Re: [compost_tea] Re: PLUM CURCULIO ?

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Sat, 03 Jan 2004 12:06:25 -0500

Please, check your tea to make sure it really is what you think. Does it really have the biology needed?

We are working on a way for you to figure out certain parts of whether your tea is getting where it needs, and doing the job you need.

The microscope for home-owners is just too expensive ($9000). The mobile UV light source would cost about $70,000. Gulp. So, not an option, right? It's cheaper to buy the scope we have at SFI, and pay to hire your own technican.

Back to drawing board.

Then one day, Art Krunzel suggested a different stain that could be used. So we are working on testing that.

This stain would be added to your tea, probably just at the end of a spray. The color of the stain on the leaf surface would tell you if the spray covered the leaf surface adequately. You could see percent coverage. Then, if the organisms were doing their job, the stain would be used as a food resource by the organisms, and the color would disappear.

Doesn't tell you if you have the fungal biomass needed, so that would still need to go to SFI to be determined. But you would know whether the tea covered adequately, and if the organisms were active and growing, or whether they didn't survive transfer to the leaf surface. If the color did not cover at least 70%, you would know ASAP you have a sprayer problem. If the stain didn't disappear, you would know either the tea brewing process wasn't good, or you have a problem with your sprayer.

We are trying to get the testing done on this by the end of January (must make sure the stain is food-grade. That requires some documentation). The stain is not expensive, and you need just a drop in a quart of tea being sprayed. So, something like a teaspoon in your last gallon of tea to be sprayed when using a back-pack. A pint (liter) of stain in your last 100 gallons when doing boom sprays or irrigation or circles.

Cool, huh? Thank Art K. for the idea!

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

 

Yahoo! Groups Links

To visit your group on the web, go to:
 http://groups.yahoo.com/group/compost_tea/

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
 compost_tea-unsubscribe_at_yahoogroups.com

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
 http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/




Received on Sat Jan 03 2004 - 12:32:42 EST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:14:59 EST