Lloyd: This ties in with what I initially said about testing preps. A true test of the preps would be to test soil and compost before and after their application. On of the wake up calls I got early on in my BD experience was when I was worried about throwing out soil bugs with 500, I spoke with Terry Forman, his answer was " Don't worry about the bugs, they are already there, what you are doing with 500 is creating an environment for them to thrive in" On hearing this and pondering on it, I realised that it really is only the forces we need to worry about, the physical aspects are only a side issue. David C
----- Original Message ----- From: "Lloyd Charles" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, 29 April 2002 9:50 AM Subject: Re: Testing BD preps > > To Cheryl and all Interested > Most of you will probably disagree with me but please read this and think > about it before forming your opinions > > What is to be the end purpose of this testing ?? > Elaine's tests measure and categorise critters better than anyone else can > do > THEY DO NOT AND CAN NOT MEASURE THE ENERGETICS (forces if you like) > > So a comparison test of well made BD compost is valid. Yes! > > If you test, stirred 500 or barrel compost, for CRITTERS per unit volume you > SHOULD EXPECT to get a very low reading compared to a good compost tea. Why > do this?? > > On the other hand if the preps are going to be used as a basis for brewing > tea (and I believe good preps would perform superbly ) Play the game to > Elaine's rules - use 500 and BC as a feed stock - in the flow forms - and > feed it just as she would recommend - done right you will probably make the > best compost tea she ever saw. > > There is far far more to steiners remedies than microbial innoculation and > we should not get too hung up on SFI test numbers UNLESS they are relevant > to the end purpose which is compost or compost teas > > My thoughts anyway > Lloyd Charles > > > > Yes, we have a SFI lab in Lismore, about 3 hours north of me in NSW. > > > > > > If I understand this correctly, you had the test done on the physical > > > 'out of the box' BD500. Do you have plans to test stirred 500? > > > > > Yes, it was physical out of the box BD 500, (unstirred, it is tested like > > compost) > > in this case it was about 5 years old, had been passed on from one of our > > elder BD practitioners who sold his wheat farm. The new guy was wanting to > > know if it was still ok to use!! He then suggested that we should get some > > newer BD 500 tested, so we have. > > Yes, we are planning on getting some stirred 500 plus Horn Clay and CPP > > (Barrel Compost,) as this is what we tell most of our farmers to put out > as > > one spray. Then we should get some BD 501 plus 508 stirred and done as > well > > ! > > > > Not that we see the fungal and bacterial content as all that BD is about - > > we know that what is really happening is bringing in the forces to > stimulate > > the activity in the soil. But SFI tests are not able to quantify that as > > yet.!! But it helps the more rational minds to cope and helps them see > that > > Biodynamics already has the answers. Proof! > > > > Later this year we are bringing Dr Fritz Balzer from Germany to our AGM > and > > National BD Conference in August. He specialises is BD soil testing, plus > > sensitive crystalisation - a method of showing life forces in BD food and > > products - so it will be interesting to work with both methods and > > approaches to Biodynamics. > > > > > >We are awaiting the final bacterial biomass count to see what > > > >protozoa are there. > > > > > > > >Maybe you could add 500 to your brew!! > > > > > > > > > I saw Elaine's flowform report, but couldn't make much of it. Do you > > > know what sort of pump was being used? The make/model of the forms? > > > What was being used as a compost basket? And, a new question, why the > > > guy trialing it through the basket should have been removed earlier? > > > > Alan, > > the pump was a Grundfos vortex submersible pump AP 12.40.06 (Which takes > > 12ml particles - "it can pump rocks!" says Phil Sedgman our Flowform man) > > Flowform is the Vortex flowform, 3 big forms, made of fibreglass, for > > mobility. You can see Phils flowforms on his website - > > www.livingwaterflowformsaustralia.com > > > > The guy was using a laundry basket (plastic mesh about arms in oval shape > > size ) with cloth holding the vermicompost. He placed it under the last > > flowform as the water poured into the pool at the bottom. He left it > there > > for 8 hours - or where you see the lowest point of O2, and it apparently > was > > building up so many bacteria, that it was taking all the O2 supply. Once > he > > removed the basket and vermicompost, the O2 levels could catch up with the > > bacteria growth. What they were so excited about was that the flowform was > > able to get the O2 levels up in 8 hours when the the usual tea brewers > took > > 16 hours. (Of course) > > They plan to do some more tests in a wek or two , and we will also visit > > Phils to do some 500, Horn clay and CPP stiring for testing. Will probably > > do some for one hour - as per our usual strring time, and then whilst > > testing with an O2 meter,see what happens to the brew then and how long it > > needs. Then we can drop in the bottles to SFI nearby. We are also very > keen > > to test the fuzzy brew that we have made up since the trip to India - I am > > still getting fungi brewing on top after two weeks. All exciting things > > happening. > > When are you getting your lot done at SFI? > > I thought it would be good to do it in different countries to see if there > > was any differences. > > Cheers > > Cheryl. > > > > > >
