[compost_tea] Re: Herb and Weed Teas - as mineral supplements to the soil/soil life

From: chriscreid <reidchris_at_earthlink.net>
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2003 23:57:28 -0000

Scott Alexander said: I reckon these could make a very "nutritious"
soil additive once they've fermented (larger text quote below)

Bob Norsen said:
> Scott - why ferment the weeds instead of composting the weeds?
It would seem that an aerobic compost would be faster, ore affective
and reslt in the weed absorbed soil nutrients would be returned vie
compost and compost tea in a safer, faster more effective way.

Chris adds: Is composting faster than a fermented liquid
amendment? Didn't think so.

At the risk of totally frustrating Scott who wants to make fermented
amendments, or at least get his question answered...

Why not harvest the weeds just as they're about to flower for
maximum nutrient content, whack off the roots and either shred and
use as mulch or just use them as mulch as they are (sheet compost)?

There are some weeds that sprout from chunks of stem such that I
wouldn't do this, but others would work. Regardless of what mineral
is in the weed, without even identifying mineral content we DO know
that nutrients taken out of the soil are being put back into the
same soil. Some weeds with very long or strong roots may even be
pulling nutrients from layers in the soil that the crop is not
reaching. Putting back what was taken out in the form of a crop is
what fertilizing does, so by leaving the weed on the land and
allowing it to return to the land, the soil should be at least
partly restored.

Chris Reid

**
Full text of Scott/Bob exchange is below:
--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, Robert Norsen <bnbrew_at_y...>
wrote:
> Scott - why ferment the weeds instead of composting the weeds?
It would seem that an aerobic compost would be faster, ore affective
and reslt in the weed absorbed soil nutrients would be returned vie
compost and compost tea in a safer, faster more effective way.
>
> Scott Alexander <daylily_at_b...> wrote:
>
> Scott asked about plant teas.
> They are plant teas when you take the plant material, put it in a
container, add water, and let ferment. And make no mistake, it is
fermentation.
> The brew usually goes anaerobic while the bacteria are using the
simple sugars from the plant material, but as the simple sugars get
used up, growth rates decline, and oxygen diffuses into the brew
faster than it is used up, and the tea returns to the aerobic
condition.
>
> I (and the group i spoke to) would like to know - If the mixture
was aerated, would the weeds and herbs break
> down more rapidly and be available to use in a much shorter time?
>
> I have heard somewhere (probably at the one-and-only bio-dynamics
workshop I went to many years ago) that the predominant weed is able
to supply the needs of the soil. I took that to mean that the major
minerals, and trace elements could be added back to the soil by
applying these plant teas. Someone in this group probably knows
which weeds have a predominance of which minerals, and which weeds
are telling us something about our soil .
>
> So . . . . when the plant teas are "ready" would they be safe to
add at the beginning of a AACT brew OR would it be best at the end,
just prior to application??? I have lots of huge thistles (supplies
copper, I think), Cobblers Pegs, plantain, and a host of other weeds
and I reckon these could make a very "nutritious" soil additive once
they've fermented.
>
> Scott



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Received on Sun Nov 16 2003 - 19:28:23 EST

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