Feeding plants in fabric pots

24hours is best for bacterial growth. Continue on to 36hours for fungal growth. Also too much molasses will starve the bacteria for oxygen so if you do add some, make sure it’s in small amounts.

3 Likes

Thanks, to @Growit, @Aolelon, @mountainman1, @FNG101v2.

So much useful information, specially about the tea, but I don’t have a place in our apartment to make and use the Vortex brewer… I wish I did.
That’s a great gadget that you built @Aolelon. I will have to find some other solution.
Will save the fish fertiliser for flowering period (when the time comes)…

I know I ask a lot of questions, next year I will know much better what to do…
So please bear with me
Cheers

5 Likes

You can always just put your raw ingredients in cheese cloth or mesh tea bag and put it in your watering can and soak for 24 hours and then pH it and water the plants with it
You can also poor the solution in a spray bottle and use as a foliar feed too.

1 Like

What you are describing above is called Steeping, It has some benefits but the addition of some air will really bring it to life.

2 Likes

I agree I use an air pump and airstones

2 Likes

You dont want to PH it. That will completely destroy any bacterial growth that you just worked hard for. Nothing like sticking some acid into some water to lower your PH only to kill off all the colonies of bacteria. When doing organics, your not feeding your plant. Your feeding the microbes, which feed the plant.

5 Likes

Even most organic ways of PHing your water is going to kill off the bacteria.

2 Likes

Pics are very helpful :scream_cat:
Thanks

1 Like

Thank you all for the info, specially on the worm casting tea.

I decided to start making it, but only in a 5gal. bucket with an aquarium air pump, that I can easily put away when not in use. (This should be a sufficient setup to make tea in 1-2 days?)

I found recipes on the net, but how much do you make at a time for 3 plants?

My store sells organic worm casting in a bag. That’s the stuff right?

Thanks

Fill the bucket and use the rest on any plants around the house that need a pick me up. Dont store it . It must be used asap after the air supply is turned off to be the most effective.

1 Like

Thanks @mountainman1, will do, couldn’t keep/store it anyway.

Nice weekend everyone

If doing a simple tea, you can use 1/2 of EWC per gal of water, about .5tbs unsulfered molasses per gal of water, and you can add some other amendments as well if you have them, I use kelp extract and fish hydrosolate, seaweed extract in small amounts depending on what I’m doing. But just EWC can brew a nice tea full of microbial life that can benefit any soil type.
If you can get a small airstone it would help your tea a lot better while brewing, but if not it should be fine,
Also you can mix your tea in a 5:1 water to tea ratio l, it doesn’t have to be diluted. But some prefer to do it that way as it’s a bit concentrated. So if you were to make 1 gal of tea, it should be able to stretch to all your plants.

3 Likes

Thanks @Aolelon. This is the recipe I found. I’m getting an aquarium pump with 2 stones and 20l plastic pot with a lid.

I hope I can find good molasses in France (not too popular here lol) or a substitute. Natural brown sugar? After all it’s only food for microbs?
What is EWC? Earth Worm Casting?

Otherwise I think I’m all set. Thank you all for your help, greatly appreciated.

2 Likes

Reallly? I have read several articles that say the opposite
Thanks for the info
So how is your plant supposed to uptake the nutrients that were worked into the supersoil?
Many supersoil/organic growers here all pH there water and nutes.

I have always pHed and all my plants turned out great with no off the shelf nutes
Can you help me understand how the roots of the plant uptake whats in the soil if the soil is not in range?
Just trying to understand how that works

If I don’t need to pH that would be great one less step in the process and I always wondered about that
I even pH my foliar feedings too

Your compost tea should have a neutral PH to begin with. Plants have the ability to uptake what they need naturally. And like I was saying, with a living soil, you’re not feeding your plant. You’re feeding the soil. The soil feed the microbes, which then feed the plant. If anything, you would want to PH your water before you brew your tea, but how long you brew the tea for can change the PH ect. Bacteria make the water more alkaline, fungus will make it more acidic.
The pH of compost is typically neutral, with apH hovering around 7.0. Your compost tea, however, may be acidic or alkaline, depending on your water’s pH level. Compost tea is best when brewed at a neutral pH, which facilitates the growth of beneficial bacteria and fungi.
If what you’ve been doing works for you, I wouldn’t worry about changing it.
Just know if you are using a PH up or PH down that they are acid, and it will destroy your micro herd.
@Growit

3 Likes

“Now if you are using the teas as a nutrient mix for the plants kinda pseudo organic or “soup style” growing then go ahead and adjust the PH with what ever you want. What you are doing with type of style is you’re force feeding the plant as opposed to organic where you are feeding the soil and the fungi and microbes are feeding the plant. For the most part if you are using bottled nutes you have killed the fungi in the soil because of the chelating salts used to stabilize these products. Stick you PH pen right in the bottle and your PH will be in the 3’s or 4’s. Now don’t get me wrong I’m not saying one style is better than the other just pointing out the difference.”
Dr. Elaine Ingrham has a bunch of videos on youtube and articles explaining it further in depth. She has done wonders for the organic and microbial community.
Microbeorganics is a good website as well.
@Growit

4 Likes

I could understand if the ph of your tea is really high or really low, or if you’re using it in a different way than living soil, such to actually feed your plants with. But if you’re doing it with a living soil. I havent found anything that convinces me to PH mine yet. Using a good soil should buffer your PH, and the root zone shouldnt have a problem doing it either.

3 Likes

Another great read is Teaming with microbes by Jeff Lowenfells

3 Likes