[compost_tea] Re: Re: Tea and powdery mildew
Thanks for further comments, Titel. I look forward to your recipe and
process info. Keep up the "hillbilly" research efforts... I think I'm in
that group, too, although I've recently gained access to a good microscope
(and someone to help me learn to use it...) which has been fantastic, a new
level of learning.
The phenomenon and function of foam in ACT is still a mystery to me, and
while many of my batches have foamed as much as you describe, variously in
batch time, most have not, so I am not sure about that as an indicator of
tea being done. A few thoughts: Might foam be a function primarily of
nutrient load or specific organism dominance or oxygen saturation or simply
barometric pressure changes? This was discussed some time ago but I don't
think it was resolved.
Titel said:
> I do sort of doubt that extraction is better with compost contained
> rather than loose in the water. We use a bag made from landscape
> cloth to protect our equipment. I think that a free suspension air
> bubble system would be superior for fungal brews which I believe are
> more suited to soil drenches than foliar disease prevention.
>
I can see this. If you have big fungi in your compost they probably aren't
going to make it out of containment. But fungal hyphae are very delicate,
and if you have a good roil in your machine, no micro-bubble issues, how
likely is it large fungi are going to make it through, anyway?
Additionally, if you spray the ACT, how likely is it large fungi make it
through whole? I can see what you're saying but think it would only work
with poured teas. Seems like any kind of pump action would shred the big
guys.
I think "fungal" teas depend on lots of little guys getting through and
succeeding in growing on application, and that the visible, large fungi are
just an indication of good fungal content in compost, and the big ones don't
actually make it through the process... And I'm reaching here, but I want to
remember that fungi provide substantial benefits in foliar sprays, also.
Butch said:
> Second thought, the reference to compost tea
> controlling powdery mildew has been questioned. Could
> it be that the particular batch did in fact control
> powdery mildew because of some particular organism
> which occurred in that batch or an organism in unusual
> numbers. If so then everyone who is serious about how
> they batch tea could send a sample to a central
> testing site for storage. If some unusual result seems
> to occur then that sample could be tested to see if
> something is special.
>
Ya! Good ideas, though I'm not sure about "storage"(?). In addition to a
particular organism or unusual numbers of an organism, how about the
possibility of a built-in set, or even a succession of organisms in the tea?
Kirk
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Received on Sun Oct 24 2004 - 16:16:15 EDT
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: Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:15:32 EST