Re: [compost_tea] New Member checking in...

From: Mike Barnett <dreadlox_at_cwjamaica.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 02:29:13 -0600
THanks Doctor Ingram for that interesting and informative response.
I am honored to recieve a mail from you, especially after reading so much of
your writings across the web before finding this newsgroup.

Thanks also to those who have sent pointers and information offlist .

Dr. Ingram, to your info.
Well, the explanation you gave sufficed for me to reason that I most
probably can use my compost, as where the heap was, it is elevated enough to
drain fast.  I may just not see as great a result, but at least I will know
why.
I will use the compost covers in the future as you suggested.
After a hurricane, especially as my environmental awareness is heightened,
it is painful to look around. Here in Jamaica, we were not as hard hit by
flooding as Haiti, but I would like to start thinking about issues like
erosion, and how to prevent this, as well as what to do to prevent the
removal of organic matter from hillsides and forests and fields.

I would like to plant with more mulches in my garden, and spray the plants
and these mulches with CT. I am heartened to hear of CT being able to thwart
mildews and some bad fungal infections.

#Has CT ever been shown to thwart tobacco mosaic virus? We have this as a
major problem in hot peppers. It was a thought always believeing that there
was a biological remedy, that lead me looking, and finding CT.

#In lieu of the sprayer thread recently, and thinking of "sick soil
syndrome" plaguing many countries in the sugar producing belt, has CT ever
been known to be applied in applications where is called for inclusion into
the irrigation water in a flood and drain system, as is common in sugarcane
fields?

#Applying your input here on the wetness of the soil, Dr. Ingram, what if a
field where just flooded, and then left to drain , so that the fungi and
bacteria can work around the roots, has this ever been shown to work
anywhere where sprayers etc. where not available?

#(Not wanting to clog the ether here, but I have so many questions..)
Someone posted a recipe here for a sticker to be used in spraying. I for
one, got wary, after a old farm woman made a joke about surfactants making
men into women. I didnt take her seriously, and then one day, looked up what
surfactants, (effectually what a lot of "stickers" are) were doing. I came
up with the fact the surfactants mimic oestrogen in the humans body. Proof
of this feminisation of species, from aqautic life and other wildlife is
rampant. Isnt the use of CT and then a sticker to apply very contradictory?
Isnt this defeating the purpose? Organic-good vs chemical-bad sorta thing??
Not being versed yet, in how bacteria attach to plant they are sprayed on,
but if you made the spray solution lightly "syrupy" for lack of a better
mind bridge, wouldnt this help the beneficial bacteria and fungi attach just
as well?
(Just my 3 am. brain spewing questions...)

Re the microscopy classes. Yes, I am thinking this is something I will have
to do if I intend to be able to tell here, if my work is actually of use or
not.
As time progresses, I will be in touch regarding training. Thanks for the
suggestion.


Thanks.

Mike
JAMAICA


----- Original Message -----
From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
To: <compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Friday, October 08, 2004 9:59 AM
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] New Member checking in...


> Hi Mike!
>
> Good to have you on-board as a new member.  Welcome.
>
> Yes, we have flamers on this list serve - what list serve doesn't?  But
you
> learn soon enough who those flamers are, and then its your choice to  open
or
> ignore their e-mails.  I tend to not even open their e-mails.  Why elevate
your
> blood-pressure?
>
>  Now, on to the interesting info -
>
> With as much rainfall as you received, there will be soils that are
> completely water-logged.  There isn't much you can do to help those soils,
until the
> water drains.  Application of a compost tea could add the biology into the
> water-logged soil, and get the organisms starting to work on developing
soil
> strucutre, but the opposite end of that is, if the organisms you add have
too much
> food resource, their activity could drive the soil anaerobic, with
resulting
> detrimental effects on the plants as alcohol and other plant-toxic,
anaerobic
> materials are produced.
>
> Note that is is pretty much always anaerobic compounds that kill plants.
> Very few aerobically produced materials are toxic to plants.
>
> Microbial growth is temperature sensitive as well, and if temperatures are
> high, microbial growth will be more rapidly, and take up more oxygen,
which
> means in a tropical system, you could go anaerobic even faster than in
temperates
> climates.  So, addition of compost tea to water-saturated soils must be
done
> carefully, with an eye to how fast the orgnaisms are going to grow.  Too
fast
> growth, and the soil is in worse shape than if had not added the
organisms.
>
> Growth rate relates to both organism biomass added as well as amount of
food
> added.  In really poor soil with little organic matter, and therefore not
much
> food to feed the organisms, adding tea or compost to saturated conditions
is
> probably safe.
>
> But if the soil has significant organic matter, it is probably better to
wait
> until the soil drains or dries, and then start adding the organisms.
>
> Therefore, the answer to your first question is that you could add your
> compost immediately, if poor organic matter soil, or you may need to wait,
if high
> organic matter soil.  Intermediate level OM?  Use your judgement, or apply
> compost to half the area, not to the other half and see what happens.
>
> There's another aspect to your question, which is what if the compost is
> water-saturated?  Consider getting compost covers, especially in areas
where
> drenching rainfall occurs.  But, as to the compost pile, if you had good
structure
> in the pile itself, and the pile was mature, it will not take long to
drain.
> Apply as soon as you can pick up the compost without causing it to ball
up.
>
> That's the problem with compost that is too wet - if you turn it, or
spread
> it when too wet, the compost balls up and you have clods that go anaerobic
on
> the inside.  So, let the compost dry enough so it does not ball up when
turned.
>
>
> As long as the compost did not go anaerobic, then it can be used
immediately
> it is dry.  And probably the sooner it is spread, the better, because
> spreading will be an aerating process.  The good guys will come back ASAP.
As long as
> the compsot didn't go stinky.....
>
> If the compost went anaerobic, then you'll need to turn it carefully until
it
> dries out and the beneficials come back....
>
> You also asked:
> I also have some literature here which speaks of brewing and indigenous
> micro-organisms, and the use of rice bran as a substrate. I dont have rice
in
> this area where I am.
> #WHat would make as good a substrate for the micro-bacteria and fungi as
rice
> bran that I can find here in the tropics??
>
> You want to find something that has a C:N ratio like rice bran.  What
grain
> crops are produced locally?  Do you have husks of nuts, or fruits that are
in
> that C:N ratio range?  You want something that is in the 100:1 C:N ratio
range,
> or perhaps up to as high as 250:1 C:N.
>
> Another aspect of bran is the coarseness of the fiber in the material.
Those
> fibers are important, so you want to look for something that has good
fiber,
> as well as wide C:N.
>
> Then do some testing to make sure the material you choose grows the
critters
> you want to grow.  Get a small microscope, and come up to SFI for some
> training.  TRaining with Betsy Ross might be closer for you, and I believe
she offers
> the microscope class, or could offer the microscope class, after we finish
> with the Texas Tea-Off that is coming up.
>
> OK?  Good questions, and I appreciate your interest!
>
>
> 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
> Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
> Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho
> Soil Foodweb Inc., South Africa
>


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Received on Mon Oct 11 2004 - 12:05:41 EDT

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