Testing your won soil with a microscope is fun, but there is a large learning curve. It is simple to make the samples, but identifying the animals on the slides takes a lot of practice. Here is a list of items you need for basic microscope soil analysis. These items can be used for analyzing compost, [...]
Jul 04, 2011 | Categories: Preparing Microscope Samples, Testing Soil Using a Microscope | Tags: A jar with a lid, A measuring spoon, Bacillus, bacteria, bacteria/protists, Binoculor, Binoculor microscope, Bowl, Bowl of water for cleaning, Cleaning, Compost, Compost Extrations, cover', establishing, Extract, extracted organisms, extracts, Eyedropper, for, Fungi to Bacteria, gardening, Grape Compost Extractions, jar, lid, mearure, measuring, microscope, Microscope cover slips, Microscope Slides, of, Slides, slips, soil, spoon, Teas, technique, video, water | 2 Comments »
Compost Tea is the easiest and safest way to control blight, leave curl and most fungi problems in trees. The process is very simple. Spray compost tea on the leaves and tree branches. Yes, this does not go into the ground, but on the upper canopy of the tree. About 4 weeks before buds open [...]
Jun 21, 2011 | Categories: Bacterium Control, Beginning Composting, Creating Compost Teas, Pest Control | Tags: Bacillus, bacteria, bacteria/protists, blight, CA Native Plants, Compost, Compost Extrations, control, disease, extracted organisms, Foliar, Fungi to Bacteria, gardening, Grape Compost Extractions, hydroponic, leave, leave curl, leaves, micro-organisms, monthly applications, mostly bacteria, nitrogen, pathogens, perennial, pest, photos, Plant, soil, spray, spraying, supplements, Suppression, tea, technique, using, Using Compost Tea for Pest and Disease Suppression, video | 5 Comments »
For pest control videos for weeds and companion planting, Click Here.
Jun 17, 2011 | Categories: Identify Pest by Pictures, Natural Pesticides, Pest Control | Tags: CA Native Plants, control, extracted organisms, Grape Compost Extractions, lawn, lawns, monthly applications, perennial, pest, Plant, rhythms, roots, soil, supplements, technique, vegetable, videos | Leave A Comment »
Slugs are a wet weather pest for most vegetable gardens. They can destroy your whole garden in a few nights. If you do not look to eat Escargot, then here are a couple of methods to control this pest. What to use to Control: Diatomaceous Earth, Copper Strips, Chickens For more information on use, availability [...]
Jun 17, 2011 | Categories: Identify Pest by Pictures | Tags: control, damage, eat, Escargot, extracted organisms, Grape Compost Extractions, monthly applications, organisms, pest, Plant, plants, slug, slugs, soil, supplements, technique, vegetable, water | Leave A Comment »
Diatomaceous earth also known as diatomite or kieselgur, is a naturally occurring, soft, silice ous sedimentary rock that is easily crumbled into a fine white to off-white powder. It has a particle size ranging from less than 1 micron to more than 1 millimeter, but typically 10 to 200 microns. This powder has an abrasive [...]
Jun 17, 2011 | Categories: Natural Pesticides | Tags: CA Native Plants, control, Diatomaceous, Diatomaceous Earth, Earth, establishing, Extract, extracted organisms, Ground, lawns, natural, pest, roots, slugs, snail, snalils, soil, vegetable, water | Leave A Comment »
In this episode we looking at two Nitrogen Cycles. This is a replacement for chemical pesticides and fungicides. Applications are done as compost teas. And applications are done with Azos bacteria. Nitrogen Cycle part1 from Paul Holowko on Vimeo. For More Information on Nitrogen Cycles, click here. Nitrogen Fixing Cycle Part 2 from Paul [...]
