Neptune's Harvest Killing Tea?

[Young Yoda]

Hello, so I've been experimenting with teas for a little while now. I bought myself a way-too-big pump (900-1000gph i think) and I brew in a 5 gal bucket. I have been using a whole range of organic ingredients in various quantities and combinations, and I also have been using Recharge (which is a whole subject on it's own).

Seeing as non - deodorized fish emulsion is a common ingredient in recipes I find online, I bought myself a bottle of Neptune's Harvest Organic Fish Fertilizer (2-4-1). Since then my teas have gone anaerobic again and again. At first, I wasn't sure what it was. I cleaned the slime off my airstones. I bubbled the water for 12 hours in advance. I watched my measurements very carefully. Again and again I would come back to a nasty smelling bucket.

After a lot of experimentation and serious annoyance, I realized that my tea goes anaerobic like 30 minutes after getting the tiniest bit of this product in it. I don't know why, but BEWARE!
It's hard for me to imagine all fish emulsion has this effect.. Anyone have any recommendations for another product?

-----

On another note, does anyone have any experience with other microbial products like Great White or some such? I would like some comparison to Recharge.
I add a tiny little bit of recharge to my bucket and I see foam in like 30 seconds. Not a little foam.. A lot of foam. It doesn't go away either, it hangs around for the 48 hours or so I leave my tea brewing. I have brewed teas without it, and the kind of foam that you see after 48 hours is the kind of foam I'm talking about.
Anyone have similar experiences?

 

[dr.h00k]

From a post by Village Idiot...link sounds what you might be looking for...h00k...

...There are a bazillion ways to make it and recipes. I vary mine throughout the grow based on what the needs are and the stage of growth it is in.

The more air the better. If you can go to a hydro store and get a good air pump it will be worth it for the long haul.

You would want EWC, Bat Guano, Alfalfa, Kelp, Ancient forest soil, a little crab meal, oatmeal, some enzymes. I find the pre-broken down molasses products work better then pure molasses. I don't know that I save anything because I use so much more molasses to get the same reaction I get for a few drops of the good stuff. Fulvic Acid is of great help. I use Silica mid way to bring up the pH to keep the beneficial bacteria winning.


And you will need a stick to stir it every few hours to get the sludge on the bottom turned up.

It is a bit much the first time but once you have everything it is very simple.

That actually has all the nutes you need for bloom.

I showed it step by step in my journal.

This should take you right to it.
VI's Subcool Based 2 Worm Multi-Strain Mother Hunt - 2016 - Page 8

 

[Young Yoda]

I have read that..

Was my post too long? Sorry.

My questions were:
Does someone have experience using fish emulsion with success?
Has anyone had a comparable experience with a microbial product like recharge?

 

[dr.h00k]

lolool...no need to be sorry...I have a tendency to speed read sometimes...I had just finished reading a post that VI had posted regarding tea's, and not knowing you have read it...thought it would provide some insights on brewing tea's...cheerz...h00k...

 

[Papageno]

So 2 things

1) The air stones can build up bad bacteria. I like to boil them in water between brews. Not too necessary but good idea.

2) Get some Silica in there and keep the pH at 7.0. If you force the pH to 7 and stir it aggressively the good guys will come back and win. If you add enough to push it to like 7.5 or even 8 it will take so long to get back down that it will peak out again like it was a new batch. I have brought seemingly dead teas back to full fermentation this way. The more you stir the better.

I'll trade you pumps. I built one of these and it gets going just not very fast so I need a bigger pump.


Turbo-Vortex Compost Tea Brewer - YouTube


Also Molasses works but it must break down before it works. It is not readily available. But if you get one of the sugar products form any of these hydro companies it is prebroken down and work instantly. So I like to use both.

 

[Young Yoda]

2) Get some Silica in there and keep the pH at 7.0. If you force the pH to 7 and stir it aggressively the good guys will come back and win. If you add enough to push it to like 7.5 or even 8 it will take so long to get back down that it will peak out again like it was a new batch. I have brought seemingly dead teas back to full fermentation this way. The more you stir the better.

Are you saying that bad teas tend to go acidic?

I haven't been adjusting pH at all..

Will a product like pH up work for this?

 

[Papageno]

Yes but depends on what you call bad.

You can use UP but why not use silica as it is made from potash which is the source of potassium fertilizers. Which you need in bloom. so you can up the pH and get some silica and potassium in there and it is ready immediately and doesn't need to break down.


But to the point. The bad bacteria are in there and there is a war going on between the 2. As long as it is mixing the good will win until there is no food. The more stagnant the more the bad stuff grows. The more that grows the more acidic. The fermentation stops when it gets low enough pH. You can stir it to get the good guys going because even though it looks dead it is totally alive.

Depending on how far it has gone you need those 3 things
1) aeration
2) pH adjust
3) Sugar

Those in that order will bring the good guys back on top.

Many times at mid way or near the end I add some more kelp which really helps.

I have brought what looked completely gone back to 4 hours of constant fermentation this way.

Put it to 7.5 and stir it for 3 min...




Oh so also when you stir it up go gradual. kicking it all up at once and the bad can overwhelm the good for a bit if it has been sitting a while.

You will get the feel. I swirl it slow for a bit and gradually get faster and faster.

 

[Papageno]

I will admit I have never used that fish poo. But the bacteria thing is true so that should hold even with that stuff.

I hear the Fish isn't good for the last 3 weeks min. It is good for Veg as I understand. I don't brew much teas for veg and my soils are hot enough, they don't need fish poo in veg. So I have no need for it. I think for a soilless grow like coco it would be the bomb.

 

[Young Yoda]

Thank you kindly, I will manage my pH from now on.

I will also try again with emulsion (which is actually pulverized fish). I will get the pH nice and high in anticipation, and keep it there for a bit after adding. We shall see.

--

Also, I have long wondered what the ppm of your teas might typically come out around?
I use the teabag method, and no doubt because of it use considerably less solids than you. My ppms range from between 600-800. My tap water does come out relatively high.. 150-300.

^Actually that was probably a stupid question? With all that sludge why bother measuring?

 

[Papageno]

Good questions.

So my water out the tap believe it or not is between 12-14 ppm. Pure mountain run off.

I end up at around 800 PPM. There are many involved factors. And that is strong and burns many plants that are not in the best of environments. Many people cut that 1:4 with water when applying outdoors. I measure that both before and after strain and I get the same results.

I mean I vary it and don't always measure it. I don't usually measure the PPM. Only a few times back when I was curious.

I think old school tea baggin Gets you the same nutes but not the same microbes. I the PPM meter is not measuring that. Boy that would be cool...