There are specific temperature ranges that are optimal for different enzymes... In the mashing process malted grains are washed in hot water so that it is within the correct range for b-amylase to convert starches to sugar, as the sugars are needed to fuel fermentation. That is important for beer brewing. Barley seeds (any seeds) have a whole range of enzymes required to begin life processes and they all have their specific temperature ranges. Not all of them are going to be as hot at b-amylase. That is a good point, though.. for the most part, enzymes are going to be more active at higher temperatures (to a certain point). So it is a good idea to irrigate living soil with warm water rather than cool water. Chemical reactions happen faster, there is more kinetic energy, more collisions occur, etc..
When using fresh aloe filets. When should those be added to a compost tea. I remember something about aloe powder but can't recall about fresh filets.
Now I remember why I read this thread.....Thanks fir the info T.J. I always use room temperature filtered water. Seems to work great.
according to lumperdawgz aka CC, you can use aloe vera juice in place of molasses as your source of carbohydrates in an ACT. It is mentioned in the ACT chapter of <em class='bbc'>Teaming with Microbes</em> too.. "Organic Blue Agave Nectar, Aloe Vera and Yucca Extract will blow molasses out of the water on every level - minerals, enzymes, phytohormones, root accelerators, PGRs, SARs and on and on and on. And cost less if you buy correctly, i.e. avoid Duh Dude at the Growed Store. All of these are minimally processed. You would be hard-pressed to find a product that has been more processed than blackstrap molasses. And then there's the real crap - livestock molasses, i.e. nothing more than sugar beet residue. And that's a very kind assessment. LD" and "The reason that I will not use molasses is that the reason that molasses must be 'unsulphured' (vs. desulphured) is that sulphur dioxide (acid rain stuff) is added to the mix when processing sugar cane. This facilitate the removal of the 'molasses' but it poisons the product which is why is has to be 'unsulphured' vs. 'desulphured' - adding a product that has had poison added to it and then it's removed seems to be a weird consideration - at the very least. Especially when one considers that we're only looking for simple sugars here to feed the bacterial microbe colonies and some (limited) feeding of fungi hyphae - why toss the dice and add an agent that may be harmful when it's not mission critical? That's my read on it anyway. HTH LD"
great post TJ! does that mean i can use aloe for making EM-1 as well? what would be the ratio to use when replacing molasses with aloe?
Wait so if aloe/yucca/agave can replace molasses in compost tea as the as a food source, what about the fermentation of these? I remember reading about aloe fermenting into vinegar around 20 min post fillet/blending. Perhaps this doesn't happen in a brew because the constant oxygenation? Maybe what would ferment bonds with other molecules instead? IIRC in an aact the basic carb source is added either at the start of the brew or 24 hours in to the 36-48 hour brew.
Fermentation is fueled by glucose the same way aerobic cellular respiration is. You have to worry about avoiding anaerobic conditions any time you make an ACT whether you use molasses or aloe vera. That's why it is important to have an efficient brewer that can maintain a high DO2 levels. Would be interesting to try them side by side and see how it effects the microbe colonies. I haven't really messed with ACT's in a while. Soil has been rockin' just fine without it. I don't see why it wouldn't work to make AEM. It is the glucose you are after for fermentation. I don't think that molasses is really anything special..
Don't know about you guys but I really enjoyed my 4th. Spent the afternoon making dry ice hash and then on to decarbing the hash for canna caps. Let me tell ya, don't spend so much time sampling the hash off the glass, and don't lick the stirring utensils. I didn't see one firework. Fell out before the sun went down and woke up to a mess to clean up, or to continue with the extracting if I can get some of the motivation factor to turn on.
my friend BNW has the licky..lickies prob aswell it just builds your tolerance quicker is all, hahaha Gotta love nice strong meds
Yeah, I know about bnw. Read his thread on extraction with the sawzall. As you can tell, I didn't quite take it to heart when he mentioned that spoon and pan licking could be problematic.
For those of you that make canna caps you may find these guys useful, especially if you don't have access to this stuff locally. Empty Caps These guys have caps and accessories and the prices aren't too bad either. The capsule fillers are pretty nice to have. I've had some for a few years now. Makes capping herbs and such very easy.
