[compost_tea] Re: Tea and powdery mildew

From: Titel Ryzhomer <thegoodjob_at_hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Oct 2004 23:23:33 -0000

Hey Guys,

I just want to make it clear that I was relating anecdotal
information concerning observations I have made. I have not claimed
that I can eradicate powdery mildew with ACT, just that I have seen
it put into remission with applications of tea which I believe is
more bacterial than fungal. I have observed this to occurr in
approximately 40% of the teas which we have done hillbilly testing
with over the past 8 months. My notes, practices and controls leave
a lot to be desired because I am involved in so many things.
Presently I have some test plants which are infected. The brew I had
going outdoors went to s--t with the cold weather so I had to clear
an area and set up indoors yesterday and start a brew. I boosted the
black strap molasses up to 1% again and it should be ready to apply
tonight or tomorrow so I'll advise you whether it works this time or
not. If it works I'll post the exact recipe. BTW the method I use to
evaluate when the brew is ready is when there is a thick kind of
rubbery head of foam on top usually 8 to 16 inches high.

I do sort of doubt that extraction is better with compost contained
rather than loose in the water. We use a bag made from landscape
cloth to protect our equipment. I think that a free suspension air
bubble system would be superior for fungal brews which I believe are
more suited to soil drenches than foliar disease prevention.

Regards,
Titel 

--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "Ted Peterson"
<ted.peterson_at_t...> wrote:
> You may have something there.  Document your findings with some
controls and let's take a look at it.  I have been brewing a long
time and came to the free suspension method through testing.  I
tried bags, chambers and free suspension and free suspension won
every time using exactly -- or as exact as possible -- the same
compost, ingredients and air supply.  There may be something I am
missing but let's see some field tests on powdery mildew with some
controls.  I have the tests and the results and am involved with 5
separate vinyards now with a mixture of organic and conventionally
grown grapes. In addition, each of these vinyards uses rose bushes
as indicator plants.  If Titel is successfully eradicating mildew
the CT, I am all for his method.  I learned early that it is easy to
overstate and assume with something as new a CT.  There are obvious
benefits when using it but there are drawbacks also. 
>
> I am extremely careful abut touting benefits of CT in any
situation.  A good example is snail/slug control.  Since nobody has
given me anything other than anecdotal evidence, I stand firm that
CT does not control snails/slugs.  I tried a test with controls and
it turned out that the snails liked the tea better than not.  Now
maybe if some kind of plant extract is added to the tea that
naturally repels snails, it may work but I tried a lot of different
methods over the summer with success only in attracting snails not
repelling them.  Funny that the only response was that the tea was
bad.  The responders took the word of somebody who did no testing
and had no controls because it felt good to believe that it could
work.  I still have not seen proof.
>
> So, as I suspect, people will attack my tea again. It's a useless
exercise without field tests.  Tea tests are useless in this case
because a tea may test high in bacteria and fungi and be
biologically diverse but not do what it is being used for in the
field yet still be of benefit to the plants in general. 
>
> I will state this again: In my experience, CT is not a pesticide
nor a fungicide and it does not appear to repel molusks.  It can and
does revitalize soil and can prevent certain disease.  CT can limit
the growth of pathogens and I have have published a report that
shows, through tests, that it can works that way.  It can revitalize
turf and I have published reports, with tests, that shows it works. 
I have prevented mildew from spreading and have tests that prove
that too.  Other than the above, I am unable to make any substantive
claim.  I wish it would do some things but I haven't found those
things to be true to date.
>
> Also, please explain to me the mechanics of how "contained"
compost machines better extract enything. Hmm?
>
> Ted Peterson
> EW/SOE




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Received on Sat Oct 23 2004 - 02:32:40 EDT

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