Re: [compost_tea] Re: Spraying methods - Fan Sprayers for Orchards

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 20:15:04 EDT

When someone says microbes can't something, please ask them for the data.
Are they basing it on actually having measured microbial numbers or biomass or
activity before and after passage through the equipment?

Most of the time, it isn't the nozzles that are the problem, it's the pump
they are using. And it isn't pressure, it is the physical grinding during
passage of the pump. they are blaming pressure when they should blame the rotoer
in the pump.

So, with all things, actually test the sprayer. Test the tea before
spraying, and then afer spraying. we have documented over and over that microbes can
withstand 1000 psi (in a French Press, psi is even higher in order to manage
to burst all the bacterial or fungal cells).

It isn't the pressure, it is the shear stress that may be killing microbes in
certain machines. Don't extrapolate on hte basis of the wrong information.

Talk to Shep Smith who has documented great microbe survival thorugh Venturi
sprayers at high psi. Or talk with Bruce Elliott, of EPM, who has a psrayer
that we have shown the microbes go through with no loss in biomass.

Data.......

Elaine R. Ingham
Soil Foodweb Inc., Corvallis, Oregon
Soil Foodweb Inc., Port Jefferson, New York
Soil Foodweb Institute, Lismore Australia
Soil Foodweb Institute Cambridge, New Zealand
Soil Foodweb Inc., Hilversum, The Netherlands
Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho






Received on Fri Sep 17 2004 - 21:00:10 EDT

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