Damn I love this stuff.. 5 grams dry ice hash or reasonable facsimile.. Powdered bud will make a lower grade oil.. 1 table spoon coconut oil 1/2 tea spoon soy lecithin granules decarb cannibus 40 min @ 220 deg covered.. Combine and heat covered 20 min @ 220 deg.. Freeze.. Repeat 3 or more times for maximum effects.. Stir as frequently as possible both in processing and while capping.. Small stainless dishes are from petco.. Lecithin and gel caps the vitamin shop.. Makes about 30 size "0" gel caps.. Continued processing will dissolve the lecithin granules so don't worry about them the 1st heat or 2.. By the 3rd freeze they'll have blended in.. The oil tends to separate out and float on top so just keep stirring while capping to keep all the sludgy bits suspended.. Do take care as this is powerful stuff.. Thanks to Badkat for the basic recipe.. Edit.. Now that I know the planet won't actually throw me off I look forward to cleaning up all the dishes.. LMAO !!!!
I use alfalfa sprout tea. I will not stop using it. I don't dry it I just sprout it and grind it up in a food processor, mix with water and top drench. I use alfalfa sprout tea like that early on say 3 weeks from seed pop/transplant, then again at switch to flower and about every 3 weeks in flower. For me it's a must have. Just watch the results and thank me later. I also make malted barley tea - put 4 gal pot in fridge to store short term, mix with water and top drench ... not constant but every other watering for 2 weeks and take a week off and back to it. Corn sprouts is another good one for triacontanol (non-gmo organic - whole foods bulk has it cheap). I actually prefer corn seeds as I get more tea, alfalfa sprouts are tiny, corn sprouts not so much. On watering ... how many containers and what size? I water pretty much daily 2-3 gallons that would be about 150-200 gallons of soil this time of year. Tip the container, feels light then water.
I have roughly about 130 gallons in a pool. There are no drainage holes so I figured I'll either water small waterings every few days or one large watering a week. I have yet to try alfalfa seed tea. Isn't the main reason for corn seeds for cytokinins which can be found in coconut? I wasn't aware that it contains triacontanol as well. Alfalfa seeds are pricey, corn seeds would be a no brainer for triacontanol. I believe alfalfa meal has triacontanol as well.
Okay so forgive me as I have just began to peek into the world of organics and am in no way fluent in all the stuff you guys are talking about on the last few...hundred pages, lol! Unless I missed some posts...which may be...it seems like the no-till method is great for large sized pots, like 15gal on up, in that the medium is reusable. Would this aspect still hold true for a 5 gallon pot? My room is only about 5.5' tall and it seems pointless to use a 15gal pot when I can only accommodate a 4ft plant (room for the light), and I am not trying to scrog a plant that big...nope not gonna do it Seems like the theory would hold tru for a smaller pot in that my root ball I dig out would be significantly smaller than one that came out of a 20 gallon pot...thus...adequate medium for the next plant. Is that right? Sorry to interrupt the current discussion
Growing in a 15 gallon can accommodate 4 ft+ tall plants but you do not need to grow them that big just because you got big containers. You can grow two foot tall plants in 15 gallons. You control the size. A big pot just accommodates bigger plants. I started in 5 gallons and one round I threw in a 10 gallon and that plant was the same size as the others but grew to that size quicker and was much healthier than the five gallon. You do not dig out the root ball. You can plant with the root ball in the soil. Just make a spot for your clone because there's no up potting or transplanting. The SST will break down the root ball into food for the plant. The new roots will grow in the channels dug by the old roots. This is how the soil gets tilled; roots.
Hello All, I'm planning my first grow. I'm interested in organics and no-till popped up in my research, so I was directed here. Is no-till something newbies have any business trying? Also, 500 pages!!!! Shit!!!! I'm going to start plugging away at this but any help directing me to the best info would be appreciated. I've already checked out Minnesota Nice and BrownGuy420 on Youtube. I've also read Teaming with Microbes. So that's where I'm at as far as no-till research. Any primary sources I need to check that I haven't? Thanks brothers and sisters