[compost_tea] Re: Different kinds of soil tests - SFI and NPK

From: chriscreid <reidchris_at_earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 2003 23:47:53 -0000

Eileen Calvanese said:

I took our tests out for the last three years
> and started to compare - well - some areas were better but not
across the board -sometimes numbers increased but in other areas we
saw little or no improvement -sometimes the numbers went down(!) (we
had about 50 or so samples taken throughout the park and have been
monitoring these areas each year since 2001) In some areas we had a
significant increase in protazoa counts and in others a drop. >>>>>

-but if the soil wasn't that great to begin with or
> there are other factors in play (i.e. environmental) it's going
to take time to see improvement -and I don't think tea alone is
going to do it additions of Organic matter and good cultural
practices are al so necessary, too.

Eileen,

Again, thanks for the detail. And here are a bunch of questions if
you're inclined to provide any more info. I think this is extremely
interesting stuff, because you have a puzzle to solve here. Nobody
applies compost tea in a vacuum -- there are almost always
simultaneously occurring site conditions, or diseases, or
considerations, some of which have to be addressed some other way.
It seems to me that the trick is to learn to recognize them, so that
is what I am trying to figure out (don't hold your breath...).

So -- urban setting I think urban soils and compaction right away.
Then I think lack of control of the site.

Have you made sure that what you are brewing is making it alive into
the soil or plant leaves (test the tea, do leaf assays)? Are you
spraying or pouring the tea into the soil? What spray equipment?
Any idea of pressure being used to spray? What rate? Is your water
chlorinated that you are using in spraying?

What is the history and condition of the soil? (e.g. any chemicals
such as pesticides or any pollutants known in the soil, is
compaction an ongoing problem, does runoff bring pollutants onto the
soil, is the soil native to the site or was it trucked in from
somewhere). When you compare your results to the conditions at the
test sample sites, do you see any correlation between improved tests
and improved conditions, or -- if not improved -- less difficult
areas to control (compaction/unintended inputs from pollution,
etc.)? What are your regular soil test levels like (NPK etc.)? Do
you see any changes in those levels?

What other management/techniques are you using? For example, are
the areas where tea is being applied mulched? If there is
compaction, was the compaction ever forked/broken up at all?

How much control do you have over how the site is used? If you
apply tea today, it rains, and tomorrow somebody plays soccer all
day on the wet site, a lot of compaction could kind of screw up the
aerobic conditions in the soil. I am just posing this scenario so
we can consider where actions taken by others could be diminishing
the impact of your actions with the tea. My factoid for the week is
that 80 per cent of the damage from compaction in the garden happens
the first time you walk on it or do something that compacts it.
Maybe true, maybe not, don't know how to figure out if or when
that's operative, but a pretty sobering thought.

I'm making up these questions to try to understand the situation
better -- they may not be the best questions, so all you folks with
more experience who see what are the critical factors here, please
feel free to suggest other areas for consideration, okay?

Chris Reid


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Received on Fri Nov 21 2003 - 20:10:15 EST

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