[compost_tea] Re: Compost Teas on my crop - daylilies.
Hi Scott,
Just thought I'd mention we use a similar sounding method to yours
with good results; devivery by irrigation pump to overhead shrub
head sprinklers.
Titel
--- In compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com, "Scott Alexander" <daylily@b...>
wrote:
> I was asked about how my daylilies were responding to compost tea.
I think I
> mentioned a couple of years ago that 50 gallons of undiluted CT
was able to
> suppress the development rust spores on a majority of the 250
different
> varieties I grew in an acre trial plot . This plot of intensively
grown
> plants was sprayed at full moon over a 11 month period.
>
> The other 6 acres were given 150 gallons through the irrigation
system (in
> approx 5000 gallons of water). The trial ceased at the end of
2002 and now
> the trial plot is treated the same as the rest of the farm and
rust has
> returned.
>
> This rust (Hemerocallis puccinia) is a particularly nasty one and
can make
> quite a mess of the leaves on some varieties that have very little
> resistance. Most of the varieties that become badly affected in
spring are
> tetraploids whereas the diploid varieties are much more
resistant. On my
> farm daylily rust doesn't appear to affect the growth of plants
although
> when the disease arrived in Nov.2001, 3 varieties lost all their
foliage
> for 3 to 4 months. This doesn't happen now.
>
> Since the beginning of 2003, 7 acres were fertigated monthly with
200
> gallons of CT (plus nutrients added just prior to dispersal -
kelp, fish,
> humic acid, micronised lime) via overhead sprinklers and these
foliar
> applications are the sole source of nutrition for these plants.
Its now 4
> years since I side-dressed the daylilies in the stockbeds with the
specially
> blended organic fertiliser I used to use.
>
> CT has enabled me to make big savings each year - possibly in the
vicinity
> of $2000 counting wages.
>
> I have to admit that after all these years I'm still in awe of the
amazing
> affects of CT - particularly now because I'm DOING IT ALL WRONG
and have
> been doing it like this since early this year. To enable me to
quickly
> apply 200 gallons of CT in 5000 gallons of water to 6 acres (down
from 7)
> I've designed a system for the tea to be sucked into the
irrigation system
> BEFORE the inlet of the huge pump (puts out 4000 gallons an hour).
For three
> years prior to that, I had a venturi system 2 metres from the
outlet but
> that was far too slow (and inconvenient) for me when circumstances
changed.
>
> According to the experts, fertigating the new way would mean that
huge
> numbers of fungi and other poor microbes would be
> annihilated/shredded/killed wouldn't they? BUT some of them must
be
> surviving this treatment and continuing to provide nutrients and
benefits to
> the plants. We certainly haven't had perfect weather - we've had
the driest
> 6 months on record and yet plant growth hasn't been affected.
>
> If I had the time and $$$'s and if Elaine's Lab. was just down the
road,
> I'd take samples from the sprinklers and find out what survived.
In the
> meantime I'll continue what I'm doing until . . . . . .
>
> Scott Alexander
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Received on Tue Nov 02 2004 - 13:14:58 EST
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: Tue Feb 07 2012 - 14:15:33 EST