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  • From: venaurafarm <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] Mycorriza
  • Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:53:35 -0400

On 3/24/2013 6:14 PM, sals3 wrote:
I don't have a microscope and I don't know if after all that goooood reading
can u put spores or live
Mycorriza in good air rated compost tea or do you just drown them.
Answer:
http://www.compostjunkie.com/adding-mycorrhiza-fungi-to-compost-tea.html
Note 1 - Mycorrhizal fungi will not increase in number when added to compost tea. More than likely, they won't even survive the brewing of your compost tea. Why? Because they work in a symbiotic relationship with plant roots...no root contact = unhappy fungi. So if you're going to add them to your compost tea, do it immediately after brewing and right before applying your tea to the plant roots (ideal), or as a soil drench (not ideal). If you do make a soil drench, please do it away from direct sunlight (early morning or early evening).

has anyone looked under a microscope to see? spores or live infected roots??

Here's what I found:
<>

Mycorrhizae are ubiquitous in most soils, so it seems. If you want plants to derive benefits from them than make sure you have them planted in mycorrhizae-rich soil. As for adding more of them through tea application, if a tea can be made with them even, maybe so.
Find out what the optimal conditions are for their survival and propagation in soil and duplicate those in your gardens and orchards.
Found it.....[another long post]
Here's the answer about making tea with mycorrhizae:

Adding Mycorrhiza Fungi to Compost Tea
http://www.compostjunkie.com/adding-mycorrhiza-fungi-to-compost-tea.html

Q: I'm interested in adding mycorrhiza fungi to my compost tea. I'd like to apply this blend to my fruit trees. Would this be beneficial? I assume that if I was to do this, then it should not be applied to the leaves of the fruit trees, but rather the roots and surrounding soil only.
Comments for Adding Mycorrhiza Fungi to Compost Tea
http://www.compostjunkie.com/adding-mycorrhiza-fungi-to-compost-tea.html

It's Best to Add Mycorrhizal Fungi at Planting
by: Compost Junkie Dave

Adding mycorrhizal fungi to plant systems definitely has a lot of merit, however, these benefits are highly dependent on "how" and "where" you apply the fungi.

Ideally, you want to apply the fungi directly to the roots of your fruit trees (away from direct sunlight), so this would have meant adding the fungi pre-planting. There are several ways you could have done this: 1 - You can allow the root ball of the trees to soak for 5 minutes in a mixture of mycorrhizal fungi and compost tea (or fungi and water); 2 - You can grab a handful of mycorrhizae powder/granular mix and rub it all over the roots of your trees before planting.

I would recommend doing this for any trees you plant in the future, but since we're talking about adding mycorrhizae to planted trees, we have to take a different approach.

Since the fungi thrive when they come in contact with the roots of your fruit trees, I'm going to recommend you inject a mix of compost tea and fungi (see Note 1 below) directly into the soil around your trees. Do this at the drip-line of each tree. Depending on the number of trees you have, you may want to hire an arborist to do this for you. They would use specific soil injection equipment. Otherwise, if you want to do this manually, you'll want to dig a trench around each tree (at the drip line) that is approximately 6" deep by 4-6" wide. Fill this trench with a mix of high-quality compost and mycorrhizal fungi. When your tree roots extend into this nutrient- and fungal-rich zone, they'll be happier than pigs in S%$#.

Note 1 - Mycorrhizal fungi will not increase in number when added to compost tea. More than likely, they won't even survive the brewing of your compost tea. Why? Because they work in a symbiotic relationship with plant roots...no root contact = unhappy fungi. So if you're going to add them to your compost tea, do it immediately after brewing and right before applying your tea to the plant roots (ideal), or as a soil drench (not ideal). If you do make a soil drench, please do it away from direct sunlight (early morning or early evening).

