[compost_tea] Fungal broccoli

From: Frank Teuton <fteuton_at_sympatico.ca>
Date: Mon, 3 Feb 2003 23:00:44 -0500

Hi Elaine,

Actually the soil was deep mulched leaves and wood chips with a seasoning o=
f grass clippings added in, on top of compost again made mostly from leaves=
 (maple and a few other hardwoods) and wood chips. No till situation much l=
ike those described by Ruth Stout.

After I made that post to SANET I got an interesting email from Joel Gruver=
 asking if I knew of any other soil scientist besides you who advocated man=
aging soils crop-specifically for fungal-bacterial dominance.

He also claimed that he and Steve Groff had gotten good broccoli crops from=
 fungally dominated soils. I am not sure how he measured the soil to determ=
ine it was fungally dominated, though.

My own soil, while fed a diet that ought to yield fungal dominance, is also=
 fabulously alive with earthworms and myriad other macro and mesofauna. So =
it could be that, in spite of appearances and feedstocks, that the whole th=
ing is nonetheless quite bacterial. Or it could be that around the broccoli=
 the dominance of the broccoli root system creates a zone of bacterial domi=
nance while outside the influence of the broc it remains fungal.

In any case we are talking about very rich organic soil in a heavy clay sub=
soil. Basidiocarp fruiting bodies in the nearby woodchip covered paths, tha=
t sort of thing. Collembola, mites, pseudoscorpions, centipedes, etc by the=
 scores.

Also frequent germination of tree seedlings in the leaf mulched beds...

Guess I should send you some samples when spring comes.

Frank Teuton
  Elaine wrote:

  You said something in a recent post about collecting forest duff with gre=
at fungi and using it in your broccoli beds. Generally, for broccoli to do=
 well, the soil has to be bacterial. when you mix the forest duff, I would=
 expect you lose the fungi in the mix, and broccoli pushs the soil very bac=
terial. Just because you start out fungal doesn't mean the mixing, other a=
dditions, etc do not push the soil bacterial.

  Sure would be fun to test the soil though I like finding exceptions to t=
he rules we have found. Explanations may take awhile, depending on what we=
 see!


  Elaine
  President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
  www.soilfoodweb.com





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Received on Tue Feb 04 2003 - 11:57:25 EST

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