Organic Fanatic Collective

[Suby]

Shit V that totally sucks, I've been there and it sucks.
Can we get more details about how it happened so others can learn where not to wrong???
I'm sorry it's been so quiet in here, there is so much info here I guess it's like a library

SHHHHH

lol
S

 

[jaykush]

sorry to hear that V, now the question comes to you. was it more fun to grow it than smoke what would be in the end?

 

[minds_I]

Hello all,

Sorry to hear of yoru bad news.
\
Hope your troubles pass quickly so you can get back inot the game.

Until then- good luck and keep your head low.

minds_I

 

[Relik]

If you're still reading us, we hope to see you back soon vonforne.

Take care!

 

[jaykush]

some info for today

http://www.vabf.org/soilre2.php

Does my Soil Need Cation Nutrient Balancing?

A practical guide to balanced nutrition for soil and crops

also i need to get my ass on that nettles tea, i have everything just sitting here even some good old beer to use.

 

[jaykush]

information time

Intensive Organic Gardening

edit: this helps with everyone but more for outdoor organic growers.

HYG-1257-02

Travis Beck, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University

Martin F. Quigley, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, The Ohio State University

Intensive organic gardening offers a means to produce large quantities of fresh vegetables in a small area without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. It is an excellent gardening method for city dwellers who have limited yard space and who do not wish to expose themselves, their children, or their pets to potentially dangerous chemicals. It is also well-suited to small market garden operations.
Why garden organically?

Many people choose to garden organically because of concerns about the use of synthetic chemicals on their food. In addition to having possible health effects, these chemicals can affect the environment on farms and in neighboring areas through disruption of beneficial insect populations and through groundwater contamination. Fresh food grown locally may also have higher nutritional value than food shipped long distances.
History

Intensive organic gardening has its roots in the French market gardens of the 19th century. Parisian gardeners at this time were able to grow over 100 pounds of produce annually for every person in the city. They achieved this remarkable productivity through the use of raised beds (up to 18 inches in height) built with horse manure, which was abundant at the time, close plant spacing, and the use of glass cloches to allow for growth even in the winter. These techniques were brought to the United States by Alan Chadwick in the 1930s, and have continued to be refined and promoted by John Jeavons. Simultaneously, J. I. Rodale began demonstrating organic practices on his Pennsylvania farm. Rodale emphasized the creation of healthy soil through the use of organic amendments. The Rodale Institute now promotes the same philosophy of soil management for small gardens as well as farms, and Rodale Press has published much literature on organic gardening.
Intensive Organic Gardening Practices

A key element in intensive organic gardens is the raised bed (Figure 1). These beds are made of loose rich soil that provides excellent growing conditions for most vegetables. They should be narrow enough that a person standing on the path can reach comfortably to the middle of the bed. Raised beds can be permanently defined by landscape timbers (the use of non-treated lumber is recommended), boards, bricks, or any number of other materials. They may also simply be shaped out of the soil. The latter practice makes it easier to build a curved bed shape which increases the relative growing area. The soil in a raised bed is typically turned and amended at the beginning of each growing season. This can be done with a rototiller, by hand, or through the process of double-digging.

Figure 1

Figure 1. Photo by Travis Beck.

Double-digging involves loosening the soil to a substantial depth, and amending the top layer. The steps in double-digging (Figure 2) are as follows:

1. Spread a layer of compost and other soil amendments on the surface of the area to be dug.
2. Using a spade or short-handled shovel, remove a trench of soil approximately one foot deep and one foot wide along the narrow end of the bed.
3. Loosen the soil at the bottom of the trench with the shovel or a spading fork. Avoid mixing soil layers as much as possible.
4. Dig a one foot by one foot trench next to your existing one and place the soil removed on top of the loosened soil in your first trench.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 along the length of the bed.

Figure 2

Figure 2. Illustration by Alison Kolesar and Susan Berry Langsten from Stell,

Elizabeth P. 1998.
Secrets to great soil: A grower's guide to composting, mulching, and creating healthy,
fertile soil for your garden and lawn. Pownal, VT: Storey Communications, Inc. p. 141.

This process will create a raised bed simply by loosening the soil and incorporating additional organic matter. The bed can then be shaped with a rake to achieve a rounded surface. It is important not to double dig when the soil is too wet, as this will create large clumps. A lightly moist soil is ideal. An initial double dig is quite demanding, but in future years the job becomes easier.

