Ecological Laboratories microbial products

[Lindalana]

I like using it so far. No it does not eliminate septoria but it seems to hold things at bay, transplanting solutions did well for my recent transplants, hot weather and all.

[RayR]

Originally Posted by Gerardo

Do you recommend the sample Kit? Worth the shipping cost at least?

Sure, for $12.99 why not? I just wished I had this sooner in the season, also so for growing seedlings. Next year for that.

Originally Posted by Lindalana

I like using it so far. No it does not eliminate septoria but it seems to hold things at bay, transplanting solutions did well for my recent transplants, hot weather and all.

"hold things at bay" is a good way to put it. This race of Septoria is brutal, my elderly neighbor across the street from me who has been growing tomatoes like forever in this neighborhood stopped by the other day and said he's never seen anything like this that came on so early in the season and he's been pretty much wiped out.
Unfortunately I haven't had a lot of time in the last few weeks to tend to the garden. It's been pretty dry most of the time and what I've had to do is keep up with all the pepper plants in containers that were wilting from lack of water.
So I have a lot of tomato plants that are pretty much finished for the season, but there are some that are holding up much better, even some that are getting some new healthy growth. I've been putting what time I have to spray into them.

[Gerardo]

Excellent. Thanks for the input.

[JamesL]

Ray,
I seem to have that same nasty version of Septoria. It appeared to practically sweep in over night a few weeks back after a rainstorm. Threw everything at it to no avail.
Been getting real good harvests but my plants are mostly done.
Putting these products on the trial list for next spring.

[Lindalana]

One other trick I have learned from Harley Smith lectures is to add silica to the soil. Apparently you can not overdo it and plant uses it not only for building up stems and cells but also to circle and isolate leaf damage.
That is something I have observed now too. Septoria hits the leaf but then just sits there and leaf continues to be green and working.

[Gerardo]

I've been adding Si but only to my seedlings. Thanks for the tip Lindalana.

[RayR]

I've seen the isolated damage too but I don't think it has much to do with silica in the case of tomato since tomato plants don't utilize much silica. Nonetheless I think adding a silica source that will convert to silicic acids is a good idea since silica is lacking in most container mixes and fertilizers. Most natural soils are abundant in silica and silicic acids. Silica is not an essential nutrient but it can't hurt to have it available. It's much more beneficial to plants that utilize much more of it like cucumber.
Calcium is much more important to tomato plants in part because of its role in building up pectin that strengthens the cell walls.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by RayR

It's much more beneficial to plants that utilize much more of it like cucumber.
Calcium is much more important to tomato plants in part because of its role in building up pectin that strengthens the cell walls.

Even better, now I know to aim it at my cukes. I've been adjusting ferts (2-3 fold stronger) since they seem to take it in with ease. I'll add silica to their weekly Ensure.

I grow in containers so silica or lack thereof is important. For all of my plants, Ca comes from Bone + Crab Meal from the get-go, then a supplemental top dress about 6 wks after. So far so good with the BER, although some varieties seem to get it no matter what.

Thanks RayR.

[Lindalana]

Here is article from Harley Smith on the silica. I have found it very interesting.
http://www.growuniversity.net/resour...ic_Silica.html

[Gerardo]

This has a similar tryout/sampler where you pay the shipping and play with their product line.

It seems they are tailored to a cashcropofevolvinglegality, but I'm sure tomatoes will dig it. Gonna place my order.

http://emeraldtriangle.biz/product-samples

[Gerardo]

Just ordered my sample kit from Ecological Labs, and the sample pack from Emerald Triangle. Yes.

[Gerardo]

Toys ready to rock. Visits to hydroponic store yielded other samples.

I can envision healthy fall/winter plants.

toys ready.jpg


And I just realized this is for gardening in the green. The killer tea on the bottom left is appropriate, and obviously the top left from this thread. The middle RxGreen products are green too. The others (mad farmer and emerald triangle) use standard chemicals in their formulations.

[RayR]

Gerardo, your new sample collection reminded me that I got a couple samples of AXIOM last summer from the hydro store. Duh! I should have trialed it this season on some tomato plants to see if the SAR effect from the harpin proteins had any impact on Septoria lycopersici.

[Gerardo]

Originally Posted by RayR

Gerardo, your new sample collection reminded me that I got a couple samples of AXIOM last summer from the hydro store. Duh! I should have trialed it this season on some tomato plants to see if the SAR effect from the harpin proteins had any impact on Septoria lycopersici.

I'm gonna give it a run and see how they do this fall/winter. It's forecast to be a wet winter, so the SAR effect will be put to the test. I'll use it on a few and see how they do.

Guy at the hydro store was a little hesitant to recommend it due to the "E coli," but once we went over the manufacturing scheme for recombinant proteins he was more comfortable with it.

I hope more bioreactor products are on the way for plants.

Here's a factsheet on the harpin (alpha/beta)

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_s..._30-Jan-02.pdf

[RayR]

Originally Posted by Gerardo

I'm gonna give it a run and see how they do this fall/winter. It's forecast to be a wet winter, so the SAR effect will be put to the test. I'll use it on a few and see how they do.

Guy at the hydro store was a little hesitant to recommend it due to the "E coli," but once we went over the manufacturing scheme for recombinant proteins he was more comfortable with it.

I hope more bioreactor products are on the way for plants.

Here's a factsheet on the harpin (alpha/beta)

http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_s..._30-Jan-02.pdf

Ya, sometimes you have to school these hydro store guys on the products they sell.
It seems a normal fearful reaction when someone hears "E coli" although most E Coli strains are not human pathogens. E. coli K-12 is not.

RXGreen is a rather new company on the scene, it seems obvious that they entered into an agreement with Plant Health Care to repackage and distribute their harpin protein technology to the growing indoor and outdoor gardening market since PHC is the sole provider of harpins technology.