Taking The Compost Out Of Compost Tea

I'm probably a bit hard to follow if you are new into organic agriculture but lets say that what is commonly called Compost Tea is the way to go!

The trouble is that there is an industry built around this system that is well set up and making big money out of newbies to the game. Even some so called experts might be fooling themselves.

What is compost for a start? Well lets just say that you can compost organic kitchen waste scraps in a plastic composter without soil contact.


http://www.reln.com.au/composting-c-3.html

http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/The_Good_Compost_Guide_(1999).pdf



So as you should be able to follow is that the bacteria yeast etc will come into the composter from the air around where it is standing.


What is the end product of compost after a couple of years.

http://www.montmorillonite.info/Page 5_fulvic acid.htm

(2) Fulvic Acid (FA)

Fulvic Acids, from "fulvus" meaning yellow. Fulvic acids are light yellow to yellow-brown in color. They are that fraction of humic substances that is soluble in water under all pH conditions. They remain in solution after removal of humic acid by acidification. [Humintech website]

Fulvic acid is "a water-soluble, natural organic substance of low molecular weight which is derived from humus, often found in surface water." [Water Quality Association]


Of the three main humic substances previously outlined, fulvic acid is perhaps the most interesting for nutritional purposes. The size of fulvic acid molecules is even smaller than humic acids, with molecular weights ranging between just 1,000 to 10,000. Because of their relatively small size, fulvic acid molecules can more readily enter plant roots, stems, and particularly, leaves. Therefore, fulvic acids are key ingredients of high quality foliar fertilizers. As they penetrate these plant parts they conduct trace minerals from plant surfaces into plant tissues. Once applied to leaves, fulvic acids transport trace minerals directly to metabolic sites within plant cells. Hence, foliar spray applications at specific plant growth stages, containing mineral chelates, can be used as a primary technique for maximizing plants’ productive capacity.

Nutrients that have been chelated by fulvic acid are in an ideal natural form to interact with and be absorbed by living cells. When applied at relatively low concentrations they are completely non-toxic and 100% plant compatible.
Schematic Drawing of Fulvic Acid Molecule

Fulvic acids maintain an oxygen content twice that of humic acids. Since they have many carboxyl (COOH) and hydroxyl (COH) groups, fulvic acids are much more chemically reactive than other humic substances. They also have a cation exchange capacity that is more than double that of humic acids. [Petitt] Fulvic acids are the most effective carbon-containing chelating compounds known. Scientists have found that fulvic acid is the element that actually makes nutrients absorbable. This gives it the ability to make a dramatic impact on all kinds of diseases and health problems that afflict the world today. Fulvic Acid is so powerful that one single fulvic acid molecule is capable of carrying 60 or more minerals and trace elements into the cells.
Scientists also tell us that fulvic acid is one of the most powerful natural electrolytes known to man. It is also one of the most powerful natural antioxidants and free radical scavengers known. Fulvic acid has the unique ability to react with both negatively and positively charged unpaired electrons and render free radicals harmless. It can either alter them into new useable compounds or eliminate them as waste. Fulvic acid likewise scavenges heavy metals and detoxifies pollutants.

It is created in extremely small amounts at a time by the action of millions of beneficial microbes, working within an adequately oxygenated soil environment. Sadly, these microbes can be wantonly destroyed when excessive amounts of nitrate fertilizers are applied to the soil, effectively wiping out the fabrication of vital fulvic acid. The hypothetical model structure of fulvic acid (Buffle's model) contains both aromatic and aliphatic structures, both extensively substituted with oxygen - containing functional groups.



(3) Humin

HUMINS are that group of humic substances that are neither soluble in high basic/alkaline (pH> 7) nor in low acidic (pH<7) solutions. In fact, humin is not soluble in water at any pH. Humin complexes are considered the largest of the so-called organic substances, i.e., “macro” because their molecular weights (MW) range from approximately 100,000 to 10,000,000. In comparison the molecular weights of carbohydrates (complex sugars) may range anywhere from approximately 100,000 down to a mere 500. The chemical and physical properties of humins are only partially understood. [Petitt] Humins present within the soil are the most resistant to decomposition (slow to breakdown) of all the humic substances. Some of their main functions within the soil are structural, i.e., to maintain soil stability and to enhance the soil's otherwise water-holding capacity, but they also function as a cation exchange system, and improve soil content while generally improving soil fertility. Because of these important functions humin is a key component of fertile soils.





