[compost_tea] Re: Re: fungal foods for worms + tea?

From: Kirk Leonard <kirk_at_oregonatural.com>
Date: Mon, 20 Oct 2003 13:04:16 -0700

Sounds to me like good stuff, too, Irene, and a great way of working with a
worm bin. I always get a weird feeling when I see a worm bed covered with
plastic*, but that could just be a problem of mine with plastic. *On the
surface that is, not the bin cover.:)

Much better to cover with an organic fabric. Pieces of cardboard can do
same, best with corrugation opened, few small air holes poked in. Probably
won't last as long as burlap, actually... Which makes me think of another
thing to do with it... why not just mush it into the bin? Worms love fungi
and grow better with, I think. I've seen cardboard used that way, anyway.

Some if not most cocofibers or "coir" can have a significant dose of
chlorines - it's often how they are "sterilized." May not be a problem,
just wanted to note it could be an issue, as can be coir salts, hmm?

The ultimate test of a feedstock's suitability for a worm bin or bed is how
soon and how much the worms get into it. Sounds like they're having a party
with burlap cover, and that it could be a good addition in a mulch or
compost pile when it goes to shreds, too. After Doc E mentioned mildew
yesterday I got a little concerned because I have seen burlap do some
serious mildew-hosting (and the nose knows... ooh, stanky!). The fungi you
describe sound superb. Hey, it's worm-worked!

Fungiperfecti site is like going into a grocery store hungry... nice site,
gonna get some shrooms today for dinner... but the fungal mats seem oriented
to mushrooms - which is wonderful, to be sure. In the context of worm food
and compost tea, how do they map?

I assume they're made of some kind of base fabric and are impregnated (is
that right word?) with spores and shroom food. It'd be nice to have an idea
what the base was and even nicer to know the foods there, and then be able
to apply that to compost tea fungi cultivation, eh? I've heard that fines -
dare I use the word sludge - from compost tea making could be good growing
inocula...?

Kirk L




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Received on Mon Oct 20 2003 - 17:33:49 EDT

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