New to growing your own tomatoes? This is the forum to learn the successful techniques used by seasoned tomato growers. Questions are welcome, too.
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#1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
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Bower wrote:
"I was recently reading up about the seed fermentation process, and led me to some research in which seeds of several crops were pre-soaked in Lactobacillus culture, with positive results re plant health vigour and yields. I have started to wonder whether seeds of different age/source/treatment unknown have ended up being the stragglers or the disease prone ones, cw seed which I know was fermented and unbleached, so maybe some lactobacillus residue present....and maybe not a genetic susceptibility of the variety but just a poorer start. ![]() |
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#2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
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I think that is most interesting!
I'm wondering whether to dampen the paper towel in which I start my seeds with whey, or at least water them with it when they are quite small. I make my own kefir from "grains" so it's easy to make some whey by just letting it brew a little longer than usual. Linda |
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#3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: WI, USA Zone4
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What is the best whey to do this?
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#4 |
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a
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Could you give me a link to where Bower said that and here's why.
Retired Microbiologist I am and Lactobacilli I understand and what's used to process different foods are the species that are called homofermentative, meaning they produce lactic acid only. I cannot understand how lactic acid can do anything to seeds at all that could affect vigor and growth, no more than the acid producing bacteria and fungi that are present during natural fermentation. I'll look again using the words cheese curds, since I know I used those words in answering Carol's post. Carolyn
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Carolyn |
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#5 | |
Moderator Emeritus
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Carolyn
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#6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
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Hi Carolyn,
You found it sooner than I did! I started a new thread because the other was going waaaay off topic. Don't you think that lactobacillus might possibly kill other, harmful bacteria that might be on the seed (assuming that it wasn't properly fermented in the first place)? Linda |
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#7 | ||
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Cheektowaga, NY
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You'll need an active Lactobacillus culture, what whey source did you have in mind? Quote:
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#8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Ontario
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I'm not Bower, the originator of this, but I would use kefir whey which is milk-based and contains zillions more probiotics than yoghurt.
In fact, I used to swill out my kefir jars and glasses with water and pour them on my tomato seedlings. At least I never killed any, and I felt that they might be getting some nutrients at least! Linda |
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#9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Ontario, Canada
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Interesting thread! I have been making a variety of cheese for some years and disposing of the whey produced onto my compost bin, that's the general suggestion, as you shouldn't pour it down the septic bed. Makes great compost!
The other suggestion, apart from cooking a variety of things with it, is to dilute and water plants with it. So I can't see any problem with using it on seeds, there is a great deal of nutrients available, certainly tastes good. Will be interested in any trials. |
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#10 | |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2010
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#11 |
Tomatovillian™
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Location: Ontario
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I'll give it a whirl in the spring and report back!
Linda |
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#12 |
Tomatovillian™
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Location: Oklahoma
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whey from fermented raw milk. Here is a science study about e coli and whey from cheddar. But it is a similar result from other wheys and other pathogens, even plant pathogens.
Survival and growth characteristics of Escherichia coli O157:H7 in pasteurized and unpasteurized Cheddar cheese whey. Keep in mind when I say raw milk whey, I mean real milk from healthy clean pastured cows that only eat grass and don't get metabolic modifiers. ![]() Using a confinement dairy's unpasteurised raw milk for any purpose, including soaking seeds, is very dangerous. ![]()
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Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture Last edited by Redbaron; December 13, 2014 at 10:39 PM. |
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#13 |
Tomatovillian™
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But what about kefir whey? I'm betting that the lactic acid in the kefir would wipe out any e-coli that were present in the pasteurized milk.
Linda |
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#14 | |
Tomatovillian™
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Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture Last edited by Redbaron; December 13, 2014 at 10:42 PM. |
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#15 |
Tomatovillian™
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