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market-farming - RE: [Market-farming] Re: Living Mulch

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  • From: "Paul A. Bock" <bockpa AT plesh.com>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: RE: [Market-farming] Re: Living Mulch
  • Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 10:53:35 -0500

I have heard that you have to be careful when saying that you are using a product for herbicide/pesticide within even conventional agriculture.  You are using a product as a nutrient supplement. 
 
This came up when I went to a mushroom growing seminar hosted by my local extension agent.  They were showing how to grow oyster mushrooms on straw.  Part of the process is to pasteurize chopped straw in a water filled drum at 180-190F for an hour.  You can use the same water for a second batch of straw, but a third batch would not grow mushrooms.  After the first batch the water is a dark brown color.  This straw tea supposedly has antifungal, and allelopathic properties. 
 
I casually mentioned that maybe this tea could be used for something like stopping weeds or something.  I was reamed up and down, in a friendly manner, by my extension agent, about using an "unregistered" pesticide or herbicide to kill a plant, animal, fungus, or whatever.  Apparently there are strict laws about the application of these "cides". 
 
For instance it is against federal law for me to take a can of wasp spray over to my friends house and spray a hive of wasps with it.  I can't administer a pesticide on someone else's property without being a licensed pesticide applicator... yada yada yada.  You just might want to use the language that you are applying fertilizer supplements.  And hand the can of wasp spray to your friend.  Wait, that's illegal too.  You have to be licensed to distribute pesticides too.
 
I obviously don't know a whole lot about this stuff, but I remember the strong concern expressed by my extension agent.     
 
Paul Bock
Stone Gully
-----Original Message-----
From: market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:market-farming-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of IdleThymeFarm AT aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 10:29 AM
To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Re: Living Mulch

Okay well this is not really a living mulch, but I have had great luck with the allelopathic properties of spent brewers grains.  Using these grains does not violate any rules of the National Organic program according to my certifier (OCIA) and they have amazing weed suppression properties. Be careful though because NO seeds will germinate if brewers grains have been applied to a field too close to seeding. The best time to use the brewers grains is months before planting or after the seedlings are well established. I currently pick up about 750 pounds per week from my local microbrewery. This is the only off-farm input (*except for straw/hay) that I use and it has the added benefit of increasing organic matter in the soil and having a high nitrogen content.
 
Shelly Elliott
Idle Thyme Farm

www.IdleThymeFarm.com

If you would have a lovely garden, you should live a lovely life! ~ Shaker saying



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