Re: [compost_tea] Additives, A step back: Some advice from experience

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 16:47:46 EDT

We should all copy Ted's list of questions about to add or not to add food
resources to the tea. Excellent advice. .

Bacteria and fungi compete for food resources, so if you add bacterial foods,
the bacteria are going to rule.

If you add fungal foods, fungi are going to helped more than bacteria. But
compost itself has bacterial foods in it. So, it's a balance thing.

As Ted suggests, as have Leon Hussy, Jeff Lowenfels, and others, get maximum
fungal biomass in the compost, first. A high fungal level extracted into the
tea will then be able to out-compete the bacterial bloom that typically
happens in the first 12 hours of in the tea brew. Fungi grow later in the tea brew
cycle.

I really appreciate the fact that other minds are adding so much to this
process! Thank you!

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







Received on Mon Oct 11 2004 - 18:49:04 EDT

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