The second most important element in an intensive organic garden is a close planting pattern. Close planting shades the soil, keeping it cooler and moister for good root growth, and discourages the growth of weeds. Instead of planting in rows, use triangular or hexagonal spacing to maximize the number of plants that can be fit into the bed (Figure 3). Make use of those rounded edges. Also, consider intercropping. Carrots, for instance, can be planted in the spaces between lettuce. The lettuce will shade the soil and keep it moist, allowing for easier germination of the carrot seedlings. Then, when the lettuce is harvested for the season, the carrots will grow up and fill the space. Through intercropping, two or more crops can grow in the same area of bed in a single season.

Figure 3

Figure 3. Illustration by Pedro J. Gonzalez from Jeavons, John. 1995. How to grow more vegetables than you ever thought possible on less land than you can imagine. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press. p. 57.

To maintain the fertility of the soil, intensive organic gardeners use crop rotation, cover cropping, and compost. Crop rotation means alternating plantings each year between heavy feeders (most vegetable crops), soil-building crops (such as nitrogen-fixing legumes) and light feeders (most root crops). More elaborate rotation schemes are possible. Cover crops are soil-building crops that are not harvested, but are composted or tilled back into the soil. They can be part of a crop rotation, or can be used over winter to prevent soil erosion and improve fertility. Examples of winter cover crops include winter rye and hairy vetch. Composting is the breakdown of organic materials, typically in a bin or pile (see "Composting at Home," HYG-1189-99, http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1189.html ). The finished compost is then used as a soil amendment in the garden. In addition to composting all healthy garden wastes, intensive organic gardeners may grow certain crops specifically to put in their compost because of their high nutrient content. Compost crops include stinging nettles and fava beans.

Additional fertilization can be provided by foliar (leaf applied) fertilizers, the incorporation of specific amendments into the soil near certain plants, and through manure or compost teas. Specific amendments used include fish meal and blood meal for nitrogen. Many recipes for fertilizing teas exist, requiring various levels of equipment and sophistication. A simple recipe is to fill a bucket or trash can 2/3 full with manure or compost. Fill the container with water to a few inches below the rim. Cover with a sheet of plastic tied around the rim and leave in the sun. Stir every day or two until the contents are rank and bubbly (around a week). Strain out the liquid, dilute at a concentration of 1:10, and water the entire garden with this "tea."
Pest Management

Pest management in the intensive organic garden begins with the soil. Healthy soil leads to healthy plants that are better able to withstand damage. Garden design is also important. Some plants and varieties of plants are more susceptible than others. Learn what grows well and what does not grow well in your area. Plant a number of different crops so that losses of certain varieties will not mean loss of the entire garden, and plant enough of each variety to share with the pests. Plants such as marigolds, sunflowers, and dill can attract beneficial insects that will help control pest populations. Crop rotation can reduce the build-up of certain pests.

If pests are present, it is important to assess whether or not they are causing sufficient damage to warrant taking measures against them. Also note whether their predators and parasites are present. Measures taken against the pests can negatively affect these populations as well. Maintaining a low level of pests actually encourages the predators and parasites to stay in the garden.

The first measures taken against pests should be physical. Rodent pests can be trapped or fenced out of the garden. Birds can be kept off with netting. Tomato hornworms and many other bugs can be picked off the plants and squashed. Aphids can be controlled by spraying the affected plants with a hose. Horticultural oils will smother pests such as scales. Yellow sticky traps capture large numbers of white flies.

The next step is to make the plants distasteful to the pests. Solutions made by soaking garlic or hot peppers in warm water can be applied to the leaves of affected plants. Preparations of animal urine to discourage mammal pests are also commercially available. All of these products will need to be re-applied often to achieve effective control.

Enhancing the natural biological controls of the garden is another possibility. Predators such as ladybugs and praying mantises can be released, though they seldom stay in the garden long enough to provide long-term control. Release of parasites such as trichogramma wasps can be effective, though it may not be worth the expense for small gardens. Application of Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) can control populations of certain caterpillars.

If recourse is taken to chemical controls, begin with the mildest options. The classic low-toxicity control is insecticidal soap. Insecticidal soaps containing pyrethrin (derived from a daisy) are commercially available. Sprays made with water and a small amount of liquid dish detergent are equally effective against soft-bodied pests. Home-grown preparations of Nicotiana (tobacco) are also mildly insecticidal. All of these are contact insecticides, so be sure to spray the pests themselves and check the undersides of plant leaves.

