RE: Gary Zimmer, Jerry Brunetti on the OZ/NZ Three-Up Tour--fish
Lloyd-- Did you ever figure out how to utilize your brother's fish? Bob Posthuma of GeoFish is planning to be in Australia this month, I think he said with Elaine I. He is the person who got our local fishery going with a fertilizer-fish operation. He was formerly with Dramm, had a bad car accident, and then was faced with an opportunity to start his own consulting business. Here is his contact info-- [EMAIL PROTECTED] Regards, Dorothy __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/
Re: chicken feed - grit
My reading indicates that the calcium in oyster shell is not adequate for grit because it dissolves in digestion. River sand is good grit. DAO __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/
Re: chicken feed
Martha-- I've been reading about feeding hens lately. Recommendations include: yogurt, greens, buttermilk, kelp and Fertrell. Also a little Heinz apple cider vinegar in the water to increase their calcium absorption. If, as Per says,that the chickens know what's good for them, yogurt is great for them. They gobble it like crazy and sing whenever they see me in hopes of more yogurt. I am using homemade yogurt, which I made using a recipe off the internet. Dorothy __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more http://taxes.yahoo.com/
Re: perfect orchard -The soil
Allan-- Do you mean compost tea made with fish and yucca used as microbial foods? For starters recall that I am quoting Elaine here from something she wrote last spring. I believe it's accurate, but My impression was that adding fish and yucca to your mix AFTER the tea is brewed will move up the process of breaking up hard pan. As we know, adding too much (if any) fish during the compost tea brewing can cause your tea to go anaerobic. For grapes in foliar feeding, I add a little fish after brewing to provide an extra N and calcium kick. For a soil drench, extra fish added after tea brewing should be even better. The calcium in the fish helps that aspect. It's my understanding that compost teas like this can be applied weekly through the winter season, as long as the ground is NOT frozen. Yes, this is my understanding as well. As I understand it, it is kosher to deep mulch the soil you are remdiating, so, regardless of the ambient temperatures, the microbes can work through the winter. Yes, that's a good point--that you can brew the compost tea and apply during winter so long as the mulch keeps the ground from freezing. I like to use barrel compost in my compost teas, also, so the effect of the compost preps is also felt in the soil. Yes, I just purchased some BC from JPI and will give it a try. Regarding the preps and their effectiveness, there are lots more knowledgable people on this list. I am just getting started. Dorothy __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
Re: perfect orchard -The soil
Per-- I echo the advice to get a good soil test. Then follow recommendations of someone who knows how to read it. Taking advice from local farmers can (doesn't have to be) hazardous because most of them farm conventionally and don't have the same concerns that organic growers do. For example, I followed similar advice from local growers to apply lime several years ago. The problem is that applying the local lime intensified my out of whack calcium/magnesium ratio. I am still struggling with this problem. I am spraying fish, compost tea and using lots of mulch as one way of responding to these problems. The hardpan interferes with your vine root growth. Adding wood chips might be great, but it can tie up the N in your soil until they decompose. This could slow your vine growth while its going on. Several months ago someone on this list posted a link to an article from a Candadian University about chipping twigs and small branches from deciduous trees and using this as a soil fertility booster. As I recall, the concentration of N in these wood chips prevented the problem of slow decomposition. I would like to try this, but it would require another piece of expensive equipment. : Dorothy --- COYOTEHILLFARM [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Perfect Orchard -The soil Is it a problem having mix top soil with hardpan sandy soil ? If it is a problem what do you do to fix it ?? And after adding calcium (local farmer recommend 2 ton to the acre) do we need to add this stuff every year ? In this perfect orchard what do we do ? with mulch and added green manure/compost ? I like to add 2/4 inch of wood chips in a strip 3 foot wide to promote soil life and to limited weed growing ? Per Garp?NH Please bear with me I'm many emails behind. __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
Re: perfect orchard -The soil
Per-- Elaine I. contends that compost tea, liquid fish and yucca extract will break up a hardpan in less than 6 months. So spraying that mixture on the soil or into the trough should help alot. I know next to nothing about the BD preps, just following along and learning from this list. Dorothy __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
Re: chickens
Thanks for the chicken info. I am ordering books and catalogs today. These chickens make me laugh every time I see them. Several are very serious and others coo and cluck. They are all important and dignified. Has anyone tried feeding flax seed? I understand that this feed will yield eggs that are lower in saturated fat and higher in the Omega fatty acids. Also, I read that oats are the best cool season feed. Does this mean the chickens are eating the oat grass or the grain? Dorothy __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com
Re: chickens