Fulvates
Fulvates are the salts more particularly of fulvic acid.
Both fulvic and humic acids are found in soil, and result from the chemical and biological degradation of dead organisms. Fulvic acids provide multiple and natural chemical reactions in the soil, instigating positive influences on the plants' metabolic processes.
Fulvic acid is especially active in dissolving minerals and metals when in solution with water. The metallic minerals simply dissolve into ionic form, and disappear into the fulvic structure becoming bio-chemically reactive and mobile. The Fulvic acid actually transforms these minerals and metal into elaborate fulvic acid molecular complexes that have vastly different characteristics from their previous metallic mineral form. Fulvic acid is nature's way of "chelating" metallic minerals, turning them into readily absorbable bio-available forms.

Humates


“Humate materials are widely distributed organic carbon-containing compounds, found in soils, fresh water, and oceans, and make up approximately 75 percent of the organic matter that exists in most mineral soils…They form complexes with phosphorus and micro elements which are easy assimilated by plants” http://foliarfert.com/pages/humicacid.htm
These substances are formed from the biological and chemical breakdown of animal and plant life, and make up approximately 75 percent of the organic matter that exists in most mineral soils. Humates play a direct role in determining the production potential of a soil, and sharply increase efficiency of mineral fertilizers. According to Professor Pettit, Humates are metal (mineral) salts of humic acids. “Within any humic substance there are a large number of complex humate molecules. The formation of a humate is based on the ability of the carboxyl (COOH) and hydroxyl (OH) groups (on the outside of the polymers) to dissociate (expel) the hydrogen ion… The humate composition of any one humic substance is specific for that substance. Thus, there exists a large variability in the molecular composition of different humic substances. Humates from different mineral deposits would be expected to have their own unique features.”

Soil phosphates are often immobilized through reactions with iron and aluminum, which in turn may be complexed with organic matter. Chelating agents can break the iron or aluminum bonds between the phosphate and organic matter, releasing phosphate ions into solution. This dissolution is a process which occurs in soil in the presence of naturally-occurring humic substances or plant root exudates. The addition of humates may increase the rate of this process, thereby increasing the availability of phosphorus to plants. [Obreza, Webb and Biggs, 1989]

Not all the products on the market under the name Humates are of a high quality. There are several different chemical structures of Humic Acid.

Organic material

Organic material might be said to be the foundation of humus. Rich in carbon remains of once-living organisms, both animal and vegetable, including kitchen waste and manures, are ingredients of compost. During the decaying process facilitated by microorganisms, organic matter in a proper environment in about a week can become good compost. However, compost in still an intermediate stage of true humus. Ultimately, compost must be integrated into the soil where it completes its decomposition and blends in with other detrital matter so completely that it no longer resembles the parent material. It must be remembered that living organisms within the resultant humus such as bacteria, nematodes, earthworms, fungi, insects and plant roots also consist of organic matter and therefore contribute to the organic content of the soil. Dead sections of roots broken off by macro-organism activity, as well as defunct microorganisms and cells from insects and worms, worm castings and excrement contribute new organic matter to the constantly developing humus in a healthy soil. All combined these ingredients make up an astonishingly low 5% of most soils’ composition.

The importance of organic matter in soil is not a recent discovery. Soil fertility in early agricultural systems was based on the recycling of organic wastes, and the addition of decomposed organic materials improved plant growth. The rise in popularity and use of mineral fertilizers enabled growers to directly supply plant nutrients to the soil, and rapid growth in agricultural productivity occurred. As a consequence, the importance of soil organic matter was somewhat neglected. [Obreza, Webb and Biggs, 1989]

In the last couple of decades a resurgence or interest in organic farming has surfaced, fueled by concerns over pollution from pesticides, herbicides and other chemicals applied to the farmland. The contamination of ground water, disappointing low-nutritional value of crop harvests and meat from livestock, disappearance of trace elements from the soils, and effects of acid rain (pH of less than 5.6) have all had their impact upon fresh legislation directed at better soil management and farming practices.

It is now widely believed that a certified organic approach is not only safer and more cost-effective, but a more much valuable one long term than the post World War II wisdom which fostered the NKP mentality.


Ulmins and Ulmic Acid

Certain industrial manufacturers use mature, alkali-insoluble lignite-like coals. They typically use a degradative and oxidation extraction process to produce smaller alkali soluble humic acid solutions. The resulting oxidized mixtures from black or lignite coals are termed ‘regenerated humic acids or ulmins’. These ulmins have characteristics that are similar to humic acids derived from low-grade lignites or Leonardite shale, however are quite different chemically, thus the term regenerated is a misnomer. According to P. Mark Turner, there is no evidence that these ulmins have desirable fertilizer grade properties. [The Catalyst Product Group website]





Bibliography

Faust, Robert H. – 1986, Those Humic Sea Minerals, ACRES U.S.A.

