In article ,
"symplastless" wrote:
To whom is this missive addressed John?
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.
Not really, elements make up compounds, like nitrate NO3 or ammonia
which can be absorbed by the plants. N2 is of no interest to a plant and
O2 is a plant waste product.
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.
Well cork does retain moisture, it provides a haven for bacteria and
fungi, and it does help break up heavy soils.
You are already on record that plants don't need food because they are
autotrophs. Is that still your position John. I truly hope you aren't
going into melt down here.
One thing is nurse logs.
Yes, John, a nurse log is a thing.
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.
(Oh, Lord) In a situation where you have poor soil (for whatever
reason), the quickest fix would be compost tea because of the amount of
living matter that is introduced into the soil. Mulch will work but it
is slower acting.
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.
-----------
An airliner was flying into Seattle when its' instruments went out.
Dropping down through the clouds to get his bearings, the captain found
himself flying between skyscrapers. Opening his window, the captain
shouted at a man in one of the buildings,"Where an I?"
The man in the building shouted back, "you're in an airplane."
The captain immediately told the copilot to bank hard left and to put
the plane on a 20% glide. Shortly there after the runway lights came
into view and, the plane landed safely.
"How did you do that?", the copilot asked.
"Oh, it was easy", said the pilot. I asked the guy in the building where
I was and the answer he gave was completely correct and totally useless,
so I knew we were at the MicroSoft Tech Support building. Knowing were I
was made it easy.
-------------
John, what you have just said is absolutely true and totally useless. If
you have a sick tree are you going to treat it or wait for the geology
to improve? For a forest, I would treat the geology. For a tree, I would
treat the immediate soil.
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?
They are just a Google away.
Are they a biodynamic prep.?
A few maybe but most aren't.
--
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.
The point is do you have the time? Supportive interventions can be made.
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.
Logic is only as good as its' premise. Some of your premises seem to be
fairly far fetched.
You realize that you are making D. Staples "seem" plausible, don' you?
You appear to have a good heart, John, and I'm sure that you are good at
what you do. But to put a good theoretical handle on your views, take a
class in botany (+ biology) and, chemistry(101-102). That would be about
9 units a semester for a year.
Classes are the only way. Without a deadline, the reading material will
leave you comatose.
~Tad
PS: Please take the time to look at the link I provided. If you still
have questions, feel free to respond.
--
Billy
Bush & Cheney, Behind Bars
http://www.antiwar.com/eland/index.php?articleid=8282
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movemen...George_W._Bush