Note 2 - If you are really keen and want to experience true magic, try the following...
- mix the fungi with high-quality compost
- apply this mixture 1-2" thick under the canopy of each tree
- cover this compost/fungi mix with a 3-6" layer of mulch (e.g. wood chips)
- Sit back and watch nature work Her magic
(This technique mimics a natural system much more than the advice provided above)

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi & Endo-mycorrhizal Fungi
by: Compost Junkie Dave

I searched the site for other info on mycorrhiza and was not successful.

To be quite honest, we haven't written much about the topic yet.

I'm also considering adding a search function to our site in hopes that it will make it easier to find information. What do you think, good idea?

So I'll ask my questions here:

1. Are there different species of mycorrhiza and if so which are best for fruit trees?

Yes, there are different species of mycorrhizal fungi - ENDO-mycorrhiza and ECTO-mycorrhiza (arbuscular mycorrhizae). More than 90% of plants form symbiotic relationships with endomycorrhizal fungi, whereas ectomycorrhizal fungi form relationships with approximately 2% of plants. The following is a list (from mycorrhizae.com) of some common plants and the specific type of fungi associated with them - Mycorrhizal Fungi Plant Relationships You'll notice that the majority of our edible crops, including most fruit trees, form relationships with ENDO-mycorrhizal fungi.

2. Where can one acquire mycorrhiza fungi/spores?

Check out www.mycorrhizae.com for purchasing details.

3. Can they be harvested from indigenous plants growing nearby?

YES! Absolutely! This is one of the best ways to inoculate your plants during transplanting or potting. If you have a well trained eye, you may be able to verify that the soil you're planning to use as an inoculum is populated with fungi. However, most people don't have a trained eye, so here's the next best way:

Find a plant, or plants, that are in the same family as the plant you'd like to inoculate. Make sure that the root systems of these donor plants have not been disturbed for several years. Remove some soil from around the roots of these plants. It's okay, and sometimes preferred, that you take some root mass with you (just be respectful of the donor plant). Add this soil to the root zone of your transplants. If you're inoculating potting soil, don't mix this inoculum throughout the entire pot; instead, add it directly around the root ball of your plants. Remember - No root contact = unhappy fungi.

Please note that this "natural inoculating" technique is more easily accomplished with perennial plant systems than annuals. Why? Because the fungi have had more time to adapt and proliferate in a perennial system than an annual one.

For more information on this topic, check out the publication by the University of Alaska Fairbanks I just posted on our Facebook page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/CompostJunkie/284532138265207

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http://www.compostjunkie.com/compost-tea-recipe.html
A Compost Tea Recipe To Boost Plant Growth

Are you searching for that ideal compost tea recipe?

Are you unsure which ingredients are used to feed which type of microbe?

Whatever the case, you need not worry; once you're done reading the information on this page, you'll be able to cater your compost tea recipe to your individual plant's needs.

Did you know that the different plants in your garden, may need different types of compost tea?

That's right, annual plants, such as vegetables, prefer a more bacterial-dominated soil, whereas, trees prefer a more fungal-dominated soil. Therefore, you would want to brew compost tea that is more bacterial-dominated for your vegetables, and tea that is more fungal-dominated for your trees.

To complicate things a little further, the type of tea you make, may also depend on the type of soil in your garden; so you must consider two variables: plant type and soil type. This may seem a little confusing at the moment, but just keep reading and soon it will all make sense.
sunflower after compost tea There is one thing to always remember when working with any compost tea recipe: mother nature is very forgiving. If, by accident, you apply a fungal-dominated tea to a bacteria-loving plant, you're not going to harm it; However, your plant won't benefit as much as if you had applied a bacterial-dominated tea.

Okay, let's get started...

Various Teas for Various Plant Types

If you know what type of plant your are growing, than it's easier to determine which ingredients to include in your compost tea recipe.

