Re: [compost_tea] soil chemistry facts

From: Thomas Giannou <thomas_at_tandjenterprises.com>
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 2004 12:16:41 -0700

Elaine,

Elaine wrote: "In response to Thomas' comment that we can't differentiate b=
etween nutrient in compost versus the ones that are solubilized from not-pl=
ant available pools of nutrients"

Reply: Actually Elaine, I didn't say we could not differentiate between nu=
trients in compost verses the nutrients that are solubilized from non-plant=
 available pools of nutrients. I was asking you, "HOW can we make the dist=
inction between the nutrients in the compost and the nutrients bound up in =
the soils as to which of those nutrients end up in the plants?"

Elaine wrote: "Compost is really just an inoculum of the needed/desired div=
ersity of organisms your soil needs. The organisms can solubilize any "a=
dditional" nutrients from the parent material itself."

Reply: I realize that compost is a source of certain soil life organisms. =
 I also realize, as you say above that those organisms can solubilize "addi=
tional" nutrients from the parent material itself. By parent material, I t=
hink you meant the material in the compost. And that's at the heart of my =
question. There are nutrients being solubilized out of the compost materia=
ls that end up as nutrients in the plants.

Elaine wrote: "What do you do then? Do you have to put down 1 to 3 tons o=
f compost in order to feed your plant EVERYTHING from the compost? Nope."

Reply: Elaine, you are preaching to the choir here. I absolutely agree th=
at EVERYTHING does not come from the compost. BUT, with all the stuff (min=
erals, kelp, fish, etc) that gets added to the compost by so many people, I=
 don't think it's valid to say that 1 to 3 tons of that kind of compost has=
 an inconsequential amount of nutrients present which are apart from what i=
s in the soils, to the point where you ignore the effect of those nutrients=
 from the compost on the plants and then say the soils furnish all of the n=
utrients to the plants because of the action of the soil life. I think dat=
a needs to be collected about what nutrients are in the soil, what nutrient=
s are in the compost, what nutrients are in the tea... before plants are gr=
owing. It would also be good to then test for what nutrients are in the so=
il and what nutrients are in and on the plants after they are grown.

The reason I'm stressing this point is that when someone writes a journal a=
rticle that says all the nutrients are already in the soils and then you ad=
d compost with it's additives and diversity of soil life and CT with all of=
 it's nutrients and soil life and then say the nutrients are coming out of =
the soil being worked upon by the soil life and don't even measure what nut=
rients are in the compost (total bound and unbound nutrients) or CT, I thin=
k there should be a problem with that journal article passing peer review. =
 Anyways, it will be interesting to review the findings and the data about =
the nutrients from the various sources.

--Thomas Giannou
http://www.tandjenterprises.com


  ----- Original Message -----
  From: soilfoodweb_at_aol.com
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 12:08 AM
  Subject: Re: [compost_tea] soil chemistry facts


  In response to Thomas' comment that we can't differentiate between nutrie=
nt in compost versus the ones that are solubilized from not-plant available=
 pools of nutrients -

  We don't need to differentiate between nutrients in compost, versus the n=
ot-soluble set of nutrients in soil.

  Often, we don't have enough compost to put down all the needed-for-growth=
 nutrients that you plants need.

  What do you do then? Do you have to put down 1 to 3 tons of compost in o=
rder to feed your plant EVERYTHING from the compost?

  Nope. Compost is really just an inoculum of the needed/desired diversity=
 of organisms your soil needs. The organisms can solubilize any "additio=
nal" nutrients from the parent material itself.

  Soils have worked that way from the beginning of life on earth. It's onl=
y in the last 50 years or so that people have started to imagine that natur=
al cycling wasn't adequate enough.

  And when weather conditions make it tough for the natural nutrient cyclin=
g to make it, then we can put down inocula, and the foods, to make sure nor=
mal nutrient cycling is operating correctly, and that soil will ALWAYS work=
 the way it is supposed to.

  Elaine Ingham
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Received on Sat Sep 04 2004 - 16:06:31 EDT

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