Relating to the Fulvic powdered acid I posted above from amazon…
So the 1/4 tsp to 1 gallon will make approximately 300-400 gallons if my math is correct based on about 45 Tablespoons (15 grams per Tbsp) and 1/4 teaspoon is 2 grams
45x15=675 grams divided by 2=335 gallons
I took an average using flour and sugar as the Fulvic seems somewhere in between those.
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The Lactobacillus Serum.you spray on you compost pile or spray it on your soil your making and it will do
the rest my friend
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Hi @garrigan62 !
Spent many hours today trying to start learning this new organic stuff, make a game plan, and you really helped to lead me down the path bro! Not that I know anything yet and you find all sorts of opinions on the internet (try googling flush or no flush lol). This old fart still likes to learn new stuff!
It’s like fishing. I was a guru to some folks, but truth be told, the more I did it the more I realized I didn’t know sh@t. I just tried harder and paid attention to the details more than others. The fish do what they want!
So I made a word document of what little I know now and will update it once I have some real world experience. I was fortunate to know a pretty famous rod builder and he did some really crazy and intricate patterns. But his motto was always this “think progress, not perfection”.
Here’s what I have so far…it’s kinda like when I first started a few years ago and you helped me a ton with newbie questions…
It’s a big read but it’s all good to be a part of this community with good folks like you brother!!! Like they say, much love!!!
Garrigan’s AACT Tea (Fungal Dominate)
How To Use
Use tea immediately – it starts to break down once the air stones are removed
Soil/Plants = Should be moist and not dry
When = If outdoors early in the morning or just before sundown (dewy conditions optimal)
Frequency = Once monthly (until 2 weeks before harvest when only water is used)
Brew Components
2-5 gal buckets (1 with a lid)
1-5 gallon paint strainer
Aquarium pump (small pump for up to 10 gallons)
Several feet of tubing
3 Air stones
1 Gang valve
1 Nylon stocking or porous bag
Tea Recipe:
2 pounds organic worm castings (approximately 8 cups)
3.5 tablespoons (50ml) humic acids (used humic/fulvic blend)
2 teaspoons (10ml) yucca extract
4 teaspoons (23g) dry soluble kelp (used kelp meal) or 2 tablespoons of liquid kelp
4-5 teaspoons (20-25ml) fish hydrolysate (NOT EMULSION)
- What I used in blue
Brewing Method
- Put 4 gallons non-chlorinated water in 1-5 gallon bucket (leave headspace for foam)
- Put worm castings in nylon stocking then into water
- Put all other ingredients in water
- Assemble and put in air stones with pump on to oxygenate water
- Brew tea 8 to 24 hours, until lots of foam on top of water
- Warm is preferable but brew at same temperatures as the plant’s soil however possible
- Remove nylon stocking and air stones
- Put painters cloth in unused 5 gallon bucket and pour tea in to strain
Fulvic/Humic Acid Foliar Spray
- Make 1 quart concentrate using 3 tablespoons of powder
- Ratio: Mix 1oz of concentrate to 1 gallon of water (or 3/4 teaspoon for 32oz. spray bottle)
- Frequency: As needed or once every 2 weeks?
- Store: Nothing found about degradation so not a problem?. No UV can’t hurt I reckon.
- Add yucca extract too = 5 grams to 1 gallon (or 1.25 grams for 32oz. spray bottle)
How to Make:
- Get container, fill halfway with rice-wash. Rice wash is the water leftover when you rinse fresh rice. For example, go buy rice, whatever kind, bring it home, put it in a pot with warm water, swirl it a bit and then drain the [now milky colored] water. The water is now a rich source of carbohydrates. In this step, you can substitute rice with another carbohydrate source if you don’t have rice, as long as it is complex (don’t use simple carbohydrates like sugar, honey, syrup, molasses, etc). You can use wheat, barley, kinoa, other carbohydrates as the base to make your carbohydrate wash. This wash will attract microbes from the air, among them lacto bacilli.