Jun 03, 2011 | Categories: Nitrogen Cycles | Tags: Applications, Azotobacter, bacteria, bacteria/protists, chemestry, Compost Extrations, cycle, extracted organisms, Fungi to Bacteria, fungicides, gardening, Grape Compost Extractions, insect, nitrogen, pest, pesticides, plants, roots, succession, The Nitrogen Cycle - Video, video, water | 1 Comment »
Also called Pierce’s disease, California vine disease, Anaheim disease (grapevine), leaf scorch (almond), dwarf (lucerne), phony disease (peach), leaf scald (plum), leaf scorch (elm, oak, plane, mulberry, maple), variegated chlorosis (citrus) Xylella fastidiosa Bacterium is carried by the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter. For More Information on the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter, click here. Xylella fastidiosa Bacterium proliferates only in [...]
Jun 02, 2011 | Categories: Bacterium Control | Tags: almond, Anaheim disease, Bacillus, bacteria/protists, bacterium, California vine disease, chlorosis, Compost Extrations, control, dwarf, elm, extracted organisms, Extraction, fastidiosa, grapevine, grapevines, leaf scald, leaf scorch, lucerne, maple, monthly applications, mulberry, oak, organisms, peach, perennial, pest, phony disease, Pierce's disease, plane, plants, plum, roots, soil, symptom, technique, water, Xylella, Xylella fastidiosa Bacterium | 1 Comment »
Azotobacteraceae’s purpose is to take food from the plant through the roots, eat it, change it to a protein. Once the protean is released, nitrifying bacteria covert it to a Nitrate. Nitrate is fixed nitrogen. It is the same thing as chemical fertilizer but made by the soil ecosystem. You can buy Azotobacter from any [...]
Jun 02, 2011 | Categories: Nitrogen Cycles | Tags: Azotobacter, Azotobacter chroococum, Bacillus, chroococum, Compost, Compost Extrations, cycle, extracted organisms, material, nitrogen, perennial, plants, roots, soil, supplements, technique, video, water | Leave A Comment »
Caterpillars Use: Spinosad Where to buy this, Click here Videos on Natural Ways to Control Insects. Click here if you want to learn more. More Insect Control. Click here if you want to see more.
Jun 01, 2011 | Categories: Identify Pest by Pictures, Insect Control | Tags: Bacillus, bacteria/protists, Caterpillars, establishing, extracted organisms, Grape Compost Extractions, holes, insect, insects, leaf, leaves, material, micro-organisms, mostly bacteria, pest, Spinosad, technique, vegetable, video, water | Leave A Comment »
Cabbage looper Use:Bacillus thuringiensis, Kurstaki(This product is produced by: Biobit, Dipel, MVP, Steward, Thuricide) This can be purchased at any hydroponic store. Where to buy this, Click here Videos on Natural Ways to Control Insects. Click here if you want to learn more. More Insect Control. Click here if you want to see more.
Jun 01, 2011 | Categories: Identify Pest by Pictures, Insect Control | Tags: Bacillus, bacteria/protists, Cabbage, Cabbage looper, control, extracted organisms, gardening, grass, Ground, hydroponic, insect, looper, pest, Plant, technique, water | Leave A Comment »
Borers Use: Beauveria bassiana Strain GHA. This can be purchased at any hydroponic store. Videos on Natural Ways to Control Insects. Click here if you want to learn more. More Insect Control. Click here if you want to see more.
Jun 01, 2011 | Categories: Insect Control | Tags: bacteria/protists, Beauveria, Borers, control, extracted organisms, gardening, insect, mostly bacteria, non chemical, organisms, pest, rhythms, soil, water | Leave A Comment »
It is not the size that matters but the shape. It is important to have the highest capacity for water to be absorbed by the soil to prevent flooding up the drain pipe or house. In this case we bury a catchment system about 18 to 20 inches below the surface. It is important to [...]