Pettit, Dr. Robert E., Emeritus Associate Professor TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY,
Organic Matter, Humus, Humates, Humic Acid, Fulvic Acid and Humin: Their Importance in Soil Fertility and Plant Health

Obreza, T.A (Assistant Professor, Soil Science, Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, Immokalee.); Webb, R. G. (former Research Scientist and Professor); Biggs, R. H. - OCT 1989, (Fruit Crops Dept., Univ. of Florida Gainesville) Humate materials: their effects and use as soil amendments, THE CITRUS INDUSTRY

Senn, T. L. and Kingman, Alta R., 1973, A review of Humus and Humic Acids. Research Series No. 145 and 165, S. C. AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, Clemson, South Carolina.



Links

“Acid rain” http://www.treetures.com/Glossary.html

www.bentonite.us

The Catalyst Product Group
http://www.catalystproductgroup.com/theindustry.htm

www.chelatedtraceminerals.com

www.colloidaltraceminerals.net

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. 2001-05. http://www.bartleby.com/65/hu/humus.html

www.diatomite.info

Stephen J. Gislason MD http://www.nutramed.com/nutrition/carbohydrates.htm

Humintech Agriculture http://www.humintech.com/001/articles/article_a_review_of_humus_and_humic_acids.html

www.monmorillonite.org

www.montmorillonite.us

National Safety Council Environmental - Health Center Glossary http://www.nsc.org/ehc/glossary.htm

Soil Biology and Humus Farming, Volume 13 number 5, by Jody Padgham
©2005 Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service
http://www.mosesorganic.org/broadcaster/13.5soilbio905.htm

Soil Health: Conservation, Cover Crops, and Nutrient Management
http://web.archive.org/web/20050414221606/www.sustainableag.net/soil_health.htm

Soil Terms – UC Davis
http://trc.ucdavis.edu/bajaffee/SSC112/soil terms.htm

Water Quality Association http://www.aboutfulvic.info/
What about DNA? ©2007 Altenberg Media International, Inc., by R. Joseph Collet JD
What are Antioxidants? Antioxidant Clinical Studies ©2005 Altenberg Media International, Inc., by R. Joseph Collet JD
What is Soil? ©2007 Altenberg Media International, Inc., by R. Joseph Collet JD
Return to Home Definitions & Links

Yep, it will beat adding compost to compost tea.

So if you buy some Fulvic Acid and add just a tiny bit too some aged water along with say some liquid kelp, fish paste, Blackstrap Molasses and then add a table spoon of good garden soil to it and soak some charcoal in a nylon bag with this mix and hang it somewhere guess what? Yep, it will beat adding compost to compost tea.

Healthy soil is a jungle of rapacious organisms devouring everything in sight

What Do Soil Organisms Do?

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/cropsystems/components/7403_02.html

Healthy soil is a jungle of rapacious organisms devouring everything in sight (including each other), processing their prey or food through their innards, and then excreting it. The value of these creatures to farmers lies in:

Cycling nutrients.
Enhancing soil structure, which improves water and air movement.
Controlling disease and enhancing plant growth.
Nutrient cycling

One of the important functions of the soil biological community is managing nutrients. Soil organisms continually transform nutrients among many organic and inorganic forms. (Organic compounds contain carbon. Inorganic compounds do not.) Plants primarily need simple inorganic forms of each nutrient. Soil organisms create many of these plant-available nutrients and help store nutrients in the soil as organic compounds.

Decomposition is the breakdown of plant and animal residue into different organic and inorganic compounds. Soil organisms decompose organic matter more quickly under warm, moist conditions than under cold or dry conditions. This is why it is easier to build up soil organic matter levels in the Midwest than in the southeastern part of the United States, where decomposition is rapid.

As part of the decomposition process, many bacteria and fungi produce humic acids. In the soil, these acids chemically combine with each other to form large molecules of stabilized organic matter. This formation of large molecules is both a biological and chemical process.

When soil organisms convert organic matter into inorganic, plant-available nutrients, they are said to be mineralizing nutrients. Protozoa and nematodes mineralize and excrete several hundred pounds of ammonium (NH4+) per acre per day. Most is snatched up by other soil organisms, but some is used by plants.

The reverse of mineralization is immobilization - the conversion of inorganic compounds into organic compounds. Soil organisms consume inorganic molecules and incorporate them into their cells. Because immobilized nutrients are parts of soil organisms, they do not move easily through the soil and are unavailable to plants. Bacteria and fungi are responsible for large amounts of immobilization.