- Cover loosely and let stand for a couple days to a week
• When is it done? When you see a light film on top (molds) and it smells a little sour and forms 3 layers. This is indicating the rice wash is infected with various microbes. This happens more quickly in warm temperatures because microbes are more active. Thus it is all relative since we don’t do this in controlled laboratory conditions. - The layers are distinct
• Top layer: floating carbohydrates leftover from fermentation and possibly molds
• Middle layer: Lactic Acid and other bacteria (cheese buffs will recognize this as a makeshift “rennet”). We will use this layer.
• Bottom layer: Starch, byproduct of fermentation - Extract the middle layer using a siphon or turkey baster. This layer contains the highest concentration of lactic acid bacteria and lowest concentration of the unneeded byproducts
- Get a new container, larger than the first. Take the extracted serum from the last step and mix it with 10 parts milk. By saturating with milk (lactose), we dissuade other microbes from proliferating, leaving L. bacilli. E.G. if you have 1cup of the serum, mix it with 10cups milk.
TIP: The best milk to use in unpasteurized natural milk. However, any milk will do, even powdered milk. In our experience, the best is unpasteurized natural but just use what is available. We just want to saturate with lactose to promote L. bacilli bacteria. - You want to keep this stage anaerobic as much as possible. You can use something like rice bran, barley bran, wheat bran, etc sprinkled on top of the milk. I use a sealed container with a one-way valve.
- After about 1 week (temp dependent), you’ll see curds (made of carbohydrate, protein, and fat) on top of the milk. The water below will be yellow colored – this is whey, enriched with lactic acid bacteria from the fermentation of the milk.
NOTE: Microbes like L. bacilli are more active in warmer temperatures. The curds you see are a byproduct of the fermentation process. Fermentation is generally associated with microbial processes under anaerobic(no oxygen) conditions. Now, L. bacilli is a facultative anaerobe, that is it can live and work with or without oxygen, but less competition in anaerobic conditions. - The water below(whey+lacto) is the good stuff. You want to extract this. You can either skim the curds off the top, pour through a strainer, or whatever other methods to accomplish that
NOTE: Remember the curds, or byproduct of milk fermentation by L. bacilli, are great food. They are full of beneficial microbes like L. bacilli. Feed the curds to the soil, compost pile, plants, animals, humans – whoever wants them! They are full of good nutrients/microbes. No waste in natural farming. - To preserve at room temperature, add an equal part sugar/molasses to the serum. So, if you have 1L of serum, add 1kilo sugar or 1L molasses. Otherwise store in fridge to keep.
Example Recipe:
• 1 L rice wash
• 10L Milk
• 10kg sugar
• After rice wash and milk remove curds – around 1L
• = 20 L lactic acid bacteria serum
Recipe for foliar spray or soil drench
LAB Benefits
One of the major workhorse beneficial indigenous micro-organism used in natural farming is lactobacillus. This particular beneficial microorganism is often used in composting for stopping foul odors associated with anaerobic decomposition. Lactic acid bacteria thrive and feed on the ammonia released in the decomposition normally associated with foul odors. So if you need to decompose or ferment wastes and stop foul odors, lactic acid bacteria is the specific bacteria to use. Its application in organic farming is enormous.
Spraying a diluted solution of lactic acid bacteria serum on to the plant and soil helps plant growth and health. As it is applied to the soil or the leaves, these beneficial bacteria aid in the decomposition process, thus allowing more food to be available and assimilated by the plant.
As foliar spray on leaves of plants, it will totally populate the leaf surface and use up the food supply, thereby starving out any pathogens that might also want to populate the leaf surfaces of plants. Its presence protects the plant, allowing the pores on the plant’s leaves to open up larger and stay open longer so the plant can get more nutrients.
Fulvic/Humic Acid Drench (Need to add to composting Super Soil)
¼ teaspoon per gallon water
Sub Cools Soil Recipe
There’s nothing that compares to the flavor of properly grown organic pot: The subtle tastes and aromas created by using only “Mother Earth” are overwhelming to the senses when it’s done properly. As with vegetables, a rich organic soil can bring out the best in cannabis.
