Message Board - BigPumpkins.com

Wixom MI.

Here are some pictures and meathods of what i think the direction is needed to grow a record tomato !!!

http://bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=295129

8/1/2018 9:14:24 AM

Wixom MI.

http://bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=295128

8/1/2018 9:15:36 AM

Wixom MI.

http://bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=295127

8/1/2018 9:16:21 AM

jsterry

East Tennessee

Anybody care to post their tea recipes

8/1/2018 9:19:29 AM

Wixom MI.

Unfortunately im giving you guys a lot of secrets to kick my but Since i have no way to do this in my wooded garden. I must be crazy ???

8/1/2018 9:21:16 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

good pictures wixom. You dont have to brew tea in the garden and still use tea. Make it in 5 gallon batches and carry it to your plants. I think this is a subject that we should really utilize more.

A good link to begin with is Tad's site:

http://www.gardeningwithmicrobes.com/index.shtml

He used to spend time on BP. Sometimes there was "respect" issues in threads he participated in.

8/1/2018 10:10:55 AM

Wixom MI.

What i need to do is find a small solar panel set up that i can use for 24 hours for an air pump ???

8/1/2018 10:16:08 AM

Wixom MI.

Im not good at researching these things ?

8/1/2018 10:17:05 AM

Wixom MI.

Dan is a very private person as are many top pumpkin growers are. Most pumpkin growers don't have diarys to share their meathods. Lucky that their are enough of them that do. I just have to respect his privacy ! It is what it is !!!

8/1/2018 10:22:09 AM

Wixom MI.

We have to respect his privacy.

8/1/2018 10:23:14 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

I just looked at the power requirements for my 15 lpm pump. It says .43 amp so would need about 50+ watt power panel. Since it need to brew for 24 hours would also need a battery and power converter for night bubbling. That would be for about 5 gallon batches.

Much easier would be to brew where you have power and carry it to the plants.

8/1/2018 10:32:03 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

I mix in a 3 gallon bucket.
I place my materials in cheese cloth ant the it with a piece of twine.
I bought a pump for a fish aquarium and just run the tube in the bucket.
Let it bubble for a couple days.
Doesn’t bubble up like those pictures of Dan’s,but It aerates it enough.

8/1/2018 10:43:06 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

The the cheese cloth with twine.

8/1/2018 10:47:13 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

Damn spell check !
Tie the cheese cloth !

8/1/2018 10:48:00 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

ESheel, I am wondering if you aquarium air pump is large enough. For 3 gallons the recommended air flow for 3 gallons is .24 cfm (.08x3) = 6.8 lpm

the smaller pump would work for a short brew cycle, but as the microorganisms multiply they could eventually start to drop the dissolved oxygen content. At that point you are brewing anaerobic which is bad.

With a 48 hour brew time...i think you might be risking more harm than good.

I don't think we need Dan's recipe. What we need to understand the process of compost tea. I look at the microscope page on the website I posted...might have to save my pennies to get one that can show the pictures like I see. Dissolved oxygen meter is also on my radar to acquire one of these years. My hydro grow could benefit from that too.

The foam you see on some brews is dependent on the ingredients. I know when I add molasses with yucca extract to the mix, it foams really high.

8/1/2018 11:02:09 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

Here is another webpage from Tad12

https://www.kisorganics.com/blogs/news/the-ultimate-compost-tea-guide

I like the picture of the tank on wheels wixom..that is what you need...brew where you have electricity, pull the wagon to your garden and pump it on your plants

8/1/2018 11:32:12 AM

Eastern Shore of VA

I don’t know what that air pump pumps.
I was just trying to avoid having to buy an expensive brewer.

8/1/2018 1:00:16 PM

Grittyville, WA

I am trying to get the ph right and one idea for a quick oxygen boost is to use h2o2. I cant offer any really good advice my tea has way too many issues... Nutrients/ph are simply not balanced.

8/1/2018 4:27:29 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I am somewhat skeptical of that idea Glenomkins...hydrogen peroxide is normally used to kill microbiology. I would say...do not worry about the nutrient levels of your compost tea...you are growing critters to do the little work. The nutrients needed for the plants should already be in the soil. The little critters make them available. I am not sure how ph level affect how a brew develops.

8/1/2018 6:36:07 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I did contact Tad..and he is aware of the this thread. I think as we learn he could be a great resource. The best cooks don't have to follow a recipe..if they know the ingredients.

8/1/2018 6:46:36 PM

Wixom MI.

Thanks bnot for the web pages. My brain is to warn out to think now. I will have to review things later.

