Myth-Busters Challenge - Biota Max vs. MycoGrow - Confirmed! - Page 4

vagardener434 · March 2, 2011

Raybo, thanks for taking the time to do this comparison. I like to see product results backed up by a side-by-side comparison to the competition. I'm gonna have to spend some more time reading and understanding all of it. I've never used any of these products, so I'll have to locate a source and go from there.

Bobby

rnewste · March 2, 2011

Bobby,

The myco products are relatively inexpensive ($6.00 each), so it is worth a shot trying it in your growing environment. Certainly, good loam already contains mycos and these additives may not be necessary for many folks. Those of us who grow in soiless mixes however, can benefit from their use.

Raybo

chalstonsc · March 3, 2011

Ami,
Do you still only use the Exel as a foliar spray or are you adding to your preplant dip this year?
Tom

Duh_Vinci · March 6, 2011

Raybo,

Absolutely! I try to keep a good notes on the garden throughout the year. There are few goals in mind:

Patio deck tomatoes and peppers. The deck is 9' high, so overnight it gets tons of air moisture, and extremely hot during the peak afternoon sun. While peppers seem to do fine at this location, no tomato variety has been successful to it's full potential on this deck thus far. I'm hoping this products will aid me with what I need for this location, put less stress one the plants.

The other part is my main garden, there are few spots where the wilt gets to the plants, it is in the soil, I enjoy the early crop, but mid summer, plants collapse in those spots. High hopes for the millions of those "good guys" to invade the roots and the soil and allow the plants to tolerate the wilts longer, placing my hopes on Biotamax and their Trichoderma content to fight the battle.

I did order Biotamax, Mycogrow and Actinovate this past week, so will see

Regards,
D

amideutch · March 6, 2011

Quote:

Ami,
Do you still only use the Exel as a foliar spray or are you adding to your preplant dip this year?
Tom

Just use it for a foliar. Biota Max, Actinovate and MycoGrow cover all the bases for a preplant dip.
Ami

chalstonsc · March 6, 2011

Ami,
Thanks...another question for you..and/or others: Are the beneficials in these products killed by chlorine/chloramines in municipal water systems, so these products can only be used with rain or well water?

rnewste · March 6, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by chalstonsc

Ami,
Thanks...another question for you..and/or others: Are the beneficials in these products killed by chlorine/chloramines in municipal water systems, so these products can only be used with rain or well water?

I've just installed this RV filter in line with my AWS drip irrigation system yesterday:

It claims to filter out chlorine (chlorimine) from water. Cost is about $18.00 at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-40043-Ta...6929899&sr=8-2

Reviews were pretty good.

Raybo

Wargamer777 · March 6, 2011

Good question.. I was considering starting the dip off in distilled water. What does everyone think?

dokutaaguriin · March 6, 2011

Wally World also has them:
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ndingMethod=rr

Stepheninky · March 6, 2011

Refrigerator/Ice-Maker Water Filters should work well too and only cost 10 -12 bux.
if you are planning to use any kind of fert or nutrient with your system make sure its added after the filter as these and probable the ones for the campers filter water at between 2-5 microns so any ferts would clog them up pretty fast

rnewste · March 6, 2011

Stephen,

I would recommend against trying to use an Ice filter for this application. Reason being that the 1/4" feed line is impossible to adapt to a normal garden hose size. For two years, I tried to get Plumbing stores to figure out how to adapt the Watts Ice filter I had purchased - - to no success!

The RV filters on the other hand, come standard with the proper hose connections.

Raybo

Stepheninky · March 6, 2011

I do not have time to hunt it all down online right now but you can get the adapters, they are in the plumbing and irrigation section of the hardware box stores and are pretty cheap. you might have to go 3/4 to 1/2 then use a second 1/2 to 1/4 adapter. Each adapter costing between .66 and 1.25

So its 3/4 (thats the size of std garden hose) to 1/2 - 1/2 to 1/4 then filter to 1/4 to 1/2 if you are using standard 1/2 inch irrigation line.

I just bought a bunch of fittings last night (not those specifically) for a hydroponics unit - air lift pump drip system I am building from scratch.

Some old sink models and toilet models also use 1/4 inch supply lines as well as I have replaced them doing remodeling work for people in the past.

I just took a look at the one posted and it filters at 100 microns but yes would be easier to use. For complete chlorine removal you need one that is 10 microns or less. Thats why the description for that one says removes some of the chlorine taste (which is pretty misleading )

Filter makers rate filters in “microns.” Microns are a size measurement of the pore size, so the smaller the number, the tighter the filter. CTO stands for “Chlorine, Taste, Odor” and means that the maker is saying only that the filter will remove chlorine and improve taste and odor. The filter might do more, but the maker isn't guaranteeing it. CTO-grade cartridges are usually about 10 microns in pore size. Five-micron filters remove more chemicals but will plug up faster if there is heavy particulate matter in the water. One-micron filters are for drinking water only.

rnewste · March 6, 2011

Stephen,

I would love to find a fitting set to be able to make this Watts filter work in a hose fed line.

This filter cost me $34.00 and after taking it to 3 plumbing stores, no one could configure the fittings to adapt it to the 1/4" inputs. The filter is rated at 20,000 gallons of use, and employs a better carbon filter than what I have just installed, but with no fittings solution at hand, then I am "hosed" as they say.

Raybo

sprtsguy76 · March 7, 2011

Ray have you tried the plumbing store on the other side Hacienda, I forget the name of the place but its on the other side of the RR tracks?