Over the past 20 years, I have tried almost every possible way to cultivate our favorite plant. And while hydro is certainly faster and the yields blow soil away, I’ve developed an organic-soil mix that consistently performs extremely well, with very little guesswork involved (i.e., I don’t have to worry about pH or ppms ever).
I spent a few years developing the recipe for this Super Soil mix, and using it in 7-gallon nursery pots, I can run from start to finish adding only plain water. Other than a bit of sweat equity every 90 days or so, using this soil takes a huge amount of the science out of gardening and puts nature back in charge. Also, the recipe is always changing in slight ways as I continue to fine-tune it in my efforts to achieve perfection.
The Base
Start with at least six to eight large bags of high-quality organic soil. This is your base soil—i.e., your regular potting soil without the additives. The selection of your base soil is very important, so don’t cut corners here. I can’t begin to discuss all the different products out there, but I will mention a few in this article. A good organic soil should cost you from $8 to $10 per 30-pound bag. Since I want to give you a very specific idea of what I consider to be a balanced soil, take a look at the ingredients in a product called
Roots Organic:
Lignite, coco fiber, perlite, pumice, compost, peat moss, bone meal, bat guano, kelp meal, greensand, soybean meal, leonardite, k-mag, glacial rock dust, alfalfa meal, oyster shell flour, earthworm castings and mycorrhizae.
Another local product we’re trying out now,
Harvest Moon,
has the following ingredients:
Washed coco fibers, Alaskan peat moss, perlite, yucca, pumice, diatoms, worm castings, feather meal, fishmeal, kelp meal, limestone, gypsum, soybean meal, alfalfa meal, rock dust, yucca meal and mycorrhizae fungi.
So far we’ve found that Roots Organic produces a more floral smell in the finished buds, while Harvest Moon generates larger yields.
If you have access to a good local mix like these, then I highly recommend starting with a product of this type. We’ve also had decent results using commercial brands, but never “as is.” The best results we’ve had to date using a well-known commercial soil has been with Fox Farms’ Ocean Forest soil combined in a 2-to-1 ratio with Light Warrior. Used on its own, Ocean Forest is known for burning plants and having the wrong ratio of nutrients, but when cut with Light Warrior, it makes a pretty good base-soil mix.
You can also just use two bales of Sunshine Mix #4, but this would be my last choice, since plants grown in this mix may not respond well to my “just add water” method of growing.
After choosing your base soil, the Super Soil concentrate is placed in the bottom one-third to one-half of the container and blended with the base soil. (With strains that require high levels of nutrients, we’ll go so far as to fill ¾ of the container with Super Soil, but this is necessary only with a small percentage of strains.) This allows the plants to grow into the concentrated Super Soil layer, which means that in the right size container, they’ll need nothing but water throughout their full cycle. One of the things I like best about this soil mix is that I can drop off plants with patients, and all they have to do is water them when the soil dries out.
Stir It Up
There are several ways to mix these ingredients well. You can sweep up a patio or garage and work there on a tarp, or you can use a plastic wading pool for kids. (These cost about 10 bucks apiece and work really well for a few seasons.) Some growers have been known to rent a cement mixer to cut down on the physical labor. Whatever method you use, all that matters in the end is that you get the ingredients mixed properly.
This can be a lot of work, so be careful not to pull a muscle if you’re not used to strenuous activity. On the other hand, the physical effort involved is good for mind and body, and working with soil has kept me in pretty good shape. But if you have physical limitations, you can simply have someone mix it up for you while you supervise. As far as the proper steps go: Pour a few bags of base soil into your mixing container first, making a mound. Then pour the powdered nutrients in a circle around the mound and cover everything with another bag of base soil. In goes the bat poop and then more base soil. I continue this process of layering soil and additives until everything has been added to the pile.
Now I put on my muck boots, which help me kick the soil around and get it mixed up well using my larger and stronger leg muscles instead of my arms. The rest is simple; as my skipper used to say, “Put your back into it.” This is hard work that I obsess over, even breaking up all the soil clods by hand. I work on the pile for at least 15 minutes, turning the soil over and over until it’s thoroughly mixed.