8/1/2018 7:22:02 PM

Grittyville, WA

yeah my brain is whats composting around here... Too warm out. Yeah i dont know much about the h2o2. In my experience I dont think it helps grow a bigger healthier plant all it might do is keep the roots from rotting under unhealthy conditions. A bad batch of brew applied heavily might create those kinda conditions. The hydroponics guys use it. Maybe soil usually has enough oxygen. It would be difficult to suffocate roots in most soils so cross h2o2 off the list. (maybe dan uses h2o2 ... dang it... cant cross it off the list!!)

8/1/2018 8:17:08 PM

Wolf3080

Dillonvale, Ohio

I made a mini microbulator, it works better than the aquarium pump style I made. Where the tea/air comes out I did add a short pipe. It helps to keep the tea from splashing out and seemed to work better that way

8/1/2018 9:19:56 PM

Wolf3080

Dillonvale, Ohio

http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=295196
I got all my information from Tad's site, including my recipe. Bought a pump off Amazon, I think I have a little over $50 in it

8/1/2018 9:27:13 PM

Wolf3080

Dillonvale, Ohio

Here's the pump I bought.
https://www.amazon.com/EcoPlus-Commercial-Aquarium-Fountain-Hydroponics/dp/B002JLJC0W?keywords=ecoplus+793&qid=1533173120&sr=8-1&ref=mp_s_a_1_1

8/1/2018 9:28:19 PM

Moby Mike Pumpkins

Wisconsin

Im not against compost tea in anyway, I think its great. Sorry to say youre gonna need a little more than some tea to grow a wr.

8/2/2018 9:50:05 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

I know what i need more of....time. What do you think mike? What more do you need...I thought ACT was the shortcut.

8/2/2018 10:02:27 PM

Porkchop

Central NY

I’m lovin the wonder brew....

8/2/2018 10:49:41 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

Keeping on the topic of compost tea. I sent an inquiry to Tad about the possibility of isolating the microorganisms and hibernating in a wp solution. Tea bags are a mess. My theory was..add wp organisms and then add liquid food for those organisms and could brew bagless.

This was his response:

Many of the microbes in compost and compost tea can't be effectively cultured or put to sleep in a lab. Therefore the highest diversity and biomass is still from using fresh ingredients. However in cases where that's not possible, then these kits like the Extreme gardening ones are a good option.

I am reading his answer...and i think it should have a few extra words in it...maybe like "currently"

difficult subject to reach the extreme level in...I know I wont have the time to reach the top level in microbiology...maybe some young person will devote a lifetime to it.

8/3/2018 12:42:00 AM

Grittyville, WA

Well I for one am not smart enough to know what mike is refering to... But I do agree that some growers might think a weak tea is going to do more than it will actually do. Some of the recipes online are extremely weak as far as adding nutrients. It would be nice to know what it takes to grow a world record. Patience keen observation good record keeping... If no one will tell you then its just a matter of finding out for yourself. I'm thinking Dan is an amature scientist in how he does things. He probably finds out how to do it by carefully trying to figure it out.

8/3/2018 12:52:03 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

glenomkins...you are missing the point of compost tea...you are not making something to add nutrients...you are growing millions or billions of micro-workers. You want to make as many good workers as you can...and keep the bad ones on the employment line. Nutrient levels is what the workers when set into the open will have to work on.

8/3/2018 12:58:01 AM

Grittyville, WA

Well bnot... There are tons of those guys in the soil already. If all that good fertility took was micro organisms then the whole world would already be very fertile... If the point is to boost soil fertility then... I am going to add more nutrients. Organisms can unlock phosphorous and nitrogen... but not as much as simply dumping on fertilizer. I suspect mike has a big tomato ... he says he thinks tea alone is not enough. I dont know for sure but maybe what he is really saying... Weak tea alone is really not a substitute for fertilizer. I have been going for a more potent tea so it acts as fertilizer... Is this a bad idea? Yeah i guess I'm totally confused.

8/3/2018 3:07:26 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

Well, Glenomkins...how many guys that are there already depends on your soil. If you are trying to grow in something similar to White Sands National Monument, I am thinking that the compost tea will have little effect.
I know that Dan prepared his soil with organics.I would have to go thru the many email exchanges I have had with him to know exactly what. The details were not important to me..the soil approach was important.
One thing that I remember him advocating was forest based organic materials. As I thought about it..it made sense to me. Fungal microbiology can break down more complex material than bacterial microbiology. So forest based om , is going to be more fungal friendly..it is all slower though. So the forest based om is like a slow release fertilizer.
I think there is more than one way to tackle the challenge of growing the next wr. Come on winter..i miss the hum of my hydro and aeroponic setups .

8/3/2018 7:42:40 AM

Wolfpack83

central Nc

Sorry for the basic tea question: so I haven't delved into the brewing of it but for years I've done a quick soak of compost in a bucket of water to drench. Am all I doing is making a weak fertilizer?