More highly toxic preparations of pyrethrin and rotenone (an extract from certain leguminous plants) are available. Be aware, however, that these are broad-spectrum insecticides and will kill beneficial insects and soil organisms as well as pests. Many organic gardeners choose to lose certain plants or varieties entirely rather than resort to toxic sprays.

For more information, see HYG-2205-94, "Integrated Pest Management for the Home Vegetable Garden," http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2205.html.
Conclusion

Intensive organic gardening is a set of practices and techniques that allows for the production of large quantities of fresh produce in a limited area in an environmentally-friendly manner. It is ideal for backyard gardens, community gardens, and small-scale market operations.

 

[jaykush]

ok im getting on the nettles tea right now be back in a few with some pics.

alright lets get started, first off we start with water. this water i get from a stream in the mountains.


next we have our ingredients









im not much of a measurement kind of guy, so if you really need them pm me.
also added were some vitamins (mainly C and a few others), also a little bit of some fruit compost i was making and realized was done. ( dont got a pic of it )

this will be bubbled until its done, usually between 2-3 days. only thing is i dont really have any mj plants to try it on for now, ive used it and know it works great in mid-late bloom but works great overall in veg. but for now this is just a tutorial.

any questions just ask or pm me.

 

[Relik]

Nice posts jaykush!

How are you using the nettles in your tea? Did you just chop them down and put them in the sock? Were they fresh or dried?

Do nettles grow in tropical areas? I have never seen them here.

If you don't have any herb growing at the moment, I'm sure other plants will love the tea

Cheers

 

[Smurf]

Good stuff jaykush, we needed something refreshing here......... infact that post above is exactly how I grow my mj & vegies outside. I'm just adding some companion plants for insect repelling as we speak.

I've just scored some really different compost from a well known local horticulturalist/personality that I'm making a brew with. (plus ewc) Different in the sense that the discovery was accidentally made when the bark of certain trees was combined with a particular marine protein. This had to be cured in a very specific ratio over a 6 month period @ a temp of 60 deg C to 70 deg C. The original raw products were then transformed into a new compound, which has apparently produced astonishing results under field trials & scientific tests.

NPK is 19.1g/kg : 4.1g/kg : 1.8g/kg.
with minerals & trace elements
pH is 7 to 7.2
The total organic carbon content is 110g/kg
Gonna try it on the ladies in veg.
It all sounds pretty good, but the proof will be in the pudding !!

this little guy looks out for my girls.


Cheers fellas

 

[jaykush]

oh shit all that and i forgot to post a picture of the nettles. *stoned action* ill get it up later. relik you can chop them up and put them in the sock fresh or dried. todays was a little in between. dont put too much though just a few leaves, at high concentrations this can be a herbicide. i thought I posted some info on where to find nettles in this thread somewhere. yea no herb, but hopefully ill end that soon with some dank.

smurf whats up with that stuff, how do we make our own? the benefits? cant wait to see if it does something, i need to set up a veggie garden for myself. sweet little lizard too.

 

[jaykush]

some good info in here i don't think ive seen posted in this thread.

************************************************************

"Chemical fertilizers rely on an assumption that plants only need three elements to survive and thrive. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are those three. This is the equivalent of saying that we need protein, fat, and sugar to live. While this may be mostly true, pure protein, pure fat, and pure sugar do nothing to supply the vitamins, minerals, and diverse supply of bacteria and fungi in our diets.

Here is a list of a dozen things that you can do with organically fed soil that cannot be achieved with conventional chemical feeding.

1. Decompose plant residues and manure to humus.

2. Retain nutrients in the form of stable humus.

3. Combine nitrogen and carbon to prevent nutrient loss.

4. Suppress fungus and bacterial diseases.

5. Produce plant growth regulators.

6. Develop soil structure, tilth, and water penetration/retention.

7. Clean up chemical residues.

8. Shift soil pH to neutral and keep it there.

9. Search out and retrieve nutrients in distant parts of the soil.

10. Decompose thatch and keep it from returning.

11. Control nitrogen supply to the plants according to need.

12. Pull minerals out of inorganic soil components for plants.

Soil microbes need sugar and protein to thrive. When you apply synthetic ferts, none of the things on this list gets done. The microbes normally get sugar from plant roots. Protein in nature comes from dead insects, plants, and animals. The organic gardener applies protein artificially in the form or organic fertilizers. It is usually in the form of a ground up meal made from plants and animals to try to replicate the natural process."

