Re: [compost_tea] Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: non-aerated teas?

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2005 18:05:14 EST

 
 
Elaine's quiz question #2
> 2. What is the critical information necessary to know if a tea will work
> as a foliar spray?




Kirk's response
Active microbial mass and diversity is my first thought. Also being able to
get it through your sprayer...



Elaine response:
 
So, what we need to know is active biology. Measure that as a way to
predict whether the tea will do what you want.
 
Kirk also asked:
Where is the point that water uptake of oxygen equals oxygen use by
organisms? I assume it's a fairly low rate, a function of barometric pressure and
temperature in "non-aerated" teas, but it seems to be something knowable and
worth keeping in mind in making tea. ACT, too...


Elaine's response:
 
Um, diffusion into water is determined by air pressure and temperature. You
can figure out the maximum oxygen concentration in water if you know both.
But, organism use of oxygen, dependent on the number of organisms in the
water, and the food supply they have, changes rapidly. That's what is harder to
understand.


Kirk wrote:
Thanks for the clarifications. I used the term adjuvant as I understood it
from NOSB CTTF report, where it's not really clear, either. I interpret
"additive" to mean "nutrient" or "food" for the critters, and "adjuvant" as
something that is added to the tea for other purposes - a wetter, a sticker,
a fertilizer, etc. Ya? Na? Wha?


Elaine's response:
Avoid the use of jargon, when possible. If you mean a sticker, say sticker.
 If you mean any additive, just say additive. The use of the term adjuvant
by the author of the CTTF made me really un-comfortable, since it didn't
match what my understanding of the term was.
 
So all of you are saying - Look who is saying avoid jargon!!!!! Whoa!
 
But, using every day terms to say what you mean is better than mis-using a
term. OK, I succumb to the big word syndrome, especially when I get accosted
by a fellow academic using verbiage. I mess up on precise terminology too.
 
As long as you are ok with me saying that my understanding of a term isn't
quite right, we'll both learn. And of course turn about is kosher too. When
you think I didn't use a term correctly, let me know, and we can delve into
the term and both understand it better.
 
 
Elaine R. Ingham
Soil Foodweb Inc., Corvallis, Oregon
Soil Foodweb Inc., Port Jefferson, New York
Soil Foodweb Institute, Lismore Australia
Soil Foodweb Institute Cambridge, New Zealand
Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho
Soil Foodweb Inc., South Africa








Received on Thu Jan 13 2005 - 20:50:41 EST

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