Re: [compost_tea] Re: Make it Good news1, THANK YOU !!!

From: w.reece speas <wrspeas_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, 11 Dec 2003 14:24:42 -0800 (PST)

Thank you ted , I don't know what i did , I was given a product and told to try it and see what happens ,and i do understand everything you said , i have a hundred yard of plants i wish i could remember their exact name , i will get it , all i can say is these plants haven't had any substatial growth in along time ,and if it is co-incidence ,so be ,they get anoter application in about 2 weeks ,my customer is happy , it works for me , and i know not to tell people it is either a pseticide or fungicide , but that if they start making there soil conditions right , things seem to go the other way , thanks again reece
 Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net> wrote:----- Original Message -----
From: w.reece speas
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 12:24 AM
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] Re: Make it Good news1, THANK YOU !!!


Hi Bob, lol , I dont know for sure where your headed joking or not ,I guess i'm a little nieve,

 
Reese:
 
I'm glad you are having success with ACT. However, unless you have added some kind of input into your tea, the basic properties of tea will not cure any fungal infection. We tried it on grapes and while it prevented fungal outbreak, it did nothing to plants with established fungal infestation. The tea can be applied after treatment and it will inhibit future outbreaks and also contribute to the overall plant health.
 
It is important to remember that AACT is not a pesticide (This includes fungi, insects and harmful plants.) and should not be thought of as such. I am glad and surprised that it worked for you as it did but it may also be that the temperature changed and the environment became less attractive for the fungus.
 
What I am basically saying is that there could be a number of factors outside the tea that could explain the fungal dieback. We have treated for fungus and the tea does work at inhibiting outbreak. When we did get a small outbreak, it was easily handled through conventional means. Now, treating a few plants within many acres is the correct use of pesticide. Sometimes, plants, just like people, break down and become opportunities for disease. AACT gives the plants a better chance to fight off disease but it will not, of and by itself, cure any existing outbreak. At least this has been my experience and it seems to comport with everything that Elaine writes.
 
It would be an unfortunate misconception if AACT were viewed as a pesticide or fertilizer. It is terrible as either. The market is full of fertilizers that work far better as fertilizers (directly feeding the plant) but cannot do any of the things that AACT does. The same is true for pesticides. Remember, with AACT, you are adding microbes to the soil to help establish a healthy soil food web or spreading bacteria/fungi on the leaf surface so that they will "outcompete" pradatory fungi and the predators do not have a chance to become established.
 
The food web is more than just bacteria. It is fungi and nematodes and other critters. Some are predators and functional anaerobes and they are needed in the soil just as much as aerobes. You are working with AACT to establish a soil ecosystem then using it occasionally to make sure the ecosystem continues to work. Eventually, for turf systems, you can apply it as little as once a year or less. The plants will work with the SFW and take care of themselves.
 
As far as business practices, I find it much better to take the conservative approach when making product claims. However, AACT did:
 
For turf:
 
Double root zone in turf (It actually got the roots much further. Four inches when we started to over four feet later. We were claiming eight to ten inches but a construction crew dug down to fix something and found turf roots at the four foot level. I would never state to any customer that I could get his turf roots to extend four feet. I would say we can double or tripple the root growth. This, of course, assumes they have a traditional park root depth of 3 - 4 inches with occasional fibers reaching down to seven - eight inches.)
More than double the root mass
Allow the conversion of thatch into food
Broke up soil by expanding root mass
Correctly balance the soil so the plants can more successfully fight off disease
Allow us to cut back water usage by _at_ 20%
 
For grapes:
 
Inhibit the spread and outbreak of powdery mildew
Increase the sugar content of the grapes.
 
We did not soil soak with AACT so I cannot make any SFW claims. We did get them on a composting program and after the rainy season, they will get the benefits of that.
 
Ted Peterson
Earth-Wise/Spirit of the Earth

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Received on Thu Dec 11 2003 - 23:27:21 EST

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