Then I store my Super Soil in large garbage cans. (And before using any of it, I pour the entire load out and mix it well once more.) Once it’s placed in the cans, I water it slightly—adding three gallons of water to each large garbage can’s worth. Though it makes stirring the soil harder, adding water will activate the mycorrhizae and help all the powders dissolve.
Before Planting
So we’ve added the water, and now we let it cook in the sunshine—30 days is best for this concentrate. Do not put seeds or clones directly into this Super Soil mix or they will burn. This is an advanced recipe to be used in conjunction with base soil. First you place a layer of Super Soil at the bottom of each finishing container; then you layer a bed of base soil on top of the Super Soil concentrate; and then you transplant your fully rooted, established clones into the bed of base soil. As the plants grow, they’ll slowly push their roots through the base soil and into the Super Soil, drawing up all the nutrients they need for a full life cycle. The Super Soil can be also be used to top-dress plants that take longer to mature. I’ll use this mix for a full year.
Buds grown with this method finish with a fade and a smoother, fruitier flavor. The plants aren’t green at harvest time, but rather purple, red, orange, even black—plus the resin content is heavier, and the terpenes always seem more pungent. This method is now being used by medical growers all over the world, and with amazing results. The feedback I’ve received is really positive, including reports of hydro-like growth and novice growers producing buds of the same high quality as lifelong cultivators. So give it a try! You won’t be disappointed.
The Mix
Here are the amounts we’ve found will produce the best-tasting buds and strongest medicines:
8 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
25 to 50 lbs of organic worm castings
5 lbs steamed bone meal
5 lbs Bloom bat guano
5 lbs blood meal
3 lbs rock phosphate
¾ cup Epson salts
½ cup sweet lime (dolomite)
½ cup azomite (trace elements)
2 tbsp powdered humic acid
This is the same basic recipe I’ve been using for the past 15 years. The hardest ingredient to acquire are the worm castings (especially since many people don’t even know what they are. FYI: worm poop). But don’t decide to just skip them: Be resourceful. After all, worms comprise up to ¾ of the living organisms found underground, and they’re crucial to holding our planet together. Also, don’t waste money on a “soil conditioner” with worm castings; source out some local pure worm poop with no added mulch.
Subcool is the author of Dank: The Quest for the Very Best Marijuana, available at dankgearonline.com 3.
THIS ARTICLE WAS FEATURED IN THE MARCH 2009 ISSUE OF HIGH TIMES
Now for the break out of this recipe for those that do not need a mix on this massive scale.
Subcool’s soil recipe broken down for the lazy folks
Full Recipe
8 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
25 to 50 lbs of organic worm castings
5 lbs steamed bone meal
5 lbs bloom bat guano
5 lbs blood meal
3 lbs rock phosphate
¾ cup Epson salts
½ cup sweet lime (dolomite)
½ cup azomite (trace elements)
2 tablespoons powdered humic acid
1/2 Recipe
4 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
12.5 to 25 lbs of organic worm castings
2.5lbs steamed bone meal
2.5lbs bloom bat guano
2.5lbs blood meal
1.5lbs rock phosphate
3/8 cup or 6 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoon sweet lime (dolomite)
1/4 cup or 4 tablespoons azomite (trace elements)
1 tablespoon powdered humic acid
1/4 Recipe
2 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
6.25 to 12.5 lbs of organic worm castings
1.25lbs or 20 ounces steamed bone meal
1.25lbs or 20 ounces bloom bat guano
1.25lbs or 20 ounces blood meal
3/4 lbs rock phosphate
3/16 cup or 3 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons sweet lime (dolomite)
1/8 cup or 2 tablespoons azomite (trace elements)
1.5 teaspoons powdered humic acid
1/8 Recipe
1 large bags of a high-quality organic potting soil with coco fiber and mycorrhizae (i.e., your base soil)
3.125 to 6.25 lbs of organic worm castings
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces steamed bone meal
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces bloom bat guano
.625 lbs or 5/8 lbs or 10 ounces blood meal
3/8 lbs or 6 ounces rock phosphate
3/32 cup or 1.5 tablespoons Epsom Salts
1/16 cup or 1 tablespoon sweet lime (dolomite)
1/16 cup or 1 tablespoon azomite (trace elements)
3/4 teaspoon powdered humic acid
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I am totally blown away. You just made my day Sir. I have been doing this for 6 years now here at IL G M and what you just did wright here and now makes every minute that i have posted worth while. As a mater of fact the same thing go’s out to @Skydiver
I have put alot of time as in resea
rch and going to that conference in ANN ARBOR. You two guys are awesome and we are about to step into a whole new world of growing if we haven’t done so already. And you wouldn’t believe the smile on my face wright now lol
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Hi @garrigan62 !!!
