Re: [compost_tea] cedar grove NOT-compost tea

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Sun, 10 Aug 2003 03:06:23 EDT

First of all, it is not compost tea. It' is the leachate coming through the
piles of organic matter. There is no extraction of organisms from the
compost, and no effort to assure that the leachate has beneficial organisms. If the
organic matter has pathogens growing in it, those pathogens could well be in
the brown liquid they sell.

We have tested some of this material, and my understanding is that the people
who had us test it will soon be putting that data on their website.

A year or so ago, we tested the brown liquid they produce on our own dime,
and
the liquid had no organisms in it. Typical of leachates. Therefore, it is
ok to bottle and put in sealed containers. No organisms, why worry?

Maybe there are some nutrients, some humic acids, maybe some enzymes in the
material. Maybe it can benefit plant growth. But if what you buy stinks, you
would want to be very careful about what you put it on. Do not put directly
on your plant surfaces. Adding to soil might be beneficial, because the
organisms in a good soil will consume the anaerobic products long before getting to
the plant.

But if your soil isn't in good shape, then look out. You can harm your roots
with materials that contain alcohols, phenols and organic acids produced
under anaerobic conditions.

I've been poked at about scienficially replicated data to show these results.
 Scientisits don't publish negative data, and when you test something meaning
to do beneficials things and the plants die, you tend not to publish those
data. We've killed quite a few plants with anaerobic tea, but all it did was
make us try to figure out what was going on, not try to publish the data.

And really, Cedar Grove needs to document what the quality of their materials
are. SFI should not have to do that, they should. If they are doing a
fermentative process, then they should say that, and document the lactic acid
bacteria they are putting into the piles.

DOCUMENTATION, that is what is required. The public needs to know.

As always, don't just believe a salesperson. Ask for data. If they don't
have data, don't buy the product.

Do be careful though about plate count data. That doesn't mean anything
except there were dormant spores in the liquid. That isn't going to help your
plants. You need data showing active bacteria, active fungi, and protozoa. OK?

Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
www.soilfoodweb.com
SFI Oregon, USA
SFI Australia
SFI New York
SFI Europe
SFI New Zealand

"Hope is not a feeling. It is not the belief that things will turn out well,
but the conviction that what we are doing makes sense, no matter how things
turn out." -- Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic





Received on Sun Aug 10 2003 - 04:11:24 EDT

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