Hey everyone hope all is well I just had a quick question about a tea I made. Yesterday was a pretty busy day and at one point I had to make a tea for my garden I was going to stir it up for about 36 hours and then use on monday morning, however, I forgot to let my water sit out before adding the amendments into it (I chose kelp,alfalfa and neem meal). My question is will this tea be of any value even though I added the amendments before removing the chlorine or am I screwed and should I just toss this and start over? I was hoping that it would be alright as long as I allowed the chlorine to evaporate before using. Thank you for the help.
Maybe not ideal but as long as the chlorine has dissipated i'd imagine you'd be fine... But how big of an amount are you referring to here? Is it 5 gallons or is it 55 gallons? If its not much wasted in the way of amendments then maybe you could just start a new one this morning and let the original sit an extra couple of days... The problem with chlorine is that it literally kills any life on your tea - that's why algae won't grow in a swimming pool. With the chlorine in the tea that means there's really not much happening in the way of bacteria to start breaking down the kelp/alfalfa/neem so it just puts you behind the 8 ball. If it were me I'd just let it sit an extra couple of days - if that's a possibility? J
It is about 15 gallons of tea, my only issue is it is the pretty much last of my amendments at the moment. I can just let this one sit for a few more days if that will help before I apply. I am aware of the chlorine issue, however, I was also just informed that not all the chlorine goes away because there is stuff in the water that the chlorine will bind to that cannot be removed. I forget exactly what it was I pretty much had my mind blown talking to this guy. Anyways thanks for the help jerry. I can wait a few more days that will not be an issue.
It was probably in reference to chloramine. The way I understand it, some cities use both chlorine and chloramine. When chloramine comes in contact with organic matter, it breaks down into chlorine to neutralize the "life" in that OM. I could be mistaken about that, but that's how I understand it. If those are the last of your amendments, I think you'll be fine. Like jerry said - it's not ideal, but it should work. Let it sit a few extra days to break down more. I don't think chlorine will make you lose any compounds or elements - it will just take you longer to get there because there's less bacteria to do the decomposition work. It's also my understanding that you can "overload" the chlorine/chloramine by adding more organic matter than it can neutralize, effectively "using up" all the chloramine, which then dissipates into the atomosphere as chlorine. Perhaps you can start a fresh bucket of just water, toss in some compost to get the cloramine broken down, then transfer your solid materials into that? Then use both teas. Just an idea, don't take my word for it.
Next time my girlfriend or I speak with him I will double check, I knew that organic matter would break down chloramine if that is not what he is referring to I will post something on this.
I'd be very interested in hearing his take on that. If there are indeed substances that chlorine binds to that keeps it suspended in a solution instead of dissipating, that's some information that would be very valuable to this forum in particular.
It has been established in soil science that chlorine will bind with soil particle surfaces resulting in immobilization of the chlorine. If one wants to de-chorinate their water quickly they can toss a handful of compost or ewc into a 5 gal bucket of municipal water and that will suffice. The ppm of chlorine in municipal water is actually pretty low and it can be dispatched fairly quickly as mentioned. Chloramine is a more persistent chemical which is formed by combining chlorine and ammonia gas. Exposure to compost, ewc, or other organic matter will not dispatch it from the water. In fact, one of the design theories in establishing chloramine for use in municipal water was the fact that organic matter would not change the chemical structure thereby providing for residual capacity as a biocide. Another primary objective in some states that have implemented chloramine treatment is to prevent the release of a class of chemicals known to be carciogenic - trihalomethanes (THM's) - that are formed when chlorine comes into contact with organic matter. Many states adopted chloramine use - but not all - once the effect of the THM's on humans and animals became known. An organic way to remove chloramine from water is to use acetic acid (vitamin C). There are chemicals that can also be used to remove chloramine tainted water as it is an absolute no-no for dialysis treatment and fish. Aquarium enthusiasts are concerned about chlorine but they are most definitely fearful of chloramine so they must test for and remove it prior to using municipal water in their aquariums. As a side note, the EPA requires every water provider to produce an annual water quality report and distribute to every one of their customers on July 1 of every year. These are generally available online from the people you pay for your water. A quick search should provide everyone their own copy of their local H2O contents. I will have to dig for some links if they are required to substantiate my statements, but they are true and factual based on my recollection from research.
Well yesterday I got my vegetables and my vegging ladies, today I hit 2 of my flowering ladies with this tea. It was approximately 3/8 cup each of alfalfa, kelp and neem soaked in about 4 or 4 1/4 gallons of water. When this was done I cut it in half (2 gallons of this mixed with 2 gallons of regular water) but I also add in 1 cup (16 oz) of a barley and aloe vera tea that I made to help my plants with the heat. Lets just say I wish I found this tea sooner. My week 5 flowering Northern Lights currently has fan leaves sticking straight up! It is crazy. My tomato plants outside reacted very similarly to this as well not so straight up but they are very happy! This is definitely something I will be using again in the future.