I’m sitting here at the puter with big ole grin too bro! I can’t remember when anyone said something that nice about me. It means a lot 
I watched @Hogmaster 's videos from the conference and it looked like an amazing experience. The knowledge was off the charts. I mean Jodrey was there. But what also really amazes me when I watch this stuff and here on the forum is the passion and community love. I had no idea when I threw a couple seeds in the soil (called it dirt back then) 3 years ago it would be so rewarding. @Skydiver you’re awesome too bro! Thank you again and hopefully I can pay it forward somehow.
Rick
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Hey brother, how’s everything going? Good info about amino acids. I saw an article about them last week and now am going back to look for it again. I’m pretty sure I bookmarked it.
I am going to start getting ready for my next grow that I am going to try and run for 5 months. Going to run a long grow. My wife is planning on going to the Philippines for an extended visit in 2020 so I am going to have it into flowering about the time she is leaving. Thinking SSH and and GDP, both mainlined. Gonna try to veg for two months and really get it built up. You really need a long time to grow a good mainline.
Hope you are doing well and the rain hasn’t washed you away this year ! Jerry
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Hey Jerry, I’m hanging in there seems like one medical thing after another … lol
Say that’s awesome, when you find that article on amino please copy and paste it here so we could read it and maybe copy to our files for future reference.
So the wife is heading out , does that mean the mouse will play while the cat is away … lmao as if I don’t know already lol
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Fulvic acid aids absorption, retention and availability of nutrition from foods and supplements, encouraging cell performance. It is something of a wonder, and a gift from nature. Unfortunately, humans haven’t always looked after that gift…
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I loved every word of this … absolutely awesome information
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My soil current compost grow mix that I bought from a local guy … growing my Autos
Oyster Shell Flour - Freshly ground oyster shells are composed of approximately 96% Calcium Carbonate, with the remainder being trace elements, kelp and microbes. Oyster shell flour not only releases calcium and trace element, but is also a liming agent, improves tilth, provides favourable conditions for microbial activity, stimulating enzyme activity and increasing Cationic Exchange Capacity (CEC).
Oyster shell flour is a very special component of our compost blends because the slow release calcium helps to increase the structural integrity of plants, promote new growth and increase resistance to disease by facilitating the movement of heavy macro-molecules around the plant.
Oyster Shell also contains Chitin which is beneficial to the plants immune system when converted into chitosan by an enzyme released from the plant (chitanase).
Bokashi - When used as a soil amendment Bokashi invites a galaxy of beneficial bacteria and fungi that result in increased yields and healthier plants via probiotic effects in the soil. In addition, they hasten the breakdown of amendments and transport them to the plant as part of a symbiotic relationship, and help to ward off nematodes and other invaders, among many other benefits.
BioChar - BioChar is a special type of agricultural charcoal that is high in carbon content. The mechanisms of action are not fully understood, however it is suspected that it works by increasing the amount of sequestered carbon available to the plant. BioChar assists in purifying toxic heavy metals in the water/soil, providing both water retention and aeration, as well as an environment for microbes to inoculate. For this reason, you’ll see greater benefits from BioChar over time, making it an ideal amendment for NoTill conditions.
