From eweigel@juno.com Thu Dec 16 15:25:15 1999 Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 11:03:27 -0700 From: Edna M Weigel To: sanet-mg@amani.ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Effective Microorganisms A friend gave me some information on EM supplied by EM Technologies, Inc. in Tucson, AZ. According to their literature, at least one of their foumulations is patented but they are a non-profit organization. They credit Dr. Teruo Higa in Okinawa, Japan for developing EM. My reaction to reading their material was positive, but on the skeptical side. I have no idea what the products cost, but other than a possible hit to the wallet, I doubt if they do any harm (in contrast to many other products a farmer can spend his money on). If they do nothing but help a farmer/gardener resolve not to use biocides (which would kill the EM's he/she paid good money for), they can be VERY valuable. From a gardener's point of view, I wonder if the products they sell supply anything a good organic soil won't already have, or that can't be supplied by a good application of compost. On the other hand,as they suggest, it might very well be useful on a sterile soil that has previously been treated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides. (Would it be any better than compost?) Part of my skepticism comes from their suggestion that, unless it is necessary to economize, the soil be treated prior to planting, with planting, every 3-4 weeks during growth, and when the residue is turned under. If those organisims are so effective, why aren't they busy reproducing themselves making re-inoculation unnecessary? My friend is considering it for an institutional setting for composting food waste and I can see some potential value simply in letting the "commercial hype" convince the administrators they really can compost. (I gather that technical support is available if they have problems.) It might even make it easier for them to compost, which certainly has value. I wonder if any SANETers have experience or knowledge about EM Technologies' various formulations. I look forward to any information you might provide. Sincerely, Edna ___________________________________________________________________ Why pay more to get Web access? Try Juno for FREE -- then it's just $9.95/month if you act NOW! Get your free software today: http://dl.www.juno.com/dynoget/tagj. To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command "unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command "unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest". To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@ces.ncsu.edu with the command "subscribe sanet-mg-digest". All messages to sanet-mg are archived at: http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail