These increase nutrient cycling, as most of
the nutrients the plant needs are already in the soil, just not in an
available form.

I think you are referring to elements. many elements are provided in
composting wood. Especially the element calcium. In fact most parts shed
by the tree provide some elements. One part like the phellem does not
provide a food source for the soil. That's why I am against using all
phellem for mulch. One thing is nurse logs. Nurse logs are water
reservoirs for trees during dryer times. They are like a big sponge. No
spray will replace this unique feature. Trees were designed in groups with
shedding woody and non-woody parts constantly recycling elements and
providing carbon based substances for a food source. You just cannot take
all of the benefits of the ecological stages of trees for trees and their
associates and replace it with a tea. Again I am not against the tea and
think it would be of value in participation of a proper mulching program.

I mean for example. many tree associates are fungi eaters. Some of the
fungi they eat are associated with nurse logs or decomposing wood chips.
Nurse logs are the substrate for the base of the food web the mycorrhizal
fungi. Fallen trees harbor a myriad of organisms, from bacteria and
actinomycetes to higher fungi. Of these, only some of the fungi might be
noticed by the causal observer as mushrooms or bracket fungi. These
structures, however, are merely the fruiting bodies produced by mold
colonies within the log. Many fungi fruit within the fallen tree, therefore
they are seen only when the tree is torn apart. Even when a fallen tree is
torn apart, only a fraction of the fungi present are noticed because the
fruiting bodies of most appear only for a small portion of the year. The
smaller organisms, not visible to the unaided eye, are still important
components of the system (Maser and Trappe, 1984, pg 16-par 5). This
process may not be possible with just using a tea. This type of an
ecosystem exists with the help of the ecological stage of trees.


You can find many of the benifits of wood for the system he
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT20...nce/index.html

Do you have a fact sheet or something on these teas? Are they a biodynamic
prep.?


--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.




When I say that nature will correct imbalances, I did not mean that
everything stops and dies in nature. I think that is a ridiculous
interpretation of what I was saying. What I mean is that in nature
when a disease or other imbalance (in this case we're talking pH)
occurs, nature (biology) will in time correct these problems in most
instances. You don't see people spraying herbicides and pesticides in
old growth forests do you? Or applying fertilizer? These ecosystems
were created self-sustaining by nature, without our chemical inputs.
This is what I'm talking about when I suggest using biology.

~Tad

PS: Please take the time to look at the link I provided. If you still
have questions, feel free to respond.