*******************************************************

With that being said, many times it is difficult to find good organic or natural fertilizers and soil amendments from garden stores because most of the garden people that we meet are non-organic users. Therefore as an organic gardener, we have to be creative in order to find our supplies.

This is a simple list of sources for uses in foliar teas, composting and green manure techniques, and other soil amendments:

1. Deer plot mixes or cheap bird seed bags - 50 lb bag is a great source of economical cool season cover crop seeds. Most contain a mixture of legumes and grasses like crimson clover or hairy vetch or winter peas, oats, winter wheat, and rye. Most bird seeds contain sunflowers or millet or other types of non-legume seeds that can be planted as excellent cheap cover crop seeds. Bird seeds make great composting ingredients too for extra protein-nitrogen to speed up compost decomposition.

2. Catfish or pond fish feed - Excellent source of alfalfa meal and fish meal for topdressing or compost teas. Like cat and dog foods, some people may not consider it a truly organic soil food source. But it does contain lots of protein and micronutrients.

3. Cat or Dog foods - Some people would not consider this a truly organic source of soil nutrients. It does contain lots of protein and micronutrients. There are some amounts of corn gluten meal in these feeds. (NOTE: Probably not enough to really do the job of weed seed suppression control in lawns or gardens.)

4. Seaweed - If you can't collect it free from the beach, you can buy economical packs of fresh seaweed from oriential markets for compost teas. (To be on the safe side, it is a good idea to always wash your seaweed first to remove any salt.) Take all your remains from your teas and recycle them into your compost piles. If you liquify the seaweed in a juice, you can use the whole product as a foliar feed or soil drench. Even though most fertilizer companies rate seaweed with a NPK of 0-0-1, it contains at least 1% total N and over 3% total P. Seaweed may contain as much as 60 trace elements. Seaweed and other algae plants are some of the greatest soil amendments on earth, or should I say in the ocean. Seaweed also contains beneficial growth hormones and benefical fungal food sources for soil microbes.

5. Fish emulsion - Commercial brands contain no fish oil and little or no aerobic bacteria. Homemade versions supply extra beneficial oils for beneficial fungi and fish bones for extra calcium. Free fresh fish parts are the best if available. However, cheap canned fish products will do fine. Experiment with canned mackerel, sardines, herring, etc. If the fishy smell is a big issue, just mix your fish products with a lot of high carbon sources like sawdust, leaves, or straw in a 5 gallon closed bucket. You can add molasses to your fishy mixture to speed up decomposition by increasing the microbial growth in the mixture. The molasses will also control the fishy odors. Let this mix decompose for at least a week or more before adding to the hot compost pile or to your compost tea recipes. The extra carbons will help absorb the offensive odors as well as keep most of the organic nitrogen in your compost pile or your compost teas. Also the aerobic bacteria kill break down any bad pathogens that may exist in decaying fish meat. Read the other FAQ's on aerated teas and homemade fish/seaweed emulsions also.

6. Fava beans, soybeans, and other legume cover crops - Mostly all bagged dry beans and peas in grocery stores will sprout and make great warm season green manures. Fava beans and soybeans can found in oriential markets or health food markets.

7. Horse and cattle feeds - These contain a great supply of alfalfa meal and corn meal and other proteins for soil amendments or compost teas. The whole corn or oat seeds in the bags, may sprout and give you an extra green manure benefit. The extra molasses ingredient from the feeds draws and breeds lots of beneficial soil organisms. Molasses also contains sulfur which acts as a mild natural fungicide also. NOTE: Check the label also for total salt content in the feeds. Most grain meals that I get are no salt (less than 0.7%).

8. Corn meal - very cheap source for a nitrogen activator for heating up the compost pile or as a topdressing. Great natural fungicide also. Corn meal is a great phosphorus source also.

9. Liquid molasses, dry molasses powder, brown sugar, corn syrup - source of fast consuming sugars for feeding and breeding the aerobic bacteria in compost teas. Most microherd populations love the high carbon content in sugar products. Sugars are best dissolved and broken down by microbes in compost tea that has brewed at least 1-3 days, before applying to the soil. If too much sugar is added on soil straight as a topdressing, it may cause a temporary nitrogen deficiency in the soil as the microherd populations grow too fast. Molasses also contains sulfur which acts as a mild natural fungicide also. Molasses is also a great natural deodorizer for fishy teas. NOTE: Recent studies have shown that unsulfured molasses or dry molasses powder is best for faster aerobic microbial growth in tea brewing. For a more fungal tea don't add too much simple sugar or molasses to your aerobic teas. Use more complex sugars, starches and carbohydrates like in seaweed, rotten fruit, soy sauce, or other fungal foods.