The previous paragraphs described three kinds of transformations performed by many soil organisms:

decomposition: turning organic compounds into other organic compounds
mineralization: turning organic matter into inorganic compounds that may be used by plants
immobilization: turning inorganic compounds into organic compounds. Farmers depend on bacteria for one more transformation:
mineral transformation: turning inorganic matter into other inorganic compounds
Bacteria that perform mineral transformations are important in nitrogen cycling. The roots of legumes host nitrogen-fixing bacteria that convert large amounts of dinitrogen (N2) from the atmosphere into forms that plants can use. Some nitrogen-fixing bacteria live free in the soil.

Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia (NH3) into nitrate (NO3+). Plants prefer nitrate, but nitrate is easily leached from the soil. Some farmers apply "nitrification inhibitors" which reduce the activity of nitrifying bacteria and prevent the loss of fertilizer nitrogen from the soil.

Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrate into gases that are lost into the atmosphere. These species are anaerobic so denitrification occurs only in places in the soil where there is little or no oxygen. Anaerobic conditions are more common in compacted soils and in no-till soils.

Other soil bacteria are important for similar mineral transformations of sulfur, iron, and manganese.

Forming soil structure

Most crops grow best in crumbly soil that roots can easily grow through and that allows in water and air. Soil organisms play an important role in the formation of a good soil structure.

As spring turns to summer and the soil heats up, fungi grow long filaments called hyphae that surround soil particles and hold them together in soil aggregates. Some bacteria produce sticky substances that also help bind soil together.

Many soil aggregates between the diameters of 1/1000 and 1/10 of an inch (the size of the period at the end of this sentence) are fecal pellets. Arthropods and earthworms consume soil, digest the bacteria, and excrete a clump of soil coated with secretions from the gut. As beetles and earthworms chew and bury plant residue and burrow through the soil, they aerate the soil and create nutrient-lined channels for roots and water to move through.

Controlling disease and enhancing growth

Soil organisms have many methods for controlling disease-causing organisms. Protozoa, nematodes, insects, and other predatory organisms help control the population levels of their prey and prevent any single species from becoming dominant. Some bacteria and fungi generate compounds that are toxic to other organisms. Some organisms compete with harmful organisms for food or a location on a root.

In addition to protecting plants from disease, some organisms produce compounds that actually enhance the growth of plants. Plant roots may excrete compounds that attract such beneficial organisms.

How Do Soil Organisms and Plants Get Along?

The lives of plants and soil organisms are closely intertwined. Some plant and microbe species have developed symbioses, or mutually beneficial relationships. Rhizobium and other bacteria can invade roots and get sugars from the plant. In return, they fix atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can use.

Another group of friendly root-invaders are the mycorrhizal fungi. The fungal hyphae extend from inside the root, out into the soil, and often greatly expand the plant抯 access to nutrients and (perhaps) water. Mycorrhizae improve phosphorus nutrition by producing acids that convert phosphorus into plant-available forms and transport the phosphorus back to the root. Most crop species depend on or benefit greatly from mycorrhizal associations.

Not all plant/microbe interactions are invasions. The rhizosphere (the narrow region surrounding each root) is rich in biological activity as bacteria and other microbes feed on the carbon compounds exuded by roots. Plants may exude compounds that attract certain species to the rhizosphere that protect the roots from disease-causing species.

When microbes and plants compete for soil nutrients, microbes have an advantage because they are often suspended in the soil solution while plants must pull the soil solution towards their roots.

In an ideal situation, microbes will tie-up (immobilize) nitrogen and prevent its loss from the rooting zone when plants are not growing, and then will release (mineralize) nitrogen when crops are actively growing. See Organic Matter Management (BU-7402 in this series) for more information about competition between microbes and plants for nitrogen.

When Do Soil Organisms Do Their Work?

The activity of organisms is constantly changing with temperature, moisture, pH, food supply, and other environmental conditions. Different species prefer different conditions, so even at maximum total activity levels only a minority of soil microbes are busily eating and respiring. The highest total activity is in late spring/early summer and in late summer/early fall when the soil is warm and moist. In early spring, some farmers see nutrient deficiency symptoms in their plants because not enough microbes are warm enough to convert organic compounds into plant-available nutrients. Leaching of excess nitrate often happens in early spring when the soil is too cool for either plants or microbes to grow and immobilize the nitrogen.

What Lives in the Soil and What Are They Doing?

Each type of organism fills a unique niche and plays a different role in the cycling of nutrients, the structure of soil, and in pest dynamics.

