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Re: Compost Tea Confusion

At the Symposium in Chicago, I spoke with someone who said that while adding mycorrhizae to garden soil was worth doing, it was worthless when added to a sterile potting mix such as that used by Monrovia and others in the green industry. Does anybody know the truth of this, one way or another?

I would dearly love to see some seminars on basic science, especially as it pertains to these new products, at the next GWA Symposium. We can't proselytize responsibly until we can go forth armed with facts rather than opinions.
Carolyn Ulrich



On Tuesday, September 23, 2003, at 04:46 PM, Nancy Szerlag wrote:

Myke is a mycorrhizae based product packaged and sold by Premier. It comes
in four formulas - veggies, annuals, perennials and trees and shrubs.

The positive effects of this beneficial fungi have been well documented.
Monrovia now adds it to all their potting soils. They don't do it to impress
the average homeowner, they do it because it helps them grow a better
product.

last summer I attended a seminar for greens keepers that promoted its use on
golf courses. The main speaker, mycorrhizae guru Dr. Mike Amaranthus had it
under a microscope for all of us to view live. Fascinating In addition to
Amaranthus I have talked to several other scientists that grow other
beneficial bacteria and fungi for the green industry. I have been using a
variety of these products for the past three years and I don't doubt they
work.

The compost tea industry is in its infancy. I have yet to see a good
independent study regarding the efficacy of any of the products. I have
however heard a lot of bad mouthing back and forth regarding quality. It
doesn't clarify anything but it does cloud the issues and raise doubts.

Selling bacteria and fungi to a society that spends billions every year to
eradicate the stuff will be quite a challenge. I think it's worth the
effort.

Nancy Szerlag
The Detroit News





----------
From: "Dan Clost" <dan.clost@sympatico.ca>
To: "Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum"

<gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>

Subject: Re: [GWL] Compost Tea Confusion
Date: Wed, Sep 24, 2003, 12:17 AM




Hi Jeff,



You said (sort of), "It seems to me that the best approach ... is to
simply

wait until the garden centers in our


particular area are selling compost tea... "




I don't think it will work that way. Here's an example that many of my

Canadian peers can relate to. There is a product called Myke. As far
as the

consumer is concerned, it helps root development. There is a Myke for

perennials, one for trees, etc.

It was advertised by the manufacturer on television and in major
newspapers'

weekend gardening supplements. I tried to convince the manager to buy
some.

Didn't happen. Then Mark Cullen, one of our nationally recognised
gardening

types, mentioned it on television. The very next day, people were
asking for

this product at our garden centre. (I have to confess that in my local

gardening column I had written about it esveral weeks earlier but saw
little

in the way of tangible results...Oh crap) [sorry couldn't resist that]

We ordered in a case and just left it in an out of the way spot. It
sat

there. One day, after running out of space, it was moved out to the
seasonal

house amongst the annuals. It began to sell very well.



I guess I'm trying to say it takes a combined approach by the
manufacturer

( sufficient quantities available for projected local demand plus

advertising), the retail outlet (place it in the "hot" end cap
section of

the store) as well as having the "professional" staff promote it and
the

garden writers( who must have credibility and be able to comment
based on

their experiences.)



If the product is good and if we, us self-appointed educators of
proper

gardeners around the world, communicate this well, then it will sell.

cheers,



dan





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For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters




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Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
"Organic-Gardening" <organic-gardening@lists.ibiblio.org>

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
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