As I stand here pondering whether my Jade Plant will get root rot because I overwatered it and the soil is not draining as fast as I would like, I thought to myself "Self, why do roots rot?". And therein was the prime answer for why compost tea fertilizing techniques are inherently superior to chemical methods.
Rot occurs because of an organism attacking the roots. The root dies either from suffocation or because the organism kills it. What kind of organism? One that thrives in an environment with lots of water and little air- anaerobic, whether fungus or bacteria. Compost tea is primarily water, but it is water that has been oxygenated and has lots of aerobic bacteria and possibly fungus. Could it be that bad water with aerobic bacteria causes root rot? One way to ensure that the bad bacteria are not in your water is to make sure it is oxygenated and that the containers are clean and to provide aerobic bacteria sources for the compost tea. The aerobic bacteria thrive and displace the anaerobic bacteria. Other organisms, such as protozoa, will consume both types (aerobic and anaerobic) of bacteria.
That leads to the next point- I've never heard that you can over-compost tea. Compost tea by it's own nature does not burn plant tissue, like chemical fertilizers can. So with compost tea, you can apply large amounts and maintain an aerobic condition as long as your soil is well-drained. A hybrid system combining the recirculation of hydroponic and the soil of a traditional dirt based gardening system would allow for the fastest possible plant growth. Since the nutrients could be provided at maximum levels, feeding could occur on a much more regular basis. If an aerobic environment was maintained, then roots would not rot.
To Ned- Alaskans get paid much more than migrant farmers in CA. That is why radishes are so much more expensive local grown. Long Emergency talks about distance food travels. Also, environmental groups point to arable land. Alaska has a huge amount of potentially arable land that is accounted for. Your article is biased towards Fairbanks, although there is greater potential for winter greenhouses in places such as Homer or the Mat-Su Valley that have more winter sun and warmer temps for the same reason that Finland does. Reading Eliot Coleman and comparing our temps to Maine, we are almost as warm, but they get much more sun.
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