Re: nitrogen fixing bacteria / soil tea

From: Steve Diver (steved@NCATARK.UARK.EDU)
Date: Wed Jan 15 2003 - 14:55:50 EST


Thank you, Heide.

Just want to confirm that I now follow where you
are coming from. Sometimes that's what's important.

You mentioned the example of the farmer in from Australia,
as noted by David Menne, who makes a soil tea sortof extract.

And there is "Alaska Humus." I've talked to those people,
and it is really a peat bog type of material. Thus, it is harvested
from the earth and is therefore more like a "soil tea" than a
"compost tea."

So, soil tea it is.

Hey, if I do get emotional..... will you listen?

Steve Diver


Heide Hermary wrote:

> Thanks, Steve
>
> About soil tea vs. compost tea.
> Really we are talking about an aerobic process for multiplying bacteria
> contained in the stuff that's put into the solution, together with some
> biostimulants. What does it matter whether this stuff is compost or
> soil from a healthy organically managed field? Most likely the compost
> made from organic matter obtained from that field would have a very
> similar microbial content. That's why the beneficial effect of applying
> compost tea diminishes as soil become healthier.
>
> I know that there isn't much research on this, but there is the
> experience of at least one highly successful farmer in Australia. And
> then there is "Alaska Humus" - soil or compost?
>
> Of course if you use crappy compost, or crappy soil you don't get good
> results, so really we're looking for a realiable source of a large
> diversity of (desirable) microbes. Simply assuming that healthy soil
> cannot be such a source kind of negates the whole practice of creating
> healthy soil with the help of compost tea.
>
> Just my two cents worth, I don't want to start another huge emotional
> debate.
>
> Heide
>

.



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