Description Size Diet Typical amt in ag soils Action in soil
Bacteria
Usually one-celled 1 um (0.001 mm) Organic matter, especially simple carbon compounds 100 mil. to 1 bil. in a teaspoon Decompose organic matter. Immobilize nutrients in the rooting zone.
Rhizobium and other genera fix nitrogen from air.
Convert ammonium to nitrate, and nitrate to nitrogen gasses.
Actinomycetes, which grow as filaments, are important in decomposition at moderate-to-high pH.
Create substances that help bind soil aggregates.
Fungi
Grow in long filaments calleed hyphae A few um wie, yards or miles long Organic matter, especially simple carbon compounds. Also, living plants Several yards in a teaspoon Decompose organic matter.
Immobilize nutrients in the rooting zone.
Mycorrhizal fungi form mutually beneficial associa- tions with roots. They release acids that help make phosphorus more available to plants.
Help stabilize soil aggregates.
Protozoa
One-celled animals 5-500 um Bacteria, primarily Several thousand in a teaspoon Stimulate and control growth of bacteria.
Release ammonium.
Nematodes
Roundworms. Not segmented as are earthworms 50 um wide, 1 mm long Bacteria, fungi, protozoa, other nematodes, and roots Ten to twenty in a teaspoon Control many disease-causing organisms.
Root-feeders may cause root diseases.
Release ammonium.
Arthropods
Include insects, mites, spiders, springtails, & millipedes Microscopic to inches All other organisms Several hundred in a cubic foot Shred plant residue, making it more accessible to bacteria and fungi.
Enhance soil structure by creating fecal pellets, and by burrowing.
Control populations of other organisms.
Earthworms Inch or more long Bacteria, fungi, and organic matter Five to thirty in a cubic foot Shred plant residue.
Enhance soil structure by burrowing, mixing, and creating fecal pellets.
Transport and stimulate growth of bacteria.


Why is Diversity Important?

Like the above-ground ecosystem, the soil community is not just a collection of individual species, but a complex, interacting food web. Decomposition of a single compound may require several organisms. The creation of aggregates involves a mix of physical and chemical processes and the activity of many types of organisms.

As the complexity of the food web increases, productivity of the soil tends to increase. It is not clear how much complexity is needed, but there are several reasons why complexity is thought to be beneficial.

First, the soil system may be more stable and resilient. If many organisms perform a similar role, the system is not dependent on just a few for that function. A soil disturbance (such as drought or tillage) might reduce the activity of some organisms, but in a complex system others will perform the same functions (such as providing ammonium or degrading a particular compound).

Other benefits of complexity may include improved nutrient cycling, decomposition, and disease control. When many different kinds of organisms are present, many organic compounds and potential pollutants can be degraded, and many competitors and predators are present to control pest populations.


Nematodes: Good Guys or Bad Guys?
Nematodes are a group of tiny roundworms that demonstrate the wide diversity and the inextricable food web that exists in a healthy soil. Twenty thousand species have been described, but half a million species may exist. Most soil nematodes eat bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and other nematodes, making them important in nutrient cycling. Others are plant parasites and cause disease symptoms such as malformed or dwarfed plants, or root structures with deformities such as galls and cysts.

The root knot nematode, for instance, stimulates parasitized plants to form root galls. The galls choke off the flow of water and nutrients to the above-ground portion of the plant. Plants infected by root gall nematodes may live through the season but crop yields will be dramatically reduced.

One way to respond to nematode problems is to rotate crops to remove the nematodes?food source. Another highly effective approach is to build up soil organic matter. The increased organic matter might initially increase nematode populations, but it will also create an explosion of nematode predators such as fungi, mites, and other nematodes.

Fungi prey on nematodes in a number of ways. They trap them with their sticky appendages or squeeze them (like a boa constrictor) in fungal mechanical ring traps. Some fungi exude a toxin to quiet their struggling prey. (Think of these vicious dramas next time you are riding safely in your tractor cab!)

Some nematodes eat undesirable residents of farm fields. Cut worms, for instance, are hunted down by one species of carnivorous nematode. These nematodes (N. carpocapsae) are available from some biological supply catalogues to control cut worms and other crop-damaging underground caterpillars and beetle larva.

Nematodes are not simply pests, but a diverse group of species that play many roles in the soil system.

Photosynthesis is only the beginning of a chain of energy conversions.

Interesting Facts about Food Chains

This section contains a brief description of the food chains and food webs in an ecosystem.

