1. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    Hello friends.

    I have teamed up with Peter and have become the importer for his microbial formula, which I have called Biota Booster.It is as far as I can find un equaled anywhere.BB consists of 11 types of microbes being 6 bacteria and 5 fungi It contains 12 billion+ CFU (colony forming units) per ml and requires 20ml per HA per crop. It is made in the USA (for now) and the formula is owned by peter. Its potential is huge we expect to cut chemical use significantly improve yields and quality of produce markedly as well as defeating a wide range of diseases that are decimating agriculture at present.
    The first shipment arrived today and I have procured beautiful 10ml blue glass bottles for a quality look 10ml being enough for 1 crop of one acre for a sample/trial or ample BB for home use during its shelf life of 1 year.

    Personally I got into this because I recognized the effectiveness of microbes after researching ,doing courses and attending talks on Biological farming and bio dynamics. chemical farming is falling out of favor fast and biological is filling the gap and then some.Our primary driver is that of environmental repair and protection and we believe we can meet the market to enable this.

    We are looking for agents / distributors in all states of Australia and will be advertising for such very soon.I wanted to give you all here advance warning of our intent as I want the best people on board and you people are the best and I expect this to be very rewarding.
    Please don't hesitate to reply question or critique as this is a brand new product and all input will be appreciated.
    Private message me or apply to join us in our crusade at- [email protected]
    P.S. I will open another thread to discuss Biota Booster. Thank you for your time :bow:
     
    Last edited: Dec 1, 2016
  2. Rick Larson

    Rick Larson Junior Member

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    Who is Peter? What is his business here in the states? Is this best applied in the spring? And can it be applied in the fall before the ground freezes?
     
  3. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    Peter is here-
    https://forums.permaculturenews.org/member.php?64098-Peter
    His business in the states is the Biotic group.
    It is best applied as a seed soak to ensure the vigor of the plants .
    the spring would next best to set them up for the growing season .
    I have no experience of freezing conditions and don't see any reason to apply microbes if they are not going to be utilized.
    Thanks for the questions!
     
  4. eco4560

    eco4560 New Member

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    Good luck Permasculptor - hope this is a huge success for you and for those that purchase the product. Is it just planned for larger scale use or will there be options for the home gardener as well?
     
  5. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    Thanks Eco
    Biota Booster is good for all plant growth except mushrooms. It will be invaluable to all types of agriculture, horticulture,home gardening,pots,flowers,balconies,nursery's etc.
    The 10 ml bottles I have will be big enough for home use or a 1 acre test plot for big AG, but I will supply any quantity desired.
    I will give you a sample next time I see you.
    I am expecting to give samples out to anyone who will give me good feedback or data or photographs I can use (positive or negative (if any)).
    Thank you for the question .
     
  6. Peter

    Peter Junior Member

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    There would be no reason to apply soil microbes in the fall as you are not going to be growing anything when the ground freezes over.
     
  7. NGcomm

    NGcomm Junior Member

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    perma - do you have any independant assessments about the rations of F:B in your brew (besides your above comment of 4 bacteria and 7 fungal types) plus the actual biology mix in the brew. I think it would be good to teach people first about the ratios from bare earth (F:B 0:1) up to large trees (F:B 100:1) otherwise people will simply be putting on a brew that may in fact provide the perfect vector for weeds (e.g. F:B 2:1 will provide a nice environment for nightshade whereas a lower fungal count will provide a vector for pattersons curse). Training is essential when it comes to the use of microbial mixes otherwise you are likely to create a negative view on an emerging industry, one with a great potential if managed well.

    May I suggest that by people educating themselves in what their soils are presently (have soil assays done by qualified labs), develop an appropriate biota compost and grow out the desired rations for what they want to grow on their property is a better strategy than a bottle full of biota that is just as likely to create positive or negative results depending on the starting soil and plants wanting to be grown. Another thing to note is that without the correct soil nutrients being available your biota will have nothing to eat and therefore any benefit available to the plants - also, without a correct protazoa balance no nitrogen will be available to the plants (as no bacteria will be consumed their N molecules will not be released when the protozoa picks up the carbon atom). And then again, they could just lay down a molassus mix which will grow out the bacteria exponentially if they are just doing grasses.

    PS - I do qualitive soil assessments and labs such as SoilFoodWeb Institute at the Southern Cross Uni at Lismore can do both biota and chemical qualitive soil assays. I/they can also create a mix that is developed specificly for the individual soil needs. I just mention that so you realise their are others that have been doing this for awhile and work with people from vineyards to industrial waste disposal companies to help them manage their microbial needs.....and yes, permaculturists too.
     
  8. permasculptor

    permasculptor Junior Member

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    Thank you for your questions and suggestions NGcomm. I cant answer you but I am hoping peter will soon.I am learning as I go.
     
  9. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    SoilFoodWeb Institute at the Southern Cross Uni at Lismore
    That's it! That's the name I was looking for :) These guys are awesome! They completely blew my mind :)
     
  10. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    20ml per hectare, per crop.

    You mention that it's best added at the seed stage. So at seed-planting, a diluted water mix is added to the hole? Is this an aerated brew?


    Can NGComm comment on what's present in healthy forest soil, say taken as a handful, and added to a planting hole away from, but nearby to the original location? Does that cover the local fungal and bacterial needs or does degraded grass-based soil need "pioneering species" of F/B to establish a healthy forest soil? Did that make sense?
     