10. Alfalfa meal - best source is 50 lb bags of rabbit food or alfalfa hay bales. There are also 100% alfalfa pet litter or beddings if available. Alfalfa products are best used in teas, mulches, or as topdressings. Alfalfa is an excellent natural complete fertilizer, containing great amounts of N, P, and K, and many growth hormones and micronutrients.

11. Blood and Bone meal - this classic combo can be found almost everywhere these days. However blood meal is very expensive. Bone meal can be even cheaper if purchased in 20 lb bags from feed stores. Since blood meal is totally soluble, it can be added to compost tea recipes.. With a NPK around 11-0-0, it has the highest total nitrogen ratio of all natural fertilizers, and may burn plants if used improperly. Steamed bone meal has a recorded NPK around 0-11-0. Usually steamed bone meal has a total N from 1-6%, 11% soluble P but 20% total P, and 24% calcium. Raw bone meal has more total N but none of the P is water soluble.

12. Urine or Urea - yes, human urine is an excellent source of organic nitrogen for compost teas or as a free nitrogen activator for composting (45% N). (NOTE: Unlike human manure, any pathogens, diseases, or other mild toxins in human urine are quickly killed and digested within 24 hours after they escape the human body. Therefore human urine is very safe for all types of composting methods.)

13. Animal Manures - High in N and great sources of P and K and soil microbes. Use only vegetarian animal manures, like cattle or horses, in order to be on the safe or conservative side for all your gardening uses! Chickens are not vegetarians. However chicken manure is a safe, classic, high nitrogen, highly alkaline farm animal manure. Chicken manure is ok, mainly because the foods that chickens consume are easily broken down by normal gardening composting systems. DO NOT EVER USE ANY PET MANURES OR DOG OR CAT POOP! It is extremely dangerous to humans. There are special hot composting procedures that must be performed to use toxic, pathogen or disease prone, heavy metal manures like pet poop and human manures. So don't do it! Always compost animal manures first or use aged animal manures before applying to the soil or as an ingredient in foliar teas.

14. Grass Clippings and Green Weeds - Excellent sources or organic N for special foliar teas or use as an organic mulch/top dressing. Some gardeners even hot compost strange weeds and herbs like kudzu, bull thistle, dandelions, comfrey, stinging nettle, thorns, ivy, etc.

15. Wood Ashes - Wood ashes, not charcoal ashes, are great organically recommended soil amendments. Wood ashes contain up to 70% calcium carbonate or calcium oxide (natural liming agent) and lots of potassium. If you have native acidic soil, a little sprinkled wood ashes are perfect for your lawn or garden as a soil amendment or liming agent. However, if your native soil is highly alkaline, never put wood ashes straight on your soil! Wood ashes is absolutely safe in a hot compost pile. A hot compost pile always buffers the pH of its ingredient organic matter materials so that the mature compost has a near neutral pH. The main disadvantage of composting wood ashes is that the high alkaline ashes will chemically react with high nitrogen products in the pile like animal manures or grass clippings, thus creating excessive ammonia gases that will be wasted and evaporated out of the pile. Therefore if you compost wood ashes, only use a few cups of ashes per cubic yard of compost piles.

The above soil amendment products can also be buried straight in the garden soil for trench composting. You can also bury these materials in planting holes under the roots of heavy feeder transplants like tomatoes for extra NPK for plant growth. You can poke holes in the soil around crop roots with your spade fork, to get more oxygen in the soil to further increase organic matter decomposition and increase microbial activity in the soil.

All natural soil amendments as well as homemade compost, do more than just fertilize the soil and growing plants. Most natural soil amendments have a total NPK rating sum total less than 20 (i.e. fish emulsion NPK = 5-1-1, compost NPK less than 4-4-4). Don't be fooled by the numbers. Most P and K ratings only record the soluble available portions in the products. The N portion recorded could be either the soluble, insoluble, or total N portions as based on the company. The insoluble non-reported portion of OM is continuously consumed and broken down with the existing OM in the garden soil, thus raising the available soluble nutrients for further season crops.

