Wormtec offers environmentally friendly natural organic soil improvers and water saving solutions for home gardeners and agricultural applications.

Wormtec is very pleased to be able to work with Tim Wilson in helping to bring more information on soil biology and how we can farm and garden without synthetic fertilizers and their harmful impact on the environment.

The information below is some of Tim's work and included here with his permission. Please visit Tim's Website www.microbeorganics.com

Who I am
My name is Tim Wilson. I am a self-taught researcher/scientist. I do not possess a
degree but did study a wide range of courses at university, some of them postgraduate
courses I was allowed into based on my knowledge level at the time. Many
of you will know me by my contributions to the Yahoo Compost Tea discussion
forum. Presently I reside on a 100+ acre farm in the southern interior of British
Columbia, Canada. I am just north of a dot on the map called Westbridge.

My DVD
I have produced a narrated DVD condensed to 1 hour, 43 minutes from hours and
hours of live real time video captured through an interface of a Leitz Orthoplan
microscope, a Sony high definition video camera and a computer. No film was used
in this process. The purpose of this video is to assist folks who are using
microscopes to identify the microbes they are observing in their compost, soil and
compost tea.
It includes some examples of; 1/ what microbes you should see in a finished compost
tea,
2/ bacteria, 3/ flagellates, 4/ ciliates, 5/ amoebae (3,4 &5 comprise the three groups
of Protozoa),
6/ fungal hyphae, 7/ yeast cells,
8/ nematodes, 9/ rotifers and 10/ compost examination.
For those of you without microscopes the DVD offers a good visual representation
of what is going on in your Compost Tea and soil.
The DVD is a set of 2 discs in a case. The cost is $40.00 USD including shipping by
mail anywhere in the USA or Canada. Quotes will be given for other methods of
shipping or for shipping to other countries. Wholesale prices are available to
distributors. Please email me with your inquiry. Presently the DVD is available in
NTSC format.
The preferred form of payment is by PayPal. If you are not presently registered with
PayPal it is easy, secure, free and it allows the use of credit cards. I will receive
payment immediately and can ship the DVD right out to you. If you would prefer to
send money by another method please email me at; thegoodjob@hotmail.com

What is Compost Tea?
Very simply stated Compost Tea is a water-based environment wherein beneficial
microorganisms are extracted from compost or vermicompost (worm compost) and
multiplied by the millions and billions. Some form of agitation breaks the microbes
free from the compost and they multiply because food, like black strap molasses, fish
hydrolysate, kelp meal, humic acid, etc. has been added to the water, which at least
one type of microbe digests. When one or more type of microbe begins to multiply in
response to the food, other microbes respond to this growth and begin to consume
these initial microbes and multiply in turn and so on and so on. For example the initial
microbes are usually bacteria which are food for protozoa so the protozoa multiply in
response to the bacteria. The end result is a functional feeding cycle or microbial
nutrient cycle. I refer to this as a functional microbial consortia. This develops over a
period of 12 to 72 hours or more and is then applied to the soil and plants. In the soil
there are a number of organisms which function in basically the same nutrient cycle
and zone. Once again, simply stated, there are substances released from the roots of
plants which feed bacteria (& archaea), again the bacteria/archaea become prey to the
protozoa and the protozoa excrete substances with are available to the roots as
nutrients (e.g. nitrogen) thus creating a feeding cycle. Other compost/soil
microorganisms of great importance are fungi. Fungal hyphae, are long branching
strands which grow through the soil and serve to; bind soil aggregates together, help
retain moisture, store certain nutrients, provide a source of food to certain other
microbes, provide pathways for nutrient and moisture delivery, decompose organic
material and displace disease causing fungi. There are also other types of fungi which
do not grow (to my knowledge) in compost or Compost Tea which form a direct
symbiotic nutrient exchange relationship with roots. This sort of fungi is called
mycorrhizal fungi and there are many different species. The major microorganisms at
work in Compost Tea are bacteria, protozoa (flagellates, ciliates and amoebae) and
fungal hyphae if present in your compost. It is best to have a wide diversity of each of
these microbes present. There are higher order organisms like nematodes found in
compost and soil and occasionally these are extracted into Compost Tea but they do
not grow nor multiply in the tea. Of course in the soil there are many other
contributors to the nutrient cycle, like insects, earthworms and other animals. In its
totality this is often referred to as the soil food web.

