Down to Earth - Bio-live!

Michi Sama

Member
Bought a box of Bio Live, My question is concerning Autoflowers is in what stage would folks use Bio-live? The box recommends 2-4 Tbsp per gallon of Soil. Wanted to know if I could use this for Flower, the only few threads only mention Veg stage.

Look out for a Homie!
 

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
It is a fertilizer with added mycorrhizae so can be used at any stage of growth. Get away from the bottled nutrient mentality that says to give the plants this for that stage or that for this particular stage of growth. It is much better I found to simply put everything they need into the mix before there are plants growing in it. Then you just water the plants. Along with a fertilizer and fungi all you really need to add is compost either in solid or tea form to keep the microbial party rocking.
 

Michi Sama

Member
It is a fertilizer with added mycorrhizae so can be used at any stage of growth. Get away from the bottled nutrient mentality that says to give the plants this for that stage or that for this particular stage of growth. It is much better I found to simply put everything they need into the mix before there are plants growing in it. Then you just water the plants. Along with a fertilizer and fungi all you really need to add is compost either in solid or tea form to keep the microbial party rocking.

Thanks! using Happy Tree Frog with Bloom City Salmon and Worm Tea along with Bio-Live.
 

Kushash

Well-Known Member
Bought a box of Bio Live, My question is concerning Autoflowers is in what stage would folks use Bio-live? The box recommends 2-4 Tbsp per gallon of Soil. Wanted to know if I could use this for Flower, the only few threads only mention Veg stage.

Look out for a Homie!
It is a fertilizer with added mycorrhizae so can be used at any stage of growth. Get away from the bottled nutrient mentality that says to give the plants this for that stage or that for this particular stage of growth. It is much better I found to simply put everything they need into the mix before there are plants growing in it. Then you just water the plants. Along with a fertilizer and fungi all you really need to add is compost either in solid or tea form to keep the microbial party rocking.
Hi Richard!
Bio Live is great. If I had to have only one item to top dress with during a grow, it would be Bio Live.
I would never use 2-4 TBL per gallon as stated by the OP, I'd use 1 TBL max per gallon of soil and feed every 3 weeks or so and increase if deficiencies started developing.
LOL! Reading other threads recently with soil growers never feeding the soil only the roots with synthetics, I don't even bother trying to tell them the microbes went on strike. :)
 

Michi Sama

Member
Hi Richard!
Bio Live is great. If I had to have only one item to top dress with during a grow, it would be Bio Live.
I would never use 2-4 TBL per gallon as stated by the OP, I'd use 1 TBL max per gallon of soil and feed every 3 weeks or so and increase if deficiencies started developing.
LOL! Reading other threads recently with soil growers never feeding the soil only the roots with synthetics, I don't even bother trying to tell them the microbes went on strike. :)

Good Looks! This is what i was looking for. Yeah, fed it to the plants and they went nuts. I was thinking once every 2 weeks with inbtwn waters of the bloomcity stacks to keep the microbial life kicking.
 

Dirt_McGirrt

Well-Known Member
Just mix it in as though it were a "super soil" mix with a ton of EC. I dunno about top dressing for auto's with this. There's a lot of stuff that takes time to break down. I have great success just using the bio live and letting it cook for a week or two. I useRoots Organic Terp Tea for top dressing. It's nice and powdery.
 

Kushash

Well-Known Member
Good Looks! This is what i was looking for. Yeah, fed it to the plants and they went nuts. I was thinking once every 2 weeks with inbtwn waters of the bloomcity stacks to keep the microbial life kicking.
I should point out I've never grown autos. I forget that they may have different needs.
 

Michi Sama

Member
Just mix it in as though it were a "super soil" mix with a ton of EC. I dunno about top dressing for auto's with this. There's a lot of stuff that takes time to break down. I have great success just using the bio live and letting it cook for a week or two. I useRoots Organic Terp Tea for top dressing. It's nice and powdery.
Eh I'll stay away with Root Organic Produts. I have the terp tea line up and absolute failure for me; doesn't work for me at all and I do not intend on purchasing anything from there line up.

