Tim;
I note your reservations about Graeme Saits article. I think your points are
valid.
I have never found anything that Sait has written or said to be based on
poor research. In fact much of the information he provides is cutting edge.
He seems to scour the globe ( or academic literature) for information.
He provides a new and different way of addressing problems which are
typically associated with ACT. Freeze dried biology. Tried and tested foods
and with quality determined by him. Nitrogen fixing bacteria. Stubble
digesting fungi. These are problems of large scale agriculture (and I
suppose to gardening but probably to a lesser extent). We try to use ACT and
hope that it has the ingredients to address problems we think we may have.
He tries to brew ACT with remedies for specific problems. He produces his
freeze dried inoculum so it is probably produced specifically for breaking
down straw. This we know is easy enough to do. Producing nitrogen fixing
fungi I would assume is more complex.
I think we can benefit from the article.
Maybe it gives you some ideas too...
SS
From: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com [mailto:compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Tim Wilson
Sent: 18 December 2011 22:27
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: [compost_tea] Re: Sustainable Farming News & Biological Agriculture
Information. > Blog Archive > 8 Essentials for Successful Microbe Brewing
Hi Stephen,
People can try what they wish but I don't like to mess around with adjusting
pH in a brew as it just throws things out of balance (IMO).
Do these people supply any data or do they do any research? Their statement
that molasses selects for a limited number of bacterial species seems to
indicate a lack of time looking down a microscope tube. That molasses feeds
only bacteria is old information which was started 'I don't know where'.
Black strap molasses feeds both bacteria/archaea and fungi equally well, in
my experience. Paul Stamets uses molasses to grow out fungal hyphae.
[as a side note, I believe that it has yet to be proven that the fungi grown
out in ACT is the same type of fungi we refer to when we speak of fungal
dominated soils. I'm not saying that the fungi grown in ACT does not
contribute to the health of soil, just that I've not seen supportive data
that the species of fungi grown in ACT have a direct role in nutrient
delivery to the roots of plants similar to endomycorrhizal fungi. I am
hopeful of related research)
I do not usually have trouble extracting and growing fungi in an efficient
brewer using [vermi]compost which has fungi in it. The time it takes usually
ranges from 10 to 24 hours depending on how active the [vermi]compost is.
Here is my data from two brews made with only 2.38% vermicompost mixed with
0.50% black strap molasses. Judge for yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZz7vnaX2S8
<
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZz7vnaX2S8&feature=context&context=C3016b7e
ADOEgsToPDskJTsOMGQcbl821vfr-OSCGP>
&feature=context&context=C3016b7eADOEgsToPDskJTsOMGQcbl821vfr-OSCGP
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR7ZTrZQuFg
<
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR7ZTrZQuFg&feature=context&context=C3016b7e
ADOEgsToPDskJTsOMGQcbl821vfr-OSCGP>
&feature=context&context=C3016b7eADOEgsToPDskJTsOMGQcbl821vfr-OSCGP
Tim
--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com <mailto:compost_tea%40yahoogroups.com> ,
"Stephen Steyn" <ssteyn_at_...> wrote:
>
> Dear fellow composters:
>
> Received this via my subscription to Graeme Sait's site. I hope you find
it
> as interesting as I did. The idea of buffering the ACT to different pHs
> depending on whether you wanted bacterial or fungal dominance seems a good
> one.
>
> SS
>
>
http://www.nutri-tech.com.au/blog/2011/12/8-essentials-for-microbe-brewing/
>
> -- Shared using Google Toolbar
>
Received on Mon Dec 19 2011 - 03:12:15 EST