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Re: nitrogen fixing bacteria / soil tea
Given the right conditions in a soil tea or compost tea, you can grow certain of the free-living N-fixing bacteria. The inocula are available from:
holmesenviro@attbi.com
Testing to make certain that the bacteria are functioning properly are available as well. What rate of N-fixation is occurring? That can be determined and reported back to you. How much N will be fixed? How much can you lower your fertilizer inputs?
The N-fixing symbionts require a host to grow, I believe, so not likely to get Rhizobium growing in a compost pile, or in tea. Some research could be tried, however, to see if they could be grown in tea. Not just survive, right? But grow, or increase in number.
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Why the advocacy for aerobic conditions in tea? One reason is so you don't get the human pathogens growing. I don't dislike anaerobes, some of my best friends are..... Sorry, I couldn't resist.
When we have to deal with the EPA and USDA, folks, we have to exclude E. coli, and all the human pathogens, such as Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria, Yersinia, etc. Maintaining aerobic conditions is a simple way to do that.
AND, plant roots do not tolerate anaerobic conditions. We are trying to grow plants, correct?
This is not a laboratory exercise. The point is to grow plants in field conditions.
Fermentative anaerobes are not the bacteria that roots need. Roots do not tolerate the soil habitat that anaerobes produce.
Anaerobic conditions select AGAINST the beneficial, aerobic fungi. Most of the beneficial fungi are STRICT aerobes.
Anaerobic conditions select FOR the disease causing fungi - like Rhizoctonia, Pythium, Phytopthora, Cylindrocarpon, Fusarium oxysporum, etc.
Anaerobic conditions kill the nutrient cyclers your plants require. Flagellates and amoebae in soil are nearly strict aerobes. Cilates tolerate reduced oxygen levels, but do not survive truly anaerobic conditions.
If you are ever going to get away from having to add inorganic fertilizer to keep plants growing, you cannot have anaerobic conditions in your soil that kill the N-cyclers.
It is not just bacteria that we are concerned with.
We need THE WHOLE FOOD WEB.
Don't forget the reason we're doing this. We're trying to set the conditions up in the soil to grow the plant you want to grow - and that means the right ratio of bacteria to fungi. Otherwise you get to go through succession, and most of us don't have the time to let that occur so we can grow bluegrass, or blueberries, or whatever.
Maximize diversity of bacteria and fungi - so your plant can choose to feed the bacteria or fungi it needs. But we set the stage by making the soil habitat correct for the ratio of bacteria and fungi that plants need.
The biochemical information from the existing bacteria and fungi is picked up by the plant, and that causes the plant to alter the exudates the plant puts out, and thus changes the bacteria and fungi that grow.
Maximize the number and types of protozoa and nematodes, and microarthropods. That way nutrient cycling will occur no matter what the weather. BUT THE NUTRIENT CYCLERS ALL NEED AEROBIC CONDITIONS.
If nature does something truly out-of-the-ordinary, then the critters you need may have been hammered and possibly lost, so then you add back what may have been killed.
OK? Our role as caretakers of plants is to maximize diversity. But we had better maximize the diversity of the organisms that grow in the same conditions as the desired plant needs to grow. Aerobic, well-structured soil is what plants need.
Hum, aerobic.
Ever tried growing plants in sour kraut? Fermentative bacterial species are what produce sour kraut. Not putrefactive, maybe not losing ammonia or making the rotten egg smell. Maybe not losing nutrients, which is what we were talking about before.
But still, fermentative anaerobic conditions are not the right conditions for plants to grow.
Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
www.soilfoodweb.com