Re: [compost_tea] Re: ACT and EM --Chandra

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2004 18:33:54 EST

Hi Chandra -

You gave a paper on ACT results this summer, didn't you? Really interesting,
and I am so happy to see someone able to do the work you are doing! Great
job!

I think the problem we've had with compost tea is that the conditions for
production have been all over the board. Consider if you dump a bunch of manure
in a bucket, or composted manure (which means what, exactly? Manure held in a
pile for a while, or really composted, to reach temp, etc?) in a bucket, what
is the variability in sets of organisms?

Just that simple step would give results all over the board. Some of the
liquid manure, or liquid composted manure would remain aerobic, some would go
anaerobic, some would remain anaerobic for a long time, others for a short time.
Which liquid would have E. coli? Which would not? Some of hte brews would
increase in temp for a short time, others for a longer time, others not at all.
 

The variability in the sets of organisms would be painful. So, of course
people have not been able to demonstrate consistent results with compost tea.

But with aerated compost tea, we are trying to show that by holding
production parameters consistent, and constant, we can get the same results time after
time. that's what all the excitement is about. Consistent, repeatable
beneficial results, WHEN production conditions are held consistently the same.

Figuring out exactly what conditions are required for the compost and the tea
so that the right critters are always going to be around is the challenge.
It seems we meet those conditions most of the time when we do ACT.

Just need those replicated scientific studies documenting the consistent
conditions, consistent biology, consistent impacts on plant health. SFI has
figured out many of those parameters, so you aren't shooting so much in the dark.




Elaine R. Ingham
Soil Foodweb Inc., Corvallis, Oregon
Soil Foodweb Inc., Port Jefferson, New York
Soil Foodweb Institute, Lismore Australia
Soil Foodweb Institute Cambridge, New Zealand
Laboratorios de Soil Foodweb, Culiacan, Mexico
Soil Foodweb Inc., Jerome, Idaho
Soil Foodweb Inc., South Africa







Received on Fri Nov 26 2004 - 21:24:36 EST

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