Re: [compost_tea] RE: MICROBIOLOGY TESTING of COMPOST TEAS

From: Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net>
Date: Tue, 28 Dec 2004 09:46:43 -0800

----- Original Message -----
From: Tim Kiphart
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, December 28, 2004 3:52 AM
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] RE: MICROBIOLOGY TESTING of COMPOST TEAS


Elaine said:

Use the new SFI approach for assessing what soil chemistry will become plan=
t available in the coming growing season. . .

Elaine:

I am curious about what this means. In the soil tests I have taken after te=
a application, I have noticed that even though the soil tests show that nut=
rients need to be added, the plant assays show the plants getting adequate =
amounts of the recommended nutrients. It is my assumption that the biology=
 is working to provide the plants with those nutrients as the plants need t=
hem. There could be other explantations too but the only change was the in=
troduction of biologically rich compost tea. I would be interested in know=
ing if the soil analysis you will be doing can predict actions of unknown a=
mounts of unknown bacteria. Simply put: How can you analyze the potential =
of something without knowing the factors involved in utilizing that potenti=
al? Or do you know the factors?

I compost for local diversity and brew for replication of that diversity. =
It's an inexact process. If I knew which bacteria did what and could isola=
te and cultivate those bacteria, that's what I would do. But I don't know =
which exact bacteria do exactly what in concert with what in the soil. I ha=
ve read quite a bit about soil microbiology and a little about soil chemist=
ry but I was unaware that soil science in relation to compost tea had becom=
e that exact. If it has, could you clarify this?

The testing could be extremely valuable but I am at a loss as to how predic=
tive a single test could be within the changes to soil brought on by the in=
troduction of a wide array or bacteria and fungi. What am I missing here?

Ted Peterson
SOE






Received on Tue Dec 28 2004 - 15:01:35 EST

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