All life is in a symbiotic nutrient cycle even down to the microorganisms contained
in our gut that assist us to digest certain foods. Life, consumption, excrement, death,
decomposition, life. You are what you eat and the same applies to plants.
It has been discovered that aerated Compost Tea helps to ensure the multiplication of
mostly aerobic microbes which are more desirable in this application. Plus the
aeration provides the agitation necessary to dislodge the microbes from the compost.
Therefore most Compost Tea machines or brewers, as they are commonly known,
involve the introduction of air into the water and compost.
Many Compost Tea users and producers have begun examining their brews with
microscopes to see the microbes present. This ensures that they have the desired
microbes in the right numbers and diversity prior to applying the tea to soil and plants.
I am fairly hopeful if not certain that in the future when someone purchases a
Compost Tea brewer that the kit will include a microscope. It is the identification of
what is going on in this tiny universe where I find my calling

Organic Growing from a Microbial Perspective
To come to a rudimentary understanding of how organic or natural growing really
works, one must cast off previous miscomprehensions from the chemical model, that
when we fertilize or add compost or other organic matter, we are feeding plants. This
is not the case. With true organics one is feeding the microorganisms in the soil which
convert organic nutrients into a form which can be assimilated by the roots of plants.
According to studies, there are only a very few plant species capable of absorbing
only a very few organic nutrients. Most plants are only capable of absorbing inorganic
nutrients which are made that way by microbes which live at the root to soil interface,
the rhizosphere. So the idea which you have, that you are feeding your plants when
they appear to need nitrogen and you feed an organic fertilizer deemed high in
nitrogen, is bogus. You are feeding the microbes which feed the plants.
Chemical fertilizers, mostly derived from petroleum are inorganic and can be
absorbed by the roots of plants, however they are pollutants, which kill beneficial soil
microbes, build up unused residues which run into the water table and, in my opinion,
create harmful tissue changes in the plants which humans consume as food and
medicine. In addition, I believe, the use of chemical fertilizers promote the incidence
of plant pathogens like powdery mildew, erwinia, fusarium, pythium, etc. The grower
can end up in a vicious spiraling downward fall as they use one chemical after another
to control the effects brought on by the others.
The plant is no passive player in the natural growing game of survival but is the
master conductor of this delicately balanced orchestra. The plant receives energy from
above the soil in the form of light. This photosynthesis results in the plant’s internal
production of carbon. It utilizes this carbon to create and reinforce tissue as it grows,
so it is a very valuable commodity. As we all know the plant also requires a form of
nitrogen (N) and other macro and micro-nutrients which it receives through the root
system. As already stated this N must be in a form which the plant can directly uptake
and use, usually a form of ammonia (N). Research has shown that when a plant needs
to uptake N from the soil it sends out some of its precious carbon through it’s root
system as a feed for bacteria and *archaea which live in the rhizosphere. [* Archaea
are prokaryotes indiscernible from bacteria except through specialized testing; usually
DNA] There are more complexities involved, such as, that certain plant types attract
certain bacteria/archaea types but that is beyond the scope of this portrayal. When the
bacterial/archaea population has increased in response to the carbons excreted by the
roots, protozoa and bacterial feeding nematodes are attracted to the region, ‘hatch out’
from cysts and eggs respectively and in the case of protozoa multiply rapidly.
Protozoa consist of flagellates, amoebae and ciliates. Some protozoa can multiply
