Re: [compost_tea] Re: Tea and powdery mildew

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Sun, 24 Oct 2004 10:08:41 -0700

Titel:

I too make some compost with horse manure. I have found that I have to be =
exremely careful that the manure isn't full of wormer medicine or pain kill=
er given to a lot of horses. By far the most damaging to biological life i=
s manure containing worm medicine. I made three separate batches of compos=
t for an experiment: All three batches used the same mixtures and were trea=
ted the same. I then made compost tea in three brewers using the same reci=
pe for each. All the horses were fed hay but had open grazing on local gras=
slands.

Batch 1: Horse with wormer. Corraled and treated with wormer.
Batch 2: Horse without wormer. These were corraled in a large area. None w=
ere treated in any way.
Batch 3: Cow without any horse manure. No treatement. (I used this as a c=
ontrol.)

Batch 1 tested far lower in biomass and showed no indication of micro-nemat=
odes in the compost and brewing. In batches 2 and 3, fungi started grwoing=
 in the compost and extracted into the tea. Batch 1 showed no similar fung=
al growth. Biomass of Batch 1 was far lower than the other batches.

I have a 1000X microscope and have figured out how to use flourescent light=
 and dyes to increase my observations of bacteria but even with that, I can=
't make any definitive statements about diversity. The bacteria I did see =
were rod and cocci. I saw no strep in any sample. Bacterial counts were l=
ower in Batch 1.

So, the situation could exist that the compost tea you brewed was made usin=
g compost that contained enough residual medicine from the wormer to impact=
 the mildew. While this would be good, use of that tea wouldn't necessaril=
y be simething you wanted to promote. You would be inhibiting all biologic=
al life and the way tea works is to coat a leaf/branch surface with benefic=
ial microbes that outcompete the mildew.

>From what I have read, mildew needs a large (about 40-70%) of a leaf area t=
o become established. It appears to be root borne which contradicted my be=
lief that it was air borne. So using a tea with wormer my affect existing =
mildew but do nothing to establish a healthy microbial layer that could out=
compete further occurances.

I have stopped using horse manure from any source where the horses were wor=
med. As far as I can tell, worm medicine, as well as vitamins given to hor=
ses through feed, does not necessarily break down during the composting pro=
cess. That means they transfer to the tea during brewing.

Ted Peterson
EW/SOE
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: Titel Ryzhomer
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Sunday, October 24, 2004 8:41 AM
  Subject: [compost_tea] Re: Tea and powdery mildew



  Dave,

  I do agree with your stated hypothesis. We have been building our
  worm population and have not harvested any compost from them yet. I
  have been buying castings from a supplier that feeds them grain of
  some sort (secret?) and peat moss. This would make their diet high
  in carbon but (I think) lacking nitrogen. I buy the partially
  finished vermicompost from a supplier who feeds horse manure and
  bedding wood chips and sawdust complimented by grocery store produce
  throw aways.

  I feed my worms peat moss, cardboard, horse manure, alfalfa meal,
  old hay, green plants from our experimental beds and AEM (activated
  EM) soaked kitchen waste. We have them in bins as well as in a
  windrow which we have just moved inta a small barn built for this
  purpose. We have two bins ready to harvest in about a week.

  Regards,
  Titel

  --- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, David Anderson <squtch_at_g...>
  wrote:
> On Sun, 24 Oct 2004 03:35:02 -0000, Titel Ryzhomer
> <thegoodjob_at_h...> wrote:
> >
> >
> > Except Titel is not using any plants; only the ingredients he
  stated.
> >
> > Titel
>
> What do you feed your worms?
>
> Even if you feed them manure instead of plant material, what
  plants do
> you feed your manure producers.
>
> If you feed them only cardboard, that probably varies enough from
  what
> most of us feed our worms that it would be worth looking into.
>
> The point is that when looking for the cause of the action, you
  should
> not be concentrating soly on the biology, but you should also
  consider
> the chemical and physical.
>
> Dave




        Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
              ADVERTISEMENT
             
       
       


---------------------------------------------------------------------------=
---
  Yahoo! Groups Links

    a.. To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/compost_tea/
      
    b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    compost_tea-unsubscribe_at_yahoogroups.com
      
    c.. Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service=
.








Received on Sun Oct 24 2004 - 13:58:41 EDT

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:15:32 EST