[compost_tea] Re: Steve Diver on Mycorrhizae - reply

From: chriscreid <reidchris_at_earthlink.net>
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 16:47:02 -0000

Steve Diver said:
>
> Well, I have other web based resources supplemental
> to those listed, so there are other sites worth knowing
> about... but I doubt they make any difference.
>
> To gain understanding of mycorrhiza, you can rely on
> the articles written by Ted St. John, Robert Linderman,
> David Sylvia, Forest Nursery Notes, The Container Tree
> Nursery Manual, Alex Shigo, Craig Elevitch, etc.
>
I discovered David Sylvia's web information recently and find it
very clearly written, even when there are technical terms and
concepts involved. here is a link for anyone who would like a
sample. He is now at Penn State and was previously at U of Florida,
I believe. Will check out the others.

http://dmsylvia.ifas.ufl.edu/mycorrhiza.htm

Steve Diver also said:
> If some people are doing coring and sporing, then
> I'm interested. But it has to be practical. What
> is the benefit and goal to established perennials?
> How does that compare to good quality compost and
> compost teas... foliar feeding.... etc.

My reply to Steve and all:

The mycorrhizal spore inoculation is being done as part of a SFI
recommended regime that also includes a series of compost tea
applications (one a month for three months into this fall), after
doing a comprehensive SFI soil analysis and discovering what soil
biology was present, at what levels, and that the level of
mycorrhizal colonization on these plants was low. The inoculation
technique is the recommendation of the supplier, and I believe it
will be effective because the roots will be directly contacted by
the spore mixture -- it just takes a long time to administer them
this way.

The perennials to which I refer, and about which Steve asked, are
roses. I was brought in mid-season to deal with a large rose garden
that had been overfertilized and no soil tests done for years --
soil at pH 5.1, nutrient levels nearly off the wall but unavailable
to the plants, and roses looking very weak, spindly and unhealthy.

The SFI recommendations do not explain in detail what each
particular part of the program is to do. The overall goal is to
create a healthy soil food web for these plants.

So how does it compare? The short answer is "I don't know yet." I
would add that I don't think that any one approach of those
mentioned by Steve is a single solution -- depending on the plants,
the soil situation and what you're trying to do, you may make
different selections and combinations in managing the care of a
landscape or garden or field.

It was my hope, based on conversations with others who have tested
and applied teas numerous times to lawns, that using teas and
mycorrhizae could speed up the turnover from a conventional high -
cide environment to a healthier soil. Given the condition of the
plants, speed was an issue. Roses lose large numbers of leaves from
black spot, and they need leaves to make food for the winter. No
food, they die in the winter. These roses may well die this winter.



Chris Reid


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Received on Mon Sep 29 2003 - 16:17:06 EDT

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