Re: [compost_tea] Def'n of good tea

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 00:04:20 -0400
Yes, working out the definitions took years.  Because you have to quantify the organisms in the tea, and follow the effect of those organisms on plants. 

We do organism assessment of the tea, then spray out and determine what actually gives protection, or improves nutrient cycling, and builds soil structure.  It's the organisms.  But at what concentration?   That takes time to figure out.  Some of the data are on the SARE website, please look at the reports there. 

And you have to remember that just because the tea is excellent does not mean that conditions in the soil might not  result in organism death.  Great tea, but killing heat, or drought, or freeze, or pesticide drift, or.....no food.  Any one of those conditions may kill the critiers in a good tea.

Just because you apply tea and don't see a positive effect cannot be put down to "tea doesn't work".   The organisms can be killed once they are put out. 

Over and over, when we hear of people applying tea, but not having any benefit, and we investigate what happened, we can explain to the grower what they did that resulted in organism death.  The tea was likely great, but if you spray out 2,4-D three days after applying tea......

People continue to use sulfur sprays, not understanding that even though sulfur may be organically certified, sulfur sprays still kill the beneficial fungi....

So, lots of years of work to see the correlations. 

Now you can check EVERY batch of your own tea, and discover that it is, or isn't, good compost tea. 

If compost has beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes in it, then does compost tea not have to have the same critters? 

No beneficial fungi, protozoa or nematodes.....how can it be compost tea? 

Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Hilversum, The Netherlands
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
SFI Culiacan, Mexico
SFI Jerome, Idaho
http://www.soilfoodweb.com

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Received on Fri Jun 11 2004 - 09:06:38 EDT

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