Happy Gardening!

 

[Smurf]

So many things to remember,....... suppose after applying them (techniques, etc) a few times it becomes second nature, especially when you can grasp what the reasons & benefits are.

Like the idea of getting seaweed from asian markets etc. for teas, usually too bent to remember to do it. (always have some on hand though.....

That last tea that I made (with that compost) almost totally dissolved into the water.... only the ewc remained! A bit of silt on the bottom.
Gave it all to the baby girls (48 hr brew) - finished with a pH of 7.0 with 490ppm using rain water. Soon see how they respond.

I'll try to find out some more about that compost. Found the company addy, just no site yet. I'd be keen to make it also.

As for the gecko lizard he moved in with all his relatives a few years back after I stopped using chems.

 

[jaykush]

So many things to remember,....... suppose after applying them (techniques, etc) a few times it becomes second nature, especially when you can grasp what the reasons & benefits are.

exactly. its real simples stuff once you get down to it. but when you get into the details it can get a bit crazy. be back later with an updated pic of the tea. at 24 hours bubblin.

 

[Relik]

Hey jay, those last posts were great. Soil amendments are always a good reading!

I thought I'd talk about my soil mix. I can't always find the ingredients here, but recently I was quite lucky. Seems like my town is discovering gardening lol...

My base mix consists of the following (no amendments), by volume:

1/3 soil/humus/EWC (can't buy them here, I get them from friends sometimes)
1/3 coco coir
1/3 perlite

This base mix can be used as is for propagation of cuttings or seedlings. Its aeration promotes easy root growth.

You can ammend this base mix, depending on the stage of growth of the plant you're about to grow. Your above post, jaykush, pretty much sums up the basics of soil amendments. You can tweak the recipe according to your needs, knowing that this base mix has an ideal density and water retention, at least for the places where I'm growing (tropical area, near Australia - hot summers!).

Feel free to ask questions/criticize.

Cheers

 

[Smurf]

I hope your growing all year round, living in the tropics.
That is a life time ambition of mine....... to live in the tropics, or at least the sub tropics.
Lucky bugga!

 

[Relik]

Hey Smurf, I can grow all year round, the climate is great! But if I want buds in summer I have to force flower plants, I did last summer but it was a pain in the ass, because the plants got too big for the tents. I might try some autoflowering strains this summer, still not sure.

You don't live in the tropics? I might be wrong but I thought you were in Australia? If so, is it southern Australia? Tasmania?? lol

Peace

 

[konstantgrdnr]

Understanding Compost Tea
Vicki Bess, BioCycle, October 2000
http://www.jgpress.com/BCArticles/2000/100071.html

Time for (Compost) Tea in the Northwest
Adrienne Touart, BioCycle, October 2000
http://www.jgpress.com/BCArticles/2000/100074.html

Brewing Up Solutions To Pest Problems
Lisa Wickland, Todd Murray and Joyce Jimerson, BioCycle, March 2001
http://www.jgpress.com/BCArticles/2001/030164.html

Evaluating Microbiology of Compost
Vicki Bess, BioCycle, May 1999
http://www.jgpress.com/BCArticles/1999/0599Art4.htm

Using Compost To Control Plant Diseases
Tom De Ceuster and Harry Hoitink, BioCycle, June 1999
http://www.jgpress.com/BCArticles/1999/0699Art5.htm

Anaerobic Bacteria and Compost Tea
Elaine Ingham; a BioCycle reprint
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/anaerobic.html (link no longer active)

Microbial Profiles: Fine-tuning the Soil Foodweb
Karen Grobe; a BioCycle reprint, January 1998
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/biocycle1.html (link no longer active)

Compost Microbiology
Compost Microbiology and the Soil Food Web
California Integrated Waste Management Board
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/publications/default.asp?pubid=857
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/publications/Organics/44200013.doc


6-page MS-Word download.