Introduction

Go to linl to see pictures and the rest of the artical:

http://www.arcytech.org/java/population/facts_foodchain.html

In an ecosystem, plants capture the sun's energy and use it to convert inorganic compounds into energy-rich organic compounds1. This process of using the sun's energy to convert minerals (such as magnesium or nitrogen) in the soil into green leaves, or carrots, or strawberries, is called photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis is only the beginning of a chain of energy conversions. There are many types of animals that will eat the products of the photosynthesis process. Examples are deer eating shrub leaves, rabbits eating carrots, or worms eating grass. When these animals eat these plant products, food energy and organic compounds are transferred from the plants to the animals. These animals are in turn eaten by other animals, again transferring energy and organic compounds from one animal to another. Examples would be lions eating deer, foxes eating rabbits, or birds eating worms.

This chain of energy transferring from one species to another can continue several more times, but it eventually ends. It ends with the dead animals that are broken down and used as food or nutrition by bacteria and fungi. As these organisms, referred to as decomposers, feed from the dead animals, they break down the complex organic compounds into simple nutrients. Decomposers play a very important role in this world because they take care of breaking down (cleaning) many dead material. There are more than 100,000 different types of decomposer organisms! These simpler nutrients are returned to the soil and can be used again by the plants. The energy transformation chain starts all over again.

It can be made simple and cheaply

So all you need is a nylon bag with charcoal that is kept fed with a nutriment mix and a teaspoon of good garden soil to start up your compost tea brew.

WHERE DO SOIL ORGANISMS LIVE?

WHERE DO SOIL ORGANISMS LIVE?

http://soils.usda.gov/SQI/concepts/soil_biology/soil_food_web.html

The organisms of the food web are not uniformly distributed through the soil. Each species and group exists where they can find appropriate space, nutrients, and moisture. They occur wherever organic matter occurs – mostly in the top few inches of soil (see figure), although microbes have been found as deep as 10 miles (16 km) in oil wells.

Soil organisms are concentrated:

Around roots. The rhizosphere is the narrow region of soil directly around roots (see photo). It is teeming with bacteria that feed on sloughed-off plant cells and the proteins and sugars released by roots. The protozoa and nematodes that graze on bacteria are also concentrated near roots. Thus, much of the nutrient cycling and disease suppression needed by plants occurs immediately adjacent to roots.

Bacteria are abundant around this root tip (the rhizosphere) where they decompose the plentiful simple organic substances. Credit: No. 53 from Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry Slide Set. 1976 J.P. Martin, et al., eds. SSSA, Madison WI.



In litter. Fungi are common decomposers of plant litter because litter has large amounts of complex, hard-to-decompose carbon. Fungal hyphae (fine filaments) can “pipe” nitrogen from the underlying soil to the litter layer. Bacteria cannot transport nitrogen over distances, giving fungi an advantage in litter decomposition, particularly when litter is not mixed into the soil profile. However, bacteria are abundant in the green litter of younger plants which is higher in nitrogen and simpler carbon compounds than the litter of older plants. Bacteria and fungi are able to access a larger surface area of plant residue after shredder organisms such as earthworms, leaf-eating insects, millipedes, and other arthropods break up the litter into smaller chunks.

On humus. Fungi are common here. Much organic matter in the soil has already been decomposed many times by bacteria and fungi, and/or passed through the guts of earthworms or arthropods. The resulting humic compounds are complex and have little available nitrogen. Only fungi make some of the enzymes needed to degrade the complex compounds in humus.

On the surface of soil aggregates. Biological activity, in particular that of aerobic bacteria and fungi, is greater near the surfaces of soil aggregates than within aggregates. Within large aggregates, processes that do not require oxygen, such as denitrification, can occur. Many aggregates are actually the fecal pellets of earthworms and other invertebrates.

In spaces between soil aggregates. Those arthropods and nematodes that cannot burrow through soil move in the pores between soil aggregates. Organisms that are sensitive to desiccation, such as protozoa and many nematodes, live in water-filled pores. (See Figure page 1.)

WHEN ARE THEY ACTIVE?
The activity of soil organisms follows seasonal patterns, as well as daily patterns. In temperate systems, the greatest activity occurs in late spring when temperature and moisture conditions are optimal for growth (see graph). However, certain species are most active in the winter, others during dry periods, and still others in flooded conditions.

Not all organisms are active at a particular time. Even during periods of high activity, only a fraction of the organisms are busily eating, respiring, and altering their environment. The remaining portion are barely active or even dormant.