May 30, 2011 | Categories: Roof Catchement Calculations, Roof Water Catchments Systems, Water Stored in Soil Catchement Systems | Tags: CA Native Plants, Calculations, capacity, catchment, Compost Extrations, drain, extracted organisms, flooding, gardening, Grape Compost Extractions, grass, harvesting, house, hydroponic, lawn, lawns, maximize, pipe, Plant, rain, rain harvesting, roof, Shapes, Sizes, soil, succession, summer, technique, water, Water Catchment Sizes and Shapes, Winter | Leave A Comment »
If you are just starting out in gardening and soil care, or have been doing it for years, you can use this recipes to change what kind of plants you want to grow on the existing neglected soil. These methods will change watering requirements and can improve taste of vegetables in new vegetable gardens. See the following posts [...]
May 19, 2011 | Categories: Gardening Biology, Soil Building | Tags: Building, building soil, compost tea, creating soil, extracted organisms, gardening, Grape Compost Extractions, lawn, methods, mulch, nitrogen, organisms, perennial, Plant, plants, soil, supplements, vegetable, video, water, watering | Leave A Comment »
I found a need to have three attachments to apply Teas and Extractions to everywhere. In the picture below, there is a normal chemical sprayer tip. Very thin Compost Tea will pass through it, but it normally gets plugged up with something. The center of the nozzle had to be clipped off with a pair [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Application Equipment | Tags: chemical, Compost, Compost Extrations, compost tea, extracted organisms, fitting, grass, Injector tip, lawn, lawns, material, meshed, needle, nozzle, pump, roots, sprayer, Tea Injector | 2 Comments »
The hose and nozzle cannot destroy the micro-biology as it passes through. In this case, I have used a typical chemical pump up sprayer nozzle. This can be bought in any hardware store. You can buy the parts separate from the whole applicator. A 3/8 inch clear hose is used between the pump [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Application Equipment | Tags: Applicator, chicken flavor injector, Compost Extrations, compost tea, destroy, extracted organisms, garden hose, grass, Ground, hydroponic, impact, inject, lawn, lawns, nozzle, organisms, pump, supplements, technique | Leave A Comment »
The best and cheapest pump for this application is a diaphragm pump. This is a positive displacement pump with a chamber that does not grind up the micro-organisms. A positive displacement pump causes a fluid to move by trapping a fixed amount of it then forcing (displacing) that trapped volume into the discharge pipe. Here [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Application Equipment | Tags: car battery, centerfrugal, Compost Extrations, diaphragm, displacement, establishing, Extract, extracted organisms, Extraction, fluid, grass, grind up, High Flo pump Gold Series, Hydraulic pump, lawn, lawns, monthly applications, mostly bacteria, peristaltic, piston, positive, Progressive, Progressive cavity pump, pump, regenerative (peripheral) pump, rotary lobe pump, vane pump | Leave A Comment »
Cavitation is the formation of gas bubbles of a flowing liquid in a region where the pressure of the liquid falls below its vapor pressure or in this case (0 psi). When a pump creates cavitation, it destroys the micro-organism by allowing the internal pressure of single cell organism to explode the through the cell [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Application Equipment | Tags: 35 psi, bubbles, bucket, Cavitation, clamp, Compost, Compost Extrations, explode, extracted organisms, grass, hose, hydroponic, intake, lawn, lawns, liquid, material, meshed, micro-organisms, microscope, non-collapsible, pump, Stainless Steel, substitute | 1 Comment »
The easiest way to extract compost is to use a 400 um threaded nylon bag. You can buy them in any hydroponic store for about $47. Or you can make it yourself with a serger. A serger is sometimes called an overlock or babylock sewing machine. It’s a sewing machine that overcasts the raw edges [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Application Equipment | Tags: babylock sewing machine, bag, bucket, Extract, extracted organisms, Filtering, Grape Compost Extractions, Ground, hydroponic, meshed, mostly bacteria, nylon bag, particles, pump, serger, sprayer, video | 2 Comments »