Microbial Activity and Diversity of Soils and Composts
Vicki Bess, BBC Laboratories,Tempe, AZ
http://www.bbclabs.com/toppage3.htm

Dr. Elaine Ingham: The Soil Foodweb & Compost Teas
The Soil Foodweb
Elaine Ingham, Soil Foodweb, Inc.
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/03_about_us/approach.html
Soil Foodweb Information
Elaine Ingham, Soil Foodweb, Inc.
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/sfwinfo.html (link no longer active)

The Soil Foodweb Structure
Elaine Ingham, Soil Foodweb, Inc.
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/sfwstructure.html (link no longer active)

Foodweb “Funtions” in a Living Soil: The Benefits to Plants and Soils
Elaine Ingham, Soil Foodweb, Inc.
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/foodwebfunc.html (link no longer active)

Soil Organisms: Why Are They Important?
Elaine Ingham; article reprint at Compara.nl
http://www.compara.nl/soil_organisms.htm (link no longer active)

The Soil Foodweb: Its Importance in Ecosystem Health
Elaine Ingham; article reprint at Don’t Panic Eat Organic
http://www.rain.org/~sals/ingham.html

Dr. Ingham’s Monthly E-Zine
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/ezine.html (link no longer active)

Note: The SFI E-Zine is a great place to keep up with Dr. Elaine Ingham’s latest comments and notes on compost teas.

Anaerobic Bacteria and Compost Tea
Elaine Ingham; a BioCycle reprint
http://www.soilfoodweb.com/anaerobic.html (link no longer active)

Brewing Compost Tea
Elaine Ingham; A Kitchen Gardener reprint
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00030.asp

Web Resource Collections on Soil Biology
Sustainable Soil Management: Web Links to Make Your Worms Happy!
Steve Diver, ATTRA
http://ncatark.uark.edu/~steved/soil-links.html
Soil Biology Information Resources For Land Managers, Resource Professionals, and Educators
Soil Quality Institute, NRCS
http://soils.usda.gov/sqi/concepts/soil_biology/sbinfo.html

Compost Specialists: David Granatstein & Harry Hoitink
Suppressing Plant Diseases with Compost
David Granatstein; The Compost Connection for Washington Agriculture, No. 5, October 1997
http://csanr.wsu.edu/programs/compost/Cc5.PDF
Foliar Disease Control Using Compost Tea
David Granatstein, The Compost Connection for Western Agriculture, No. 8, January 1999
http://csanr.wsu.edu/programs/compost/Cc8.PDF

Compost Teas and Liquid Humus
David Granatstein, CERWA
http://www.aste.usu.edu/compost/qanda/teas.pdf

Controlling the Compost Process: Compost-Amended Potting Mixes
Ohio State University, Fact Sheet CDFS-160
H. A. J. Hoitink, M. J. Boehm, J. E. Heimlich
http://ohioline.osu.edu/cd-fact/0160.html

Compost and Disease Suppression
Bibliography on Compost for Disease Suppression
Chloe Ringer, USDA Soil Microbial Lab
http://ncatark.uark.edu/~steved/compost-disease-biblio.html
Disease Suppressive Potting Mixes
Steve Diver, ATTRA


Sustainable Management of Soil-borne Plant Diseases
Preston Sullivan, ATTRA
http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/soilborne.html

Suppressing Plant Diseases with Compost
David Granatstein; The Compost Connection for Washington Agriculture, No. 5, October 1997
http://csanr.wsu.edu/programs/compost/Cc5.PDF

On-Farm Composting: Plant Disease Control / On-Farm Composting - A Review of the Literature
Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development
http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/sag2150?opendocument

Composts for Disease Suppression
UConn Integrated Pest Management
http://www.hort.uconn.edu/ipm/general/htms/composts.htm

Microbial Ecology of Compost-induced Disease Suppression
Eric Nelson, et al.; Proceedings of the 5th International PGPR Workshop
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/argentina/pdfmanuscripts/nelson.pdf

Disease Suppressive Compost as an Alternative to Methyl Bromide
Methyl Bromide Alternative Case Study, EPA 430-R-97-030
10 Case Studies, Volume 3, September 1997
http://www.epa.gov/Ozone/mbr/casestudies/volume3/compost3.html

Compost Teas: Regional Reports
Compost Tea Trials Final Report
Submitted to Office of Environmental Management, City of Seattle.
Cascadia Consulting Group, March 8, 2001
http://www.cityofseattle.net/environment/Documents/Final Compst Tea report.pdf


A 53-page PDF download

Alternatives for Use & Management of “Compost Tea”
Clean Washington Center
http://cwc.org/organics/cm002.htm


Access to HTML and PDF versions

Evaluation and Prioritization of Compost Facility Runoff Management Methods
Clean Washington Center
http://cwc.org/organics/organic_htms/cm002rpt.htm
http://cwc.org/organics/org002rpt.pdf


53-page PDF download. Report addresses the reuse of a pasteurized compost leachate from city zoo for use as a “tea” to fertilize crops. The liquid plant food, a compost tea product called Zoo Broo, will be marketed along with the zoo’s other compost product, Zoo Doo.