8/3/2018 7:45:36 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

wolpack83...without knowing more details, it would be difficult to hypothesis what you are adding. What kind of compost?, Was the compost...ummm, ummm...the word is not coming to me. I will phrase it this way- was the compost prepared in similar method as is used to make "SuperSoil" (secret of the cannabis growers). What is your water source...Ect. I am writing not ask what you exactly doing.
I would think a quick soak of compost in a bucket of water will hurt your grow..but there is so much more potency that you are missing.

No one can give you the answers of how to grow a WR, unless a person is willing to research and study.

8/3/2018 10:05:28 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

oooh, i missed a negative...i would think a quick soak would not

8/3/2018 10:07:30 AM

Wolfpack83

central Nc

bnot just compost from my pile. kitchen scraps, leaves, chicken manure, maybe some horse manure, etc. I have a finished pile that has cooked for a few months and a working pile. I spread it on my garden but occasionally I'll put a shovel or two in a 5 gallon bucket, put some collected rain water in it and let it sit in the sun for an hour or two. I'm assuming I'm only pulling some mobile nutrients out of it and not much else. pretty sure i got it from a mother earth article years ago.

8/3/2018 10:13:22 AM

Grittyville, WA

Good info there bnot. ...Thanks. Wolfpack it may be moderate source of nutrients. I think it depends how often its applied a cheap electrical conductivity meter might allow you to compare what you are applying. Plants like tea a lot the biologicals are good but unless biologicals is the only thing you lacking then having all three factors correct and having the right base material in your soil... it will really work ... For me ph and nutrients are the other two factors other than just the biologicals. I guess 4 factors... My base material (dirt or organics...not even 'soil' necessarily) could be a lot better and deeper.

8/3/2018 11:34:18 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

wolfpack..i am still thinking about how to reply to you. I should be upset with you..giving me another subject to think about. Nah, I should thank you for giving me ideas how to get to the next level.

8/3/2018 7:16:25 PM

Wolfpack83

central Nc

Lol. Definitely don't listen to me to reach that next level. Just trying to soak this all in...

8/3/2018 8:11:16 PM

Marv.

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

I am all for whatever it takes to get a huge tomato but I think the secret is more in how to get a huge megablossom than in how you feed the plant and the tomato. You can do whatever you like but if you don't have the right blossom, forget it. Dan's world record was a conglomerate configuration tomato made up of numerous small tomatoes fused into one. If he did not have that blossom he could have fed the tomato plant caviar and he would not have gotten the tomato he grew. I don't know if I want to spend a lot of time and effort putting together a compost tea system when I can't get a megablossom going. Does anyone think nutrients in the soil determine whether or not you will get the right blossom?

8/3/2018 8:18:27 PM

Sandkin

Arizona

FYI Tad has a podcast on his site covers a variety of things to include in depth discussion about tea brewing and recipes. Kisorganics I believe. He even mentions giant pumpkin growers. Good stuff.

8/3/2018 9:06:20 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

marv..i did not even have to hesitate to answer your question ..yes...nutrient availability and ratios affect formation of the megablossoms. I have killed enough plants to know this...edge of death is the prime spot to be

8/3/2018 10:13:52 PM

Marv.

On top of Brush Mountain, Pa.

bnot, do you think Dan got the blossom he had because of his compost tea? And if you do, when should a grower begin to use it?

8/3/2018 10:21:38 PM

Oak Grove, Mn

Marv, I am just guessing here....I think Dan has very potent soil. It is probably nutrient rich..to almost overdose level. With potent soil...you will get the big megablossoms. Once the tomato is set..and the tomato starts to draw from the roots...what is overdose level earlier can be insufficent to keep the tomato growing at max. The addition of billion workers to break down the OM in the soil to feed the quick growing tomato...has to be an advantage.

I am just guessing...does someone have a better guess?

8/3/2018 10:32:10 PM

Grittyville, WA

Wow...that answers all my questions.
Bnot I might be up for doing the indoor grow... It would be an interesting opportunity to answer questions if there are questions which do not have answers... Maybe part of the winter grow challenge could be to outsource some experiments... to use a collaborative effort amongst willing growers to learn more...? Just wanting to help you because you have been generous with info... I appreciate it!

8/4/2018 1:33:45 AM

Moby Mike Pumpkins

Wisconsin

Knot - "I know what i need more of....time. What do you think mike? What more do you need...I thought ACT was the shortcut."

We could all use more time, although I could settle for motivation. What more do you need? To grow a WR? Heck if I know, I'm just gonna pound water and K and see what happens

8/4/2018 3:27:30 AM

Oak Grove, Mn

Keard, I do not know what is happening to the top and bottom curve of B. You should be a hydro grower...I have to think what to do this winter to pure nutrient the plants. DWC...no lack of water...hmmm...how +K should i go.

8/4/2018 2:58:56 PM