1-2-3 Compost Tea

[Grassman08]

Does any one know, or used the ICT Organics Compost Tea? My question is: the rate says 1 oz. treats 3000 square feet.; Now is that 1 oz. in 1 gallon or 3 gallons? May this be up to the applicator, or does ICT have an recommended rate? Any help on this is greatly appreciated.

[JDUtah]

As with applying most, dare I say, pesticides, the user determines what rate to spray the dilute. If the labels reads it then yes you use 1 oz of the concentarte per 3,000 square feet. You decide how many gallons per 1,000 to spray. We do most foliar apps out here at 1 gallon per 1,000 K. The 123 suggests you spray 3 gallons per thousand. That way you get the spray till drip. Bill might have more to pipe in.

[livingsoils]

If I am correct 1 quart of 123 covers 90,000 square feet. For every 3 gallons of water you should add 1 ounce of product.
When applying you are actually applying .36 ounces of product per 1,000 square feet. I have been applying it this way with no problems.

Mike

[mrkosar]

If I am correct 1 quart of 123 covers 90,000 square feet. For every 3 gallons of water you should add 1 ounce of product.
When applying you are actually applying .36 ounces of product per 1,000 square feet. I have been applying it this way with no problems.

Mike

how long have you been applying it? how often do you spray it? what do you charge and do you have any pics? just curious because i'm trying to figure a way to work it into my programs, but would be interested in someone elses thoughts who has been using it longer.

[treegal1]

I think that the whole point of organics is being lost to the label, tea is not a chemical, even ICT. the whole point is that organics are not an out of the box or jug thing, we need to learn more than the label say-es, in the mean time, thanks Bill for helping the less........ equipped to go organic.

you guys should try his NPP product, its like love in a jug!!!

[Grassman08]

treegal1:
Where can I find info on this NPP product, I am interested in learning more about it. I have only read a few articles on compost tea, so I am pretty green on all the ins and outs of it. From what I read it sounds like a great product, so thats why I am trying it on my own lawn first, If there is a better product out there let's explore the options.

[livingsoils]

treegal: what is the NPP, not much info on it. Do you use it with the 123 compost tea? What kind of results are you seeing?

[livingsoils]

I have been testing it out on my lawn to see if it will work into my program. Where I see the difference is when I did some Spring seeding. I know Spring is not the best time to seed but the seed germinated very quickly and is very healthy. I seeded 2 weeks ago and I can't believe how quickly the seed started to establish. I will have to cut it next week :laugh:(not really but soon).
This would be great product to work in with your fall renovation. You will be a hero to your customers!:weightlifter:

[treegal1]

the NPP is ICT Bills product, we just tried some and love it, it is something that works well after tea, theres a thread about it
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=231259

its an all natural so it will fly with my program. good real compost tea is something that we make our self, but when we started we used "jar tea" like bills, just way more expensive, we wish that we had access to ICT products back then, now we make or buy bulk almost every thing in our arsenal( mostly we DIY) the reduction in bag-ed goods was the real push this last year or 2. the soy has all but slowed to non existence, 2 pallets per year, and we are out of using CMG it did not get the results per $ that we wanted, we still use some, 1 pallet per year just as a spot treatment or start up. after that its hand weed and compost/ tea. we have our own worm farm and we make our own compost to our desired out come, if it had to have a fert label it would be pretty hot stuff. we also use some " soil foods" like molasses and fish oils( DIY FISH OILS) other than that its just simple organics.

[ICT Bill]

The thing to remember is that the water is just a carrier for the beneficials some spray at 2 gallons per 1000 (our suggested minimum) so you would add 1 ounce of #2 and 1 ounce of #3 to 6 gallons of water. some like to use much more water.

The NPP is made from crab shells and is a naturally occuring polymer that holds water and nutrients in the soil. It also has a couple interesting other uses. Some call it a wetting agent and it is used for hot spots in golf and sports turf

When it comes in contact with fungi like pythium, red thread or take all patch it melts it (hydrolyzes it) some folks called yesterday (South Carolina, St. Augustine) and said it stopped take all patch in its tracks, they saw new growth in 3 or 4 days. he said take all patch will turn a very nice lawn into dirt in less than a week. NPP stopped it completely and turned it around right away. This was on several lawns around the area they serve.

You have to keep it aggitated when spraying tho it will sink right to the bottom of the tank when mixed with water. It is as safe as it gets, municipal water systems use a form of it to flocculate drinking water

[treegal1]

and so far we see a really fast burn down of basal butt rot in palms and its like kryptonite for other fungus and bugs!! so far we love the NPP

[Keegan]

what kind of sprayer are you guys using for the 123?

