Re: [compost_tea] Peat? No!

From: David Loring <dloring3_at_cox.net>
Date: Tue, 4 Nov 2003 07:28:32 -0800

Judy - I'm sure peat is limited in diversity compared to well made composts=
 and Alaska Humus (Nature's own compost). I added products like corn meal =
and fish hydrolysate to peat and several fungi types grew but I doubt it ca=
n compare at all. I used an agar medium that is selective for certain type=
s of fungi. I just wanted to point out that while peat is disease suppress=
ive, which I was told was due to its acidity and aeration properties, it al=
so has numerous organisms associated. As Elaine pointed out Dr. Hoitink se=
arched for Trichoderma in peat deposits among other places. Look up his pa=
tent at http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITO=
FF&p=1&u=/netahtml/search-bool.html&r=5&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=pt=
xt&s1=hoitink&s2=trichoderma&OS=hoitink+AND+trichoderma&RS=hoitink+=
AND+trichoderma

or see Harman's great summary at http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/bcconf/t=
alks/harman.html

Dave Sotillo 50
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Judi Stewart
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Monday, November 03, 2003 8:22 AM
  Subject: RE: [compost_tea] Peat? No!


  So if you put a little peat on some growing media, like AH, could we use =
peat as another material to inoculate

  our composts?

   

  Judi

   

  -----Original Message-----
  From: David Loring [mailto:dloring3_at_cox.net]
  Sent: Monday, November 03, 2003 8:02 AM
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Peat? No!

   

  Jeff - Unless it is sterilized by the packager, and I don't think anyone =
does this, peat is definitely not a sterile product. It probably has less =
diversity than it's composted brothers such as products like Alaska humus t=
hat are sold around the world for potting mixes but if you put a little pea=
t on some growing media it grows lots of fungi, yeasts and bacteria. I fou=
nd at least two strains of Trichoderma, a common decomposer and sometimes b=
eneficial fungus in the peat from my local Home Depot.

   

  Dave Sotillo 50

   

   


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Received on Tue Nov 04 2003 - 12:44:51 EST

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