Re: [compost_tea] Compost Tea for Tomato plants.

From: EAReinheimer <erica_r_at_charter.net>
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:44:13 -0800

Hello Richard,

Congratulations on writing one of the most nutrient-dense posts I have
ever seen.

I am at about the same latitude as you, 35N, but just 4 miles from the
pacific, elevation 100'. Arroyo Grande, CA. Brassicas are grown
commercially closer to the coast, and peppers and zucchini a mile or 2
inland.
At 7000' it seems you might get a frost every month of the year? But,
you speak of soil tests, so I guess some tomato (and other) plants are
growing in the earth, not pots?

Wonderful Brix results. I guess 8.5 to 13 is for the fruit. Does it
matter what time of day you make the measurement, and how long it's been
off the vine, and the temperature of the fruit? I guess I'd better get
a refractometer. Darn, looks like they are $79 from Peaceful Valley
Farm Supply now. Do you have a better source?

Your first 2 paragraphs, I think, describe your horticultural practices,
or at least where you are headed. How do you know what works? Do you
pretty much take the methods on faith, or do you use controls and
measure the results with your refractometer? In particular I am
interested in how you measure the results of the AACT and SAM4
(http://sam.vmicrobial.info/#samtype4) Why SAM4? Why the weak acids?
I'm a bit hazy on how the antioxidant properties would affect the soil
biology.

I confess, I pretty much use intuition to determine my gardening
techniques. Lately I have been using the mineral balancing methods of
Dr. Albrecht, as told by Michael Astera. Pretty much adopted the method
wholesale. I think it's a safe bet that if the minerals are not in the
soil (or fertilizer or tea) they are not going to be in the plant or the
fruit. But, just because they are in the soil doesn't mean they are
available to the plant. Phosphorus, in particular, is very squirrely.
My testing so far has been Mehlich 3 soil tests. Logan's Basic test.
What I do now is make sure the nutrients are balanced in the soil, then
fertilize with fish emulsion or bat guano as needed, and foliar feed
with kelp. Actually, the results are astounding.

I'd like to get the biology going better. In 35 years of gardening I
have yet to make the humified compost Steve Diver describes. But, I've
got a pile now that hit 140F.
My soil is a class 7 loamy sand. Could be alot worse, but the classes
run from 1 to 8, with 8 being good for deer forage. I use mulch quite a
bit, but it grows symphlans and sow bugs and only rarely an earthworm.
Organic matter has risen from about 1% to about 2.5% as a result of
massive amendments over 10 years.

