New to compost tea.... help getting started?

I would like to try making some compost tea. I have a soil tent and dwc tent. Or 2 soil tents as I haven’t finished setting up the dwc kit. Been improving the nursery side. I can get a plastic barrel in any size for $15 here. I’m picking up a 55 gallon tank to hold my reclaimed irrigation water. I have water rights and I have access to unlimited irrigation water unmetered for $10 a month. So any help would be awesome as what I need to do the job as far as equipment. Maybe a recipe if I’m lucky and some is gracious enough to share. Thanks and happy growing.


Waiting for my mother plants to get bigger so I can clone and use these buckets.

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@Ladithief
@organicgrower4m
@hoppiefrog
@budbrother
@mrcrabs

Compost Recipes?

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I just buy compost kits from k.i.s. (keep it simple tea) (Jeff lowenfels) they are the best pre made.kits ever tested super easy too.i use the quick brewer he sells to brew with (12 hr set up) works crazy good

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The compost is super.creepy crawley

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I have a recipe book of teas for various reasons from Black Swallow living soils if required let me know…

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Your up early lol.i had to get up to water the girls ,again…

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We use bu’s brew compost and ad

Unsulfured blackstrap molasses
Kelp
Alfalfa

Feed once when cots fall off again at flip and at ripening. Only ph water all other times. Works great.

You can tweak it anyway that works for u and add and subtract according to the plants stage as a good boost of N in the first brew or K in the flower feed is helpful.

We bubble it in 5 gallon buckets 40 gallons at a time and that feeds our whole grow space. I wouldn’t suggest using it before cots are gone though it is an aggressive tea.

Good luck, I think teas are a huge factor in a great grow.

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I have an 11 day water schedule that is good from seedling to harvest if interested… 3 different teas over the 11 days… super easy and super good… you can’t under feed you can’t over feed… but we run crop cover and then ad straw and compost right in the pot as the clover holds nitrogen so that in veg veg then drop straw a week or two before flower to stop the N2 and start making carbon for flower stage…

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I would definitely like to have your watering schedule. That would super cool of you to offer that up for me. I have been using only dakine420 nutrients. a little foliar microzome feeding and on small plants I have been using roots organic

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Here’s a simple recipe I use @tdubwilly

  • 2 cups good, aerobic, nice-smelling, fully finished organic compost(black soilder fly compost) any compost should do
  • 1 Tablespoon unsulfured blackstrap molasses
  • 1 Tablespoon of liquid kelp( when available or powdered)
  • 1 teaspoon organic liquid fish fertilizer

For vegg for flowering I’d change the compost to a more fungal dominant compost :+1:

Bubble in 5 gal bucket for 24-36hrs and let your plants enjoy

I’ve also used some tea recipes from the rev, TLO. With great results

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Once again this is my mix for 410/yd… and how to water with only teas and some foliars… compare with what they offer for 400/yd…

Base soil mix:

1:1:1: CSPM (Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss) : Pumice/Lava rock : Compost - Malibus B/U is an excellent choice if it is available in your area.

Amended per cuF with:

1/2 - 1 cup Neem or Karanja
1/2 - 1 cup Kelp
1/2 - 1 cup Crab/Crustacean meal
1 cup MBP (Malted Barley Powder)

1/2 cup Gypsum (nice sulphur source)
4-6 cups Basalt
6-8 cups Biochar

Small handful of worms per container In beds, lets say 4x8 for example, something like a handful per 2x2 area is more than plenty. I’ve seen quite a number of instances where a very large number of worms are started with and while there is nothing wrong with that I feel it not only detracts from the purpose but is wholly unnecessary as worms will regulate their population in containers so you risk simply a huge waste of money and worms right out the gate. IMO it is better to start with a small amount and allow your mini ecosystem to develop ‘naturally’ and soil life will find it’s own balance that is most appropriate for any given size body of soil - make sense?

Keep in mind, if you build a soil that at least somewhat resembles the recipe above, the addition of worms (or not) at the beginning will not make one iota of difference. It is in the long term where the benefit of a diverse healthy soil life, including worms, that you will see a benefit……and please please do not skimp on the humus portion of your soil mix, as my good friend Coot has said, “get your humus right, and the rest is like a pleasant drive through the countryside.” And I’m sure there’s a number of variations on that quote, some not as savory as others! LMAO!!

Here’s an example of a tried and true watering schedule (because I personally used it for years) to use from day 1 to ensure your plants are being pushed to ‘peak health’ and expressing their full ‘genetic potential.’:

Day 1 Plain water
Day 2 No watering
Day 3 MBP top-dress watered in with Aloe/Fulvic/Silica (agsil or your silica source of choice)
Day 4 No watering
Day 5 Plain water
Day 6 Neem/Kelp tea
Day 7 No watering
Day 8 Plain water
Day 9 No watering
Day 10 Coconut Water
Day 11 No watering

REPEAT - Beginning to end, no changes needed for various stages of growth, simple enough right

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We use the same recipe. I love it and so do the plants. I tweak it just slightly according to their growth stage but I find it works awesome

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