Re: [compost_tea] RE:Compost Rates

From: Perry Clutts <addy_at_dragonbbs.com>
Date: Tue, 18 Nov 2003 10:12:29 -0500

Tim wrote:
Question:
> What difference(s)did you observe between the 2T versus the 10T
application > rate?

Tim,

This "trial" (non replicated) was in first year transition to organic. Or
first year is soft red winter wheat. We had no difference in yield. BUT, we
did not test any other parameters (soil biology, or rain quality). The crop
did not have any (conventional) limiting factors, such as nitrogen as it was
top dressed with manure tea. We did not have compost tea that year to
compare if we could get the same response. Our tea has tested (SFI) at
50-60# of N from predators so figure we could have had adjusted the amount
of tea to create the same response we got with the manure tea and added more
biology at the same time.

We have taken a long term approach to our organic transition that began in
1989. We started with ridge-till which bands all chemicals on 8" in the row
and uses a cultivator to eliminate weeds in the row. That reduces our
chemical application by 75% (8" band in a 30" row) while using a full rate
of chemical. So, I'd imagine our biology increased over time, not just in
the first year of no chemicals. We've also applied compost during some of
this time (last 4 years) and we did not harvest straw or corn stalks to
provide food resources (particulate organic matter, POM) for the biology. I
imagine if we had been using compost tea to help digest all that raw organic
matter things would have improved even faster. We also used cover crops
during this time to help with wintertime erosion... so we could hold on to
what we were improving.

We have seen no difference in yield since our complete withdrawal from
chemicals. Actually, both years have shown higher yields in our
chemical-free fields than the conventional fields. This has likely been due
to timing of herbicides and rain. Both years a post emerge herbicide was
applied just before a dry period. Lack of water makes it very difficult for
the plant to metabolize the chemical, so the plant is concerned about
staying alive and getting rid of the chemical, instead of growing. The
chemical-free plants just sail through the dry period continuing to grow.
Lots of yield potential is implanted in the plant in early stages of its
life, and if the plant is stressed at that time, yields will be lower.

The reason I felt the need to go through all that, is that the difference of
2 and 10 tons could have stimulated more of a response from different
circumstances.. like on played out soil that had heavy chemical use going
directly into chemical.

Perry



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Received on Tue Nov 18 2003 - 11:50:49 EST

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