Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
some side-by-side testing, and the results have been
ambiguous.
On the other hand, I have found a growth enhancer called
Root Boost to live up to its advertising. It is not a fertilizer but
rather an enhancer that is primarily based on kelp extract with
the addition of humic acids. This product, when used as
directed, really does enhance the soil and the plants that
depend on it.
Compost Extract and Compost Tea
Compost extract is the most well-known and most widely
studied homemade disease preventative. It is exactly what it
sounds like: a shovel of properly aged compost in a
water-permeable sack immersed in a bucket of water and
steeped for 7 to 14 days.
As the chapter on composting pointed out, compost extract
contains a cocktail of microbes and the chemicals that they
produce. Compost extract contains a mix of beneficial
bacteria and fungi that, when sprayed onto plants, eats the
food substances that would otherwise be eaten by
disease-causing organisms. As a result, the disease-causing
organisms get starved out. A biweekly spray of compost
extract is a good idea, and numerous studies attribute
properties to the substance that are nothing short of
miraculous. It can help prevent diseases such as black spot
and powdery mildew. Best of all, it's free.
The next step up from compost extract is compost tea.
Compost tea differs from an extract in that it is the result of
an active attempt to increase the amount of fungi and bacteria