  11. Peter

    Peter Junior Member

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    Hi Ngcomm,
    Permasculptor notified me about your post. Permasculptor is new to the industry and some of your points were out of his league (for the moment that is) so I have done my best to answer.
    By the way, thanks for your questions and statements as I believe the more people talk about microbes the closer we will get to educating more people and the reduction in chemical use.
    Re: Do you have any independent assessments about the rations of F:B in your brew:
    We have spent a lot of time researching and testing to find what we believe is the best range of microbes for various types of agriculture.
    Re: Teach people first about the F-B ratios:
    We are having enough problems teaching people the benefits of microbes to agriculture without trying to teach them about R-B ratios.
    Re: Training:
    We are more than willing to teach people the benefits, uses, and application of our microbial mixes but are not about to go on an Australia wide training program as it would be cost prohibitive.
    Re: Create a negative view:
    We are not about to crucify ourselves by creating any kind of negative view. Negativity has been, and still is, being created by some ruthless people/companies selling inferior products.
    Re: Soil assays:
    This is something the individual farmer needs to look at.
    Re: Negative results:
    We have never had any negative results. Our extensive research prior to release of any of our products obviously concentrated on the chances of negative results. Negative results would mean a negative business and that is not what we want.
    Re: Soil nutrients:
    You are right in saying the microbes need nutrients but I don’t agree with your remark they must have the ‘right’ nutrients.
    Re: Nitrogen:
    We have two nitrogen-fixing bacteria that will look after that side of things.
    Re: Molasses:
    We utilize Molasses mixed with one of our formulas for foliar spray.
    Re: Southern Cross Uni create a mix that is developed specifically for the individual soil needs:
    If you are talking about a microbe mix then all I can say is their mixes couldn’t run a place in a race with my microbe mixes.
    Thanks,
    Cheers
     
  12. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    Excuse me a second while I find a seat & grab some popcorn ... BRB ...
     
  13. songbird

    songbird Senior Member

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    when you are talking about bacterial counts in the billions for a handful of soil (and fungi in the millions) with many different species, i suspect a handful is plenty enough. the bacteria and fungi will be fed from the plant as it grows and as the rest of the surrounding soil critters start zeroing in on the new major benefactor (sugar daddy? :) ). if you can find healthy fruit trees to use soil from for your fruit trees that would likely be the best you can do.
     
  14. Peter

    Peter Junior Member

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    If you are planting manually then you can spray the internal of the hole but if you are planting mechanically then a water and Biota Booster mix should be sprayed on the surrounding soil.
    Healthy forest soil is great but it will not meet your needs for degraded soil.
    Cheers
     
  15. S.O.P

    S.O.P Moderator

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    I'd expect a handful would be too much but I used that as a measure of cliché. A dash, a sprinkle, a touch, 1 hefty dose...you get the idea.

    I also understand that if you have a healthy tree that more often than not, what you need in the soil is present or already present, but how could one be sure that the tree couldn't be doing better? Rhizobia, for example, can be present in the soil for up to 10 years after the plant it was symbiotic to has been removed.


    What's present in your brew that isn't present in healthy forest soil? What about difference in species of F/B between continents? Are you referring to my "pioneering F/B" comment, as in, your brew is better to turn degraded soil around than non-degraded?

    Rhizobia? If yes, symbiotic to which group of plants/species?
     
  16. NGcomm

    NGcomm Junior Member

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    Nice to see you had a 'snap' that turned some data into information for you Helen - very cool people at SoilFoodWeb, just finished a microscope workshop with them - very knowledgable and one of the few that seem to know what they are talking about re biota. The head of their crew is DR Elaine Ingham who has done some great brewing manuals and soil biota CD's/DVD's. Happy to help if you need some more info.
     
  17. Peter

    Peter Junior Member

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    It's not simply what is present in my formula, it's more like what is present in soils that healthy forest soils don't. Plus healthy forest soils haven't been degraded by chemcals as a lot of farm land has.
    My microbes will help both degraded and non-degraded soils.
     
  18. NGcomm

    NGcomm Junior Member

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    Hi S.O.P. Forest soil will usually be of a very high fungal to bacteria ration and will be useful for most deciduous trees (fruit bearing and larger nut trees). The key area is the rhizosphere (about 1mm around the root). So if you want a useful reaction make sure to water in deep to get the biota into the root area.

    For example, when I plant out my fruit trees I always mix a brew of around 25:1 fungus to bacteria and fill the hole with it, I also add mycorrhizae spores at this stage because they usually get broken up during the brewing process (they end up feeding the bacteria instead of the tree).

    The best thing to add, if you have access to, it is a piece of Turkey nest. They attract females by the quality of their nest which are very rich in fungus and provide an incredibly wide array of biota...all stewed at the correct temperature to attract the female as she knows her eggs will be well looked after. Put it in a bag and use an aerator to blow the biota off into the water - and fill your hole with it. However, if it is a grass based crop (anything that 'rots' instead of 'dries') then just use a molasses brew to stimulate the bacteria.
     
  19. helenlee

    helenlee Junior Member

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    Thank you :)

    I'm trying to remember the name of the dude who came out to Djanbung & did some lectures for us ... he was fabulous.
     
  20. NGcomm

    NGcomm Junior Member

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    Hey Peter and thanks for your response to my input.

    Without going into details about your response I think the easiest way to answer my questions is to provide me with a sample so I can have it tested qualitatively and quantitatively. Your response for a couple of my comments does not provide me with confidence about the product so the best way to resolve it instead of a to and fro is to do the science....instead of the marketing pitch :)
     

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