I tend
to agree with Paulette.
Kevin,
being that your rebuttal is to be submitted to the letters to the editor ? they
typically they require less words, so you might have to look at shortening your
letter, without losing content.
In
addition to that though, your facts, and cause, are great. But I tend to think
of how AACT can best be promoted.
Although the scintific tests and facts about aact are absolutely
necessary. I think that these types
of details tend to turn off the average gardener/reader, even farmer. The more people getting involved in
AACT, the more it will be used, right? And then, the more the results of using
it will be realized ? and then the use of AACT grows... An article arguing about the details
seems, IMO, more pointed to the scientific community, and negatively looked at
by common readers. Though promoting
the true facts is completely necessary, it may be better left to papers,
journals, etc specifically meant for the scientific, or AACT interested,
groups. And glossy?d up for the
common reader.
To me,
the readers of the ?Anchorage Daily News?, or similar papers, might be more apt
to read, and then become interested, if a lower level of detail were available ?
but still stressing the finer points that detail the differences. And as Paulette stated, it needs to come
to readers as a totally different idea/term/name than that of the compost teas
of yesterday. Changing the
paradigm, if you will.
There
are far more home gardeners and farmers out there than there are scientists
interested in AACT ? I think the masses need to be given the attention
first. The masses will then push
the scientists to further cultivate the field ? making it easier to
use.
Just
my thought on the matter. But
Kevin, your article comes across as being non-pointed, informative and having a
friendly tone ? all plusses. Thanks
for taking action.
On a
different note, but a similar subject, has anyone thought of posting some
better-detailed info to Rodale?s Organic Gardening Magazine? They are always speaking of the ?soak in
the bucket? (anaerobic) method. I?m
surprised I haven?t seen them come out with a new article speaking of AACT as
the better alternative. Maybe I
missed it though, and they had already.
But those readers would be interested in hearing all of this, and are the
types that would act on it.
-Mike
JMT
SYSTEMS
CONSULTING
http://www.jmtsystems.com
info@jmtsystems.com
/ 509 968-9015
-----Original
Message-----
From: George and
Paulette Mouchet [mailto:geomouchet@QNET.COM]
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2003 6:25
AM
To:
'compost_tea@yahoogroups.com'
Subject: RE: [compost_tea] Letter to the
Editor
Dear
Kevin:
This
article points out an issue I brought up a few weeks ago: people
already have a definition of compost tea and when we try to talk
about
AACT, we've got an uphill battle because we have to reeducate
them about
what AACT is before we can talk about what AACT
does.
One problem with this is that people think they know what
CT is and we
think they know what we are talking about when we use
the term CT or even
AACT, so we all think we are on the same page
but we are not. We may not
realize that reeducation needs to
occur.
I happen to agree with Sue that there are two types of
CT. It's not the
general population's fault if they think CT
can be an anaerobic brew.
That's our fault. Practicioners of
AACT have borrowed a term that has
been used for many, many years
to mean one thing and redefined it to meet
our own
needs.
I think a rebuttal to the article is in order.
However, my point remains.
Practicioners of AACT are going to be
waging this war for a LONG time. It
would be a lot easier to
call our product something people have never heard
of so we can
give a quick definition of it and all be on the same
page.
Paulette
-----Original
Message-----
From: kevin john
richardon
[SMTP:kmagic@backpacker.com]
Sent:
Friday, June 20, 2003 5:23 AM
To:
compost_tea@yahoogroups.com
Subject:
[compost_tea] Letter to the Editor
Hello
Friends,
Please take time to consider the following, brief
article which appeared
yesterday, Thursday, June 19, in the
Anchorage Daily News:
Quality counts with compost
tea
By SUE LINCOLN
Daily News
correspondent
(Published: June 19, 2003)
The
Cooperative Extension Service horticulture office receives many
inquiries about compost tea -- how to make it, the benefits and if
it
really works. To answer these questions, one must have some
knowledge of
plant/soil interactions.
Soil is a
very complex community consisting of millions of microscopic
living
organisms and decaying organic material. Soil scientists define soil
as a combination of three particles varying widely in size and
chemical
reactivity: sand, silt and clay, plus organic matter.
Plant nutrient
availability depends on the structure and texture of
a soil as well as
microbial activity. Texture depends on the
percentage of sand, silt and
clay in the soil.
A
soil that is high in sand has large particles and large pore spaces where
water and nutrients can flow through and beyond the reach of the
root
system. Because of the large particles consisting mainly of
silicon dioxide
and the lack of clay particles, chemical ions in
soil solution are not
attracted to the sand particles and tend to
move with soil water.
