Re: [compost_tea] chlorine question...

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Sun, 2 May 2004 21:23:51 -0700

----- Original Message -----
From: Chuck Lund
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2004 6:28 PM
Subject: [compost_tea] chlorine question...


Can one of you experienced folks tell me when testing for chlorine, what's =
the difference between free chlorine and total chlorine and the relevance o=
f each (when not wanting to harm the biology in the soil)?

Chuck et al.:

Most municipal water contains one of two general antibacterials: Chlorine o=
r chloramine. All plants that are watered using regular tap water in most =
cities and towns has one of these as a constitutient. I think it's the EPA=
 web site that has a report of recommended amounts. Plants seem to survive =
but as we all know, the soil food web in most soil is woefully inadequate. =
 One reason for this could be the use of chlorine/chloramine in irrigation =
water. There are other reasons as well.

Chlorine in water I have tested usually leaves if I aerate for 6 hours befo=
re brewing. I have a friend who tells me the local water in our town conta=
ins chloramine. It is harder to test for than chlorine but there are tests=
 for it. If I aerate for 6 hours, I do see a reduction in chloramine and I=
 have brewed at that time. The tea I made worked as far as soil and plant =
tests indicated. (In other words, the soil tested differently and the plant=
s tested healthier which would indicate that something is working and the t=
ea was the only thing applied. These tests took place over a 4 months span=
.

I did not test the tea separately and have no data on tea tested from tea b=
rewed with water freshly from the tap, and at any interval up to no chlorin=
e/chloramine to show that there is substantial difference. I wrote to Elai=
ne about it in relation to a question about molasses turning to alcohol. H=
er response was something along the lines of no chlor/cholra was the best a=
nd well water was preferred but even well water can contain contaminates th=
at would hinder brewing. As for molasses/alcohol, she indicated that even =
if there was some alcohol conversion, it would slow brewing not necessarily=
 completely ruin a brew. I didn't ask here what would happen if I applied =
it directly to soil and maybe she knows the answer there. I know there are=
 alcohol fixing bacteria but don't know how prevalent they are in soil.

So, if you are watering with municipal water with chlor/chlora I would imag=
ine that, as an antibacterial element, it would have some effect. However,=
 many water lines are made with lead and copper. Copper is a known antibac=
terial/antifungal but I don't know if the amount that leaches from a pipe w=
ould substantially hurt the soil.

My gut feeling is that all the factors are cumulative and that they all pro=
bably hurt the soil in some way and together probably do more damage than a=
ny single element. This is why, I think, it is so important to get people =
using tea; to try and revialize soil that is damaged.

I developed this thought experiment: People have natural pain control built=
 into each persons system. Sometimes this 'natural' pain control isn't eno=
ugh to control the pain so we take medicines to make the pain go away. Pre=
tty soon our 'natural' system becomes dependent on the drugs and stops maki=
ng the 'natural' pain control substances. If we want to go back to the 'na=
tural' state, we have to augment whatever it is in our system that triggers=
 the 'natrual' pain killer. Over time, our system will revert to the 'natu=
ral' way but it takes time and a program to reintroduce the elements our bo=
dies need to operate in the 'natural' way. Compost tea and the biology con=
tained in the tea is a way of reintroducing elements in the soil that the s=
oil and the plants can use to operate at optimum efficiency. Fertilizers t=
hat directly feed the plants are like medicines that control pain.

There are a lot of trace elements in soil but I don't think that chlorine/c=
hloramine are ones that would be listed as beneficial.

Ted Peterson
EW/SOE



Received on Mon May 03 2004 - 00:48:07 EDT

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