Is foam in tea brewing "bro science"?

[Orion]

That article seems to be about native bacteria in the soil of two different areas and their effect on oil palms in regards to a common disease.

I don't think this supports the use of compost tea.

 

[Orion]

Of course you don't think it supports the use of compost tea, nothing will change your mind.

That isn't true.

You earlier said that you can agree that there are microbes in compost tea.

There are microbes in/on everything.

You shared an article which claimed to refute the use of compost tea as an effective pesticide.

There are other things in that article. You don't know what you are brewing.

This study would seem to show that palms that grew in a soil with more diverse microbial life were more resistant to the disease.

Those were native microbes. Nobody put them there.

So, you could draw a connection to compost tea but...
Yes I know... 'conjecture' ...

All the studies provided so far, have been real specific. Trying to form some kind of general rule from them is a bit sketchy.

 

[KIS]

I used teas for 3 years. Easy to burn plants if you brew too long. That’s why I just started incorporating the tea ingredients into my soil. My two batches of soil are 4.5 years old and get to sit and compost in tumblers for 9 months between grows. Makes a big difference if amendments are given time and right conditions to decompose.

Curious how you were burning plants. There may be a little bit of nitrates but overall it should not have a lot of fertility. If you add a lot of inputs and nutrients then I could see that being an issue but in theory if it’s just microbes you really can’t overdo it.

 

[KIS]

Just tell me how you determined microbial population?

Personally, with a phase contrast microscope. However there are researchers who have used hplc.

 

[Rick Dirte']

Curious how you were burning plants. There may be a little bit of nitrates but overall it should not have a lot of fertility. If you add a lot of inputs and nutrients then I could see that being an issue but in theory if it’s just microbes you really can’t overdo it.

You’re right, I am just trying to see how hard I can push these autos organically. Too many or too much input. Still trying to figure it out. Not trying to be negative, just sharing my experience. Million ways to skin a cat. I’m all about growing organic.

 

[Orion]

Personally, with a phase contrast microscope. However there are researchers who have used hplc.

You did not use hplc, that is irrelevant. Just looking at stuff under a microscope is not a good way to determine the quantity of a given organism in a solution.
You told me earlier to get a microscope and see for myself. Again, that is not how it is done. You don't seem to understand this.

 

[KIS]

You did not use hplc, that is irrelevant. Just looking at stuff under a microscope is not a good way to determine the quantity of a given organism in a solution.
You told me earlier to get a microscope and see for myself. Again, that is not how it is done. You don't seem to understand this.

You absolutely can get an idea of microbial biomass using direct microscopy. Other researchers have used HPLC, I don't see how me not having access to that equipment has any bearing on my comments. You can do your own research.

As for the quantifying biomass, you could use something like a Petroff-Hausser counting chamber and MPN. None of that is necessary though, it's quite obvious with a microscope that overall biomass is higher in compost than in native soils and in a properly made compost tea its exponentially higher than both.

Just because you make a statement, doesn't mean that it is true or accurate.

 

[Orion]

Without a number obtained though some legitimate means, you have no objective base to compare to. Saying something is exponentially greater than an unknown number is nonsense.

 

[Orion]

And how are you comparing dirt to liquid? How are your dirt samples prepared to make them equivalent to your tea samples in terms of non living particulate matter?

 

[Orion]

You absolutely can get an idea of microbial biomass using direct microscopy. Other researchers have used HPLC, I don't see how me not having access to that equipment has any bearing on my comments. You can do your own research.

As for the quantifying biomass, you could use something like a Petroff-Hausser counting chamber and MPN. None of that is necessary though, it's quite obvious with a microscope that overall biomass is higher in compost than in native soils and in a properly made compost tea its exponentially higher than both.

I have only ever asked you about your methods, not someone else's. Red herring much?