Re: [compost_tea] fungi activity
----- Original Message -----
From: Paulette Mouchet
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 13, 2004 2:02 PM
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] fungi activity
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.
>> If you PH is off, your plants will not grow. Either too acid or to
>> alkaline and your soil needs to be adjusted.
If one of these folks tells me they are going to add sulfur to lower thei=
r
soil pH, I have three options. First, smile and nod.
>> Why don't you just suggest lime? Sulfuir has too many negatives.
Second, go into a long explanation about soil biology and how it works, a=
nd
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, a=
nd
what AACT is, and how to make it, etc., etc., etc.
>> Be careful here. If a lab reports acidic pH say 3 - 5 and the plants =
appear healthy, you may surmise that the lab may be wrong. However, I have=
never had a lab come back with pH at either extreme where there wasn't a s=
oil problem that was reflected in the plant/soil life. If you get lab resu=
lts, ignore their recommendations because these are based on conventional p=
ractice. I use A & L in Fresno, CA.
>> Becasue of the variabiliey of ACT, they could not recommend it because=
they can't be sure that each and every batch will be the same. Chemicals =
don't have that problems. The numbers in the lab report are important. If=
you don't know how to interpret them, contact someone who does and have th=
em decipher the report for you.
If you ever get a grower to feel that his lab reports are useless, how wi=
ll you ever convice him that yours are not equally useless?
I believe there is a road to travel between chemical gardening and
biological organic gardening.
>> I try to get people off chemicals. If they have a stockpile, I try to=
work my program so that they don't lose their investment. For pesticides,=
I recommend that they minimize use. Use ACT globally and pesticide locall=
y to eradicate any outbreak. I try to get them to quit using pesticides as=
preventatives. However, for outbreaks, pesticides work. Period. ACT is p=
owerless to stop any outbreak.
Remember, there are whole computer programs that analyze weather conditio=
ns and soil properties assicated with chemical inputs and tell growers when=
to apply which chemical. ACT has no such analog.
Ted Peterson
Earth-Wise/Spirit of the Earth
Received on Tue Jan 13 2004 - 19:03:04 EST
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