[ICT Bill]

from backpack sprayers to very sophisticated 40 foot rigs, it depends on your budget.

You can spray our compost tea from a $12 ortho dial and spray if you want. We are putting together a very simple rig that you could spray from a mini cooper if you want. It is actually a manifold that we have, it can be mounted on any spray rig

[JDUtah]

Well from a 123 thread, I'm gonna buy some NPP. :)

With a couple lawns mind (big chems fert, we were hired to fix the disease problems through proper cultural practices)...

Anyways, on these lawns I suspect the microbial level is relatively low. They have a larger thatch layer, and a long history of chemical ferts/cides. I have the 123 and am going to give the first app this coming week to start re-introducing the good guys, hopefully breaking down the thatch, and increasing the general health of the soil/lawn.

The NPP sounds good. Not only as a preventative, but sounds like it can be used almost as a treatment. The question is, would you suggest introducing the microbes with the 123 first... then coming back a couple weeks later with the NPP? Or can I do them both at the same time? Or a 123, then later a 123 and NPP? Or something else that I haven't thought of yet?

Sorry for the series of questions. Thanks in advance.

PS, on one of the lawns, I know the Chem Company misdiagnosed the problem as sod webworm and treated with an insecticide, so I assume we are pretty low on the fungicide danger meter. :)

[DeepGreenLawn]

I personally am using a liquid organic fert and am mixing in 123 a long with it. I am still currently working on getting my second sprayer up and running and getting my main sprayer cleaned out. There is not enough time in a day to keep up with all this crap! Hopefully I will be spraying by Mon. Otherwise I may have an angry mob coming after me. What has been cool to see is the grass green up and look great without touching it at all. It makes me realize how little we really have to do to make a healthy lawn. Most of my better thicker healthier lawns are just as thick as everyone else the shade of green is just a little on the lighter side.

Will the 123 help darken them up some? What about my organic ferts? That seems to be what people are looking for. No matter if it is healthy and thick, they just want that dark green color.

[ICT Bill]

Instant compost tea has 0.1% iron and micronutrients up the #$@& it will green up nicely. as green as a 38-8-12 fert? I don't think so

but long term your lawns will not be subjected disease and drought issues

[DeepGreenLawn]

To be honest, the customers that want the green lawn could care less if it is more drought and disease tolerant. They want the green and that they can see tomorrow. Other than that they don't want to hear about it or they just start ignoring me like I'm talking giberish, or is it jiberish?

[NattyLawn]

To be honest, the customers that want the green lawn could care less if it is more drought and disease tolerant. They want the green and that they can see tomorrow. Other than that they don't want to hear about it or they just start ignoring me like I'm talking giberish, or is it jiberish?

If you want organic green up, we got 14% N from soy. It's a powder with a flour like consistency. You fill half your tank with water, then add the soy, then the other half of your water. It's a pain in the butt to mix sometimes and you need agitation. But if you want organic green applied once a month, the microbes eat this product up quick.

[NattyLawn]

I think I want to try some NPP too. With the humid weather, red thread is a little bad this year. I'd like to see it hydrolyze some red thread.

[Keegan]

Will the 123 treat diseases as well? What setting do you recommmend for the hose end sprayer?

[wallzwallz]

I just registered on Bill's site this morning, look forward to trying his products. Bill any advice on running this thru irrigation? Bill is the street address because you use UPS or Fedex? I just have a different mailing address is why I am asking.

[Grassman08]

ICT Bill:
The rates that you were mentioning back on page 1of this thread, is this for 1-2-3 compost Tea, or your NPP product? Just making sure.

[DeepGreenLawn]

you will find the application rates for his product here. This is straight from his website (www.ictorganics.com)

http://www.ictorganics.com/_ccLib/image/pages/PDF2-19.pdf

[Turbozcs2003]

I bought some from Bill a few weeks ago.

Sprayed some down with an Ortho sprayer on Friday and then another application two days later. Got a light rain in between. this was two weeks ago.

Lawn looked good prior to the application since I have been using Nutrients plus for about a year but the 123 Tea has thickened it up.

