Do you use it all the way through? Stop it at some point? What about alfalfa in the mix? I add alfalfa to my mix and of course to teas and saw a question of the effects of Triacontanol in flowering. I really didn't know (still don't), but thought it was a good valid question. What'cha think? Wet
theres a good discussion http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/745992-alfalfa-tea.html alfalfa's good stuff edit: wait, you've seen that thread. whats your question specifically? im using this tea with every watering and im over 7 weeks into flowering.
Well, triacontanol is a plant growth stimulant. Will it cause unwanted vegetative growth in flowering? I've heard to stop the teas after the first 2 weeks of flowering. Others, use it all the way through. I was thinking of the teas mainly. I've included it in my mix, but that should be fairly well depleted by the middle of flowering ....maybe. Just wondering if there were any facts AFA triacontanol and flowering. Wet
wetdog Here's a study from The Phytotron, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo 3 Norway titled Effect of Triacontanol on Production and Quality of Flowers of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat Here are more links for you to peruse perhaps............ Basically Triacontanol is a simple fatty alcohol with a general formula of C30•H62•O - a ton of Carbon (@ 30) and Hydrogen (@ 62) bound to a single Oxygen atom. You can see from the molecular structure that this agent is quickly assimilated in the root zone. I apply alfalfa teas throughout the veg and flower cycles. HTH LD
Thanks LD, that answered it. Saw that question posed and really didn't know how to answer, now it's clarified. Wet
Wet Do you brew and apply AACT mixes? If so I have an interesting concept (maybe) that will move the alfalfa tea forward in an indirect way. Regardless - adding some form of kelp product (however you get there) will be a great benefit as you begin to brew out your alfalfa tea. LD
Yes, I do, I'd like to hear the concept. Usually, it's a handful or 3 of fermented alfalfa meal, same amount of my own EWC, and 1 handful of kelp meal. Bubbled for several days with a small amount of molasses. The worms are fed mostly the same fermented alfalfa, fermented wheat bran and coffee grounds. Veggie scraps as available. I use peat for bedding rather than paper/cardboard. Almost the same as my soiless mix, less some of the ingredients. The kelp meal is Algamin, which I was amazed to be able to source locally. From reading here and studying a lot of info provided by you, I've slowed down considerably on my molasses use and the frequency of the tea applications. Let's hear your idea, I'm interested. Wet
Chunk loves his kelp meal and his soluble kelp liquid. If you can get to a Trader Joe's, grab a gallon jug of their Aloe vera juice for around 7-8 bucks. mix 2 ozs AV Juice, 1-2 tbsps of liquid kelp and 1/4 tsp of Bio Ag TM-7. Use as a foliar spray or as a soil drench once a week and watch the magic! (Thanks for the recipe LD). Aloe vera is also a killer rooting solution. Shoots to roots in 8 days with this elixir. Take care Wet, chunk
Feel free to ridicule and reject my theory - I will not be offended in any way. Bacteria and fungi are at the bottom of the food chain in the soil food web. It's probably important to point out that not all compounds needed by plants are absorbed in the same way - or even similar ways. Mineral cations (both base Alkaloids and base Acids) are moved directly into the root hairs through the cation exchange whereby the root exudes Hydrogen (H) atoms that are exchanged with the cations required. Let's take fish meal as an example. Since this is a meat it contains a wide range of proteins. Plants cannot assimilate or use proteins. This is where the bacteria comes in and breaks down any number of compounds in this meal. The bacteria will use come of the Carbon (C) to live and exude what it doesn't use. Some of these exudes can be taken up by the plant's root hairs. Most require further processing by fungi, protozoa and nematodes. Phosphorus cannot be digested by bacteria and that job is for a huge range of fungi strains - attracted to the rhizosphere by other plant exudes. Different exudes attract different strains of both bacteria and fungi as needed to maintain its health. This is why spraying on some form of Phosphorus is 'an interesting concept' to say the least. So that's the Reader's Digest version of some of the ways that plants take up nutrients. Back to the bacteria - bacteria do not exude all of the nutrients that it takes in. It holds on to them - storing up for winter as it were. The main enemy of bacteria are protozoa and nematodes. Lowenfels refers to these 2 microbes as 'fertilizer spreaders' in that they eat the bacteria, keep enough Carbon (C) to survive and their exudes are available to the plant's roots. So here's my theory - alfalfa teas contain extremely high levels of protozoa (highest levels are Flagellates and Ciliates). The other way that occurs is by accident by beginning to brew a legitimate AACT and it goes for 3+ days - by that time you're down to a tea that is protozoa rich and low, low levels on everything else. The alfalfa tea can be ready in 24 hours of aeration. It's my theory that by applying a tea with these elevated protozoa levels a massive consumption would take place in the root zone spreading fertilizer everywhere. They would also eat themselves back to normal levels. By applying an AACT 24 - 36 hours later this would put the bacteria colonies back inline leaving the fertilizer (protozoa exudes) intact and available. There it is - warts and all! LOL LD
So letting the tea brew until things "settle down" will allow for some of the nutrient cycling to occur in the tea rather than in the soil? Would it be a bad thing to apply earlier and let the fertilizer go everywhere?
Ok, I can try that, although it is pretty much the exact opposite of what I do. I do my tea like the 3LB's. I brew for a couple of days, take 1/2 the bucket, dilute it down enough to water. Fill the bucket back up and let it keep bubbling for several more days, then use. I usually do 2 buckets at once. I'll just do one, let it bubble for an extended amount of time and start my second bucket just before I apply the first one. The $64 question is how do you tell if 1 benefits over the other? Or, is the fresh tea just to build the bacteria back up? I'll report back. Wet
very good. my only input would be: the longer you run the tea, the more "food" you need to add to the mix. Cutting back on molasses is cool, but those microbes need food in a long running act. My teas are at their best at 24-48 hours. I never run them longer than that, seems the colonies i desire vanish after too long in the soup. Once the colonies explode, they need to be in the soil. .02