Re: [compost_tea] Molasses

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2003 02:02:14 EDT

Hi Mike -

We've always tried to go straight for the fungal biomass in strawberry. The
bacteria will take care of themselves, but the molasses is the way to go.
Use the SFI report to tell you how much is needed.

I expect that you will have about nothing in the soil, given the chemical
abuse visited on that soil. So, max bacteria, fungi, protozoa level in the
compost is needed. Both molasses and fungal foods - fish hydrolysate? Humic acid?
 Something else to feed fungi.

But amounts to start with ..... we need the data.

Elaine

> have a situation in Strawberries where we will be using AACT and other
> materials to restore the food web.
> About 50 tonne per ha foul manure (including saw dust) plus super phos and
> other chemical ferts have been used as well as lime and other inputs preplant
> it was then gassed (methyl bromide). Plastic layed and planted.
> Full soil food web analysis has been done and I am waiting for the results.
> I expect the results to come back showing a lack in the fungal biomass as
> well as bacterial.
> We will be using Molasses, humic acid and AACT to restore the web.
> Am I right in saying that the soil must go through succession that is, it
> must first become bacterial dominated before it can then progress to fungal
> dominated?
> Thus using sufficient rates of molasses to cause a large increase in
> Beneficial bacteria and then using humic acid as well as molasses to continue the
> succesion towards fungal dominated (always using AACT as the inoculant) Is
> this the way to go??.
> I note that in the past we have said that Molasses grows bacteria not fungi
> however we now know that Molasses will also grow great fungi in higher
> concentrations. I have seen this in compost will the same thing happen in the
> soil??
> Molasses is a great product to use in drip lines (compared to other organic
> products eg fish) and is reasonably priced hence my interest in it.
> We will test the food web later in the season to see what changes have
> occured so it will be interesting.
> Regards Mike Harvey
> New LIfe Soils <A HREF="http://www.composttea.com.au/">www.composttea.com.au</A>
>


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 Thu Sep 18 2003 - 07:46:34 EDT

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