Soils high in silt have smaller particles
than sand and smaller pore spaces
for water and gas exchange. Silty
soils tend to release nutrient ions into
soil solution with time
and are often highly productive.
A soil that is high in clay has
very small particles and very small pore
spaces allowing ions to be
held tightly to their surface but not allowing
water and air
permeability, resulting in a struggling microbe population
and poor
aeration. Although soils high in clay are considered to have high
cation-exchange capacity (the chemical reaction in the soil), which
is
desirous for plants, the particles are so small and tightly
packed together
it is difficult for root growth, gas exchange for
microbial activity and
diffusion of nutrients to the root
surface.
The addition of organic material such as compost is
beneficial to soil
structure and adds to the total cation-exchange
capacity of the soil. The
added organic material increases moisture
retention and helps to increase
microbial populations. Microbes
break down organic particles into chemical
components usable to
plants. This microbial action enables the nutrients to
be available
for plant roots to absorb.
COMPOST and COMPOST
TEA
Compost is the result of plant material that has been
decomposed by soil
microbes to a soil-like state -- although it is
not soil. In general, the
benefits of adding compost to soil are
many. However, the quality of the
compost is important. In order to
achieve good quality compost, steps must
be taken to use quality
ingredients, maintain temperature and moisture and
ensure good air
circulation throughout the composting process. These steps
also
must be taken for a quality compost tea. The compost tea will only be
as good as the compost used.
Compost tea is the
leachate of compost where water is added to extract
nutrients and
microbes. The tea consists of a very large and diverse
microbial
community. Some recipes include the addition of carbohydrates
such
as yeast, molasses or other sugars to encourage microbe
reproduction.
There are basically two types of compost tea:
anaerobic and aerobic.
For the anaerobic method, the compost is
allowed to sit in water for
several days. By allowing the water to
sit undisturbed, the
anaerobic-microbe population increases while
the microbes that prefer an
oxygenated environment
decline.
In the aerobic method, air is pumped through the
solution thereby
increasing the aerobic-microbe population within
the solution. Depending on
what the compost tea will be used for
will determine which method is used.
TWO WAYS TO USE
TEA
There are basically two uses for compost tea. One is to
increase microbe
populations in the soil so they can break down and
release nutrients to be
available to plants. The other is a foliar
spray used for nutrient
application as well as a
fungicide.
There is quite a controversy over the claimed
benefits of compost tea. The
scientific community is just beginning
to conduct controlled studies on how
the soil community and plants
respond to the addition of compost tea. There
is consensus, though,
that compost tea added to the soil does add to the
microbe
population, thus enhancing the probability of increasing soil
fertility by microbial release of nutrients. However, the use of
compost
tea as a foliar fungicide has brought the largest
controversy.
There have been several controlled experimental
studies using compost tea
as a fungicide on specific pathogens and
crops. Results have been
conflicting. However, some results suggest
that compost tea brewed using
the anaerobic method may be more
effective as a disease suppressive than
compost tea brewed using
the aerobic method. In other studies, foliar
application of compost
tea encouraged pathogen growth.
USDA
CONCERNS
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has documented
concern over using
compost tea as a foliar spray. Pathogens such as
E. coli and Samonella have
been cultured from the tea when
carbohydrates were added to the brew. One
experiment suggested that
by not adding the carbohydrates, E. coli could be
eliminated even
though the pathogen was present in the compost prior to
brewing the
tea. In addition to the concern of dangerous pathogens, foliar
applications of compost tea can be high in salts, which can burn
tender
foliage. This is another case for the use of quality compost
materials.
There is also controversy on the use of compost tea
in organic farming.
Because dangerous pathogens reproduce between
the temperatures of 40 and
140 degrees, compost would need to heat
to at least 150 degrees to kill all
the pathogens. Prior to using
animal manure, the National Organic Standards
Board requires the
material to be heated in excess of 150 degrees for a
minimum of one
hour and dried to a moisture level of 12 percent or less.
Unfortunately, if the compost was heated to this high temperature
all the
good microbes would be killed as well. The Agriculture
Marketing Service of
the USDA recommends that if compost tea is
used as a foliar spray on edible
crops, harvest should not take
place less than 120 days after application
unless the compost tea
is made without the addition of carbohydrates.
In order to keep
healthy while consuming homegrown, organically produced
food
using compost tea as an amendment, use quality ingredients when
building the compost heap. When the compost is finished, refrain
from
adding additional carbohydrates to the brew if foliar
applications will be
made.
Sue Lincoln is a
horticulture program assistant with the University of
Alaska
Fairbanks Cooperate Extension Service. She is located in the
Anchorage office. Contact her at 786-6315.
The
Anchorage Daily News
Hmmm... I feel compelled to respond to a
few items. Please let me know
what YOU think.
Promptness will be an issue as I would like to submitt a
version of
the following, Letter to the Editor:
Local
Solutions
19025 Villages Scenic Pkwy
Anchorage,
Alaska 99516
(907) 522-0679 907)
317-8455
Thursday, June 19,
2003
Letter to the Editor
Anchorage Daily
News
Quali-tea results with Compost Tea
Wow, Sue
Lincoln grabbed my attention!
Leading with such a concise yet
informed portrayal of soil dynamics, I was
anxious to read
further. Turning the page, I expected what followed to
champion the necessity of securing a quality source of compost to
brew
quality compost tea with? I finished the column feeling my
understanding of
Compost Tea conflicted and doubting Ms. Lincoln's
compilation of facts.
In all fairness, I assume responsibility
for taking the initiative to seek
out more information to better
and verify my own understanding, yet I also
intend to encourage all
of us to be diligent and accountable in the
reporting of our
research and development to productively advance the
enormous
potential of the emerging science of Compost Tea.
Please know
Dr. Elaine Ingham and Soil Foodweb Inc., a renowned resource
recognized as the foremost authority in the field of soil
microbiology, is
adamant that Anaerobic Leachates of Compost ARE
NOT Compost Tea.
This may seem like semantics, Sue,
yet?
The terminology, "Compost Tea", refers to a watery extract
of Compost, made
by the addition of a determined amount of high
quality compost and
microbial foods to water which IS ALWAYS at
least 5.7% Oxygen per Volume!
This is important to agree
upon.
As a general rule with exceptions, anaerobes produce
substances which
inhibit growth. We want to provide an
environment which promotes the
growth of aerobic
microorganisms. These are the microbes whose
interrelationships within their community have the desired,
positive,
beneficial effects on soil and plant characteristics we
are attempting to
cultivate with compost tea.
True
Sue, "The compost tea will only be as good as the compost used." Only
organisms present in the brewing materials will be found in the
Tea. The
action alone of adding carbohydrates or any
other nutrient will not result
in the cultivation of
pathogens.
I am not aware of Compost Tea having a Salt
Index. As you mention, if
foliage is being burnt by salts,
this also would be a source issue.
Interestingly, Anchorage,
Alaska has, to my understanding, one of the three
known best
sources of composted material on the planet. Certain types of
Humus, commonly referred to as "peat", posses the finest attributes
of a
composted material. The most important asset, Sue will
agree, is that
there are NO CONTAMINANTS. It is virgin
material. Secondly, the number,
type and diversity of species
contained in the Humus is outstanding. The
tests register
impressive numbers. This resource is being actively
conserved
by a local group. Look them up at AlaskaHumus.com.
Facts
have been gathered indicating foliar applications of Compost Tea
achieving 70% leaf coverage or greater successfully suppress
disease. 90%
coverage, 7% of which is of beneficial fungal
content, has achieved 100%
protection! Yet this
accomplishment is not likely achieved by secretions
of toxins as
"-icides" suggest. Rather the beneficial microbes present in
Tea out-compete pathogens for space and food resources and in some
cases
predate on disease causing organisms.
Much of
the wonderful feedback I receive from those who employ compost tea
generates a foremost concern for quality. It is imperative we
achieve
accuracy in the dissemination of information, as public
awareness and
perception of Compost Tea is being developed during
this growth stage in
the industry and we want this science to move
forward and realize maximum
potential.
Please
consider these remarks as we gain in our collective knowledge and
ability to brew and apply Compost Tea. Thank you for your
time and
consideration.
Best
Regards,
Kevin John Richardson
Your input is
welcomed. Especially if I have errored in my facts,
judgement, etc...
Please feel free to edit.
Suggestions contrary to my current opinion are
especially
warrented. Please let me know if you think the gal wrote a
decent peice and I should let it go. No reason to come off
like a jerk, ya
know?
Peace, Kev
ps
sorry soo long
Kevin John Richardson
Local
Solutions
19025 Villages Scenic Pkwy
Anchorage, AK
99516
(907) 522 0679 Land
auto forwards to
:
(907) 317 8455
Cell
kmagic@backpacker.com
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