Re: Sweetsue's Tiny Closet - Second Grow - Sweet Dark Devil & Bomb Berry Bomb - CFL -
Simple and Easy Malted Barley Grain Enzyme Tea
My method of preparing an enzyme tea with malted barley grain has been to bubble the powdered grain overnight (instructions were 4-24 hours). The other day I was catching up on BlueJay's No-Till thread and found him laughing about how he used to bubble for 24 hours. What he now does is to mix the grain powder and reconstituted kelp meal with good water, swirl it to mix thoroughly and then simply let it sit for four hours before straining and drenching, after adding the aloe juice and fulvic acid, of course.
He took an already simple process and made it even simpler. A man after my own heart. Let's get to it.
Before I start I need to neutralize some chloramine polluted water. Two drops or so of blackstrap molasses in the bottom of the gallon bottle will do the job.
I add the drops and then a bit of warm water to dissolve the BSM, then fill with cool tap water. This sits for ten minutes while I get everything else prepared.
Begin by grinding the barley grain to a fine powder. This grinder is dedicated to grow use, so it doesn't matter that the fine particulate dust permeates every crack and crevice. I am only preparing a tea for two 7 gal pots, so I use 1/8 cup of the grain.
I keep going until I can hear that there are no large chunks left. I want fine powder.-
Add to the watering can. A funnel comes in handy here.
The basic recipe is 1 Tablespoon of reconstituted kelp meal for every gallon of tea. I'm making a half gallon, so I used a heaping teaspoon. Close enough for government work.
Part of the beauty of organic gardening is you don't have to be exact. These are building blocks you're adding. Ratios are not cut in stone and you won't harm the plants or the soil community if you add a bit too much or a wee bit too little.
Fill with water to the 1/2 gal line. All that gets stirred thoroughly and left to sit for about four hours. Mine set for five.
It was at this point that a I realized I'd done this in the watering can, which meant I couldn't strain it into said can. Duh! I poured it into a gallon jug, being careful to swish as I went so nothing got left behind.
After steeping for an appropriate amount of time I add aloe vera juice (1/4 cup to the gallon, so 1/8 cup here) and a splash of fulvic acid directly into the watering can. I use so little fulvic acid for this small tea that it's ludicrous to try to measure. Again, organics has a cushion, no need to be exact.
Strain the brew into the watering can.
Squeeze out all the goodness you can.
Into the living room and the joy hiding behind the green curtain. That escaping light is such a tease.
Our little Devil, pre-drench. Leaves shooting for the light already. Of course they're new growth, so they should be reaching, shouldn't they?
Stirring before I begin, I carefully split the tea between the pots. I'm aware of the particulate matter being heaviest at the end, so I try to make sure that gets evenly distributed as well. Pour, swish, pour, swish..... no rush here. There should be no fine particulates left in the watering can when you finish.
Both pots get the tea. This pot is in waiting indefinitely, but it still gets the same treatment. By the time I plant in here this is going to be one incredible soil community and medium.
The darling Devil, post-drench. I have to share - I brushed up against her leaves and was shocked at how soft they are. Honestly, they feel like cashmere. I thought I had imagined it, so I felt again and yep, cashmere. Wasn't expecting that.
Our newest companion is settling into the garden beautifully.
There we have it. A simpler enzyme tea. You're welcome.
Wish I could go to the Cannabis cup downtown but I'll watch from here!
Class A post Doc.
