RE: [compost_tea] Re: mycorrhizae and companies selling them - all not quiet in Sparkle City

From: Judi Stewart <js_at_olympus.net>
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 08:09:38 -0700

To get the mycorrhizal fungi to the roots of the trees in the orchard,
I've used an 18" auger bit on a cordless drill which worked great and
was fast. I was able to do this by myself. The orchard soil is also
pretty rocky. I ran the holes around the drip line. The number of holes
depended on the trunk diameter. Then I dropped the granular form of
mycorrhizal fungi in the holes by teaspoon and followed by pouring in
tea by bucket or watering can, or watered it in with a garden hose.
There are also longer bits available. I keep going until I run out of
fungi or until the charge wears out. I always dust the roots with MF
whenever I transplant.

Judi



Plugging up the irrigation system is of concern, and the fact that the
spores are not delivered to the roots.

There is an easier way to deliver spores to the roots, if the coring is
too laborious (as I recall, my recommendation for coring was for someone
who wanted to save a few oak trees. Coring is fine for a few oak trees
- depending on what you mean by "a few").

Angle a four foot bar from the drip line at about 30% angle (angle
depends on your plants root distribution as well, so take that into
account please), and rip under the roots of the plants while spraying
the tea just behind the bar as it passes through the soil. The tea
organisms, the spores, and foods get into the soil, presumably getting
the spores to the roots as required.

I know people who have done this and their roots are coming back with
higher colonization. I know people who have done this, and have not had
success in getting the roots colonized. What are the critical factors
in getting this to work? Getting the spores to the roots. You need to
check that in fact that as you under-cut, you are catching some of the
roots. You'll lose some roots. Don't rip off too many.....

The angle on the ripper is critical. Geeting the sprayer to get the tea
down the cut is critical too. Working with a consultant on this might
be a good idea.

Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Hilversum, The Netherlands
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
www.soilfoodweb.com


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Received on Wed Oct 01 2003 - 12:18:50 EDT

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