[compost_tea] Re: chelating minerals with ACT

From: Titel Ryzhomer <thegoodjob_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Mon, 14 Jun 2004 23:32:42 -0000
Hi Elaine,

I'm not sure where this thread started and I may be speaking out of
turn but wanted to interject that I and my colleague have been using
EM fermented soil ammendments (W/ alfalfa, worm castings, fish
fertilizer, egg shell, clay powders, etc.) for a while and have now
also started using AACT. We have had positive results from both
products and have not seen anything bad from combining the two. It
is interesting to note that, apparently mycorrhizal fungi was once
also contained in EM and may still be in Asia and it is possible
that it is in American made EM but just not listed. This means, if
true, that mycorrhizal fungi can exist in an anaerobic environment.
I have some fertilizer/ammendment which I fermented months ago which
still does not smell off.

Regards,
Titel

--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, soilfoodweb@a... wrote:
> Hi Hank -
>
> I don't see the need to "brew" for weeks and weeks to get the rock
powders
> incorporated in to the biology.  And I prefer biology that isn't
going to
> potentially be a detriment to the plants. 
>
> Note the potential word there.  I think there's some interesting
things going
> on with EM bacteria that needs further understanding.  And I will
be working
> on this project next Feb in South Africa, so information should be
> forthcoming. 
>
> The lactic acid bacteria, and proprionic bacteria, both of which
grow better
> a reduced oxygen concentrations, and appear to be VERY competitive
with human
> pathogens, are major componenets of EM.  There are some yeasts in
there which
> function in a similar fashion to the bactera.  Could we put them
in our
> compost teas, and then even if the oxygen dropped a bit, the human
pathogens would
> still not be a problem? 
>
> Intriguing, yes? 
>
> You asked:
> with bentonite (a montmorillonite clay, which BTW has disease
> suppression properties of its own) to my teas and the clay blends
very
> well into the tea, unlike the results of mixing calcium carbonate
with
> water which tends to clump.  I also apply the bentonite as a skin
to my
> compost piles, a biodynamic practice.  Or should we be
innoculating our
> compost with dolomite and let the critters digest the minerals
first for
> use later in the compost tea?
>
> Any clay adsorbs water, and available nutrients to a limited
extent.  That
> means, the clay reduces the availability of water and nutrients to
the organisms
> in the compost, or in tea.  Those are the most likely ways that
the clay
> influences the growth of the biology. 
>
> But it is non-selective.  Good guys and bad guys are affected. 
Sure would
> like to know if the bad guys are more affected than the good guys -
and what the
> dose response actually is there.  One part clay selects against
bad guys,
> while two parts will take out both good and bad?  Sure would love
to have that
> kind of knowledge. 
>
> But we don't, as far as I can tell. 
>
> But I was in the library checking out literature, and there are
now three new
> pubs on actively aerated compost tea having good to excellent
beneficial
> effects in reducing foliar and root disease.  I'll try to post the
references,
> when I get to the e-mails I sent from the library.  
>
> Oh, a last note - DON'T use dolomite!!!!!!
>
> There is more magnesium than calcium in hte material, and the
point of using
> these calcium-containing materials is to improve the ratio of
calcium to
> magnesium.  Can't do it, if the material you are putting on has
more magnesium than
> calcium......
>
> Use lime, eggshells, ground oyster shell, ground fish bones,
calcium
> nitrate... there are other sources, just not pulling them into
active brain space, but
> I think you get the idea.   Avoid gypsum, unless you need the
sulfur.  And
> then make sure to add the biology back - the sulfur in gypsum
seems to
> negatively impact the fungi. 
>
>
> Elaine R. Ingham
> Soil Foodweb Inc., Corvallis, Oregon
> Soil Foodweb Inc., Port Jefferson, New York
> Soil Foodweb Institute, Lismore Australia
> Soil Foodweb Institue Cambridge, New Zealand
> Soil Foodweb Inc., Hilversum, The Netherlands
> Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
> Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho


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Received on Mon Jun 14 2004 - 23:16:02 EDT

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