Erica
www.GrowAbundant.com










On 11/22/2011 9:08 AM, Ezentrix_at_aol.com wrote:
> What a great thread. Thanks all
> Where is everyone located? Are you taking Brix readings of plant?
> fruit? Soil tests? If so by lab, for residual levels, or paste
> tests? La Motte Kit? Paramagnetic values? Are you balancing
> minerals? Using different feeds for veg/fruit stages? I brew AACT
> and SAM4/EM. Also testing a biochar plot.
> This year's tomatoes got a general mineral starter mix from Arden
> Andersen Book then a drip application of SAM4 plus molasses mixed
> 50/50 and dosed 1100/1 through drip. Container plants got the SAM4
> + molasses and Foxfarm Nutes appropriate to developmental stage.
> Brix ranged from 8.5 to 13. No insect pests, almost no disease (2 or
> 3 end rot, no blight) Elevation 7000 ft, record drought, record
> heat, 2 month delay of monsoons, etc.
> In late winter I will get soils off to Logan Labs in Ohio and then
> consider a paste test or probably buy a La Motte Kit from Pike Agro
> labs. That way I can compare residual nutrients to functional
> nutrients. This perhaps strays off the AACT track, but soil is
> structure, moisture, chemistry, biology and energy. The bugs do their
> jobs in context. Hence all the other themes.
> Look forward to more discussions. For what it is worth, Sungold was
> one of my all time memorable tomato taste experiences. The others
> were Isis and a black cherry.
> Kind Regards,
>
> Richard Jennings, Designer
> Earthwrights Designs / Dirtwrights Technologies
> 30 Camino Sudeste
> Santa Fe, New Mexico 87508
> USA
> Phone: (1 505 ) 986 1719
> www.earthwrights.com <http://www.earthwrights.com>
> In a message dated 11/22/2011 8:21:20 A.M. Mountain Standard Time,
> erica_r_at_charter.net writes:
>
> My tomatoes, which are organically grown in mineralized soil
> always die of late blight. We have nights in the 50s F throughout
> the year.
>
> Early Girl works quite well, compared to others. This year I
> trialed New Girl with quite a bit of success - better flavor,
> though they are quite small. Small is not necessarily a
> disadvantage; these might replace Sungold Cherry Tomatoes in my
> garden. That's saying alot. Sungolds are very good cherry tomatoes.
>
> I also trialed Defiant, the new late blight resistant tomato from
> Johnnies, for a late crop, which I harvested in mid October. The
> flavor is less than spectacular, but better than supermarket
> tomatos. They are are likely to replace Longkeeper and Gold
> Treasure Storage Tomatos in my garden. They do seem to be fairly
> late blight resistant. But, I may try some late planted Early
> Girls next year too, as the Early Girls have far better flavor.
> Maybe plant some New Girls late too.
>
> One growing technique which seems to help is to grow the tomatoes
> in spun polyester tunnels. Keeps the dew off, and is a bit warmer
> as not so much radiation to the sky happens.
> On very cool summers like 2010, I draped the polyester over the
> caged plants when they outgrew the tunnels.
>
> I foliar feed with kelp fairly often - I think this might help.
>
> Avoid overhead watering, though misting during times of low (25%)
> humidity is helpful.
>
> I do cage the tomatoes, mulch with straw, and use drip irrigation,
> which I discontinue as they begin to turn red. Cutting the water
> shortens their life and risks blossom end rot if it is re-started,
> but it greatly improves the tomatoes flavor.
>
> I never have pruned tomato plants, so I don't know much about the
> benefits. As I usually grow over 35 plants it would be quite alot
> of work. It's quite alot of work caging them too, but the flavor
> improves vastly if they don't touch the straw or especially not
> the dirt.
>
> Commercial organic growers spray with copper sulfate regularly as
> a late blight preventative, but I'm not going to do that.
>
> Erica
>
> On 11/21/2011 2:35 PM, thatsmyluggage_at_aol.com wrote:
>
>> I have been using fish hydrolysate and kelp meal to feed tomatoes
>> and soil microbes with great results. Calcium, Potassium, and
>> trace minerals are provided in these fertilizers. For me, success
>> or failure are later season blights. Do you have a early/late
>> blight problem? how do you deal with it? Do grow commercially?
>> You might not be able to apply AACT to control those issues
>> during fruiting.
>> I haven't controlled those diseases with AACT, but I think that
>> the right person with the right tea with the right cultural
>> practices might do so.
>> Keep cultural practice as a whole in your mind... Till/no till?
>> what kind of soil and mulch? How do you stake them? Pinch suckers
>> on the tomatoes? Graft them? Control the potentially devastating
>> diseases?
>> Brian
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Tad Hussey <tadhussey_at_yahoo.com>
>> To: compost_tea <compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com>
>> Sent: Mon, Nov 21, 2011 4:57 pm
>> Subject: Re: [compost_tea] Compost Tea for Tomato plants.
>>
>> I think nutrients are better addressed in this situation by
>> looking at your growing media (I'm assuming soil). There are
>> many ways to raise calcium levels in soil based on initial inputs
>> when mixing your soil. This is going to have a much greater and
>> beneficial impact on your plants than the tea in my opinion.
>>
>> The concept is the same, and ACT can help, but I would focus on
>> making a complete soil with good aeration and biological
>> activity, diversity, and biomass. If the soil is lacking in any
>> particular nutrients/minerals, then there will need to be added
>> at some point in time during the plant's life.
>>
>> Just my 2 cents,
>> Tad
>>
>> PS: Feel free to contact me off-list if you want help in making
>> a soil mix since it's slightly off-topic.
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> *From:* thawk4 <thawk4_at_neo.rr.com <mailto:thawk4_at_neo.rr.com>>
>> *To:* compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
>> <mailto:compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com>
>> *Sent:* Monday, November 21, 2011 9:43 AM
>> *Subject:* [compost_tea] Compost Tea for Tomato plants.
>>
>> I will be planting tomatoes in Eco-Grow pots which use capillary
>> action to water the plants on an as needed basis. The pots have a
>> built-in water reservoir. Eco-Grow claims you can't over/under
>> water with these pots.
>>
>> My plan is to use organic media to grow these plants in and I
>> want to use compost tea as the sole fertilizer source which I
>> will top dress on the plant. (Not through the pot's water reservoir.)
>>
>> One of my questions is will compost tea supply enough calcium and
>> magnesium or do I need to add ingredients in the tea to ensure
>> adequate levels of calcium and magnesium?
>>
>> Or better yet does somebody have a tea recipe adjusted for tomatoes?
>>
>> Tomatoes need calcium to prevent blossom end rot and to prevent
>> fruit cracking.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>>
>>
>
>


Received on Wed Nov 23 2011 - 11:22:12 EST

This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.0 : Tue Feb 07 2012 - 13:58:13 EST