Tea Article

[maryjohn]

I've noticed I get the worst PM problems around certain weather systems. Specifically, when it's cold and damp, which happens often here. I have a drosera spatulata that just can't shake it and is close to being terminated. This is a plant that cannot be overfertilized because any fertilizer at all will kill it. PM needs new growth to survive, but sometimes it seems to get very healthy plants when the weather is right. And sometimes treating with neem or sulfur knocks it right out, and sometimes it has no effect.

Recently we had constant rain for a week, and that got the PM off 80% of our squashes.


PM is a mystery. I hate PM.

 

[CT Guy]

spend a penny on the plant and a pound on the hole

it always amazes me that people will spend hundreds on a pack of seeds and stick them in any old soil they can get from round the corner.

V.

I totally agree....I think your soil is the most important thing of all!

 

[Clackamas Coot]

I've noticed I get the worst PM problems around certain weather systems. Specifically, when it's cold and damp, which happens often here. I have a drosera spatulata that just can't shake it and is close to being terminated. This is a plant that cannot be overfertilized because any fertilizer at all will kill it. PM needs new growth to survive, but sometimes it seems to get very healthy plants when the weather is right. And sometimes treating with neem or sulfur knocks it right out, and sometimes it has no effect.

Recently we had constant rain for a week, and that got the PM off 80% of our squashes.


PM is a mystery. I hate PM.

maryjane

We have the same problem in Western Oregon with powdery mildew. And that applies to the wine grape growers, the grass seed growers, nursery stock growers, orchardists, hazelnut growers - IOW - everyone.

There are literally millions and millions of dollars spent each year by these growers in an attempt to limit crop loss and in some cases (annuals) the loss of their plants.

The biggest agent used is the old 'tried and true' deal with potassium bicarbonate which will work (under certain definitions) but without getting rid of the fungus permanently in the case of trees, vineyards, shrubs is a real challenge.

The challenge with annual plants that are 'cloned' (a very stupid term for rooting a cutting in the whole scheme of things), by not attacking the fungus contained in the plant's tissue, cuttings contribute to the problem by passing the fungus from the 'mother plant' to the cuttings and so it goes on and on and on.

Some of the latest science being used are of course aerated compost teas, lactobacillus inoculation, various seed oil extracts (neem, soybean, et al.) with nothing being the complete and total 'fix' as it were.

In self-contained grow rooms where you have a better handle on air flow and ventilation (perhaps) than a vineyard, the organic solutions have proven to be the better alternative. But it's not foolproof. It takes constant vigilance and a close eye and moving forward with an understanding that 'prevention' is far easier than looking for a 'cure'

Meaning that while neem seed oil is an effective fungicide and/or a viable defense against spider mites, it remains another tool. It's not a cure-all by any stretch of the imagination.

Many of the commercial wine producers here in the valley have found aerated compost teas to be the most effective for their crops while the orchardists claim that potassium bicarbonate is still their best option.

No simple answers.

CC

 

[maryjohn]

and it's kind of off topic, but on the drosera I can't even use the potassium bicarbonate.

I'm wondering if even lacto would kill it by getting in the soil and starting a chain of events that frees up nitrogen.

Hey, if you are in Oregon, you could grow cobra lilies without a cooling system for the soil.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

maryjane

Please don't misread or misunderstand my posting(s) about potassium bicarbonate. I have found it to be worthless for our small orchard and on our raised beds. I've done far, far better with the EM-1 type products. But it's not an absolute either.

I personally believe that well prepared compost and especially EWC (having been fed a wide variety of foods) is the real solution.

Easy for a medical grower with 6 plants in a self-contained room - much more difficult when you're trying to work with 200 acres of grapes - LOL

It's all about perspective and immediate need I suppose.

CC

 

[maryjohn]

oh good! I've just started experimenting with Em-1 that I activated. I keep hearing from people who have had success with it.

