I read this question the other day and it got me thinking….
I realise that fungal micorrizae play a vital symbiotic role when colonised around our root systems, improving the uptake of nutrients and also that certain of these have other beneficial effects, including a measure of inoculation. I also realise that Bennies, or beneficial bacteria/microbes consume the soil mix we provide them in our growing medium, to produce basic nutrients in a form the plants can more easily assimilate. What I didn’t know, was that one of these naturally occurring functions could become Dominant, whatever that means in this context. Although there is a clear and fundamental interplay between these two systems, I thought they were mutually independent and flourish or diminish, depending on what the grower provides. Can someone please enlighten me on this subject, specifically;
How can you tell if the environment of your plant is Fungal or Microbial dominant? Moreover, which is preferred - for overall health and production? Or is it striking a balance between the two? If it is as I suspect, finding a balance with these two systems that we should be striving towards, how can we achieve and monitor this balance?
Further to this, I have also been researching AACT since I’ve been wearing my OG’s flat-cap. There is some debate as to AACT’s effectiveness, many growers reporting no visible difference between it and using a regular soil-drench. There are many videos on Youtube with crops showing no variation at all, when half of it had been treated regularly with AACT, the other with a regular steeped tea, or liquid fert. I mean I get the biology bit, about feeding the microbes already present in your compost tea with molasses etc and actively growing these beneficial bacteria. I’m told that if done properly, the resulting bacteria-count can be in the trillions! So why are there so many inconsistencies in both reports and results regarding AACT?
Considering there are many, many different microbes/bacteria strains present in compost/manure, some of which are wonderful to your plants, some ineffective, some bad and some are positively deadly! My concern is; How do you know which of these little critters you’re actually brewing up in your bucket? It’s easy to throw an airstone into that bucket and hope for the best but is relying on growing a majority of ‘oxygen-loving’ ones enough? Don’t some baddies love oxygen too?
Is AACT effective and worth the bother? If so, is there any way to ensure we only grow the really beneficial bacteria in our teas?
This throws-up yet another question for me; Raw, unpasteurized milk! Raw milk is packed with gazillions of microbes, most of which I believe are beneficial to plant growth. Farmers have been spraying raw milk on their crops for eons, many reporting noticeable improvement in health and vitality from the practice. Why not just pour a pint of raw milk into your brewing bucket, along with your molasses – the resulting micro-herd would be spectacular! But would it be good for our plants?
I look forward to receiving the wisdom, of the generous and many-headed oracle that is; IC Mag!
Regards and happy growing!
Iffy
I realise that fungal micorrizae play a vital symbiotic role when colonised around our root systems, improving the uptake of nutrients and also that certain of these have other beneficial effects, including a measure of inoculation. I also realise that Bennies, or beneficial bacteria/microbes consume the soil mix we provide them in our growing medium, to produce basic nutrients in a form the plants can more easily assimilate. What I didn’t know, was that one of these naturally occurring functions could become Dominant, whatever that means in this context. Although there is a clear and fundamental interplay between these two systems, I thought they were mutually independent and flourish or diminish, depending on what the grower provides. Can someone please enlighten me on this subject, specifically;
How can you tell if the environment of your plant is Fungal or Microbial dominant? Moreover, which is preferred - for overall health and production? Or is it striking a balance between the two? If it is as I suspect, finding a balance with these two systems that we should be striving towards, how can we achieve and monitor this balance?
Further to this, I have also been researching AACT since I’ve been wearing my OG’s flat-cap. There is some debate as to AACT’s effectiveness, many growers reporting no visible difference between it and using a regular soil-drench. There are many videos on Youtube with crops showing no variation at all, when half of it had been treated regularly with AACT, the other with a regular steeped tea, or liquid fert. I mean I get the biology bit, about feeding the microbes already present in your compost tea with molasses etc and actively growing these beneficial bacteria. I’m told that if done properly, the resulting bacteria-count can be in the trillions! So why are there so many inconsistencies in both reports and results regarding AACT?
Considering there are many, many different microbes/bacteria strains present in compost/manure, some of which are wonderful to your plants, some ineffective, some bad and some are positively deadly! My concern is; How do you know which of these little critters you’re actually brewing up in your bucket? It’s easy to throw an airstone into that bucket and hope for the best but is relying on growing a majority of ‘oxygen-loving’ ones enough? Don’t some baddies love oxygen too?
Is AACT effective and worth the bother? If so, is there any way to ensure we only grow the really beneficial bacteria in our teas?
This throws-up yet another question for me; Raw, unpasteurized milk! Raw milk is packed with gazillions of microbes, most of which I believe are beneficial to plant growth. Farmers have been spraying raw milk on their crops for eons, many reporting noticeable improvement in health and vitality from the practice. Why not just pour a pint of raw milk into your brewing bucket, along with your molasses – the resulting micro-herd would be spectacular! But would it be good for our plants?
I look forward to receiving the wisdom, of the generous and many-headed oracle that is; IC Mag!
Regards and happy growing!
Iffy