Been using Down to Earth products, but recently purchased the compost/worm tea and the salmon stuff which are both stackable; been having an amazing experience. Had the Bio-Live and using it as Top Dressing. I do not want to make time, currently, to cook things with EC. Although I will do that the next time when i'm able to acquire a tub. Where I am at, it's low profile, so doing with what I got. Noticed the Bio-live has most of the stuff I have in stock, DTE Product wise, and opted to use just that. When the soil depletes I will than try to reamend the soil as you suggested but for now with what I'm working with - Decided to use the Bio-live once every 2 weeks if probable.

Please lmk what you think.
 

Michi Sama

Member
I should point out I've never grown autos. I forget that they may have different needs.
If it wasn't the time constraints or the STATES stance on MJ i would've gone for photos but opted for Autos since I have an abundance of seeds. Been an experience so far, but you should totally try it.
 

Dirt_McGirrt

Well-Known Member
Eh I'll stay away with Root Organic Produts. I have the terp tea line up and absolute failure for me; doesn't work for me at all and I do not intend on purchasing anything from there line up.

Been using Down to Earth products, but recently purchased the compost/worm tea and the salmon stuff which are both stackable; been having an amazing experience. Had the Bio-Live and using it as Top Dressing. I do not want to make time, currently, to cook things with EC. Although I will do that the next time when i'm able to acquire a tub. Where I am at, it's low profile, so doing with what I got. Noticed the Bio-live has most of the stuff I have in stock, DTE Product wise, and opted to use just that. When the soil depletes I will than try to reamend the soil as you suggested but for now with what I'm working with - Decided to use the Bio-live once every 2 weeks if probable.

Please lmk what you think.
Oh I just fill the pots with it and just let it cook for a week or two in that. Then plant. I might agree with you on the bloom terp tea. Seems meh. The grow though has been working well. I make full on molasses tea with it.

The Neem cake from down to earth is pretty banging, too. I've got their fish and kelp liquid and totally agree with results.

Did you see their bio fish mix? I ran that outdoors and it smells rank in the right ways.
 

Michi Sama

Member
Oh I just fill the pots with it and just let it cook for a week or two in that. Then plant. I might agree with you on the bloom terp tea. Seems meh. The grow though has been working well. I make full on molasses tea with it.

The Neem cake from down to earth is pretty banging, too. I've got their fish and kelp liquid and totally agree with results.

Did you see their bio fish mix? I ran that outdoors and it smells rank in the right ways.
Someone put me on to someone growing out of a fish tank where the fishes poop takes care of the Plants food while the fish take care of the roots. It was an interesting display but heard a lot of good things about it. The Down to Earth products are amazing, I kept throwing away all my used dirt because of a lack of place to store it. But this time around I'm going to re-amending it in-between grows and using that. But Currently using Happy Tree Frogs, came from Ocean Forest and the difference is night and day. The less potent soil with Myco has been doing a better job, stronger stem and stulk right in Veg. I made the mistake of mixing all my autoflower seeds to preserve it in a UV jar thingy so it's unfortunate that I don't even know which exact strain Im growing. So I'm just waiting for the plant to tell me when to water and when to feed - Which is why I think Bio-live is an interesting product because it literally has most of the things I would use in Tea Form, especially that Bio-live as beneficial fungi and other myco related stuff. So I'm hoping that I have an exact line up of products i'll be using for now on without making too many modifications.

I heard Fish Shit from Fish Head Farms is another great product, was using Growers Choice Recharge " I think the brand " but it's too expensive. With Bio-live offering similar stuff, it saves money on the 60 dollar bag of Recharge as oppose to a less than 20 dollar 5lb box of Bio-live.
 

Michi Sama

Member
Oh I just fill the pots with it and just let it cook for a week or two in that. Then plant. I might agree with you on the bloom terp tea. Seems meh. The grow though has been working well. I make full on molasses tea with it.

The Neem cake from down to earth is pretty banging, too. I've got their fish and kelp liquid and totally agree with results.