Type of Plant Type of Tea
Most brassicas Highly Bacterial
Vegetables, Grasses Moderately Bacterial
Berries Balanced Bacteria to Fungi
Deciduous Trees Moderately Fungal
Coniferous Trees Highly Fungal


What if your specific plant is not included in the above list? Simply find the type of plant that is most similar to the one you want to grow, and use it as a guide. For example, if you want to apply compost tea to a bed of perennial flowers, we would suggest using a more balanced (equal bacteria to fungi) compost tea recipe.

Without going into too much detail about specific teas for specific soil types, we would just like to point out two important things:

First, if you're growing any type of plant in really sandy soils, you would benefit from applying fungal-dominated teas. Fungi help to build soil structure, which is always needed in sandy soils. Otherwise, we suggest you cater your tea to the type of plant, as shown in the table above.

Second, don't be afraid to experiment. If you apply several bacterial-dominated teas, and nothing seems to happen, try a fungal tea for a couple applications.

The Most Important Ingredient

The most important ingredient in determining which type of tea you produce is your compost. Your compost will ALWAYS be the biggest factor in determining whether you brew a balanced tea, or a tea dominated by bacteria or fungi. If your compost doesn't have any fungi in it, and you don't add any, then there is no way your finished compost tea will have fungi in it.

So how do you make each type of compost?

Each of the different types of compost are determined by their initial ingredients. Bacterial-dominated compost begins with materials that have a lower carbon to nitrogen ratio (C:N); whereas, fungal-dominated compost begins with materials that have a higher C:N. Said another way, the more fungi you want in your compost, the more woody materials you are going to have to include.

use straw for compost ingredient For example, bacterial compost can be made using 30% dry straw (brown material), 45% alfalfa (green material), and 25% manure; whereas, fungal compost can be made using 45% dry straw, 30% alfalfa, and 25% manure. If you would like to create a more balanced compost, we suggest using 35% dry straw, 35% alfalfa, and 30% manure. To learn more about proper carbon to nitrogen ratios, please visit our compost ingredients page.

If you're having trouble creating fungal-dominated compost, please see our expert tips at the bottom of the page.
3 Basic Compost Tea Recipes

Please note, the amounts indicated in the following recipes are intended for a 5-gallon brewer.

Balanced Compost Tea Recipe

1.5 pounds of balanced compost
(equal parts bacterial to fungal biomass)
1.6 ounces of humic acids
1 ounce of liquid kelp*
1 ounce of soluble unsulphured black-strap molasses

*We've specified liquid kelp here, however, sometimes we like to add a tablespoon of kelp meal as well to provide surfaces for the fungi to attach too.

The black-strap molasses is great, because it naturally contains a number of beneficial minerals (e.g. potassium) that feed your microbes and soil.

Bacterial-Dominated Compost Tea Recipe

1.5 pounds of bacterial-dominated compost (vermicastings work well)
2 ounces of cane sugar
1 ounce of soluble kelp

Bacteria love simple sugars, so feel free to add in a teaspoon of maple syrup, or even white sugar.

Fungal-Dominated Compost Tea Recipe

2 pounds of fungal-dominated compost (see tips at bottom of page)
2 ounces humic acids
2 teaspoons of yucca extract*
1 ounce of liquid kelp
2 tablespoons of ground oatmeal

*We like to add yucca extract near the end of the brewing process, since it has a tendency to create a lot of foam. Also, you'll want to make sure your yucca doesn't have any preservatives, but does have a high saponin content.

Common Compost Tea Recipe Ingredients

Ingredient Feeds Ingredient Feeds
White Sugar Bacteria Maple Syrup Bacteria
Corn Syrup Bacteria Cane Sugar Bacteria
Molasses Bacteria/Fungi Fish Emulsion Bacteria
Fruit Pulp Bacteria/Fungi Fish Hydrolysate Fungi
Kelp Bacteria/Fungi Ground Oatmeal Fungi
Rock Dusts Bacteria/Fungi Yucca Fungi
Humic Acids Bacteria/Fungi Soybean Meal Fungi


Note - Fungi like to attach to the surfaces of various ingredients while they grow. Some of the above ingredients feed bacteria, and also provide surfaces for fungi to attach too (e.g. kelp).

