[compost_tea] Re: Comfrey tea???

From: Steve Diver <steved_at_ncatark.uark.edu>
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2004 20:03:02 -0000

Hi Matthew -

It is interesting to note that comfrey contains:

Allantoin (up to 4.7%), Mucilage (about 29%), Triterpenoids,
Phenolic acids rosmarinic acid), Asparagine, Pyrrolizidine
alkaloids(0.02-0.07%), and Tannins.
From:
http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_comfrey.htm

I feel that plant teas -- known variously as herbal
teas, fermented plant extracts, liquid manures, and
plant-based pest control -- is in the same thread as
compost teas. They are on-farm aqueous extracts and
microbe preparations.

Jerome Osentowski, the market gardener in Colorado
who emphasizes permaculture, explains that they
commonly have barrels of COMFREY TEA brewing for
use a liquid soil drench and as a prophylactic foliar
spray for enhancement of fertility and pest control.

I should state, having taken permaculture workshops
with Jerome, that he is referring to the traditional
approach to plant teas..... filling a barrel 50% to
75% full of fresh chopped herbal leaf biomass, filled
with water and allowed to steep at ambient temperature
for 7-10 days, then strained, then diluted 1 part tea
to 9 parts water for a 1:10 dilution.. used as a soil
drench or foliar spray.

This method is an old practice in organic gardening.

It should be noted that compost tea brewers are now
being used to make plant tea preparations, with full
aerobic extraction and microbial food supplementation.

It turns out that India is a world leader in the
preparation and use of plants teas.

One of the innovations with plant teas is the
integration of EM, or Effective Microorganisms,
with plant teas to produce an EM-Fermented Plant
Extract.

EM helps facilitates the extraction of soluble
nutrients and bioactive substances from plant
biomass, and it enhances beneficial microbe
growth.

Just as important, which I'm currently trying to
document, is the potential for EM to assure pathogen
reduction with plant teas and compost teas,
as reported by Eric Lancaster with EMRO USA.

My posting to SANET included access to EM-FPE
field trials by Margarita Correa at Auroville,
India, as well as databases and specialized booklets
on plant teas from NGO's in India:

Subject: Re: Regulation of compost teas (Effective Microorganisms)
Date: Wed, 6 Nov 2002 20:41:53 -0600
Sender: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion Group
SANET-MG at LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU
From: Steve Diver <steved at NCATARK.UARK.EDU>
http://lists.ifas.ufl.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind021
1&L=sanet-mg&O=A&P=8254

       +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

See:

There are two indigenous knowledge data sources in India that
capture farmer experiences with plant-based pest control:

Indigenous Knowledge News Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems
|| Chennai, India
http://www.ciks.org/archives.html

Honeybee Network & Innovation Database SRISTI
|| Ahmedabad, India
http://www.sristi.org/honeybee.html

The Indigenous Knowledge News is an especially rich online source
to learn about plant-based pest control. This newsletter was
formerly titled "Pesticide Post."

The Centre for Indian Knowledge Systems publishes a series
of booklets called "Plants in Pest Control."
http://www.ciks.org/agpub.html

       +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Sanjay Aggarwal is the EM distributor/researcher
in India.

The EM-1 list on Yahoo!Groups had a thread on
this topic that includes the basic EM-FPE recipe
from Sanjay, thusly as follows below:

Hope these notes on the practitioner approach helps.

Best wishes,
Steve Diver

"Three cheers for the re-energized status of
organic farming research at Rodale Institute."


=============================================================
From: Steve Diver <steved_at_n...>
Date: Tue Dec 30, 2003 10:31 pm
Subject: Re: [AEM-1] Plant extract/compost tea with EM
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EM-1/message/1185

Our way is really very simple:

1. We identify LOCAL leaves, fruits and roots which could be
aromatic. Care should be taken not to use highly toxic plants
for this.

2. We take a 20 Ltr Jerry Can. Fill approximately half of it
with the above ingredients (generally it is a mixture of 3-4
different plants).

3. We add about 1% EM (Stock) and 1% Molasses to the Jerry Can.
We alter the ratio slightly for high altitude areas. We increase
the qty of EM & Molasses to say 5%.

4. Water is added to the brim to ensure there is no air left.

5. The farmers are told to keep the Can in shade. Direct exposure
to sunlight is bad for EM microbes.

6. Every day, the Can is opened for 2-3 seconds to let off gas.

7. Once there is hardly any gas formation, generally it also
means that the pH has come down to below 4.

8. The farmers then sift the organic material on a cloth and
store the left over juice.

9. This is then mixed with water in the ratio of 1:1,000 and
sprayed _at_ 1-2 ltrs per sq. meter.

We have very good results with this in many parts of India.

We try and add Stinging Nettles as it has a good qty of ascorbic
acid in it and also use cow urine (especially the early morning
flush) instead of water. Try Marigold petals for fighting Fusarium
and even Mildew. Care also needs to be taken that pro-active
sprays are carried out IRRESPECTIVE of any pest/disease
infestation.

Regards,
Sanjay

=============================================================
=============================================================



--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "Ryan, Matthew"
<matthew.ryan_at_r...> wrote:
> Hello Folks,
>
> Please excuse this non-compost tea related question.
>
> Does anyone have any experience with or information about using
comfrey
> tea on plants? Comfrey tea is made by soaking comfrey leaves in
water
> for a long period of time. It really stinks when its done,
definitely
> anaerobic. Our head gardener has been using it here for years as a
> fertilizer applied to the soil. Just wondering if anyone has any
> experience with it?
>
> Anyone have any idea of what kind of microorganisms would be
inhabiting
> such a concoction?
>
> Thanks.
>
> Matthew Ryan
> Research Technician
> The Rodale Institute
> 611 Siegfriedale Road
> Kutztown, PA 19530
> (610) 683-1405



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Received on Sat Feb 21 2004 - 15:32:15 EST

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