature does it, so that is my bro science logic. I have a hay mulch layer, pull that back, wet the existing medium prior to amending then castings then water in. To be honest I’ve been amending with castings more often the past two grows and I’m finding that they will carry my grow until atleast week 6 before starting to see fading or signs it needs fed. Not sure what I could supplement on the “free scale” like castings for the last several weeks of flower besides what I use now. This is all great guys, lots of great info and I’ve got so much more reading to do on this thread I know that
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- #158
seaofgreen18
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You can talk about mycology here that's cool I looked into raising mushrooms myself for many reasons I'm still and researching it! Clackamas coot I think has some pod casts on mushroom raising on YouTube it might be in a KIS pod cast I'm not sure. They have some good podcasts
and researching it! Clackamas coot I think has some pod casts on mushroom raising on YouTube it might be in a KIS pod cast I'm not sure. They have some good podcasts
Mine is a stacked, three bin system and every two months I harvest the bottom bin and then place it empty on top. I spread the castings out in a thin layer to let them dry a bit since I was getting mites and thrips everytime I up-potted with the fresh castings.
Then, as they dry, I crumble the castings through my hands every day and once they're dry enough I start running them through a kitchen colander to get a uniform size. Then once screened and well dry, I jar them up for use on my plants. I apply them with measuring spoons to get consistent application amounts and spread.
I find if I don't crumble them as they dry, once they do dry the clumps can be hard as rocks and difficult to break apart.
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- #160
seaofgreen18
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For me I have a continuous flow through I started with the stackable plastic trays I didn't care for it because my gal could not lift up the trays and it was hard for her to harvest castings so I went with the Urban worm bag I only harvest casting when I need them or if my bag is getting to full when I harvest I run my castings through a 1/4" shaker screen then if not to damp I go to 1/8" screen to separate the cacoons and the large particles and I throw that right back in the bin if I have to many casting's I use perferated pellet bag's (I heat with a pellet stove) to store my castings in.I try not to let them dry out because the biology needs moisture and air to live there again you put them in a sealed container when damp and you'll get anaerobic conditions or if they dry out the microbes die so you'd want to store your castings in a perferatad bag check out the castings you buy at the grow store they have holes in the bags Id never buy a bag of dry castings if I were to buy them! I intentionally put hypsis miles mites,rove beetles and nematodes in my bin for insect control and honestly I don't have any fungus gnats or flys or critters I don't want in there but it helps that my bins in the basement but even if it wasn't benifcial insects is the way to go remember an oz of prevention is worth a lb of cure so research benifcial insects it's relevant that's just how I do it ,it's not the only way, Just the way I found that works best for meLots of good info here guys. I’m definitely picking up these books and also mycology. But that’s a different conversation entirely. So when you harvest from you worm bin, how do you extract said castings? What’s your method from bin to plant?
I personally always add atleast a couple worms when I amend with castings(if I didn’t make a tea with it) and I pull from the very bottom. Once I do that, I always try to replace that void with existing castings in the surrounding area so I’m not pulling worms or recent food to the bottom. I’m sure that’s not necessary but I feel that keeping everything on its existing “level” is how nature does it, so that is my bro science logic. I have a hay mulch layer, pull that back, wet the existing medium prior to amending then castings then water in. To be honest I’ve been amending with castings more often the past two grows and I’m finding that they will carry my grow until atleast week 6 before starting to see fading or signs it needs fed. Not sure what I could supplement on the “free scale” like castings for the last several weeks of flower besides what I use now. This is all great guys, lots of great info and I’ve got so much more reading to do on this thread I know that