Malted Barley Grain- Malted Barley Grains are an exceptionally rich source of microbes, with a wide range of bacteria, filamentous fungi and yeasts colonising the area between the husk and the pericarp which produce biologically significant levels of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), a hormone that promotes cell division and is essential for the proper development of plant organs. The grain functions in the mix as a source of growth hormone catalysts, facilitating explosive growth.
Kelp Meal -Kelp Meal is mild source of Nitrogen and Phosphorus and Potassium (1-0.5-3), and is a source of trace minerals, amino acids, plant micro-nutrients and natural plant hormones. These hormones are specifically noted to reduce stress associated with transplant and heat shock, which in turn will allow your plants to grow quicker and transition more smoothly after transplants.
Neem Cake - Neem Cake provides a fantastic source of NPK with values of 4-2-2 respectively. Furthermore there are several molecules in neem cake such as Azadirachtin, Salannin and Nimbin which provide integrated pest management to your garden, acting as an antifeedant for over 200 species of insects.
Epsom Salt - Epsom Salt provides the ‘SuperSoil’ with Magnesium, which is necessary for Calcium uptake; as well as Sulphur which is not only the most important element for flavour, but also plays a vital role in nitrogen fixation (is present in the important nitrogenase enzymes which contain a Fe-Mo-S cluster) and is used as a catalyst. Sulphur is also involved in proper function of the immune system of plants via having ample glutathione to combat oxidation stress.
Dolomite - Lime Dolomite acts to counter the soil pH dropping (caused by microbes) and thus can be thought of as a pH buffer. It also provides another source of both Ca and Mg.
Azomite - Azomite is a trace element source, conditioning agent and also helps plants better absorb nutrients from soil. The rare earth elements present in Azomite enhance nitrogen fixation by Azotobacter species, which bind atmospheric nitrogen and release it as ammonium ions into the soil. Further, the Azomite present in our Super Soil acts to reduce stress caused by drought by enhancing Abscisic acid (ABA) production, in turn minimizing the water lost by a plant in transpiration.
Blood ‘n’ Bone Meal - Blood ‘n’ Bone Meal is high in Calcium, Nitrogen, Phosphorus (8-5-1). It improves soil microbial activity and promotes worm growth and development by providing available organic material. The rich Nitrogen content gives plant the building blocks they need to handle intense growth during both the vegetative and bloom phases.
Humic and Fulvic Acids - Humic and Fulvic acids are organic polymers which coordinate and chelate with macro-molecules/metals, and assist in facilitating uptake. They also act to neutralise soil pH, allowing trace elements to become available to the plant. Through the use of Humic and Fulvic acids you will notice increased gains in plant growth, their general appearance and the flavour and size of the harvest.
Guano - We utilize a special sulfur and silica rich Guano which acts to strengthen the plants stems, stimulate soil microbes, improve soil structure as well as providing a powerful phosphorus source to allow maximum fruit development. Through the use of the extra sulfur we have found flavours are simply unbelievable!
Base and Aeration Mix
Base Mix is composed of two parts
50% an Aeration component (Pumice (55%), Rice Hulls (40%) and Zeolite (5%)).50% Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss as a base.
Peat Moss: Provides unmatched CEC, and has great air-filled porosity and water holding capacity.
Pumice: Pumice makes up the majority of the mix and provides excellent air-filled porosity to keep your soil aerobic.
Rice Hulls: Rice Hulls are a fantastic source of aeration that slowly release Nitrogen and Silica into the soil, ultimately increasing the resilience of your plants. They will break down slowly over time.
Zeolite: Zeolite will slowly release the nutrients and water it stores over time. The open crystalline structure of Zeolite is occupied by cations and water molecules which are able to move into cavities allowing cationic exchange and reversible rehydration.
7 Likes
Biochar…I have read several articles and a book recently on it and essentially I think of it as a sponge that is able to be filled up with nutrients say soaking it in urine (N) and allowing it to absorb the nitrogen and then when mixing in the soil it holds it until it’s needed as one example.
