Quote:
Originally Posted by beeman
Softwood biochar works just as well.
I am reserving my judgement on the indiscriminate use of Compost tea. I recently did a soil test, to find my Ph is now at 7.9, far in excess of the normal requirements of regular vegetables. For the last few years I've been dumping Compost tea (It can't do any harm, is the mantra) well it does raise the Ph of the soil. My compost tea tests out at 7.9, so can guess why my garden is now 7.9?
Now I need some advice as to how to get my garden down to about 6.0 Ph. Anybody?
In the mean time I won't be using Compost tea.
|
You are correct about the softwood bio-char being usable.... but NOT just as well. On the bag, when purchasing barbeque charcoal in place of making your own, you should look for the product without additives.... and.... it happens to usually say 100% hardwood.
We can use pyrolysis on anything organic at the right temperatures and make a viable bio-char product.... but hardwood will be better and last longer.
The Compost tea isn't necessary to pre treat the bio-char. You can use urine, kelp, manure, anything really that you want to get it started with.
Unfortunately there is terrible mis-information on compost tea.
Compost tea is great when done simple and properly and especially with the use of a microscope to verify the production of bacteria and protozoa etc.
Most people are not using enough air and are creating an anaerobic tea that is hardly as beneficial as it should be. If you're using an aquarium pump, you're doing it wrong.
PH? I get that it is important, but this should really be the least of your concerns. When growing properly and without the use of chemical fertilizer you should have no concern for ph. The plant will control the PH of the environment around it's roots called the Rizosphere.
How are you making your compost tea?
Was your soil once viable with lower PH and now it is not? or has it always been off and you are simply attempting to correct it with compost tea alone?
Are you using chemical fertilizers?
What else have you added to your soil?