Many different organisms are active at different times, and interact with one another, with plants, and with the soil. The combined result is a number of beneficial functions including nutrient cycling, moderated water flow, and pest control.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SOIL FOOD WEB
The living component of soil, the food web, is complex and has different compositions in different ecosystems. Management of croplands, rangelands, forestlands, and gardens benefits from and affects the food web. The next unit of the Soil Biology Primer, “The Food Web & Soil Health,” introduces the relationship of soil biology to agricultural productivity, biodiversity, carbon sequestration and to air and water quality. The remaining six units of the Soil Biology Primer describe the major groups of soil organisms: bacteria, fungi, protozoa, nematodes, arthropods, and earthworms. For more information about the diversity within each organism group, see the list of readings at the end of “The Food Web & Soil Health” unit.

Improved structure, infiltration, and water-holding capacity.

What you are after with all this

http://soils.usda.gov/SQI/concepts/soil_biology/fw_soilhealth.html

Improved structure, infiltration, and water-holding capacity. Many soil organisms are involved in the formation and stability of soil aggregates. Bacterial activity, organic matter, and the chemical properties of clay particles are responsible for creating microaggregates from individual soil particles. Earthworms and arthropods consume small aggregates of mineral particles and organic matter, and generate larger fecal pellets coated with compounds from the gut. These fecal pellets become part of the soil structure. Fungal hyphae and root hairs bind together and help stabilize larger aggregates. Improved aggregate stability, along with the burrows of earthworms and arthropods, increases porosity, water infiltration, and water-holding capacity.

Disease suppression. A complex soil food web contains numerous organisms that can compete with disease-causing organisms. These competitors may prevent soil pathogens from establishing on plant surfaces, prevent pathogens from getting food, feed on pathogens, or generate metabolites that are toxic to or inhibit pathogens.

Degradation of pollutants. An important role of soil is to purify water. A complex food web includes organisms that consume (degrade) a wide range of pollutants under a wide range of environmental conditions.

Biodiversity. Greater food web complexity means greater biodiversity. Biodiversity is measured by the total number of species, as well as the relative abundance of these species, and the number of functional groups of organisms.

MANAGEMENT AND SOIL HEALTH
A healthy soil effectively supports plant growth, protects air and water quality, and ensures human and animal health. The physical structure, chemical make-up, and biological components of the soil together determine how well a soil performs these services.

In every healthy system or watershed, the soil food web is critical to major soil functions including:

sustaining biological activity, diversity, and productivity;
regulating the flow of water and dissolved nutrients;
storing and cycling nutrients and other elements; and
filtering, buffering, degrading, immobilizing and detoxifying organic and inorganic materials that are potential pollutants.
The interactions among organisms enhance many of these functions.

Successful land management requires approaches that protect all resources, including soil, water, air, plants, animals and humans. Many management strategies change soil habitats and the food web, and alter soil quality, or the capacity of soil to perform its functions. Examples of some practices that change the complexity and health of the soil community include:

Compared to a field with a 2-year crop rotation, a field with a 4 crops grown in rotation may have a greater variety of food sources (i.e., roots and surface residue), and therefore is likely to have more types of bacteria, fungi, and other organisms.

A cleanly-tilled field with few vegetated edges may have fewer habitats for arthropods than a field broken up by grassed waterways, terraces, or fence rows.

Although the effect of pesticides on soil organisms varies, high levels of pesticide use will generally reduce food web complexity. An extreme example is the repeated use of methyl bromide which has been observed to eliminate most soil organisms except a few bacteria species.

Bit more

http://www.humintech.de/pdf/humicfulvicacids.pdf

In
terms of humic acids content,
one litre of liquid concentrate
is equivalent to 7-8
metric tons of organic
manure. Similarly, one kilogram
of concentrated powder
is equivalent to about 30
metric tons of manure.

So, where can I get some fulvic acid?

Charcoal as an adsorbent

Charcoal as an adsorbent


Charcoal will saturate with water along with dissolved organic matter and seeing that the charcoal pieces are surrounded by air a perfect aerobic medium is available for aerobic bacteria to grow upon which is what you want. When you want to start off a new mix of compost tea you only need to transfer it to the container and add air stones. A teaspoon of good garden soil will add even more diversity of bacteria and fungi to the mix.

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Making your own charcoal

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Drawings on Link:


http://www.eaglequest.com/~bbq/charcoal/

Using a cold chisel prepare the drum by making five 50mm (2in) holes in one end and completely removing the other. Knock-up the cut edge of the open end to form a ledge (Note, the lid will have to placed back on this ledge and made airtight).

Position the drum, open end upwards, on three bricks to allow an air flow to the holes in the base.

Place paper, kindling and brown ends (incompletely charred butts from the last burn) into the bottom of the drum and light.


