[compost_tea] Re: Re: My compost

From: Kirk Leonard <kirkleon_at_open.org>
Date: Sun, 6 Mar 2005 10:37:56 -0800
One of the things I like about the "discipline" of compost tea is it causes
people to think about compost, what's good - what's not. In the US, we have
abused the term, thus materials that are useless or even dangerous are sold
as "compost". We need to do better organic educating and recycling.

Butch -- no offense taken, but when you say:

> ....  So if this feed lot
> situation delivers product that can be further used
> without causing an environmental problem....

That is the point of my concern. What happens to the synthetics and
pathogens, actually?  I fear there's just another environmental problem
here.

In the past, this kind of cooking of manures has been at 250dF, which I do
trust to destroy pathogens - and every critter, but it doesn't work on
prions - does it work on synthetics?  I am not aware of testing of these
things at 150dF, or 250dF for that matter. (Two types of tests specifically:
synthetic reduction and pathogen re-growth.)

We have introduced things (clopyralid, picloram, prions) that cannot be
composted so it is not beyond my imagination that there are many that can't
be "cooked" out of organic matter.

The other thing that bothers me about this "compost", you probably know this
Butch, is how it's cooked and dried. I'm sure hog fuel and oil boilers and
lots of electricity were used in the past and still are, but now it involves
big natural gas fired ovens, too. When good composting can be done so easily
and naturally at really low energy inputs, why spend all that precious
energy and add to air pollution at the same time?

Jack: Yup on some nurseries. How much "organic" stuff do they sell?  Can
they tell you about the compost? If you walk through 90 shelf feet of
chemical products, very few organics, and the "compost" is hard to find in
the back forty.. I don't think so... If they sell organic products up front
and can talk about the biology, where the compost came from, what's in it,
I'd think it would be ok.

Another thing I really like about compost tea is it doesn't take much good
compost to make a bunch of good tea, and I firmly believe good tea can help
not-so-good composts along.

And yeah, Dave, big boxes can have decent products, Cedar Grove compost is
an example. If the product is local or from nearby that's a good sign. Also
good to know and trust what it's made from.

Finally, Jack, Doc E's suggestion to contact an SFI advisor near you and ask
about local compost resources is a good one, and I'm pretty sure they won't
charge for that.:-)

And I have a flip-side suggestion for the group -- if you know of a good
compost source, tell an SFI advisor, hmm?

It's Sunday, warming day here, want some rain, but other than appreciation I
have nothing to do with SFI business, btw.  One lab of many I've used, but
more good compost and tea info than any other I know about.

Kirk






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Received on Sun Mar 06 2005 - 14:23:48 EST

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