Re: [compost_tea] Growing mushrooms with CT

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2003 05:44:06 -0500

Mycorrhizal fungi require roots in order to produce a large amount of biomass. Mycorrhizal fungal spores can germinate in tea, mostly when there is humic acid present in high enough concentration. That is often the cue mycorrhizal fungi need in order to germinate.

But without the root, mycorrhizal fungi will not continue to grow. Any mycorrhizal expert will tell you that.

Mycorrhizal fungi are VERY sensitive to any disturbance, and once they are germinated, agitation will typically destroy them. That's why mycorrhizal spores are added at the end of a tea brew, so they WON'T germinate while they are still in the tea. You want them next to a root before they germinate.

Want data on this? Come to SFI and germinate some VAM spores, and then move them. Broken hyphae everywhere. Shake them in a tea, and you just have dead hyphae. Very sensitive to mixed.

Next point -
Many fungi use molasses just fine. Most bacteria are better at using molasses than fungi, however, if other conditions allow bacterial growth. Quite often, bacteria use molasses so rapidly that oxygen concentration drops, and then the beneficial fungi are out-of-luck. So the bacteria win.

But, add enough concentration of molasses, and the bacteria will be shut down. No growth. Osmotic pressure keeps the bacteria from growing. At high molesses concentration - or high concentration of any sugar - the ONLY organisms growing will be fungi.

Practical observation - what organisms grow in a container of molasses? Or syrup? Or jam? Jelly? Fungi, and only fungi. If you spill water in your jelly, then bacteria will have a grand time, but only after you dilute the sugar, so the osmotic concentration is dropped.

There are a number of textbooks that speak about these interactions - try Webster's book on Introductory Mycology as a good beginning text. I believe Paul Stametz's website would be good place to go looking as well. North Carolina State University has a good biologically based website. Mycorrhizal Applications website explains mycorrhizal factors.

Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Hilversum, The Netherlands
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
www.soilfoodweb.com

 

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Received on Mon Dec 22 2003 - 10:43:51 EST

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