RE: [compost_tea] fungi activity

From: Paulette Mouchet <geomouchet_at_QNET.COM>
Date: Tue, 13 Jan 2004 14:02:53 -0800

John

I, too, live in the arid West and I know all this about sulfur.

I was thinking about this issue in terms of OTHER folks who feel the need to
adjust soil pH in spite of what WE (not they) know about biology.

The problem is there are lots of organic gardeners who are not enlightened
about the biological approach to soil/plant nutrition. They may never
become enlightened.

If one of these folks tells me they are going to add sulfur to lower their
soil pH, I have three options. First, smile and nod.

Second, go into a long explanation about soil biology and how it works, and
why they don't need sulfur, and why the expensive soil test they just had
done is wrong, and why the lab report is wrong, and why they need AACT, and
what AACT is, and how to make it, etc., etc., etc.

Or third, I can suggest a best time to apply the sulfur that will cause the
least damage to the biology. I prefer this approach. It's a way to gently
open the door to the biological approach without slapping the person in the
face. The person can either decide to learn more or not. (Hopefully, I've
just planted a seed that, will in time, germinate.) In either case, I've
given them the opportunity to make one small change in their cultural
practice (when to apply soil sulfur) that may make a real difference to
their soil biology.

I believe there is a road to travel between chemical gardening and
biological organic gardening. You'll find folks all along this road. Some
will make the journey to the end, others will be content somewhere in the
middle. In real life, I'm rarely talking to people at the biological
organic gardening end. I'm always looking for ways to make their journey
easier.

Paulette


-----Original Message-----
From: John Cowan [mailto:vivax_at_northlink.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2004 7:46 AM
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] fungi activity

Paulette,

Why are you adjusting soil chemistry with sulfur? If you mean pH, this is
misguided (sorry!). I live in the Southwest and have looked into this
closely as sulfur and other sulfur materials are used commonly. As sulfur is
oxidized, intermediate sulfur compounds like sulfides and sulfites are
created. They are very hard on microbes and toxic at just a few ppm. Sulfate
is much less toxic but it seems, according to Elaine, that even commonly
desirable/acceptable levels are too high for some beneficial fungi.

John Cowan

-----Original Message-----
From: Paulette Mouchet [mailto:geomouchet_at_QNET.COM]
Sent: Monday, January 12, 2004 6:00 PM
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: [compost_tea] fungi activity


I know that most soil critters are fairly inactive in the winter. However,
fungi are active and play an important role in moving nutrients into plants
during the cold months.

At what temperature range are fungi most active? What temps are they least
active?

Where I'm going with this is, if you have to apply soil sulfur to adjust
your soil chemistry, when is a better time to do it biology-wise? I'm
thinking the heat of summer because fungi, which would be most affected by
the sulfur, are probably least active when it's really hot; and during the
summer other soil organisms are active and can take up some of the slack if
some fungi are killed by the sulfur.

Comments?

Paulette






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Received on Tue Jan 13 2004 - 19:02:58 EST

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