Hydrogen Peroxide. This is used for killing everything. It is very important not to let any compost, extract or tea go anaerobic. This means equipment has to be very clean. If I feel I can eat off it, it is clean enough. If the equipment is not cleaned right after use, it starts to grow [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Compost Extract Food Supplements | Tags: 29% solution, anaerobic, Cleaning, Compost Extrations, Equipment, extracted organisms, Grape Compost Extractions, hoses, Hydrogen Peroxide, microscope, technique | Leave A Comment »
Below is ground up oatmeal. This does not work in extractions but is used for pre-germinating fungi spores in your compost. A few days before doing your extraction, place a cup or two mixed in your compost. Make sure it is 50% moist with waterand then let it set. It is best of the ambient [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Compost Extract Food Supplements | Tags: Compost, extracted organisms, Fish Emulsion, fish hydrolysate, Grape Compost Extractions, Ground, ground up oatmeal, Liquid Kelp, microscope, Molasses, oatmeal, pre-germinating fungi, Quaker Oats, spores, Sulfur kills fungi, up | Leave A Comment »
Ground up fish bone meal is not really meant to put into a compost extraction, but to place a cup or so in your compost a week or so before extracting. This bone meal is good for growing bacteria because all of the oils have been removed. This product can be found in any general [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Compost Extract Food Supplements | Tags: Bacteria Food, bone, bone meal, Compost Extrations, extracted organisms, fish, Fish Emulsion, for, Grape Compost Extractions, Ground, meal, succession, up, US East Coast | Leave A Comment »
When first establishing a plant border for the first time, you need to know the requirements of the plant you are using. You also need to know the soil F:B (Fungi to Bacteria. General rule of thumb, keep the F:B ration to 1:1) ratio for the plant and the existing soil. The type of foods [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Compost Extractions Schedules | Tags: Australia/ New Zealand, bacteria/protists, CA Native Plants, Compost, Compost Extractions, Compost Extrations, Euro/Asia, extracted organisms, F:B ratio, Fish Emulsion, fish hydrolysate, Food, Fungi to Bacteria, Grape Compost Extractions, Liquid Kelp, microscope, Molasses, monthly applications, Native Plant Compost Extractions, Plant, Recipes, schedules, South Africa, succession, supplements, technique, US East Coast, US Midwest, West Coast | Leave A Comment »
When first establishing a vineyard for the first time, vines are generally require fungal dominated soil. This is expressed as soil F:B (Fungi to Bacteria. General rule of thumb, keep the F:B ration to 10:1) ratio for the plant and the existing soil. The type of foods added to the Extract depends if you need [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Compost Extractions Schedules | Tags: Australia/ New Zealand, bacteria/protists, bare, Compost, Compost Extrations, Euro/Asia, extracted organisms, F:B ratio, Fish Emulsion, fish hydrolysate, Food, Fungi to Bacteria, Grape Compost Extractions, Lavender, Liquid Kelp, litter, micro-organisms, microscope, monthly applications, Recipes, root, Rosemary, schedules, South Africa, substitute, succession, supplements, Teas, Thyme, US East Coast, US Midwest, video, vines, Vineyards, West Coast, woody. perennial | 1 Comment »
When first establishing an orchard for the first time, fruit trees are generally require very fungal dominated soil. This is expressed as soil F:B (Fungi to Bacteria. General rule of thumb, keep the F:B ration to 100:1) ratio for the plant and the existing soil. The type of foods added to the Extract depends if [...]
Apr 19, 2011 | Categories: Compost Extractions Schedules | Tags: bacteria/protists, Compost, Compost Extrations, establishing, Euro/Asia, Extract, extracted organisms, Extraction, Fish Emulsion, fish hydrolysate, Fungi to Bacteria, Liquid Kelp, microscope, Molasses, monthly applications, Orchard, Recipes, schedules, South Africa, substitute, Teas, US East Coast, US Midwest, West Coast | Leave A Comment »