[compost_tea] Re: PLUM CURCULIO ?

From: dakesian1 <dakesian_at_sbcglobal.net>
Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2004 11:43:23 -0000

Sorry to say Elaine that two years of ACT haven't solved the plum
curculio problem. I use actual compost that has a lot of
fungal "threads" present. I use alot of ACT and other organic
amendments that are friendly to the soil biology. However, the plum
curculio is still present. It might be that they migrate from other
places because I only have a "backyard" sized area. But, who knows,
maybe using more ACT will reduce the populations over the years?

--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, soilfoodweb_at_a... wrote:
> To understand how to alter the outbreak capacity of any insect
pest, you need to look at the pest's life history cycle.
>
> Where in that life cycle could you put in a competitor, or a
consumer, that would effectively keep that pest in balance?
>
> Does curculio have a soil stage? If it does, one part of the
strategy would be to make sure you have fungi in the soil that will
parasitize the larval stages of the curculio.
>
> Make sure you have bactera and fungi in the soil that will consume
the eggs of the curculio as it overwinters in the soil. Or if
curculio is one of those insects that lays eggs on the leaves, when
those leaves fall to the ground in the autumn, get the diversity of
bacteria and fungi on those leaf surfaces. Soil applications of
compost or compost tea are called for.
>
> If you have good, healthy soil, with the microarthropods that
will "taxi-cab" the bacteria and fungi from the soil onto the fallen
leaves (but you have to have a goodly number so the job gets done
fast enough), then you don't have to be out there applying compost
or compost tea. If the biology that spreads the beneficials around
has been killed, then you get to perform the function of the critter
you killed, or you will suffer the consequences of that function not
being performed. Diseases and pests will get out of hand.
>
> So, a disease or pest is just a message from mother nature telling
you that the biology in your soil isn't what it should be. Don't
blame compost or compost tea as "not working" because you don't
instantly get the biology back to balance. Look again at your
soil. You have a chemical residue, most likely, that the added
organisms can't deal with. They need some help.
>
> Oh yeah, and for the folks that keep applying round-up despite the
facts that are coming out about the break-down products from
glyphosate? That's why compost tea "doesn't work so well" in your
situations. Until the herbicide is done away with, you are going to
have to use compost twice a year, or compost tea weekly through the
disease-intensive part of the year. Your choice.
>
> Weed using toxic chemicals, and you will have weeds forever. Weed
by undercutting, or flaming, along with getting the beneficial
biology into the soil, and using a cover crop, establishing normal
nutrient cycles and you will, after a few years, not have weed
problems.
>
> Same with insect pests.
>
> For immediate, you-have-to-deal-with-it-now control of foliar
pests, try an biopesticide such as Beauveria bassiana. Entomophagus
is another fungus that will likely also help. Some of the
entomophagous nematodes like Heterorhabditus can do teh job too.
>
> If you want SFI to help you isolate a fungus that will work in
your specific system, we can do that. Send in a specimen of the
insect which has been attacked by a fungus (it's a white fuzz ball),
and SFI can work on culturing that fungus for you. We'll send you a
plate culture of the fungus, and you add that fungus back into your
compost or compost tea.
>
> Now, please realize that there's an assumption being made here,
that there will be no adverse side effects on other things by
multipying that fungus in this way. Thus it is better to put the
fungal inoculum into the compost, and let normal microbial
interactions have their way before putting it into your garden.
>
> But something like commercially available Beauveria, if Beauveria
actually attack curculio, can be added as spores into the compost
tea. Beauveria will germinate and grow in the compost tea during
the 24 hour brew cycle, IF YOU HAVE FUNGAL FOODS IN THE TEA RECIPE.
When you spray the tea with the actively growing Beauveria onto the
soil, the fungus will colonize the soil, IF YOU HAVE FUNGAL ORGANIC
MATTER IN THE SOIL. Active Beauveria fungi will colonize any
curculio it comes in contact with, and as long as you don't have
something that will kill the fungus in the soil, or on the leaves,
then you should see the adult curculio turning into fuzz-balls.
>
> If you have a fungus-killing factor on your plants, or in the
soil, you won't see this happen. So, do not spray round-up or other
fungal-killing or not-fungal-friendly herbicides or pesticides after
using Beauveria or using compost tea, if you want the tea to work.
Copper sulfate is a serious no-no if you want to keep these
biological control measures functioning in your soil and on your
leaf surfaces. Anything with sulfur in it is a no-no. Sulfur in
most any form except a protein will harm fungi.
>
> OK, if all you have is pathogenic fungi, then have fun with sulfur
compounds. But you will never get out of disease mode until you let
the beneficial fungi grow. And that means leaving the toxics
behind, making your soil a habitat that allows the good guys to live
and grow, remiving the habitat that lets the bad guys have a place
to hang-out.
>
> 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 Sat Jan 03 2004 - 07:09:54 EST

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