(divide) every 2 to 4 hours so their numbers can increase in short order. The protozoa
and nematodes consume the bacteria/archaea and release, as waste, the ammonia (N)
which the roots can then absorb. The multiplication rate of the bacteria/archaea
increases in response to this predation and so on. This has been called the microbial
loop. Protozoa are particularly good providers as their ‘digestive system’ only utilizes
about 30% of the nutrients consumed meaning that roughly 70% is released as the
waste which the roots crave. This factor, combined with their short generational time
makes them real feeding machines. Undoubtedly there are micronutrients also
processed and absorbed in this cycle. There are still many mysteries which research
has yet to unfold or are not yet known to this author.
This is not the end. The concert continues. The bacteria/archaea also consume the
ammonia (N) which is now bioavailable to them, so are in competition with the plant
for these nutrients. Because of this, if there are no predators or insufficient numbers to
consume the bacteria/archaea they could potentially lock up the N. When the plant is
growing it is in a vegetative state and requires a large load of available nitrogen (N) so
it is advantageous for it to continue this release of carbon and maintain a balance of
bacteria/archaea and protozoa, while uptaking just the right amounts of nutrients.
Don’t get me wrong. There are other players in this orchestra, either playing subdued
roles or waiting their turn to play. There are higher order animals like mites, other
microarthropods and worms. There are various forms of fungi, most of which are
degraders but some of which are mycorrhizal. These all have roles in breaking down
organic matter into a form which can then be mineralized by the plant’s
bacteria/archaea team or delivered directly to the roots.
When the plant receives its signal from the upper world, above the soil, that it is time
to switch gears and produce flowers and or fruit, its nutrient requirement changes.
Although the mechanics are not well known to this author, studies indicate that the
plant then increases the uptake of the ammonia (N) (bioavailable nitrogen) and
reduces or stops excreting the carbon which feeds the bacteria/archaea. This
effectively starves the bacteria/archaea which will react by dying or becoming
dormant. This of course results in a similar reaction by the protozoa and bacterial
feeding nematode population. The mycorrhizal fungi previously mentioned is then
triggered into increased growth and production. Studies have indicated that the
transference of bioavailable phosphorus and potassium to the roots occur mainly as a
function of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal hyphae in symbiotic relationship with the
roots of the plant. The fungal hyphae (microscopic strands) grow right into the root
cells and exchange nutrients. In exchange for carbon, once again released by the plant,
the fungal hyphae delivers the required bioavailable nutrients to the root system. The
fungal structure derives these nutrients from organic matter and food sources in the
soil, some naturally processed by the other players as previously mentioned. It is my
hypothesis that the form of carbon released to stimulate the mycorrhizal activity is of
a varied molecular structure from that released to promote the bacteria/archaea
population previously discussed, however I have no direct data to substantiate this.
There are often different types of bacteria which accompany mycorrhizal fungi,
adhering to the fungal hyphae in a symbiotic relationship. It is thought that these
bacterial species function to exchange nutrients with the fungi as well as to protect the
fungal hyphae from consumption by other microbes and even contribute to the
protection of the plant from pathogenic fungi. There are other types of mycorrhizal
fungi (ectomycorrhizal) which encapsulate roots rather than entering them but these
are mostly associated with trees in the temperate and boreal regions.
So you see it is quite a complex arrangement which the plant conducts or controls and
there are many facets which yet remain a mystery.

