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Educational Podcast

h.h.

Active member
Veteran
What I don't understand with the malted barley, is that this is mainly used as a source of enzymes? When you germinate barley, these enzymes are produced in high numbers. But when you kiln dry it to make malted barely it kills off a lot of enzymes, but it keeps the ones that are used for brewing. Since we are doing more than brewing and a wider range and greater number would be beneficial why are we using malted barely versus fresh germinated as used in a Sprouted Seed Tea. I have a bag of barley grains. I would think the most superior way is to sprout them then blend and either top dress/mulch or put it in a tea along with whatever else you want to add.
I just mix whatever seed I have into my compost or soil. Let it sprout and til it in or smother it.
Starting from scratch, I have used malted barley, but purely for convenvience as an added luxery item.
 

Microbeman

The Logical Gardener
ICMag Donor
Veteran
I just listened to the interview with Dr. Faust prompted by the post by 'bsgospel' in the other thread.

He is bang on about phosphates (phosphorous) over used in horticulture causing disease and other problems.

I certainly learned a bundle about the practical use of humic and fulvic acids.

I disagree with his concept of black strap molasses as 'only' a sugar and his statement that it is not a great food/nutrient for fungi. Perhaps he counts on others (labs) doing soil food analysis rather than his own direct microscopy and this contributes to his concept. All he needs to do is look at my or Tad's video data to evidence the powerful fungal growth directly related to molasses 'feeding'. Also, used in the soil properly diluted it really is a good general microbial stimulant or 'food'.

I am brought to his own expression, when others stated that he was not applying enough humic acids over acreage of crops to make a difference. I see (saw) it with my own eyeballs. I've seen no evidence of molasses turning to alcohol in the soil, although it does acquire (contain) yeast cells. [I've used it as a stand alone fertilizer for my lawn.]

Good for Tad sticking to his guns pointing out that apparently humic acids did not feed fungal nor bacterial cells in a liquid. The hypothesis presented by Dr. Faust that too high of a ratio was used is in my opinion not valid. I was there for part of this testing. I believe Dr. Faust said the necessary ratio was around 1 gram per liter. Those that use higher than this are going to encounter our observed effect.

I'm not sure if he means 1 gram of powder to a liter of water but we (and I on my own) used already diluted humic acids at a variety of concentrations, the lowest being at 0.05 ml/100 ml which equates to 0.05 g/100 ml (accepted scientific conversion) which equates to .5 g/liter well below a ratio which should cause the predicted problems, especially pre-diluted. As stated, at higher ratios I (we) observed the same inhibitory effect on microbial growth.

As Dr. Faust pointed out, this does not carry forward to the effects in the soil. This is only applicable to the use of a bioreactor to try to establish a given active microbial population in a liquid (water).
 
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