Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Re: plants that attract/support microbes?

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 12:09:40 EDT

Soil under any tree SHOULD be rich in microbial life.  

But often, it is NOT.  Why?  The chemicals we have been pouring on the soil.  
Different "-icides" and salts, otherwise called fertilizers.  There is 
benefit in a fertilizer, true, but potentially a great deal of harm.  Concentration 
is the key factor there.  

If bananas are healthy, they tend to be in the slightly bacterial to slightly 
fungal balance of fungi to bacteria.  Actually the best banana I know (Ono 
Farms on Maui) has soil on the fungal side.  Not hugely fungal, but on the 
fungal side.  

Lactic acid bacteria are not really conducive to growth of fungi, at least 
what I've seen.  Making compost with fermentative bacteria TO START might 
prevent the putrefactive loss of N, S and P through volatilization, buut once the 
hot phase of the composting is over, then pushing the right fungi is important.  

But, yes, indigenous fungal species.  Indigenous fermentative species as 
well.  Buying EM or another bacterial inoculum might get things started in the 
right direction, but then you want to start saving and developing your own 
inoculum with time.  That's the best way to get the species adapted to your local 
conditions.  

Get the "good-guy " fungi from soil under trees that are HEALTHY.  Deep 
roots, going deep into the soil, not roots hampered by compaction, anaerobic 
conditions, and running along the surface of the soil. 

Elaine
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
www.soilfoodweb.com
SFI Oregon, USA
SFI Australia
SFI New York
SFI Europe
SFI New Zealand

"Hope is not a feeling. It is not the belief that things will turn out well, 
but the conviction that what we are doing makes sense, no matter how things 
turn out."   --  Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic

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From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 23 May 2003 12:09:40 EDT

Elaine