Guys:
I submitted a whole report based on this same work. It was done for the Ci=
ty of San Luis Obispo and if you want a copy, email me and I will send one =
again. I have proven that using compost tea to increase root depth and mas=
s by revitalizing the soil structure through the work of aerobic bacteria a=
nd fungi, water savings up to 25% can be realized. In addition, yearly or =
semiyearly applications of chemical fertilizer can be eliminated with no de=
trimental effect to the turf. A water management plan is important and mos=
t cities use some form of irrigation program that uses temperature variants=
and evapotranspiration to determine water usage.
Most traditional turf management program effectively mangage turf to a dept=
h of 4 inches. These programs are very good but limited by the turf manage=
ment paradigm being used. When you use compost tea with or without VAMS, t=
urf root zones increase and more of the root is available for feeding. A s=
imple thought experiment will show you what this means:
The top approximately 1/3 of the root feeds the rest also feeds but lower r=
oot is mostly involved with water acquisition. If your root is 4 inches de=
ep, it means that the top 1.5 inches of the root is available for feeding. =
If you can get the root down to between 8 and 12 inches, you expand the ro=
ot feeding zone to 2 to 4 inches and have more root extracting water from d=
eeper in the soil. There is a limit here though because under about 18 inc=
hes, there is very little O2 in the soil so the bacteria you need for feedi=
ng don't live there. However, root depth can successfully go into the zone=
below 18 inches because the plant can access water down there.
So what you need to do with a water maintenance program is get the water de=
eper without applying so much that the water is lost through surface poolin=
g evaporation and run off. Actually run off can be successfully used in yo=
ur water management program so that water that would be applied to areas th=
at receive run off can be significantly reduced.
I developed a computer model of two projects I have done like this. The re=
port covers the first park. The computer model was developed using that da=
ta and tested on the second park with complete success. The outside time i=
t takes to convert a large turf area to a completely chemical free environm=
ent is about three years. (By the way, most parks are used by families with=
young children. When these people find out that the park is chemical free=
, park usage increases dramatically. It's great PR for any park maintenance=
staff.)
Ted Peterson
EW/SOE
----- Original Message -----
From: David Hall
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 09, 2004 9:26 AM
Subject: [compost_tea] Re: G.S. I . Tea results, Hi everyone, Dr.e ,ted ,=
steve,thanks for the help
I'm sensing resistance and hostility to what apparently is a new
idea here. Some wise person recently told me that a man would not
hear a new idea unless he already believed it. That statement was
made with respect to someone who did not want to learn about soil
microbes.
We have to go back to the original statement and get back on track.
I'll admit without apology that I tried to conserve electrons and
replied to two different messages in one and that might have
distracted us (referring to the Las Vegas grass).
The original statement was made to the effect that by using compost
tea a person had changed his watering schedule from daily watering
to watering only 3-4 days per week (isn't that every other day?). I
believe the statement was made as a marketing strategy to
demonstrate the effectiveness of this person's compost tea. I
disagree with the idea that tea is necessary OR sufficient to extend
the watering interval so I wrote to suggest a perhaps more effective
marketing strategy based on overall cost. In the past I used to
believe compost or compost tea was both necessary and sufficient to
extend watering cycle, but I have since been convinced otherwise as
explained previously.
Anyway, after I made my suggestion, Tom took the thread along the
lines of soil compaction, soil structure, capacity to drain,
improving soil, opening soil, latent ability of the particular soil
to extend the watering schedule, and Tom's experience in the
industry. But in truth, we really don't know squat about any of
these factors in the original situation. Thus when I suggest that
there is a non-tea related way to extend the watering schedule and
Tom comes back with all these different possibilities, I'm having
trouble responding. Actually I'm never at a total loss for words,
but to respond to each combination and permutation would be to mire
down in the topic. That's where we are now if I'm not mistaken.
We've all spent years opening our minds more and more to the
miracles that soil microbes can perform. I don't know about you but
every success story about tea makes me hungry for more. I LOVE this
soil biology stuff, but I sometimes find a non-tea method or
material that achieves a great result. All I'm suggesting is that
in addition to normal tea working on a wide range of normal soils to
lengthen the watering schedule, there is also a mechanical way to
achieve a similar result in similar soils.
David Hall
San Antonio, TX
--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "Tom Jaszewski" <tom_at_l...> wrote:
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Hall [mailto:dchall8_at_t...]
> Sent: Monday, November 08, 2004 11:00 PM
> To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [compost_tea] Re: G.S. I . Tea results, Hi everyone,
Dr.e ,ted
> ,steve,thanks for the help
>
> We're
> talking about judging a tea by its ability to drain water into the
> soil.
>
>
>
> [Tom Jaszewski] You suggested a problem might be a poor choice in
plant
> material. That solution has no value! I know of NO chemical or
water
> schedule that will drain compacted soil.
>
>
>
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Received on Tue Nov 09 2004 - 13:53:13 EST