Hey experienced kelp tea slingers - A week ago I made up some kelp tea - cup of kelp into a gallon of water, shaken a bunch and left for a week with random shaking sessions every day. It's all amber now as expected. It doesn't smell funny or anything - kinda fruity - not like it's going bad getting stinky - no problems there. You can see some of the kelp "sauce" still sluicing around in the jug and it froths some when you shake it but there's no outgassing, no "pop" when I take the cap off, so no worries in that direction, either. Don't have it in a fridge since it lives in a barn where outside temps have been in the low 50's mostly. 1) Should I strain it before applying? 2) Should I dilute it before applying? If yes, recommended proportions? Like for instance, take half a gallon and mix it with another half gallon of water? 3) Should I expect it to go bad anytime soon? If yes, does it get stinky so I will know? Thanks - I've never dealt with kelp before beyond having some in my mix.
1. If spraying, then yes. If watering with it, absolutely not. Let the dregs act as a little top dress. They will compost into your soil. 2. This depends on how strong you made it. I don't ever dilute mine and use around an eighth to a quarter cup per gallon of water - approximately. I don't measure. I just throw a few fistfuls into a pail of water. 3. No, it won't go bad anytime soon. You can use it for at least the next 3 weeks or so. It's probably better and stronger at the 2nd or 3rd week mark. Do the same thing you're doing with other amendments too, such as alfalfa and neem. Alfalfa is also really nice mixed together with the kelp - just go half and half. The results are great! You can spray with these teas (strained) in veg with fantastic results - come back the next morning and your leaves will be pointing towards the light - straight up oftentimes. Pure health. I've got a handful each of neem and karanja soaking right now and will do both watering and spraying with it. I've got a few gnats so this should take care of them provided I use it several more times a few days apart to break the egg cycle. Get inventive soaking plants and weeds and using this to water with. I love doing this with fresh comfrey, dandelions, yarrow, nettles - etc. Plants growing plants. J
Great info, Jerry and good to hear. Thanks for that. It was one cup into a gallon and I used about half of it watering the other day and filled it back up with more water. I strained it for the watering but put the dregs back into the jug and I guess I throw a handful of ewc and pulverized alfalfa into it for the next feeding, and I'll definitely try it for spray feeding. Thanks!
If you're going to use a cup per gallon I'd definetly cut it by more than half. A better way would be to use a quarter cup per gallon and soak it longer... A cup per gallon is too much. J
Good info, thanks - you're the guru. I had someone else suggest that 1 cup / gallon water proportion in a different thread but I will water it down - guess I'll split my one gallon into two and add another half gallon of water with handfuls of alfalfa and ewc into each. Actually, sorry to go all PH here, when I checked the tea prior to the feeding I gave the other night, the tea was in the mid 5 range so I actually did cut it with more water (collected rain water) and bumped it into the mid 6 range. It's a tough habit to break - I just like being able to reference numbers as I develop a more firm grasp of all this.
This is where it gets really confusing - if you let it soak a few weeks longer the pH of the tea will be down in the 4 range - and the plants will love it...lol
I'm like a kid man, sorry. Why? And why is that? And why is that? Would that be because certain organisms enjoy the slight acidity? The boost in activity there causes a boost with the anaerobic organisms?
Im sorry but Im going to come right out and say it - I dont know the answer. Its times like these that LD would have the answer...*lol* Sorry, I just dont know. j
It's cool. I'll just end up having two more questions once my one is answered anyway On topic though, I did use a kelp "tea" (more like an extract isn't technically?) a few days ago as foliar and diluted slightly more for watering. Picked all my girls back up fast.