Damon

kevinrs · March 7, 2011

I looked at chloramine removal a while back, one of the important things is time of contact with the activated charcoal, if the water is passing through a filter too quickly, more chloramine passes through. What I'm doing with my seedlings, is I found that a 1000 mg vitamin C would neutralize chloramine in 40 gallons of water(for people concerned with bathing in it) so I cut up some 500 mg tablets into quarters, each quarter should be enough for 5 gallons, and I add one to each gallon jug of water. I let the water jug sit a while open a few days as well.

http://sfwater.org/Files/FAQs/Removal_8_10.pdf is where I found the most info, and what seems to be the most reliable. It mentions flow rates filters are rated for, and also the vitamin C method, and other info, like preparing coffe or tea removes it, and for drinking water you can put a slice of fruit in a pitcher of water for a few days.

March 6, 2011	#55
Stepheninky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 682	Refrigerator/Ice-Maker Water Filters should work well too and only cost 10 -12 bux. if you are planning to use any kind of fert or nutrient with your system make sure its added after the filter as these and probable the ones for the campers filter water at between 2-5 microns so any ferts would clog them up pretty fast __________________ tomatoprojects.blogspot.com

March 6, 2011	#57
Stepheninky Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kentucky Posts: 682	I do not have time to hunt it all down online right now but you can get the adapters, they are in the plumbing and irrigation section of the hardware box stores and are pretty cheap. you might have to go 3/4 to 1/2 then use a second 1/2 to 1/4 adapter. Each adapter costing between .66 and 1.25 So its 3/4 (thats the size of std garden hose) to 1/2 - 1/2 to 1/4 then filter to 1/4 to 1/2 if you are using standard 1/2 inch irrigation line. I just bought a bunch of fittings last night (not those specifically) for a hydroponics unit - air lift pump drip system I am building from scratch. Some old sink models and toilet models also use 1/4 inch supply lines as well as I have replaced them doing remodeling work for people in the past. I just took a look at the one posted and it filters at 100 microns but yes would be easier to use. For complete chlorine removal you need one that is 10 microns or less. Thats why the description for that one says removes some of the chlorine taste (which is pretty misleading ) Filter makers rate filters in “microns.” Microns are a size measurement of the pore size, so the smaller the number, the tighter the filter. CTO stands for “Chlorine, Taste, Odor” and means that the maker is saying only that the filter will remove chlorine and improve taste and odor. The filter might do more, but the maker isn't guaranteeing it. CTO-grade cartridges are usually about 10 microns in pore size. Five-micron filters remove more chemicals but will plug up faster if there is heavy particulate matter in the water. One-micron filters are for drinking water only. __________________ tomatoprojects.blogspot.com

March 2, 2011	#46
vagardener434 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Freeman, Virginia Posts: 90	Raybo, thanks for taking the time to do this comparison. I like to see product results backed up by a side-by-side comparison to the competition. I'm gonna have to spend some more time reading and understanding all of it. I've never used any of these products, so I'll have to locate a source and go from there. Bobby

March 2, 2011	#47
rnewste Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Campbell, CA Posts: 4,064	Bobby, The myco products are relatively inexpensive ($6.00 each), so it is worth a shot trying it in your growing environment. Certainly, good loam already contains mycos and these additives may not be necessary for many folks. Those of us who grow in soiless mixes however, can benefit from their use. Raybo

March 3, 2011	#48
chalstonsc Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: sc Posts: 339	Ami, Do you still only use the Exel as a foliar spray or are you adding to your preplant dip this year? Tom

March 6, 2011	#49
Duh_Vinci Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Locust Grove, VA Posts: 292	Raybo, Absolutely! I try to keep a good notes on the garden throughout the year. There are few goals in mind: Patio deck tomatoes and peppers. The deck is 9' high, so overnight it gets tons of air moisture, and extremely hot during the peak afternoon sun. While peppers seem to do fine at this location, no tomato variety has been successful to it's full potential on this deck thus far. I'm hoping this products will aid me with what I need for this location, put less stress one the plants. The other part is my main garden, there are few spots where the wilt gets to the plants, it is in the soil, I enjoy the early crop, but mid summer, plants collapse in those spots. High hopes for the millions of those "good guys" to invade the roots and the soil and allow the plants to tolerate the wilts longer, placing my hopes on Biotamax and their Trichoderma content to fight the battle. I did order Biotamax, Mycogrow and Actinovate this past week, so will see Regards, D

March 6, 2011	#53
Wargamer777 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Boiling Springs, SC Posts: 60	Good question.. I was considering starting the dip off in distilled water. What does everyone think?

March 6, 2011	#54
dokutaaguriin Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Alberta, Canada Z3a Posts: 905	Wally World also has them: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...ndingMethod=rr

March 7, 2011	#59
sprtsguy76 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: Santa Clara CA Posts: 1,125	Ray have you tried the plumbing store on the other side Hacienda, I forget the name of the place but its on the other side of the RR tracks? Damon

March 7, 2011	#60
kevinrs Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Littlerock, CA Posts: 218	I looked at chloramine removal a while back, one of the important things is time of contact with the activated charcoal, if the water is passing through a filter too quickly, more chloramine passes through. What I'm doing with my seedlings, is I found that a 1000 mg vitamin C would neutralize chloramine in 40 gallons of water(for people concerned with bathing in it) so I cut up some 500 mg tablets into quarters, each quarter should be enough for 5 gallons, and I add one to each gallon jug of water. I let the water jug sit a while open a few days as well. http://sfwater.org/Files/FAQs/Removal_8_10.pdf is where I found the most info, and what seems to be the most reliable. It mentions flow rates filters are rated for, and also the vitamin C method, and other info, like preparing coffe or tea removes it, and for drinking water you can put a slice of fruit in a pitcher of water for a few days.