 

[cave]

hi all

can the guano tea be tested like for ppm/ec i used my meter but i dont know how accurate it is for the organics any info about this

thanks

 

[Clackamas Coot]

hi all

can the guano tea be tested like for ppm/ec i used my meter but i dont know how accurate it is for the organics any info about this

thanks

cave

PPM/EC measuring devices cannot measure organics which is the main reason that 'organic nutrients' always have such low N-P-K numbers, i.e. it doesn't mean much of anything in the world of organic farming/horticulture.

HTH

CC

 

[CT Guy]

I'd say the best way to test your guano tea is to smell it. If it stinks, then dump it. Personally, I'd go with a good compost tea over a manure tea. If you want to use guanos, why not just soak in water and aerate briefly to extract the nutrients/microbes and then apply. I would be more inclined to use extraction with guanos and do a soil drench.

 

[cave]

thanks i just dont want to burn them, i guess it is all trial & error less is always better i guess

 

[DARC MIND]

just got done reading this,
big thank you to CT guy & others, lots of good info
i have one question
what do you guys think about agave nectar?
i wanted to use this as an alternative to molasses but i thought id ask before i try this.
Has any one use this?

thanks

 

[CT Guy]

I haven't done any experimentation with agave nectar but it should work as a bacterial food. I would recommend the unsulfured molasses because it's just as easy to pick up at the grocery store and I know the diversity of microbes that it promotes. That being said, if you already have the agave, I'd do a straight substitution and follow the same recommended amounts as the molasses.

 

[jaykush]

agave works ok. isn't molasses cheaper? i even use honey sometimes with great results, you just have to use a lot less.

 

[DARC MIND]

thanks you guys rock
& yes molasses is cheaper, im using agave for my health. i hear good things and thought why not in ACT?

CT any chance you might experiment with agave??
i would love to know more, its like 5 bucks for one bottle

 

[CT Guy]

Next time I'm at the store I'll try to remember to pick some up. What else can I use it for, since I only need a little bit for testing. How do you work into your foods? Is it just a sugar substitute in that regard?

 

[maryjohn]

My drosera spatulata pulled through and the PM is on the wane. Only took 6 months...

 

[DARC MIND]

Next time I'm at the store I'll try to remember to pick some up. What else can I use it for, since I only need a little bit for testing. How do you work into your foods? Is it just a sugar substitute in that regard?

yup, use like honey or sugar.
i use it in my tea's (drinkable), wheat grass shots and mixed drinks..
im using the light more mild flavor, im thinking the darker less filtered, syrup like agave, might be better for ACT??
to me the dark one resembles black strap molasses better then the light one i got..
i dont know just my guess..

 

[CT Guy]

You can add it to wheatgrass? How about molasses? Damn! Wish I'd known that. I've been growing biodynamic wheatgrass in a simple hydro system in my kitchen and I love growing it, but I absolutely hate the taste! What do you think of wheatgrass in general? Noticed any health benefits?

 

[DARC MIND]

You can add it to wheatgrass? How about molasses? Damn! Wish I'd known that. I've been growing biodynamic wheatgrass in a simple hydro system in my kitchen and I love growing it, but I absolutely hate the taste! What do you think of wheatgrass in general? Noticed any health benefits?

its a good boost for staring the day or after a work out of some sort
it gives me energy and puts me in a good mood (healthy mood)
the taste alone, is not so good, this is why i mix it up
i like a mix of fresh juice from a pink lemon,100% grape juice, honey or agave and the wheat grass juice. i aim to make 2 to 3 shots, with only 2 ounces of grass and small amounts of the ingredients.
taste awesome IMHO and goes down great, im sure other juices will work well and other lemons or limes, never tried molasses but im sure it will work, if mixed good.(thick stuff)

i grow my grass in LC mix w/ amendments and foliar with fish emulsion or plant tea's. after every second harvest, i top mulch with compost, the grass grows so quick it amazing and so I use lots for my worms, PT, ACT, amending and top mulching. wheat grass is a great tool for my health and grows.

 

[vonforne]

I love wheat grass and Barley grass. I mix mine with Grape juice or orange juice which ever is in the frig. Still tastes a bit off. I like mine after work. Then I have a boost for my old ass to work in the garden.

V