Great Big Plants was independently tested by BioMatrix Systems in early 2011. As part of their testing process, BioMatix Systems tested Great Big Plants with differing dosage rates and arrived at recommended rates. We have provided this information from BioMatrix Systems to help hydroponics growers when using Great Big Plants.
The following information was obtained through testing Great Big Plants which will be referred to as “GBP” in this document. The test ran for 3 months. The objective was to find dosage rates for GBP in a hydroponics environment. Methods used in testing were Deep Water Culture, Ebb & Flow Tables, and soil-less containers using perlite only and coco chips only. We also tested GBP in several aero garden models.
Summary of dosage testing: We found after extensive testing in the most popular hydroponics systems available today that GBP performed best with the dosage of 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. This amount would be recommended if you are using GBP with a nutrient feeding system.
If using GBP plants alone with water only, the recommended dosage would increase to 2 tablespoons per gallon of water.
After testing all the different dosages we found GBP plants performed best with the above dosage. Increasing the dosage did not have any bad affects on the plants or the solution since GBP is not technically really a fertilizer. It should be noted that GBP does indeed contain plant food properties and can be used as a fertilizer with ALL growing methods including amended soils.
Mixing Instructions: To mix GBP simply measure a gallon of water and add either 1 or 2 tablespoons of GBP to the water. It is recommended that RO filtered water be used or municipal water with low TDS and NO chlorine or chloramines! This is must as these toxic chemicals will kill GBP and render it ineffective!
When mixing GBP with a nutrient system, it is recommended that you mix GBP last after you have added all nutrient parts and amendments and after you have PH’d your nutrient solution to a PH level between 5.2 and 6.2. This range of PH will best accommodate the micro-herd that will be generated by GBP over time.
It is recommended that when using GBP with synthetic chemicals as your nutrient base, that you choose one which is low in salts and contains at least “some” organic parts. High salt concentration formulas will also hinder the effectiveness of GBP. An organic and mineral based nutrient is recommended such as Heavy 16 or Crop Nutrients Shiva as both of these nutrient systems are “bacteria” friendly formulas. It also recommended that you keep your PPM value between 250 and 800 when mixing your nutrient solutions. Anything higher than 800 PPM will hinder the production of bacteria in the solution. It is also noted that higher PPM ratios are not needed as the bacteria will be generating plant nutrition for the plants. A recommended general PPM during a flowering plant cycle is around 500 PPM. This was found to be a great advantage to using GBP with a nutrient system as we found that almost 50% less nutrients was needed or used during testing. This could equate to a 50% savings in cost of nutrient supplies.
If you are mixing GBP plants with just RO water, no PH adjustments are required or needed. GBP will raise the PH solution to around 7.0 to 8.5 which is mostly due to the organic compounds found in GBP. The solution should return to an acceptable range of 5.2 to 6.5 within 72 hours after adding or mixing. If your PH solution does not return to an acceptable range within 72 hours or your plants show stress by twisting or curling of the plant leaves, then it is recommended that you have your source water tested for bacteria and other content like harmful metals. We found that water containing high levels of calcium will cause sporadic PH changes and general PH stability would be compromised or erratic.
If you are using an organic based nutrient system with GBP it is recommended that you change your storage tanks on a 7 to 14 day schedule. This will ensure your solution is always in a state of “balance” and your bacteria population will stay in check. The longer the change out time periods, the more diverse and large the micro-herd will become. If you intend to go longer than 14 days without a change out, then a “Bio-Filter” is recommended that is proportional in size to your total tank capacity when full. This will create a friendly “home” for your diverse micro-herd and allow them to continue to grow and multiply.
If you are using a synthetic nutrient base, it is recommended that you change out your tanks every 14 to 21 days. A good sign that it is time to change out the tanks is when you notice a sudden PH drop, rise, or general instability.
It should be noted that tank “change outs” referenced above in the mixing instructions is defined as draining your tanks that hold your nutrient solutions. Most all hydroponics systems have a central “tank” where nutrient solutions are stored and distributed to the plants either by circulation with water pumps, or sprayed onto the roots of the plants directly with sprayers, or the “flood & drain” scenario where the plant roots are flooded with the nutrient solution at timed intervals. In all systems there is a central tank that contains the nutrient solutions and is aerated by an air pump and air stones. This tank can be either fully or partially drained at the recommended intervals mentioned in the mixing instructions.
Mixing GBP as a Tea (ACT): When using GBP to make an ACT tea which defined is an aerated temp controlled container that is “bubbled” or “brewed” for a certain length of time with an air pump and air stone in most cases (this is what we used for testing), GBP should be added at 2 tablespoon per gallon. It should be bubbled for a minimum of 14 hours and no longer than 72 hours. It is recommended that a pure form of Fulvic Acid be added at the rate of 4 teaspoons per gallon. The Fulvic will help the fungi population stay in check. We found this addition of Fulvic a solution to counter balance the anaerobic conditions that exist in GBP.
After brewing GBP in a tea, the recommended dosage rate is 2 cups per gallon of water.
We found this dosage rate makes a very nice addition to ANY hydroponics environment at ANY growth stage!
In all the test we ran, we found the best results when we let GBP brew for about 18 to 24 hours and was given/mixed at a dosage rate of 2 cups per gallon of water.
General Brewing Times:
12 to 20 hours will give a strong diverse group of bacteria and “some” fungi types.
20 to 72 hours will give more fungi time to spawn and grow as the fungi do not multiply like the bacteria groups but instead grow physically larger. This process takes more time than it does for the bacteria groups to multiply.
Food for Micro-Herd:
The bacteria groups like sugar products and the fungi groups prefer Fulvic acids. Some amendments you can add as food for the micro-herd populations is:
Black Molasses (Un-sulfured only) at 1 tablespoon per gallon.
Ancient Amber (or any brand Fulvic Acid) at 4 teaspoons per gallon.
Humic Acids at 1 teaspoon per gallon.