What breed of chickens would the group recommend? Any other tips for feeding and care? I've started with a few layers and am really enjoying the fresh eggs. I am feeding these hybrids (Leghorn/Black something crosses) primarily organic barley. If I add soybeans to the mix, do I need to cook or soak them in someway to be digestible? Thanks in advance for suggestions, Dorothy __ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Web Hosting - Let the expert host your site http://webhosting.yahoo.com
Re: grasses
Per-- My soil tests show that I am low in N, so I seeded cereal rye and hairy vetch in the aisles, not between the vines, this fall. The idea behind the rye is that the decomposing roots inhibit weed seed germination. Also, it produces lots of organic matter. The vetch fixes N. One problem is that it was so dry here for all of September that my vetch has just now germinated. My recollection from a lecture last year at the Upper Midwest Organic Farming conf is that in order to get really good N fixing from the hairy vetch, you should seed in August. The other thing the lecturer mentioned is that vetch is a 1-year wonder. For some reason the N from the vetch only lasts 1 year. I know others use white Dutch clover for N. It's a low grower. I've also considered planting garlic seed between my vines to discourage insects hungry for grape leaves. Haven't tried it yet tho. Dorothy --- COYOTEHILLFARM [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Hallo Can you recommend lowgrowing grasses or other plants to improve the grapes growing ability to produce ? Per Garp/NH __ Do you Yahoo!? Faith Hill - Exclusive Performances, Videos More http://faith.yahoo.com
Re: Organic Viticulture symposium
Geoff-- are the papers you mentioned regarding the organic viticulture sumposium available on line? If so, would you happen to have the link or other source info for obtaining a copy? Thanks, Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search Thousands of New Jobs http://www.hotjobs.com
Re: BD Calla Lilies
Growing for Market is a monthly newsletter published in Kansas that is geared to organic market farmers. The publisher, Lynn Byczynski, specializes in organic flower growing. Although this is not exactly on point for your large production, it would be a good place to start. The web site: growingformarket.com has links to other sites where you can pick up on pricing. Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com
Re: Shredders for composting -rye
Allan-- I will be interested to hear more details about the slurry. We don't have animals because of the day jobs, but usually end up with about 50 acres of this type of rye every year due to cover cropping before soybeans. Usually, we mow it after it has headed out since this kills it, and then plant into the stubble. But I don't think we are getting much fertility value from the stalks at this point. I have heard others recommend that we shoudl disk it in a couple of times earlier in the srping to get the value from green manure. But this doesn't fit into the ridge system, which we make in the fall. (The theory is that far fewer weeds germinate in the spring without srping tillage.) I have also seen rye rolled to kill it, and then tomatoes planted into the yellow straw--but you probably don't have acres of tomatoes either...Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com
RE: Bio-fumigation
My notes from the Upper MIdwest Orga. Farm. Conf. last spring show that using yellow or white mustard as a cover crop can be a good predecessor for potatoes. Planting the yellow mustard in the fall results in winter kill by Dec. Then the decomposing mustard puts out a powerful gas that suppresses soil borne pathogens. Not a good practice if you intend to follow with another brassica in the spring, tho. Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com
Re: humic acid
Laura--I use Humisolve USA TM7. 808 328 2083. www.humic.com It contains humic acid concentrate plus trace minerals. I think I paid about $35 for 2#. It's granular and very concentrated which helps a lot of the shipping. Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com
Re: Flow forms and compost tea
Steve and all-- I see on page 68 of her Gardening for Life book that Maria Thun recommends against using dynamized water that has been through the flow forms for use in mixing the preparations. Do you know why she recommended this? Does this apply to making compost tea? Is the point of the flow forms to increase O2 in the tea? Any other comments, explanations? Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com
Re: First Tea Analysis Results
--- Allan Balliett [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Putting bubbles through an upwelling tube..SStorch Excellent. I think I'm losing interest in the flow forms idea because it involves pumping the biologicals. I think I'm going to stick with 'small bubble aeration.' Just might have an Oxygen sensor lined up. __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com
Re: First Tea Analysis Results
Dan, Cheryl, Laura and all-- Regarding the compost tea brewing--- When using the paint strainers as the basket for my vermicompost, I notice that the bag fills up with a sort of film after about 12-15 hours. Then the water won't go through and the bag starts leaking out the top( or exploding in one instance). At this point, do you remove the bag and just let the tea brew on its own for the rest of the brewing time? Dan--did your tea recipe that you had tested by SFI include any horsetail or other plant extracts? Thanks, Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - your guide to health and wellness http://health.yahoo.com
Re: Oh my, a farm!