I have started collecting biochar from my fireplace and outside fire pit. If it looks like charcoaled wood and you break it open and if it is charred through and through you have biochar…
A free book through amazon prime.
Hope this helps and HAGD
5 Likes
Wow I’m a first time grower and this resource is amazing and I will definitely be introducing this in my next grow so would you mix these products in with the soil before a grow or something I add to the feed process with this sort of help is so so so helpful for someone like myself 
We should all be feeding our bodies critters as well as we are feeding the soil critters…lol
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Lol I wanted the farmed grasshopper industry to take off. Those things are tasty and nutritious
Lol
they and many things the “developed” countries see as repulsive are eaten around the world everyday…
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Yes … “developed” countries who love conveniences over the basic essentials.
Gotta have me a whole list of chemicals along with my 4 ingredient bread recipe please.
@Skydiver and @DaGoose and @AAA and @Watters
I came up with this tea using Fulvic and Humic acids this will be a must have.
Just copy and paste for going over later cause there really long OK ?
Secrets of Making Compost Tea
Brewing compost tea is easy. We’re going to teach you why making compost tea just makes sense, and how it will help you grow stronger, healthier plants by feeding your soil.
We were introduced to the concept of making compost tea about six years ago. Since then, we’ve talked to many experts, read a lot of books, and experimented with many different compost tea recipes. What we’ve found, is that we’re now able to grow greener lawns, more vibrant flowers, as well as higher quality vegetables…have you ever heard of brix?
In our opinion, making compost tea is a necessity if you want to get the most out of your gardening experiences.
Do you have a question about making compost tea?
If so, submit it using this form.
What is Compost Tea?
When we refer to compost tea we actually mean a product called Actively Aerated Compost Tea or AACT. In order to make sense of this term, we’d first like to tell you what AACT is not.
Actively Aerated Compost Tea is NOT…
Compost leachate - which is the liquid that comes from squeezing wet compost, or running water through compost, and allowing it to leach out. Compost leachate does not generate the massive number of beneficial microbes that are present in properly made AACT.
Compost extract - which is the mixture you get when you allow compost to steep in water for an extended period of time (e.g. 1-3 weeks). This extract will have bred more microbes than compost leachate; however, these microbes are predominantly anaerobic, which is not what you want to add to your garden. We’ll explain more about aerobic and anaerobic conditions below.
Manure tea - which is very similar to compost extract except that you allow a bag of manure, instead of compost, to steep in water for an extended period of time. This extract typically contains harmful pathogens, such as E.coli, because it has been allowed to go through anaerobic conditions. We do not recommend using manure teas in your garden.
Now that you know what AACT is not, we’ll tell you what it is…
Actively Aerated Compost Tea is the liquid product that is created by combining the following:
• high quality compost
• microbial foods (e.g. molasses, seaweed, fish emulsions)
• dechlorinated water
These ingredients are then placed in a container, such as a 5-gallon plastic bucket. An oxygen source (e.g. air pump and air tubes) is then placed into this bucket. Once in place, the air supply is turned on and oxygen is bubbled through the mixture for 12-72 hours (depending on the size of your brewer and desired level of microbial development). When completed, the air supply is removed, and the liquid is applied to your garden. Oftentimes, the liquid will need to be filtered prior to application, especially, if it is going to be applied through a sprayer.
Your GOAL When Making Compost Tea
The goal of brewing compost tea is to physically pull beneficial microbes from compost into a liquid medium. This is one of the main functions of the air bubbles (aside from providing a means of aeration). By agitating the compost, the air bubbles knock the microbes off into the water. Once in the liquid, you want to provide these microbes with the proper foods and conditions (e.g. adequate temperature and oxygen levels) to allow them to grow and reproduce. If you can do this successfully, you will have created an incredible organic compost tea, and it will enhance all of your gardening experiences.
Aerobic vs. Anaerobic
One of the most critical things to consider, when making or buying high quality compost, is whether or not the compost has gone anaerobic (i.e. gone without oxygen) for an extended period of time. The exact same principle applies to making compost tea. You must make sure your compost tea does not go anaerobic. This means that there must always be enough oxygen present in your brewer to meet the needs of your microbes.