Neighbor across the street gave me a hand putting my huge AC unit in my Window and commented how nice and thick my lawn was. Got to ween these guys off the Chem lawn and Bubbas scalping service :)

[ICT Bill]

Application rates
Our assumption on these rates is roughly 2 gallons of water (carrier) per 1000 from your spray rig. 3 to 5 gallons of water (carrier) is even better for the Myco Tea and Instant Compost Tea

1-2-3 Tree, Comes in a 1 – gallon bottle, 1 ounce per 2 gallons of water, 256:1, treat at 1 gallon per DBH or per 1 foot of shrub width. Cost $0.29 per DBH at list price. You could use the same treatment rate for caliper inch

1-2-3 Hydro-Seed, Comes in a 1 – gallon bottle, 1 ounce per 3000 square feet, in theory this should inoculate 360,000 square feet, in the field it depends on the application rate of the hydro-seeder and personnel. Cost $0.20 per 1000 square feet at list price. This product can also be used in brewing compost teas if you would like known entities in the mix

1-2-3 Myco-Tea, Is packaged with 3 components just like the ICT product, it is a fungally dominant tea and is made for shrubs, perennials and for bringing up the fungal numbers in soils. Cost $0.67 per 1000 square feet treated at list price

1-2-3 NPP (Natural Plant Protector) Comes in a 1 – gallon bottle, 1 ounce per 2 gallons of water, 256:1 as a maintenance dilution and double the rate for active fungal disease. Cost $0.68 per 1000 square feet treated at list price. This also comes in quarts for $19.95

[ICT Bill]

A quick note on the NPP, this stuff is a naturally occuring polymer and will sink to the bottom of the tank almost immediately. Agitation is almost a must in the tank to keep it suspended

[coyoteman]

Hey Bill, Can you get this stuff in Canada yet? You have not emailed me back so i thought i'd catch you on this thread.

[ICT Bill]

Not yet but we are still working on it The CFIA has sent us another ton of papaerwork that we have to get through, I am hoping next month

[Grassman08]

Ict Bill:
Currently I am using a backpack sprayer, for very small lawns. Now It will take a long time to put 2-5 gallons/ 1000 sq. ft. on a lawn, can I sweeten the tea to make it more efficient in one-two trips across the lawn? Any help will be appreciated.

[treegal1]

yes you can do it that way , just run the sprinklers after!!!or before!!or during!!!

[ICT Bill]

You can double or triple the application rate, it is recommended for new transition lawns

the smell from the fish can get a little heavy though, it works much better when watered in well
The smell is no longer an issue on the latest batch which goes into production next week

[DeepGreenLawn]

Bill, what did you do to get rid of the smell? I have my other fert that I mix with yours and that it was smells so bad. I have cut the rate in half since I have two fertilizers I didn't think it would hurt it too bad. Yours is still at full strength. There is still a smell that is around but not NEAR as bad as it was. The vanilla is pretty pricy, and others have said that laundry detergent would work? What kind and rate? And will that not effect your product or the biology already in the soil? I take it I would want to stay away from any antibacterial soaps.

[ICT Bill]

It is a production thing, we pull the fish oil out before the formulation. It is the fish oil that has most of the smell

One applicator in the North swears by 10 gallons per 1000 of water, I think it would take too long to apply for most

Hey look at this nozzle for spraying, it can put down a lot of water in a short time. http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/Product.asp?PG=1479

Also maybe you should move to a straight Kelp product or a humic acid Kelp product, it has much less smell. I have used the aggrand stuff and it is awful (smell I mean).

[DeepGreenLawn]

The nozzle looks good but how am I suppose to get a 1" diameter thread on a 3/4" hose? Basically like treegal said, an air hose size. I am sorry for my lack of mechanical skills. I tried to be a mechanic on lawn equipment and failed miserabally. That's why I went back and have stuck to lawn care. I can imagine things but get the mechanics involved and I get lost QUICK.

[ToniDavies]

No problem if you have 3/4" male garden hose thread fitting on the end of your hose we can get you an adapter to go from 1" ght to 3/4"ght.

Toni

www.rittenhouse.ca

[ICT Bill]

Thanks Toni, I thought there was an easy answer, I think even DeepGreen can figure that one out

You rittenhouse guys have everything. I'd love to see your garage probably so many toys you can't even get in.

"Hey Toni, do you want some of these whoozits they never sold and we're getting rid of them"

[ToniDavies]

Hey Bill what is a whoozits?
Toni

[ICT Bill]

Just a silly name for a "whatchamacallit" or "widget" a generic name for tools and stuff that must be overflowing your garage

[ToniDavies]

Bill, this will give a look at some of the stuff we have. The bottom photos are of the new warehouse we built. The shelves are all now full.
http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/AboutUs.asp?LID=1208
Toni

[treegal1]

wow thats a picture perfect shop, beutiful!!!! is that an insulated roof???