How to Apply This to Horticultural Activities
You say, okay so that’s how it works but how do I apply that to my growing
situation? The answer is pretty simple really. You need to assure that there is organic
matter, mostly in the form of composted plant and animal (manure) substances in or
on your soil for a microbial inoculant and food source. Additionally you can add
microbial foodstocks such as diluted fish hydrolysate and molasses and kelp meal,
alfalfa meal and rock phosphate and other clay and rock powders if available. It is
very good to include rock phosphate in your composting process if you are making
your own. Rock phosphate in the compost adds a long lasting source of phosphorus
for microbes to draw from. At time of planting it is highly beneficial to place some
mycorrhizal fungi spores in the hole or on the root system. You can research the best
strain of fungi for the plants you are growing and purchase the spores from a number
of suppliers. [ http://www.mycorrhizae.com http://www.fungi.com ] You may also
consider seeding companion edible mushrooms which provide a dual benefit of
cycling nutrients to your plants and providing your breakfast. You may research this
at the fungi.com site. The rest is governed by the plant, as previously discussed,
assuming that all the necessary components are available from the organic matter and
additional foodstocks provided. In my opinion manipulation of the pH is not a wise
practice in natural growing unless dramatic acidity or alkalinity are measured. Soil
with a healthy microbial population tends to self regulate the pH. One should disturb
the soil as little as possible so as to leave fungal growth and strands intact. I realize
this is challenging when growing in containers. I have run trials where wooden bins
were constructed (2’x3’x1.5’ deep) where soil was successfully left intact after annual
plants were harvested and replanted over several seasons. In between plantings
composting worms were introduced to help consume the residual dead roots and plant
matter. The worms were later trapped out. Compost tea was applied regularly to boost
the soil microbial population. Over time there developed something of a miniature
ecosystem complete with mushrooms, rove beetles and other beneficial bugs. If you
are growing in smaller containers it is a good idea to provide a high volume of quality
compost and or vermicompost at the onset.
Some people grow herbs and edible produce in containers organically. Because this
has been practiced extensively utilizing chemical fertilizers, there is a period where
growers have flushed the soil with copious amounts of water, the thought being that
they are removing the harsh or harmful chemicals from the plant tissues. Too late!
Those chemicals are already integrated into what you plan to put on your dinner plate
or in your medicinal tea or pipe. At least that’s my opinion. If you have grown your
produce naturally allowing the plant to be in control, this flushing routine is not only
unnecessary but sort of stupid. Since plants are not able to uptake organic nutrients,
what exactly would you be flushing away? You might instead be water logging your
soil and roots.

Using Compost Tea
The use of compost tea (CT) is one of the best ways to inoculate your soil with the
beneficial microbes you wish to have for optimum health of your plants. It is also
good if your supply of compost or vermicompost is limited, as it multiplies those
microbes, we have been discussing, by the millions. Remember the protozoa I
mentioned earlier? Well you can brew an aerated compost tea specifically to have a
large population of protozoa, usually mostly flagellates. If you have a good quality
compost or vermicompost, protozoa will already be present, often in a resting cyst. If
you have an efficient aerated brewer you can pretty much count on having a high
flagellate (protozoa) population combined with bacteria/archaea and fungal hyphae
(not mycorrhizal) at 42 to 44 hours brew time (65 to 72 degrees F). If you have a
microscope you can examine the CT periodically to be sure that the microbial
population is optimum. The use of aerated compost tea also provides the opportunity
to manipulate microbial populations for specific purposes by using various recipes
and brew times. You may wish to have high bacterial or fungal numbers for
pathogen/disease control or have soil or plants that require a higher population of a
microbial type. I have a lot to learn yet of fungal species which can grow in compost
tea so until I have learned to identify the species occurring I’m cautious about some of
the tricks employed to stimulate fungal hyphae growth in compost. Better to count on
good quality compost and vermicompost with natural occurring quantities and species
of fungi and use known mycorrhizal and mushroom spores in the soil.
As always, I am open to correction or refinement of what I have written.
Salutations,Tim

Some References;
Email me if you wish to track down these references.
Protozoa and plant growth: 2003;
the microbial loop in soil revisited; Michael Bonkowski;
Rhizosphere Ecology Group, Institut für Zoologie, Technische Universität Darmstadt,
Darmstadt, Germany
Soil microbial loop and nutrient uptake by plants: 2006
a test using a coupled C:N model of plant–microbial interactions; Xavier Raynaud; Jean-Christophe
Lata; Paul W. Leadley Universite´ Paris-Sud XI, France
The mycorrhiza helper bacteria revisited; 2007 P. Frey-Klett, J. Garbaye and M. Tarkka
Interactions Arbres/Micro-organismes, Champenoux, France;
UFZ-Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholz Centre for Environmental
Research, Halle, Germany
Modern Soil Microbiology; 2nd edition 2007 - Chapter 6 - Protozoa and Other Protista in Soil
Marianne Clarholm, Michael Bonkowski, and Bryan Griffiths
 

[ Home ]