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RE: Hello and a few questions.

At 01:59 PM 8/31/98 -0700, you wrote:
>I've been mixing biodynamic compost into the soil and been presoaking and
>sprouting some seeds just a bit before sowing. Then I place the seeds on the
>top of the moist soil, not digging up the soil at all, and then gently
>sprinkling some more fine bd compost/soil over top, and finally I've been
>mulching over this with alfalfa straw and I've since had amazingly seedling
>growth, no more damping off like I used to when I used to cover them with
>plastic tents. First off, I find that biodynamic compost is about as stable
>and alive a substance as you can get, so full of beneficial bacteria. The
>fungus that causes damping off is merely there because it has found a nice
>home, if we use sterilised potting soil we are using a dead and
>bacteria-vacant substance which wil attract all sorts of bacteria, fungi,
>etc. to itself. Balance is the key. A well balanced soil is complete and can
>fend off the nasty stuff. Secondly, I've found the loosely strewn mulch
>makes a fantastic little microclimate for seeds to spring to life,
>underneath the mulch the seeds get everything they need, a little of each of
>the 4 elements (fire,air,earth and water) and by watering the mulch rather
>than the seedlings or the soil, the understory remains moist and cool, gets
>some air, plus the soil and seedlings don't get pelted with huge drops of
>water. When they are ready, we can watch the seedlings benchpressing
>themselves out from under the mulch. The mulch should be absent of green
>material (nitrogen), so that it doesn't want to compost itself. If there's
>still damping off problems, two other remedies are putting hydrogen peroxide
>in your water (about 5% or so) and watering with that, or making a horsetail
>(equisetem) tea (simmer for 30 mins) and mixing that in your watering can. 
>Regards, Conrad von Zirkwitz
>
>

<munch>

Thanks for the additional ideas. I'm not ready to dump the (few) seedlings
that are (still) growing and start over, but I'm definitely going to give
the soil a bit more thought. Last time I just grabbed a bag of potting soil
that was sitting on a palette in Home Depot which is probably my biggest
problem.

Thanks again. 
Sam J. Bowling
Third Dimension Illustration

http://24.0.216.43/
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