Evaluation of Compost “Tea” for Reuse Opportunities (1997 & 1998)
Clean Washington Center
http://cwc.org/organics/cm981.htm


Access to HTML and PDF version

Evaluation of Compost Facility Runoff for Beneficial Reuse, Phase 2
Clean Washington Center
http://cwc.org/organics/organic_htms/cm981rpt.htm
http://www.cwc.org/organics/org981rpt.pdf

39-page PDF download. Phase 2 report on the compost leachate reuse project.

Compost Teas: Popular Press
Brewing Compost Tea
Elaine R. Ingham; A Kitchen Gardener reprint
http://www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00030.asp
Bainbridge Island: Healing the Earth
Sue Edwards, The SUN newspaper of Bremerton, Washington, February 2000
http://www.thesunlink.com/news/2000/february/0211a10a.html (Link no longer active.)

‘Compost Tea’ Allows Gardeners to Brew Greener Pastures
Steve Hill, University Week, University of Washington
http://depts.washington.edu/uweek/archives/2001.03.MAR_08/article9.html

Wake Up Your Garden With Compost Tea
Kathy LaLiberte, The Innovative Gardener, July 2001
http://www.vg.com/gardening/igjuly01.asp

Making Fermented Compost Tea
Natural Life Magazine #44
http://www.life.ca/nl/44/compost.html

From The Garden: Oxygen-Rich Compost Tea Can Help Ward Off Summer’s Water Blues
Ann Lovejoy, Thursday, March 15, 2001, Special to the Post-Intelligencer
http://seattlep-i.nwsource.com/nwgardens/lovejoy15x.shtml

Feed Your Foodweb: Compost Tea Strengthens Plants, Defends Against Disease
Rachel Foster, Eugene Weekly
http://www.eugeneweekly.com/gardens/gardens01.html

Compost Teas: Research Reports
Response of Alternaria spp. Blight and Septoria spp. Leaf Spot to Biological Disease
Control Agents in Tomatoes
Jeremy Barker Plotkin; OFRF on-farm research report
http://www.ofrf.org/scoar/plotkin.PDF
Compost Cures All
James Saper (from Sustainable Farming Magazine, Summer 1997, Vol. 7 No. 3)
http://www.genesis.ca/whatsnew_5.html (Link no longer active.)

Peach Brown Rot Study at Woodleaf Farm, Oroville, CA
Carl Rosato; OFRF on-farm research report
http://www.agroecology.org/cases/brownrot/studies.htm

North Coast Apple Scab Trials 1993/1994, Organic and Conventional Materials Comparison
Paul Vossen and Doug Gubler; reprint from UC Plant Protection Quarterly
http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/newsltr/v7n4/sa-8.htm

University Research
Midwest Biosystems, Tampico, IL
http://www.aeromasterequipment.com/research.html (Link no longer active.)

Compost Tea and Blossom Brown Rot
Washington State University
http://depts.washington.edu/mulch/research/

Compost Teas: The Worm Digest Quarterly
A Homemade Compost Tea Brewer
S. Zorba Frankel, The Worm Digest
http://www.wormdigest.org/articles/index.cgi?read=66
Compost Teas: Brewing a Sweet Blend
Kelly Slocum, The Worm Digest
http://www.wormdigest.org/articles/index.cgi?read=65

Compost Teas: Complimentary ATTRA Resources
Compost Teas for Plant Disease Control
The 1998 ATTRA publication

Compost Teas: A Tool for Rhizosphere+ Phyllosphere Agriculture
http://ncatark.uark.edu/~steved/compost-tea-slides.pdf

 

[jaykush]

good links konstantgrdnr, i see a few that are already in here.

 

[vonforne]

sorry to hear that V, now the question comes to you. was it more fun to grow it than smoke what would be in the end?

its more fun to grow.

Thanks all........jaykush, MI, Relik, Suby. Right now I'm Ok. I will be back soon to tell the full story.

Keep the fire burning everyone.


And jaykush that Grandamas isn't very good. It does not have enough carbs for me. And no Mg.

 

[Guest]

awesome thread! i will always grow 100% organic.

im enjoying some of my organic hazes as i type: