RE: [compost_tea] Re: Sawdust in compost tea
Thanks for the information, it's appreciated. I'm a hobbyist, so I don't have access to a microscope at this stage, but it looks like I might do it just to satisfy the curiosity factor and for the fact that there's really no other way to verify if your teas have the required bacterial/fungal make up that was desired when making the tea in the first place. I've been using my nose up until this stage, I guess that's a primitive form of a microscope without eyes? ;)
In regards to boosting N, what would your thoughts be around adding some composted chicken manure to the vericompost + sawdust? I'm fine with the sawdust I'm using, it's marketed as worm bedding from the mill I buy it from, cheap too. I usually top dress my lawn with composted chicken manure in granular form, so I wonder if adding some of this, which apparently also contains some seaweed and humic acid, will be beneficial.
From: dblsixteenout <jseegert_at_yahoo.com>
Sent: Mon, 7/3/2011 4:12am
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: [compost_tea] Re: Sawdust in compost tea
It is generally acceptable to use sawdust and wood chips as a component of compost. However, care should be taken when choosing the wood source. First and foremost, never use black walnut since this tree emits a chemical that will prohibit plant growth. This is a type of defense against weed and cover growth inhibiting sapling growth. The other type of wood that should be limited is oak or other woods containing high levels of tannins. These tend to contain tannic acid and if used in higher quantities will raise the pH of the compost resulting in detrimental effects on the microorganisms. Most of us don't have access to oleander but this also emits a deadly toxin that should not be used around gardens intended for human consumption. Also, plywood sawdust should be steered clear of since the chemicals that are used in the resins are typically not intended for human consumption.
Wood fiber is high in carbon (200:1 C:N) content and is best used as topical application (10 tonnes/acre or about 4.5 lbs per 100 square foot) but will definitely lock up a good portion of Nitrogen in the compost since the type of organisms that break down cellulose will also demand Nitrogen. If using wood fiber in compost, you must add about 14 oz of blood meal (_at_11% N) or 2 lb of a 5% N granular product per 20lbs of wood fiber to offset the amount of N used to compost it (this is equivalent to about 10 lbs of N per tonne of sawdust). One good source of N to add with sawdust is poultry manure. This is a great way to "cool" down this type of waste.
Another option is to boost the level of N before adding the sawdust by adding food sources to the worm pile that results in a compost that contains enough N for the cellulose consuming organisms and allows for an adequate level of N left after the sawdust is decomposed.
If you are going to use this sawdust mixed compost for ACT without adding any additional Nitrogen source, remember that making a bacterial based ACT utilizing sawdust blended compost will continue to consume any nitrogen from the compost. Allowing the mix to run longer to propagate a significant level of bacterial organisms to feed the protozoa and other N-producing organisms, will allow the bacteria consuming organisms to resupply the levels of available/free N as a byproduct. In other words the propagation of Bacteria is dependent upon the consumption of available/free N in your compost. Allowing significant levels of bacteria to develop will allow the protozoa and other N generating organisms to increase in numbers. This allows the organisms breaking down the cellulose a source of N but should also leave enough availble/free N for an effective tea.
The process is dependent upon the types of compost, additives and times of brewing but can easily be confirmed by microscopic evaluation (making sure there are high levels of bacteria at first and then protozoa).
If your intent is only to allow the vermicompost to be easily handled, remember that any compost will easily dissolve in the brewer regardless of its consistency and how it is added. It sounds like there might be a concern with storing the "wet" vermicompost until it can be used for ACT (possibly turning anaerobic). Consider allowing the soil to sit in an open container or spread it out until the desired moisture content is satisfactory for storage.
Also, wood fiber will take longer to compost 6 months - 1 year depending on the size of the wood fiber
<!--
#ygrp-mkp {
border: 1px solid #d8d8d8;
font-family: Arial;
margin: 10px 0;
padding: 0 10px;
}
#ygrp-mkp hr {
border: 1px solid #d8d8d8;
}
#ygrp-mkp #hd {
color: #628c2a;
font-size: 85%;
font-weight: 700;
line-height: 122%;
margin: 10px 0;
}
#ygrp-mkp #ads {
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
#ygrp-mkp .ad {
padding: 0 0;
}
#ygrp-mkp .ad p {
margin: 0;
}
#ygrp-mkp .ad a {
color: #0000ff;
text-decoration: none;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc {
font-family: Arial;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc #hd {
margin: 10px 0px;
font-weight: 700;
font-size: 78%;
line-height: 122%;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ygrp-lc .ad {
margin-bottom: 10px;
padding: 0 0;
}
a {
color: #1e66ae;
}
#actions {
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 11px;
padding: 10px 0;
}
#activity {
background-color: #e0ecee;
float: left;
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 10px;
padding: 10px;
}
#activity span {
font-weight: 700;
}
#activity span:first-child {
text-transform: uppercase;
}
#activity span a {
color: #5085b6;
text-decoration: none;
}
#activity span span {
color: #ff7900;
}
#activity span .underline {
text-decoration: underline;
}
.attach {
clear: both;
display: table;
font-family: Arial;
font-size: 12px;
padding: 10px 0;
width: 400px;
}
.attach div a {
text-decoration: none;
}
.attach img {
border: none;
padding-right: 5px;
}
.attach label {
display: block;
margin-bottom: 5px;
}
.attach label a {
text-decoration: none;
}
blockquote {
margin: 0 0 0 4px;
}
.bold {
font-family: Arial;
font-size: 13px;
font-weight: 700;
}
.bold a {
text-decoration: none;
}
dd.last p a {
font-family: Verdana;
font-weight: 700;
}
dd.last p span {
margin-right: 10px;
font-family: Verdana;
font-weight: 700;
}
dd.last p span.yshortcuts {
margin-right: 0;
}
div.attach-table div div a {
text-decoration: none;
}
div.attach-table {
width: 400px;
}
div.file-title a, div.file-title a:active, div.file-title a:hover, div.file-title a:visited {
text-decoration: none;
}
div.photo-title a, div.photo-title a:active, div.photo-title a:hover, div.photo-title a:visited {
text-decoration: none;
}
div#ygrp-mlmsg #ygrp-msg p a span.yshortcuts {
font-family: Verdana;
font-size: 10px;
font-weight: normal;
}
.green {
color: #628c2a;
}
.MsoNormal {
margin: 0 0 0 0;
}
o {
font-size: 0;
}
#photos div {
float: left;
width: 72px;
}
#photos div div {
border: 1px solid #666666;
height: 62px;
overflow: hidden;
width: 62px;
}
#photos div label {
color: #666666;
font-size: 10px;
overflow: hidden;
text-align: center;
white-space: nowrap;
width: 64px;
}
#reco-category {
font-size: 77%;
}
#reco-desc {
font-size: 77%;
}
.replbq {
margin: 4px;
}
#ygrp-actbar div a:first-child {
/* border-right: 0px solid #000;*/
margin-right: 2px;
padding-right: 5px;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg {
font-size: 13px;
font-family: Arial, helvetica,clean, sans-serif;
*font-size: small;
*font: x-small;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg table {
font-size: inherit;
font: 100%;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg select, input, textarea {
font: 99% Arial, Helvetica, clean, sans-serif;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg pre, code {
font:115% monospace;
*font-size:100%;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg * {
line-height: 1.22em;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg #logo {
padding-bottom: 10px;
}
#ygrp-mlmsg a {
color: #1E66AE;
}
#ygrp-msg p a {
font-family: Verdana;
}
#ygrp-msg p#attach-count span {
color: #1E66AE;
font-weight: 700;
}
#ygrp-reco #reco-head {
color: #ff7900;
font-weight: 700;
}
#ygrp-reco {
margin-bottom: 20px;
padding: 0px;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov li a {
font-size: 130%;
text-decoration: none;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov li {
font-size: 77%;
list-style-type: square;
padding: 6px 0;
}
#ygrp-sponsor #ov ul {
margin: 0;
padding: 0 0 0 8px;
}
#ygrp-text {
font-family: Georgia;
}
#ygrp-text p {
margin: 0 0 1em 0;
}
#ygrp-text tt {
font-size: 120%;
}
#ygrp-vital ul li:last-child {
border-right: none !important;
}
-->
Received on Sun Mar 06 2011 - 21:16:13 EST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0
: Tue Feb 07 2012 - 13:58:05 EST