Did you see their bio fish mix? I ran that outdoors and it smells rank in the right ways.
I even heard you can use just Bio-live to create a Compost Tea with added EC and Molasses's.

Only regret was purchasing Sea Bird Guano, but with it's NPK rating and it's lack of expiration, made it a comfortable purchase. Also got Fish Bone Meal I think, which i found is primarily used to re-amend depleted soil but it needs to bake for a month+ in order for it to be viable.
 

Richard Drysift

Well-Known Member
I even heard you can use just Bio-live to create a Compost Tea with added EC and Molasses's.

Only regret was purchasing Sea Bird Guano, but with it's NPK rating and it's lack of expiration, made it a comfortable purchase. Also got Fish Bone Meal I think, which i found is primarily used to re-amend depleted soil but it needs to bake for a month+ in order for it to be viable.
That may be true but a simple ewc aact on the regular is even better. You certainly don’t need to buy bird or bat guano unless another form of fertilizer is inaccessible. Check out Charlie’s compost brand chicken manure. Works same as guano at much less cost. I toss a handful into each final size bloom pot.
Fish bone meal is an excellent form of phosphor; it does takes time to break down and become available to root systems. Consider adding some crushed oyster shell flour in your mix when you recycle it next time; helps buffer ph and great source of calcium once fully decomposed.
 

Michi Sama

Member
That may be true but a simple ewc aact on the regular is even better. You certainly don’t need to buy bird or bat guano unless another form of fertilizer is inaccessible. Check out Charlie’s compost brand chicken manure. Works same as guano at much less cost. I toss a handful into each final size bloom pot.
Fish bone meal is an excellent form of phosphor; it does takes time to break down and become available to root systems. Consider adding some crushed oyster shell flour in your mix when you recycle it next time; helps buffer ph and great source of calcium once fully decomposed.
I got a question. I've heard people saying cooking EWC with various products. Does that mean, mixing the two and letting it set for a specific amount of time?

Need that explained.
 
I got a question. I've heard people saying cooking EWC with various products. Does that mean, mixing the two and letting it set for a specific amount of time?

Need that explained.
When you mix organic material (organic nutrients) into a soil mix and add a little water to moisten it up it will heat up or cook.

I'm guessing yes, that means mixing the products and let the microbes start the process of making them available for the plants to use. This is an exothermic reaction meaning heat is a byproduct hence the term cooking.
 

Michi Sama

Member
When you mix organic material (organic nutrients) into a soil mix and add a little water to moisten it up it will heat up or cook.

I'm guessing yes, that means mixing the products and let the microbes start the process of making them available for the plants to use. This is an exothermic reaction meaning heat is a byproduct hence the term cooking.

So how long is the specified time, does it get better as more time passes orrr?
 

PadawanWarrior

Well-Known Member
When you mix organic material (organic nutrients) into a soil mix and add a little water to moisten it up it will heat up or cook.

I'm guessing yes, that means mixing the products and let the microbes start the process of making them available for the plants to use. This is an exothermic reaction meaning heat is a byproduct hence the term cooking.
Great explanation man. I do the same here sometimes. It's amazing how hot some stuff really gets. I've measured over 100F and it feels warm, almost hot to the touch. I never heard about doing it, but I just decided to try it, and it was crazy interesting. And then I don't add it to the pots until it cools down. A few days or so is all I usually do. But it doesn't matter. The longer it cooks the more readily available it will be, and cooler it will be.
 
Great explanation man. I do the same here sometimes. It's amazing how hot some stuff really gets. I've measured over 100F and it feels warm, almost hot to the touch. I never heard about doing it, but I just decided to try it, and it was crazy interesting. And then I don't add it to the pots until it cools down. A few days or so is all I usually do. But it doesn't matter. The longer it cooks the more readily available it will be, and cooler it will be.
Isn't compost amazing! I started making it years ago and was blown away by how hot it gets. I real enjoy watching the soil improve over time. It's so much fun watching good soil in action!
 
Top