Homemade Bio-fertilizers Part 1: Sprouted Seed Tea from Blue Corn

​Sprouted Seed Teas (SSTs) are becoming popular as a home-made biofertilizer, especially among cannabis and hemp cultivators. There is a lot of information and videos now circulating on the internet about how to make these teas, but how is one to know which recipe is best, or even correct? In this guide, our experienced growers will walk you through the benefits of SSTs and provide a recipe that has worked wonders for them.

The primary benefit of SSTs is that they can produce natural plant growth hormones. This is yet another way to create rapid growth in your plants without using chemical fertilizers. There are five main types of hormones that influence plant growth:

1) Auxin
2) Gibberellin
3) Cytokinins
4) Ethylene
5) Abscisic Acid

​Today our focus is on using corn to make the plant growth hormone Cytokinin. Organic blue corn is known to be very high in cytokinins, and so we can use it to make a tea rich in this particular natural growth hormone. In future articles, we will discuss how to create other SSTs that contain high concentrations of the other growth hormones.

The Importance of Cytokinins

There are two types of Cytokinins, but the one found in plants is known as adenine-type cytokinins. Adenine is one of the four constituent bases of nucleic acid, biopolymers which are essential to all forms of life. These cytokinins are synthesized at the roots, and are known to promote plant cell division. Adenine is a ring-shaped organic compound found in familiar plant sources, the highest purine content found in string beans, followed by cauliflower and soybeans. This natural compound is also known as Vitamin B4. 

Although this is a natural compound, it is not made inside the plant itself. In fact, microbes that colonize the plant’s roots are the ones that produce cytokinins and make them available to the plant. This is just another way that microbes and plants work together in symbiosis, and why cultivating living soil will lead to larger, healthier plants. 

The most commonly known form of naturally occurring adenine-type cytokinin is called zeatin, which has been isolated from corn. Valuable enzymes are present in the dormant seed, and they are activated only when the seed comes in contact with water. As the temperature begins to increase, the rate of metabolism and enzyme activity also increases. One way to measure this metabolism is by the amount of carbon dioxide given off and oxygen taken up. 

Cytokinins will increase the thickness and overall strength of the side branches, and more substantial branches will produce more significant and more robust cannabis/hemp flowers. Cytokinins are also known as the "Fountain of Youth Hormone." The benefits of cytokinins can be summed up in the following way:
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Cytokinins Presence = More Mitosis
More Mitosis = More Cells
More Cells = More Plant Growth

A Natural and Inexpensive Source of Cytokinins
Organic blue corn seeds produce a wide range of cytokinins on par with coconut water. The growing international market demand for coconut water is pushing the price higher and higher, so this is no longer an affordable source of cytokinins for growing plants. This is why our team at Everflux Technologies continues to research and test newer ways to produce natural plant growth hormones for cultivating cannabis and hemp. By using sprouted corn teas, farmers will get the benefits from the Cytokinins without the expense of having to purchase coconut water. You do not even need to order organic corn seeds online, just head over to an organic grocery store and buy organic popcorn. 
One thing about using blue corn seeds specifically is that we found it easier to emulsify the seeds once the tap roots grow out to one inch or so, which also allowed time to soften the original blue corn seed. Here is a tried and true SST recipe that the living soil community has embraced as one of the best:

Super Sprouted Tea Recipe (Credit: Clackamas Coots)
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• Source 56 Grams Of Organic Barley Seed (2 Ounces)
• Soak for 8 hours with Chlorine and Chloramine Free Water
• Blue Corn Seed weight will become a minimum of 84 Grams

          (If not, soak seeds longer)

• Sprout seeds until the new tail are formed or wait 1-2 days
• Emulsify the seeds in a well-made food blender 
• Mix this with 5 gallons of water, and you created one of the world's most nutritious cannabis/hemp plant Enzyme Teas available for PENNIES on the dollar compared to conventional methods.​

Since blue corn makes a pretty strong tea, we use about half of the amount of seed as compared to other seed teas. Once your seed tea is finished, you can directly apply it to your soil with no further dilution. You should only apply it twice a month, just a few ounces at a time, sprinkled over your soil. A little goes a long way with this stuff.

Next time we will discuss how to make an auxin-rich sprouted seed tea from alfalfa. Used together, these various sprouted seed teas can give the plant all the natural growth hormones and enzymatic activity it will need to produce big, terpene rich buds. Used in conjunction with a good living soil, the results will blow you away.

Another Option for Increasing Soil Enzyme Activity
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Don’t have the time or energy to make your own teas? Or are you overwhelmed by the prospect of making a whole bunch of different teas to provide different growth hormones and enzymes? Everflux makes Bioflux Fermented Plant Boost exactly for people like you. It’s one of the few products you’ll find in a bottle that is truly alive (we’ve tested it and found 11 billion organisms per mL), and it provides plants with a whole array of natural growth hormones and enzymes. Head to the Everflux website and check it out.

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