Howdy Organics forum, hope everyone is enjoying their day I really try not to waste everyones time with questions easily found through the search function or google, but I'm kinda stuck and getting frustrated. I'm aiming to brew an FPE to feed my new beans. I start em in tree-fiber cubes and then transplant to a peat, EWC, pbh blend in solo cups before setting em home...this cup stage is where I'm looking to augment an FPE. Ideally, I want something simple...and we all know the super power that is kelp meal so I figured an equal blend of kelp and alfalfa would do nicely. I've ready everywhere from 1 cup in a 5 gallon to 1/3 of the whole bucket...quite the difference! All help is appreciated, thanks guys and gals!
Hey Kesey, The info you're reading on 1/3 of the container is for fresh plant material. When using dried material you use less. It depends on how strong you want your FPE to be and how much you want to dilute it. I probably do 1/2 cup of material to a couple gallons. If I'm making a true FPE (where the plant matter is broken down by fermentation) and know it'll be sitting longer and breaking down efficiently I dilute it more than I would a botanical tea that soaks for 3 days to a week.
Considering they'll be just past seedlings I'm looking for something light. I went ahead and got a 5 gallon bucket/lid and drilled 2 holes in the lid, one to pull an airstone through and one for my fish tank heater. I plan on running it around 80-82F for 7 days (Unless I have the opportunity to go longer, my ladies decide that). So to clarify, for 3 gallons of water - add 1/4 Cup Alfalfa and 1/4 Cup Kelp. Dilution rate? 1 Tsp. per gallon?
Okay. It's important to realize that you aren't talking about an FPE here. You are talking about a botanical tea. An FPE is broken down by fermentation-an anaerobic process. A botanical tea is not broken down by fermentation, the plant matter is "steeped" in the water basically (anaerobic process). I use botanical teas that have steeped for a couple days without diluting at all. For a tea that sat for a week I would dilute it maybe 2-3 parts tea: 1-2 parts water. I like it to be a light golden tea color, so I add a some water if needed. In an FPE the plant matter is broken down more so you need to dilute it much more than you do a botanical tea. I also dilute a botanical tea more the longer it sits. Also, making a botanical tea is not an aerobic process. You can aerate it to keep stuff mixing around, but there's no need to aerate it to facilitate the decomposition process. It helps to remember what process is occurring for each one.
Reading old LD posts can be kinda vague at times, he mentioned the difference in fermentation and using EM-1, but didnt specify the just 'letting it sit' was instead a botanical tea. Thank you for the clarification So it would seem that in my specific situation, a botanical tea might even be better since the growth I'm trying to facilitate is so small? As far as the aeration, I just like things to look cool and if it helps anything even .0001%, I'm all for it
It's a difference in the decomposition process. Fermentation is a different process than rotting in water basically. An FPE is done when the pH drops to a certain level, and it takes longer than a week. It's a question of which process is better for what you are trying to achieve. If you're after complete breakdown of plant material and want high levels of nutrients, go with an FPE. If you want the secondary metabolites, go with a botanical tea. I think both are great and use both in my garden.
Ah once again, time has worked against me. Looks like some experimentation for botanical teas will suffice. Say I was to start brewing an FPE now in preparation for my next run, how long could I expect it to last bottled?