--- Pam DeTray [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Dear list, Any advice from anyone who's entered this type of arrangement before? We're still negotiating details, and I'm trying to be as clear as I can about what I hope and expect from the arrangement 1. Put your agreement in writing and have it reviewed by an attorney. 2. Ask if she will give you a first right a refusal-- to meet the price of any offer before she accpts it. Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more http://games.yahoo.com/
Re: Oak leaves
Hey-- sorry to be so uninformed here--do you use the fallen oak leaves which are obviously brown, or new green oak leaves for this potion? thanks, Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Games - play chess, backgammon, pool and more http://games.yahoo.com/
Re: sulfur in equistem?
Lloyd-- Thanks for your comments. The sodium column in the soil test is blank so I guess they didn't test for it. I have just started using fish + kelp on the crop ground this year so maybe we will see some improvement. Also, I feed my worms kelp meal as part of their diet and then use the vermicompost for the compost tea base. So maybe it's a matter of time. Two presenters at the Organic Farming conference this spring mentioned that the only 2 ways to increase organic matter in the soil are 1) grass roots and 2) livestock manure. They commented that all the rye, clover, etc. cover cropping that has been promoted is useful for other things, such as N retention, erosion prevention, but doesn't do much for increasing OM. Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax http://taxes.yahoo.com/
Re: Farm Journal; applied biodynamics
Steve Hugh-- I have been following with interest your accounts of spraying the horsetail remedy and white oak bark to control/prevent bad fungi in grape vines. Would you mind giving an account of the sequence of horsetail and white oak and the effect this has on grape vines. I heard Hugh's account last weekend at the Upper MIdwest Organic Farming COnference, and wish I had taken notes. Pls mention the effect this has on the vines taking up nitrates and the need for leaf pruning. Thanks, Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free email! http://mail.yahoo.com/
Re: BD 508 equesetum
Kevin has to reorder equesetum in order to fill any orders. He gets it from Europe and sells it for $4 per pound. He reports that the EUro source is much cheaper than US sources. His minimum order is 100# and I don't need that much. If anyone wants to split an order, pls contact me off list and I will let him know. By the way, how do you use it? I am assuming it's like a compost tea and done aerobically. Right? Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games http://sports.yahoo.com
Re: BD 508 as inoculant; stinging nettle
Steve-- Seems like I have read somewhere that stinging nettle tea is a good substitute for equestem. True? The reason I ask is that we have a fine crop of nettle growing here and no equestem. If equestem is the only proper ingredient, can you provide some information on how it gorws, what it likes, etc. Thanks. Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Sports - Coverage of the 2002 Olympic Games http://sports.yahoo.com
Re: Soil Foodweb Questions?
I have black rot problems in my vineyard. I have heard lots of people say the way to prevent is to keep the vineyard floor cleaner than your kitchen table which I interpret to mean, no mulch under the vines. 1. Do you agree? 2. Do you know whether compost teas are effective against black rot? 3. If not compost teas, then what organic/bd remedy would be effective? thanks, Dorothy __ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail! http://promo.yahoo.com/videomail/