Once it is burning well, load branchwood at random to allow air spaces until the drum is completely full. Keep the pieces to a fairly even diameter but put any larger ones to the bottom where they will be subjected to a longer burning.


When the fire is hot and will clearly not go out, restrict the air access around the base by using earth placed against it, but leaving one 100mm (4in) gap. Also place the lid on top, leaving a _small_ gap at one side for smoke to exit.

Dense white smoke will issue during the charring process. When this visibly slows, bang the drum to settle the wood down, creating more white smoke.


When the smoke turns from white (mainly water being driven off) to thin blue (charcoal starting to burn) stop the burn by firstly closing off all air access to the base using more earth, and secondly by placing the lid firmly on its ledge, and making it airtight by the addition of of sods and soil as required. The burn will take between three and four hours.

After cooling for about 24 hours, the drum can be tipped over and the charcoal emptied out onto a sheet for grading and packing.

This is what I have been trying to find to show / explain how little mineral salt is

This is what I have been trying to find to show / explain how little mineral salt is obtained from compost.


http://www.rain.org/global-garden/hydroponics-history.html

The earliest recorded scientific approach to discover plant constituents was in 1600 when Belgian Jan van Helmont showed in his classical experiment that plants obtain substances from water. He planted a 5-pound willow shoot in a tube containing 200 pounds of dried soil that was covered to keep out dust. After 5 years of regular watering with rainwater he found the willow shoot increased in weight by 160 pounds, while the soil lost less than 2 ounces. His conclusion that plants obtain substances for growth from water was correct. However, he failed to realize that they also require carbon dioxide and oxygen from the air.

Go for a company that is linked to a university.

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Effects of Soil Microbial Fertility by Charcoal in Soil

Effects of Soil Microbial Fertility by Charcoal in Soil

http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/ogawauga

Submitted by Tom Miles on Tue, 2007-02-13 00:21. Charcoal ectomycorrhizal fungi Fertility Frankia sp. Indonesia Japan Microbe Microorganisms Ogawa Root nodule Saprophytic fungi vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (VAM)
Effects of Soil Microbial Fertility by Charcoal in Soil
Makoto Ogawa, Kansai Environment Engineering Center, Kansai Electric Power Co. Ltd, UGA Conference 2004

Characteristics and Function of Charcoal

1.Porous substance with high water and air holding capacity; Suitable habitat for some microbes and plant growth, good material for soil amendment, absorption of chemicals and humidity control

2.High alkalinity ; Neutralization of acidic soil and improvement of chemical components of soil and
selection of microorganisms

3.Non organic matter ; Exclusion of saprophytes and propagation of autotrophic and symbiotic microorganisms, free living nitrogen fixing bacteria, root nodule bacteria, Frankia and some mycorrhizal fungi

4.Low mineral content ; “Charcoal has no roles as a fertilizer”
Composition of bark charcoal %
Carbon:77.58, Volatile Substances:12.92, Ash: 9.50
Mineral contents of ash %
SiO2:36.5, Al2O3:10.9, CaO:19.2, K2O:1.1, Na2O3:5.35,
Fe2O3:7.5, MgO:10.3, P2O5:1.7

# Air supply by charcoal induces the activation of soil microbes and CO2 emission temporally. Small amount of chemical fertilizers or organic matters should be mixed with charcoal in agricultural use.

See also:
Reactivity of Wood charcoal with Ozone

Topics (Ogawa):
Effects of ectomycorrhiza and tree growth: pine, dipterocarps,
Effect on root nodule formation and soybean (500, 1000 gm/m2)
Effect of rice husk charcoal on soybean and maize (charcoal, lime, fertilizer)
Effect of charcoal on root growth and nodule formation Acacia mangium
Charcoal as media for immobilizing useful microorganisms (spores of bacteria, root nodule bacteria, mycorrhizal fungi, Frankia and nitrogen fixing bacteria)
Effect of charcoal for inoculation of Frankia
Effect of charcoal compost on (bacterial)soil disease control
Effect of Charcoal on VA mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Growth (VA mycorrhiza is essential for phosphate and mineral absorption of many plants, e.g. soy bean)
Charcoal is good habitat for some VA mycorrhizal fungi (cucumber, apple tree)
Effect of Charcoal on the propagation of Soil Bacteria and Free Living Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria in Tropical Soil (e.g. aerobic nitrogen fixing bacteria)
Carbon sequestration

Activated charcoal filters can be excellent places for bacteria to grow.

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/activatecharcoal

Activated charcoal filters can be excellent places for bacteria to grow. Conditions for bacterial growth are best when the filter is saturated with organic contaminants, which supply the food source for the bacteria,