GBarb post_id=282056 time=1598674104 user_id=12395]
As mentioned in the podcast, things added In commercial preparations do offer an innoculant, but this community changes over time.
The idea is that microbially lacking soils (especially inorganic ones) can and do benefit from an injection of bacteria or fungi (either by microbially active compost or commercial preparations) to kickstart a community.
Yes in theory, in a sterile test tube this might be so. In practice it's complete nonsense. The beneficial microbes we are talking about live on the roots of plants and feed on the exudations from the roots. There they offer the plant protection from attack from pathogens. Other kinds of bacteria and fungi are involved in breaking down organic matter into simple minerals which can be used by the plant. The advantage of having them there is that besides mineralizing organic matter they also out-compete pathogens and using them as a food source.
No soils and no materials are lacking in microbes. They are everywhere including on your keyboard and on the screen you are looking at. All they require is a food source, (there's your blood and bone) water and heat to multiply at breakneck speed. The notion that they must be added to soil-less media to ''kick start'' the process is bunk. Microbes are ALMOST NEVER added to compost heaps. If they are the composter has been had. They are already there waiting for the right conditions to get going. Thermophilic, mesophilic and every other kind. Millions upon millions of supremely healthy plants are raised hydroponically every day and microbes and never added to the media which is usually practically sterile but if you examined the root systems of these plants you would find a thriving community of microbes in the rhizosphere.
Quote....''Studies that look at the microbiology in hydroponics systems find about 10,000,000 bacteria per milliliter of nutrient solution (1, 29).
Quote....''These systems are also rich in fungi– a study that looked at both fungi and bacteria in hydroponic systems found 1,000,000 cfu/ml bacteria and 10 to 1000 fungi cfu/ml in the system (29).''
In some cases, the community may not have diversity or be lacking in any substantial numbers although they.
In almost no cases.
The blood and bon analogy, this is a food, you need microbes to break it down for it to be available to the plant, by innoculating with outside sources, you introduce these and allow further development of the microbial community by making a more hospitable environment for other microbes
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No. You could add an organic fertilizer to completely sterile media and it would start to decompose within hours.(given moisture) As I said the bacteria are already everywhere. In this case they would be on your fingers, in the blood and bone and in the air around it.
I don’t think you can simply write these approaches, products or processes off in all circumstances, as it simply isn’t the case.
Yes it is the case. If you want to waste your time and money on adding bacteria in the hope that you will have healthier plants and/or soil environment, go ahead. I'm simply saying to you that you no not need to do it.