RE: [compost_tea] (unknown)

From: John Cowan <vivax_at_northlink.com>
Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 22:53:41 -0700

What application rate were you applying, Ted?

John Cowan
  -----Original Message-----
  From: Ted Peterson [mailto:ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net]
  Sent: Monday, May 03, 2004 9:53 AM
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Subject: Re: [compost_tea] (unknown)


  piccarla:

  Here is my experience based on a city park. When we started the project
in the park there was dense, compacted soil will low penetration rates and
no signs of worm or even insects. The park had been maintained with organic
and chemical fertilizers for over seven years and was in pretty bad shape.
This was one of the reasons we got the contract.

  I brewed and applied all the tea and had the park people restrict watering
to my schedule and stop all feeding and regular fertilizer maintenance. An
injector system was built into the park irrigation system and the tea was
administered through the irrigation and distibuted to the turf through the
sprinkler heads.

  Park health improved overall. We applied once a week for the first two
months (8-applications) then didn't apply any for the next month then once
per month after that. When I cam back and took soil samples before new
applications (3rd month) I found worm activity in places where there had
been none before. The plant roots were deeper and fuller and the soil more
porous. All in all, it appeared that the tea worked to reestablish the soil
food web and allow worms to either move back into the soil or worm eggs that
had been laid at sometime in the past hatched and the worms repopulated the
area. I'm not a worm expert so I don't really know how the whole operation
works other than those composting worms (Red Tigers) which I do raise in
bins. I think earthworms are somewhat similar but will have to find out to
be sure.

  Now for the short answer: It worked when I did it. The above gives the
parameters I used. Maybe others have methodologies that are similar or
different. However, you are going to have to establish a program where you
use tea to restablish the bacterial base then keep adding as the soil food
web becomes established and higher order bacteria and protozoa start getting
involved until finally earthworms.

  You may want to consider adding micorrhiza if you are trying to restablish
turf. Micorrhiza need roots to vector to after they sprout. So they don't
work in bare soil BEFORE planting and seed germination. Do not brew them in
your tea! If you use them, you need to aerate the soil then apply the
micorrhiza or apply micorrhiza when you seed. Do this after you have
treated the soil with tea a few times. There is a bunch of information
about these benifical fungi and you can buy them from numerous sources.
Contact me if you are interested in some sources. Someone on the list
published an article showing how you could grow your own. If you are
getting soil ready for vegetables or row planting, micorrhiza may be helpful
but check with the crop you are planting. Tea help all crops and in my
experience helps reestablish worms in worm depleted soil.

  Ted Peterson
  EW/SOE


  ,----- Original Message -----
    From: piccarla
    To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
    Sent: Sunday, May 02, 2004 11:36 PM
    Subject: [compost_tea] (unknown)


    I am new to using compost tea and am brewing my first batch. If I
    make an application to soil that is so poor that no worms are in the
    soil, will the application of compost tea attract them or do I need
    to put wormsinto the soil?? thanks!
    piccarla



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Received on Tue May 04 2004 - 12:23:57 EDT

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