My Dad said, amongst other wise things….this new idea called peak heat treatment is just not a practical proposition. He was of the opinion that the cost of an extra building and fans (do you know how much fans cost lad?) could not be justified.
Roll on a year or so after trying a load, it was pronounced the best thing since sliced bread. Roll on some 50 years and I get that “been here before” feeling. The background to this is that in the late 1980’s some research of ours showed a positive yield effect by incorporating carboxylic salts in the compost. About 10 years ago it was found that these same salts had a much greater effect and in much smaller amounts within the casing or on the interface. They also had the effect of improving disease resistance and fruit quality. As usual with innovative procedures they are not just straight forward. These carboxylic “mycro nutrients” are not properly utilised by the mycelium below 23C or above 26C.
If this temperature range is maintained in the casing/interface layer for 2-3 days the grower can expect a yield increase of some 10%. Extending the feeding time incrementally produces yields of 20% over control with 5 days feeding.
Such a golden opportunity does not materialise without giving some thought to the all important temperature range in the casing/interface for up to 5 days. This is in contrast to a growers usual interest in the compost temperature, particularly during case run. This concept is as new and unique as was ”peak heat” or “cacing” all those years ago.
So what factors will help in this maintaining of a particular temperature range for up to 5 days in the casing/interface? The most difficult situation is if the grower has to handle a young, active, hot running compost. Under these circumstances the use of cooling air will bring down casing temperature to well below 23C so little benefit will be seen with these Mycro products.
The parameters for success are:
1. Use a mature stable fully run compost
2. Do not use an excessive fill rate
3. Do not use high amounts of formaldehyde protein compost supplement
4. Use a plastic film on the casing top to prevent evaporative cooling
Both excessive fill rates and high formaldehyde soya/feather content are both governed by the laws of diminishing returns. Carboxylate Mycro supplements will more than make up for these reductions. The use of plastic film on the casing top also has several advantages
1. The film stops evaporation of bed water
2. Cooling is gentle by conduction only
3. High CO2 encourages stronger and coarser mycelium network
4. After a good watering at casing minimal watering for up to 5 days (no losses)
5. Overall higher content of water left in the casing after the 1st flush thereby preserving casing condition enabling proper watering of the second flush
The Nutrigain carboxylate nutrients come in 3 formats for casing/interface use
1. Mycro granules for mixing in the casing
2. Mycro liquid for mixing in the casing
3. Mycro feeder watered on the compost top
As the casing layer is the first to cool down during temperature control. Mycro granules and liquid are the most vulnerable to temperature drop. The Mycro feeder is not so vulnerable being applied lower in the bed. It also produces larger fruiting bodies and no mixing is needed through the depth of compost, just the surface.
Another helping hand worth considering in preparing a cool running very high performance compost is to use Organic Gold supplement in conjunction with the Mycro products.
If you still have problems with temperature control – ask your Dad; mine is not available.
For more information contact me or Stuart by phone or by email via stuart@nutrigain.com
