[compost_tea] Soil Drench

From: Shane Gishford <iccs10_at_yahoo.com.au>
Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2003 09:33:51 +1000 (EST)

Hi All just some of my experiences, hope some of you may be able to pick up something from it.
 
I have most of my potato growers applying ACT directly over the set or just under the set as they are planting. We are also adding VAM, Seaweed and Guano in some cases also. We are useing 12 volt electric pumps which are a diaphram type pump to the best of my knowledge and just an open pipe at the point that it goes into the soil so we get away from nozzels and so can have thicker teas which are not strained so the fungi are not strained out.
 
I have started work with a client growing chick peas broad acre and he uses water injection to apply his innoculum for nitrogen nodules so we put tea, molasses, liquid humus and VAM with that. Again open pipe to inject it over the seed. This will be tested again towards end of crop for soil food web as the pre treatment showed very low levels of microbes.
 
For trees we found a hard pan with a penotrometer at the drip lin of the trees so he made up a tool bar with a narrow ripper leg and a tube down the back so he went through the hard pan and again with an open tube placed ACT, Molasses, Liquid humus, Guano and VAM at the hard pan level. Doc E. Talks about digging trenches and filling with compost for the roots to grow into. It was to big of a job to do 150 Ac that way so we have tried this. I am due to go back and see how its going but he has not had much rain at this stage like the rest of OZ. He had a shower of rain and also sprayed ACT, Molasses, and liquid humus under the trees in front of the little bit of rain.
 
If you think about it you will be able to apply the ACT into the soil with your current practices and once you start to get your Soil Food Web going then you will need less soil tilling but you will still have to to feed the critters and as has been spoken about in other posts balance your soil not only from soil tests but from what the weeds are telling you also.
 
Shane Gishford



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Received on Sat Aug 02 2003 - 21:24:41 EDT

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