Re: [compost_tea] Re: OMRI and Gem

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 13:40:34 -0700

What they use around here is a spray made from Cayenne. They use it on all=
 types of ag and it is the only successful deer repellant I have seen used.=
  There are some chemical repellants and a couple of people are trying ultr=
asonic sound to startle the deer away when the units are proximity activate=
d. I don't know how much success they have with that. Customer reportage =
is interesting because as has been mentioned, that statement can be made ab=
out anything. It is a great marketing ploy because people sometimes see a =
difference even when there is none or report something so they will not loo=
k so foolish when, in reality, the stuff doesn't work. For example, if a p=
erson gets ripped of at a car dealership, they will rarely state that to an=
yone else because it makes them look foolish.

All I have to say is this: I am very careful about statement I make about t=
he benefits of CT. It has some obvious benefits and enough of those for me=
 to build a business around. However and this is a BIG however, I don't wa=
nt to get into the position of making claims that can be refuted easily. I=
 make enough mistakes anyway but unsubstantiated claims are something I lea=
rned are the quickest way to lose credibility. For example I think that te=
a testing has limited use but soil tests and leaf assay give tremendous inf=
ormation. I make my tea a certain way based on experimentation and others,=
 I assume, have done the same thing and have entirely different methods. B=
esides, I think that how the tea is brewed is less important than how compo=
st is made. The greatest brewer in the world can't make up for compost tha=
t is very low biologically and low biological diversity. So all claims, to=
 me, are general claims because there are a lot of variables.

Unsubstantiated claims are just that.

I am currently involved with a native plant project. This is with the Land=
 Concervancy and involves restoring riparian native sage and brushland. Ma=
king a compost that works in that situation is tricky because the plants ar=
e not like garden plants at all. Also, the nutrients have to be controlled =
specially because most California Coastal native plants do not tolerate hig=
h N very well. They need fungi and only specific fungi that grows from the=
 humus of the plants themselves. So if it works, I will not be able to mak=
e a statement that CT can be used to revive native species and the soil tha=
t supports them because it is not an accurate statement. It seems to be wo=
rking so far but as I said, there were very specific conditions that I had =
to meet to avoid actually harming the plants and the final judgement is out=
 on that to this date.

Ted Peterson
EW/SOE
  ----- Original Message -----
  From: David Anderson
  To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
  Sent: Thursday, October 28, 2004 12:51 PM
  Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Re: OMRI and Gem


  Ted,

  It wasn't made as a hard claim. They say "customers reported", which I
  do believe.

  I have actually found that for a short time after applying many
  different types of fertilizer, deer tend to stay away as long as there
  is food elsewhere.

  I plant a catch crop to attract and feed the deer on a different part
  of my property, and I only had one doe decide it was worth her effort
  to get past my fence.

  Of course this probably won't work for thosee in commercial ag, or in
  areas with more drought issues than we have here in western WA.

  Dave


  On Thu, 28 Oct 2004 12:38:07 -0700, Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net> =
wrote:
>
> I find this one hard to believe but who knows. Maybe with enough
> saturation, the deer are driven away by the smell. However, if the pla=
nts
> are healthier and less disease prone, deer around here go hog wild for =
them.
> They even jump 10 foot fences to get at plants they like.
>
> I view this the same as I view claims that CT controls snails/slugs:
> Unsubstantiated and not repeatable in a reliable sense. Maybe one time
> something happened but whether that was the direct result of what was u=
sed
> is still disputable.
>
> Anyway, until I see hard data and repeatable experiments, I remain a
> sceptic. GEM is great for plant health though. It is a good fish sour=
ce
> and the stuff I used worked great in the tea. I have since been using =
a
> pellet form made by Alaska and that seems to work just as well for brew=
ing.
>
>
> Ted Peterson
> EW/SOE

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Received on Thu Oct 28 2004 - 20:19:50 EDT

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