Visit our Compost Tea Maker page, to learn more about properly aerating and agitating your compost tea.
Aside from using a quality brewer, an easy way to tell if your brew has gone anaerobic is to smell it at frequent intervals (i.e. every couple hours). Your tea should always have a sweet, earthy odor. If your tea smells sour, or anything resembling vomit, it’s gone anaerobic and needs to be thrown out (not in your garden). The easiest way to ensure your brew doesn’t go anaerobic is to use high quality brewing supplies, and follow a compost tea recipe (see below).
Benefits of Compost Tea
• increased pest resistance
• increased disease resistance
• increased yields in your vegetable garden
• increased frost resistance
• increased blossoms on your flowers
• increased weed resistance
• increased water holding capacity of your soil
• increased breakdown of toxins in your soil
• increased quality and taste of fruits and vegetables
• 100% safe
• 100% natural
Most importantly - compost tea is cheap and you get several of the benefits of applying compost to your garden, without the hassle of moving truckloads of soil around your yard.
Please note - compost tea is by no means a replacement for balancing the minerals in your soil or adding organic matter. If the minerals in your soils are not balanced and you’re lacking adequate organic matter, you will never fully realize the magic of compost tea.
Step by Step Instructions
The process of making compost tea is quite simple. However, we want to make sure you have all the guidance you need, so here are a list of step-by-step instructions in how to make compost tea. We will be using the K.I.S. 5-gallon brewing system. Please write us if you have any questions about your own brewing adventures.
Compost Tea Recipes
When you first start making compost tea, we suggest you follow a specific compost tea recipe. Once you’ve figured out the basics, you can start experimenting with other ingredients.
One of the first things you’ll notice, when looking at various compost tea recipes, is that they typically state whether the recipe will brew a tea that is fungal- or bacterial-dominated, or balanced. More specifically, there are certain compost tea ingredients that will help feed fungi, and others that will help feed bacteria. Depending on where you will be using your compost tea, you’ll want to ensure it contains the appropriate microbes. For instance, if you’re applying your tea to an annual flower garden, you’ll want to ensure your compost tea is bacterial-dominated; whereas, if you’re applying your tea to an established perennial garden including trees, you’ll want to ensure it has more fungi in it.
Update - March 2012
As of right now, we no longer recommend trying to brew one type of tea versus another. Instead, we recommend trying to brew as diverse a tea as possible and letting Nature select what She needs at that given time. The more diverse the set of microbes in your tea, the better chance you’re going to provide your soils with beneficial organisms.
Compost Tea Supplies
Making compost tea is becoming very popular. When we first started brewing, about six years ago, there were only a small handful of companies that were selling compost tea supplies. However, as it is with any growing market, when there is money to be made more companies will pop up to grab their share. Sadly, not all companies create products of equal quality, so here is a little advice before you buy…
1. Not all compost tea brewers are created equal. Some brewers don’t circulate the oxygen completely, which allows small pockets of harmful anaerobic microbes to grow.
2. Not all compost tea pumps are created equal. Some pumps aren’t strong enough to provide enough oxygen to ensure your brew doesn’t go anaerobic. More often than not, these pumps also have a very short life span because they are overworked.
3. Not all compost tea bags are created equal. Some bags are woven too tight and do not allow the larger microbes (e.g. fungi and nematodes) to be pulled into the solution.
The above list isn’t intended to scare you. It’s purpose is to help make you more aware of various things to consider when purchasing compost tea supplies.
To help remove some of the guesswork, and save you some money, we have partnered with one of the most reputable compost tea companies in the market - Keep It Simple. If you’re in the market for a brewer or other tea supplies, please visit our store
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Thank you and the same to you my friend Be safe
Will
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This info is amazing I’m in ore as a long time smoker first timer grower I’m soaking up so meany variations of growing and loving learning about this it seriously is an art form and I’m loving my new hobby thanks to you guys and this sight 
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