Alright So I want to learn how to blend my own tea's. Not using other people's recipes. I want to make my own. I'm looking for information so I can learn what is needed and how much and what everything does. I would like to know EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS TOPIC! :] :] :]
VeryDisturbed, The first thing you need to address is the role your tea is going to play in your grow. The actively aerated compost teas (AACT's) are geared towards boosting the bacteria/fungi populations in your soil. There are teas that are geared towards getting specific nutrients to the plant. Other teas are botanical in nature and brewed to use as foliar pesticide/miticide/fungicide applications. You can mix and match certain ingredients to target different needs of the plant. There is a highly informative sticky thread at the top of this page that I recommend reading. You don't need to follow any certain recipe, but you will learn what different results will be obtained from the use of certain ingredients. When brewing a tea for a boost in microbes.....the more diverse the ingredients, you create an environment supportive of bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, etc. Along with good compost or EWC, fish hydrolysate, liquid kelp, minerals, carbohydrates are among the best components for a good, diverse tea. It's important to note that AACT's are not going to "fertilize" the plant. There is an insignificant nutrient profile in an AACT, but you can brew a tea geared toward bring specific nutrients to your plant. A somewhat popular "nitrogen" tea can be made with alfalfa meal. These are sometimes called a protozoa bomb. Bubbling alfalfa meal for a couple of days will not only extract key growth ingredients from the alfalfa, but just as importantly, it will boost protozoa populations also. Protozoa play an important role in the uptake of nitrogen. Manure teas are another way to get both minor nutrients and microbes into the soil. You simply place compost or other well cured manure in a bucket and cover with water. Let it steep for 4 days and then strain. Dilute the finished tea with water so as not to burn your plants. Throw the solids on a compost pile or in a worm bin and start the process over again. It's easy to get carried away with the tea thing. If you have a good soil with high grade compost/EWC, you won't need much in the way of an AACT. I've seen growers that are applying teas at every watering and it's (IMO) unnecessary. Again, I suggest reading the sticky thread about teas, and use the search function to further educate yourself. Welcome to GC, chunk
I've been reading that sticky a lot. What I'm looking for is what each particular thing does and what role it play's and what it does when it's mixed with something else. I want a complete breakdown. If I can't find 1. I'm going to make 1 :] All the information you have given and that sticky has given has been GREAT!! I want to create a Veg Formula/Seedling/Flower All sorts of things. I want to break it all down and make the perfect mix for certain strains exed. There is a bunch of info in there about what it all does But I believe there is a lot more to it then I've been reading. I LOVE THIS SITE! Thanks for the info!
Looks like I skipped page 3. There is a link in there that is telling me everything I want. Thank you again!