Compost Tea Free Download
Five Free e-booklets

Interested in learning more about compost and compost tea?

What if we told you you're just one click away from being able to download five free compost e-booklets?

All you have to do is click on the Compost Tea and Vegetable Gardening booklet to the right and read our Free Goodies page.


A Few Fungi Tips from the Experts

Tip #1

If you want to increase the diversity of your compost tea, we suggest adding a cup or two of garden soil. Better yet, if your compost tea recipe calls for fungal compost, include a cup or two of soil from a nearby forest.

By adding these additional soils, you're ensuring your tea is inoculated with a wide range of soil microbes. These soils are like a biological catalyst, or compost tea activator.

Tip #2

When we want to ensure we've got fungi in our tea, we will brew it, and then add spores of mycorrhizal fungi. Mycorrhizal fungi act as a wonderful inoculum to any fungal compost tea recipe. These fungi naturally form beneficial relationships with approximately 95% of all plant species. They aid in nutrient transfer to plants, and help to create better soil conditions. Here is a great site if you'd like more information on mycorrhizal fungi.

Tip #3

We can't claim this last tip to be our own. It comes from the incredible book, Teaming with Microbes, by authors, Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis. In it, Lowenfels and Lewis suggest you "give fungi a head start." Since it can be difficult to get fungi to multiple (they do grow in size, just rarely in number) during the compost tea brewing process, the authors recommend growing them prior to the brewing process.

To do this, you'll want to moisten a couple cups of compost (just damp, not dripping wet), and then put it in a light-resistant container. Then grind up some simple proteins (fungal foods), such as oatmeal, and mix them in with the moist compost. Cover partially with a lid, and then place in a warm, dark area. We typically put ours under our sink, or above our fridge in a cupboard. After about 3 days, you'll remove the lid, and find a bunch of fungal mycelia throughout the compost. You can now use this compost to brew your fungal tea.

Tip #4

Don't accidentally filter out your fungi (and nematodes) when straining your tea. When filtering your tea, be sure your screen is as close to 400 micrometers as possible. Paint strainers, from your local hardware store, work quite well for this function. Avoid using socks or pillowcases, since their fibers are too tight.

Our Ultimate Compost Tea Recipe

Please note, the amounts indicated in the following recipe are intended for a KIS 5-gallon brewer.

- 1/4 cup vermicompost (worm castings)
- 1/4 cup fungal-dominated compost
- 1/4 cup garden soil
- 1/4 cup forest soil
- 1.5 ounce of soluble unsulphured black-strap molasses
- 1 ounce of soluble kelp
- 1 ounce humic acids
- 1 ounce fish hydrolysate
- 3 tablespoons rock dust


[Updated Dec. 2011] - Due to the large variety of organisms and food sources in this tea, you will want to be absolutely certain that you have adequate aeration (i.e. dissolved oxygen) in your brewing system. Please click on the above link to learn more about the importance of aeration when brewing compost tea.

If you have any other questions or comments regarding a compost tea recipe, please contact us.

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MORE:

Here's one recipe for fungal dominated compost tea:
<>
http://forum.grasscity.com/organic-growing/558078-fungal-tea-recipe.html

To 5 cups of fresh worm casts, (pic 1) I added 10 tbsp. of oat flour (pic2) you can also use oat bran/soybean meal or powdered malt, and 2 tbsp of glacial rock dust (pic3). I mixed these ingredients together while dry until fully mixed. I then added enough water to be able to clump this mixture into a ball with a small amount of water runoff when squeezed.

Next, i put this mixture in a warm place on my seedling heat mat that keeps the mixture at about 80` F. After about 3-4 days, the mixture has a layer of mycelium fuzz growing all over it. (pic 4) The mixture will shrink away from the sides of the container and be firm, much like a drying clump of mud.