DGL we use a dramm water wand, its a nice rain pattern. hooked up to a C200.

http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/Product.asp?PG=2062

[ToniDavies]

Treegal, yes it is an insulated roof. The factory is 10,000 square feet and combined warehouse is another 12,000 square feet. We have a full service parts counter and two main offices that take up another 3000 square feet. One for internet staff & marketing and the other for customer service staff and book keeping. We also maintain our product test gardens, water pond and turf areas.
Toni
www.rittenhouse.ca

[DeepGreenLawn]

that is what I had in mind of what you were talking about. I like that idea, I used about 100 gal on a lawn yesterday trying to get that "wetness" that yall say we need and it took me about an hour with the gun that came with my system. The gun I have now is great for weedkillers but sucks for CT. I will definitly have to get one of those. Just the time I have been spending is a killer.

I might have a building like that one day...

[ICT Bill]

Tony I'll bet csome of those are your garage

SWEET, when can I come up and play?? I know after we get our canada exceptance. I'll probably see you this fall Toni

[mrkosar]

It is a production thing, we pull the fish oil out before the formulation. It is the fish oil that has most of the smell

One applicator in the North swears by 10 gallons per 1000 of water, I think it would take too long to apply for most

Hey look at this nozzle for spraying, it can put down a lot of water in a short time. http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/Product.asp?PG=1479

Also maybe you should move to a straight Kelp product or a humic acid Kelp product, it has much less smell. I have used the aggrand stuff and it is awful (smell I mean).

i just had a beer, but am i drunk...does that say freaking $93 for a nozzle????

[mrkosar]

wow thats a picture perfect shop, beutiful!!!! is that an insulated roof???

DGL we use a dramm water wand, its a nice rain pattern. hooked up to a C200.

http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/Product.asp?PG=2062

can those be hooked up to a lesco backpack sprayer?

[DeepGreenLawn]

"i just had a beer, but am i drunk...does that say freaking $93 for a nozzle????"

Yeah, admittedly that was what I thought too,

"can those be hooked up to a lesco backpack sprayer?"

I would think the volume of output on those would drain your tank in about a minute, maybe two

[DeepGreenLawn]

We are putting together a very simple rig that you could spray from a mini cooper if you want. It is actually a manifold that we have, it can be mounted on any spray rig

where you at on this?

[ICT Bill]

We have tried 3 different prototypes and all had a little something that wasn't right, I do believe we have it figured out now, I had a couple parts ship to us on Friday so next week we will play some more

Our machinist that is working on it has been pretty busy, its more of a pet project for him so it has not gotten the attention it needs, we were hoping to be done with it by July 4 and here it is August

It does make sense, no tanks to clean

We are trying to stay away from the expensive Ag/hort dosing pumps, some start at $3000 others start at $300 each and still have an inexpensive but dependable device

[Elden]

Bill, what about the new FastPac sprayers they are advertising on here. Are they compatible w/ your 123 tea's? I love the battery powered back packs. I spent a few years hand pumping them and it's for the birds. Also did you ever figure out the right combination using a hose end sprayer? I remember you saying something about it but I never followed up on it.

[JDUtah]

The thing to remember is that the water is just a carrier for the beneficials some spray at 2 gallons per 1000 (our suggested minimum) so you would add 1 ounce of #2 and 1 ounce of #3 to 6 gallons of water. some like to use much more water.

The NPP is made from crab shells and is a naturally occuring polymer that holds water and nutrients in the soil. It also has a couple interesting other uses. Some call it a wetting agent and it is used for hot spots in golf and sports turf

When it comes in contact with fungi like pythium, red thread or take all patch it melts it (hydrolyzes it) some folks called yesterday (South Carolina, St. Augustine) and said it stopped take all patch in its tracks, they saw new growth in 3 or 4 days. he said take all patch will turn a very nice lawn into dirt in less than a week. NPP stopped it completely and turned it around right away. This was on several lawns around the area they serve.

You have to keep it aggitated when spraying tho it will sink right to the bottom of the tank when mixed with water. It is as safe as it gets, municipal water systems use a form of it to flocculate drinking water

Just had a side thought for the NPP, it is also a carbohydrate and might be an effective treatment for excessive thatch? hmmmm... as Bill would say "what if?" :)