permaculture

["roxann" <roxann@ancientearthwisdom.com>]

Hi David -

Thanks for the idea of fungi! The area where my ponds will be located is in a 
wooded ravine, so this will likely be an ideal thing to work with. Are there 
mushrooms that can grow in high moisture levels? I'm thinking of the 
possibilities...sunken pots of media for the mushrooms in the ponds? The 
bottoms would be very wet but the tops could be dry enough if i raise them 
high enough, i suppose. and then how do mushrooms do as compost - these 
wouldn't be edible, would they??  I've heard of Paul Stamets and I believe I 
saw where he will be giving a talk somewhere in my region soon...I'll have to 
look it up.

As for monitoring your water, there are some Hach brand test kits for field 
testing of these things, but we never use them at the lab because they're not 
all that reliable and our clients must submit their results to the DEQ. The 
instruments we use are too expensive for an individual to want to have it at 
home, and the reagents used might be difficult to purchase on your own. I 
would recommend working with a local environmental laboratory. It would cost 
around $100. But since you don't have results to report to any agency, the 
Hach colorimetry test kits might work out just fine for you. I'm planning to 
check mine twice a year after it's good and established. I have no idea how 
long it will take to reach that point, though! 

Roxann, NW AR
http://blog.ancientearthwisdom.com