I'll then put the mixture into a paint filter bag that hangs in the middle of my 7 gallon tea brewer. You can use a nylon also. You want the filter to contain the compost mixture, but allow the fungal hyphae to pass through the sieve without damaging the strands.

Into the brewer, I'll add about 5-6 gallons of my well water. If your water is chlorinated, you need to let it sit out for 1-2 days to off gas the chlorine. Lake, river or pond water is a bonus if available.

To this water, I'll add a couple of shot glasses full of liquid fish hydrolysate, 3 tbsp of liquid kelp (ascophyllum nodosum) and 2 tsp of a liquid humic/fulvic acid(see pic 5) molasses, and thats it.

I'll only add 1 tbsp of molasses to this brew. Molasses is a good food source for microbes, but bacterial microbes seem to like it more, and the other foods I put in are more fungi friendly( fish hydrolysate/kelp/humic acid). You can also add kelp meal and/or powdered rock phosphate.

I use an Eco-Plus commercial air 5 pump on my brewer. The more air your pump delivers, the shorter brew time for your tea. For my purposes, and not having a microscope to view the microbes, I decided to brew this batch at least 24 hours. Most home made brewers should brew for at least 18 hours and up to 36 hours to get the most out of your brew. The amount of dissolved oxygen (DO) your tea gets directly affects your bacteria/fungi count.

<>
Sort through all these search results on making fungal dominated compost tea:

https://www.google.com/search?q=fungal+dominated+compost+tea&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Ultimate Compost Tea Recipe For Boosting Plant Growth
www.compostjunkie.com/compost-tea-recipe.html
Therefore, you would want to brew compost tea that is more bacterial-dominated for your vegetables, and tea that is more fungal-dominated for your trees.
Fungal or bacterially dominant compost tea - HomeGrownBud.com
www.homegrownbud.com › ... › Organics
10 posts - 4 authors - Jan 13, 2008
I see the need to have two types of tea going, one that is more bacterially dominant for vegetative phase, and one that is more fungally ...
Fungal dominiant compost tea?? | THCFarmer Community
www.thcfarmer.com › ... › General Outdoor Growing
Aug 1, 2010 – I need to make a fungal dominant compost tea for my flowering ladies so I may get the yeilds that i am hoping for! I need suggestions of several ...
Fungal Tea Recipe - Grasscity.com Forums
forum.grasscity.com › ... › Organic Growing
Feb 28, 2010 – I wanted to share a recipe for a fungal dominant tea with the organic ... some good compost, and for my tea, I used fresh wormcastings from a ...
Fungal compost tea‎ - Dec 7, 2012
Soil Food Web Gardening...with compost teas‎ - Apr 26, 2011

More results from forum.grasscity.com »
AACT, Bloom Tea, Veg Tea, Fungal Tea, Myco Tea, recipes from the ...
www.rollitup.org › The Grow Room › Organics
10 posts - 6 authors - Mar 29, 2012
Fungal-Dominated Compost Tea Recipe 2 pounds of fungal-dominated compost (see Tips at bottom of page) 2 ounces humic acids ...
Soil Food Web Gardening with Compost Teas - Page 16‎ - 10 posts - Apr 17, 2012
Frequency of feeding with teas?‎ - 10 posts - Jan 11, 2012
Aerated Compost Tea Recipes Help - Page 4‎ - 4 posts - May 2, 2011
Soil Food Web Gardening with Compost Teas‎ - 10 posts - Apr 26, 2011

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How to make Compost Tea Brews
www.symbio.co.uk/making_compost_tea.aspx
How to make Compost teas. Making the right type of tea for the right type of plants. From Fungal Dominate or Bacterial Dominate tea.
Compost tea recipes; I need your suggestions! [Archive ...
www.marijuanapassion.com/forum/archive/.../t-52645.html
8 posts - 5 authors - Feb 17, 2010
[Archive] Compost tea recipes; I need your suggestions! ... Fungi-dominant tea compost should be mixed together and kept very wet for three to ...
Fungal Teas During Flowering - International Cannagraphic Magazine ...
www.icmag.com › ... › Grow It! › Growers Forums › Organic Soil
15 posts - 6 authors - Jul 13, 2009
I wouldnt mind further clarification as well. how much tea would it actually take to turn a bacteria-dominant compost into a fungal dominant ...

