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Re: Compost Tea Confusion

In a message dated 9/24/2003 8:19:26 AM Eastern Standard Time, szerlag@earthlink.net writes:

Mycorrhizae fungi is a natural ingredient in healthy soil. That is why it's
added to potting soil. Potting soil has no beneficial fungi or bacteria to
help the plant along. Which brings up another point. Plants growing in poor
soil will show a far greater improvement than those grown in healthy soil.


I'm not sure the above statement is entirely true.  Only potting soils that have been sterilized or pasteurized or are pure peat-lite mixes would be fungi and bacteria free.  It wasn't that long ago that growers steam treated their potting soils to get rid of all the microorganisms under the belief that most were harmful.  Now I think the opposite is true and some growers, as we've seen here, actually add microorganisms.  There is something to be said for both sides and I suspect we will end up seeing potting soils and composts that are first biologically 'cleaned' to remove the evil pathogens then the beneficial will be reintroduced either by the grower or the consumer.

Andrew Messinger
The Hampton Gardener
The Hampton Gardener is a Registered Trade Mark
(Published every Thursday in the Southampton Press)



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