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Old 08-15-2009, 10:01 AM   #99 (permalink)
supermario
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OrganicBananac View Post
For all with fear of going to websites, Soil Food Web Inc. is the authority in testing microbiology in soil. They have a nice safe website loaded with information, they ARE a lab. Studying many of their methods have led me to the information i know, AND continue to learn. I can understand when some people don't understand simple facts are, simple. But that is sometimes the beauty of working with nature, it is easier and continues to reward the worker by only becoming better and better. The reason why many people do not understand this type of soil comprehension, is also because it is relatively new. It was not until the 1990's that scientists even understood what mychorrizal fungi even did. They knew it was there, but not what the purpose was. Myc. fungi are just one of the pieces that fit in to the whole cycle of life, known as the "soil food web". Do some reading, learning, and thinking and find out why there is such an importance with AACT,fungi,bacteria,nematodes,protozoa,worms and all other aspects of nature that we can and cannot see. It is this biology that is doing the work.

Ripped from Wiki direct: Osmosis
"Suppose an animal or a plant cell is placed in a solution of sugar or salt in water.
If the medium is hypotonic — a dilute solution, with a higher water concentration than the cell — the cell will gain water through osmosis.
If the medium is isotonic — a solution with exactly the same water concentration as the cell — there will be no net movement of water across the cell membrane.
If the medium is hypertonic — a concentrated solution, with a lower water concentration than the cell — the cell will lose water by osmosis.
Essentially, this means that if a cell is put in a solution which is has a solute concentration higher than its own, then it will shrivel up, and if it is put in a solution with a lesser solute concentration than its own, the cell will expand and burst."

Now on the scale of microbes, chloramine is added in water as a disinfectant chemical, but when brewing an aerated compost tea, this chemical is very bad for the brew. You are killing the life you are attempting to brew. Shooting yourself in your foot, literally. The same goes for nutrient salts, as stated on the wiki quote above because remember the aspect of exactly what those salts are, concentrated. And,
"If the medium is hypertonic — a concentrated solution, with a lower water concentration than the cell — the cell will lose water by osmosis."
Now moisture in soil has an effect on concentration of salts as well. Think of an evaporating cup of salt water.
One step forward, two backwards is not a good "system".

The bottom line in the distinction of organic & inorganic is really, are you doing the work (manually feeding and dosing) or are you allowing the microbiology to do the work for you (using added materials to give what the plants need, when the plants need it). The biology does this work for you. Let me remind everyone biology is as small as bacteria to as large as birds and other critters. Everything has its part, whether we like it or not, and our part as gardeners is to tend, not micromanage. There are no bailouts or golden bananas.

For Richards picture.
1. NOPE
2. I tend to enjoy not paying for someone's repackaging of ingredients, suspect till viewing of ingredient list, then may be proven not guilty.
3. NOPE neon organic,eh?
4. Good stuff, but again there are better less costly alternatives.

Next time we talk about INERT ingredients. (Legally, you have the right, to not know!!)
There ya go friend! See how much more civilized you come across when you simply state your point without personal attacks?

Now, let's say I stop buying fertilizer.. I have several trees, but we'll use my most demanding tree as an example. My Persian Lime tree is about 5 ft tall and wide. I planted it roughly two years ago. It is constantly under attack by insects and will quickly show signs of nutrient deficiency. So, if I wanted to use only certified organic methods.. what would I need to add?.. how much?.. and how often?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard View Post
For calculating the true cost of fertilizers, please see this thread: The Economics of the Fertilizer Numbers
Execellent thread! Thanks!

Last edited by Jack Daw : 08-15-2009 at 01:42 PM. Reason: 2 posts from the same user in a row, Merged.
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