Soil Food Web Gardening with Compost Teas
www.rollitup.org › The Grow Room › Organics
10 posts - 5 authors - Apr 26, 2011
1) Some plants prefer soils dominated by fungi; others prefer soils dominated by bacteria. ... 5) Adding compost/ compost teas and its soil food web to the ... beech, and hickory) form mycorrhizae with ectomycorrhizal fungi.
AACT, Bloom Tea, Veg Tea, Fungal Tea, Myco Tea ...‎ - 10 posts - Mar 29, 2012
Frequency of feeding with teas?‎ - 10 posts - Jan 11, 2012
Compost Teas - Superpower your microherd.‎ - 10 posts - Jan 10, 2012
Can I brew a myco (fungi) tea?‎ - 10 posts - Aug 31, 2011

More results from rollitup.org »
Ultimate Compost Tea Recipe For Boosting Plant Growth
www.compostjunkie.com/compost-tea-recipe.html
Experts share a compost tea recipe that will have your plants bursting with growth. ... If, by accident, you apply a fungal-dominated tea to a bacteria-loving plant, .... Mycorrhizal fungi act as a wonderful inoculum to any fungal compost tea recipe.
Fungal or bacterially dominant compost tea - HomeGrownBud.com
www.homegrownbud.com › ... › Organics
10 posts - 4 authors - Jan 13, 2008
Fungal or bacterially dominant compost tea Organics. ... "Mycorrhizal Tea" is obtained by adding mycorrhizal fungi spores to the working brew.
Fungal dominiant compost tea?? | THCFarmer Community
www.thcfarmer.com › ... › General Outdoor Growing
Aug 1, 2010 – I need to make a fungal dominant compost tea for my flowering. ... are the mycorrhizal's, both endo (in) and exo (out). these fungi help the plants ...
[PDF]
Compost Tea Trials Final Report - City of Seattle
www.seattle.gov/environment/.../finalcomposttreport.pdf
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
Pritchard Beach; Experiments with Compost Tea and Mycorrhizae Applications .... of the study, May 12) a fungal-dominated compost from Columbia River Gorge ...
[PDF]
Various Teas for Various Plant Types - Fertile Ground
www.fertile-ground.org/.../various_teas_for_various_plant_ty...
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
If you apply several bacterial-dominated teas, and nothing seems to happen, try a ... there is no way your finished compost tea will have fungi in it! So how do ... Mycorrhizal fungi act as a wonderful inoculum to any fungal compost tea recipe.
bacterial vs fungal teas? [Archive] - LawnSite.com™ - Lawn Care ...
www.lawnsite.com › ... › Organic Lawn Care
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What I got from it was Bacterially dominated teas more for foliar applications ... you bill, you need to activate your compost first to be able to produce fungal dominated tea. ..... I assume by AM you mean mycorrhizal fungi (AVM?) ...
Compost Tea Recipes
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Balanced Tea (Bacteria to Fungi). 2 cups Earthworm Castings or other forms of bacterially dominated compost; 2 cups Humus or other form of fungi dominated ...
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10 posts - 6 authors - Jul 18, 2012
Therefore, you would want to brew compost tea that is more bacterial-dominated for your vegetables, and tea that is more fungal-dominated for ...
compost tea atricle by ct guy from icmag.com | MMJ the only way
organicmmj.blogspot.com/.../compost-tea-atricle-by-ct-guy-fr...Share
Sep 5, 2012 – Compost is not involved, and will be dominated by anaerobic organisms ... you can control whether your tea is going to be bacterial or fungal dominated. .... meal, soymeal, cottonseed meal, mycorrhizal, kelp, and alfalfa mea




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