Anodyne Posted May 18, 2013 (edited) This one's a bit of a weird giveaway, but I was just so blown away by my research into these that I wanted to share. The product is a mixture of nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Azotobacter sp.), which are used in organic farming, and in developing countries to reduce fertiliser costs. I was very interested in them after reading reports of boosted alkaloid yields in medicinal crops. There are many things which make these little critters awesome: *they improve germination rates, growth rates, fruit/grain yields and alkaloid content. From what I can make out you could expect a 10-50% increase in all of these factors even if you made no other improvements. If you added extra nitrogenous fertiliser, other beneficial microbes, or made other soil improvements, those increases might be even greater. One study reported almost triple the yield of a particular alkaloid in one species! *they produce a range of plant growth hormones, including auxins, cytokinins and gibberellic acid. *they are free-living nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria, which means they don't need symbiotic legume root-nodules like Rhizobium bacteria, but instead just live directly in the soil. *they release mucilage which aids water retention & helps to stop soil from becoming hydrophobic. The CSIRO has tested azo's in Australian soils with improvements lasting at least 3-4 years after a single application. *there are also reports of improved disease-resistance in plants growing in azo-inoculated soil I was originally thinking of dividing it up into 20-30ml amounts, but I found a box of 10ml centrifuge vials, so it's going into them instead. 10ml should still be plenty - according to the product info sheet that's enough to treat 100 square metres of soil or 2kg of seeds - but if anyone can use more, or wants to give some to their friends or whatever, just ask for a few vials. I'll probably have about 700ml to spare. Here is the link to the product info. I won't link to any more studies because there are simply too many of them, but similar products have been used for decades with good results. I was discussing a few trials that looked at increasing alkaloid yields in this thread, so if I come across more cool studies I might link to them there. I have read that they don't like waterlogged or totally nutrient-deficient soils (the bacteria need some micronutrients to thrive), but otherwise aren't too fussy. They don't require "activation", or pre-application culturing like some products - they are just added directly to the soil or seeds, or diluted and used as a dip for seedlings and cuttings. Some trials in India were mixing the azos into well-broken-down manure for broadcasting into fields - partly for easier handling/dispersal and partly for extra nutrients - which sounded like a good method. Another study mixed them with finely-ground charcoal for dusting seeds & reported better results (germination & growth rates) than direct application, so apparently they like a carbon source as well. Edited May 18, 2013 by Anodyne 10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stillman Posted May 18, 2013 (edited) pmd Edited May 18, 2013 by Stillman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
waterboy 2.0 Posted May 18, 2013 bring on the rhizosphere of power...lol 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simhanada Posted May 18, 2013 (edited) sounds awesome. pmd. Edited May 18, 2013 by simhanada Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
simhanada Posted May 18, 2013 will be interesting comparing and combining against things like gogo juice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
endorfinder Posted May 18, 2013 want want want... i'm horribly behind on trades but this sounds fantastic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrp11 Posted May 18, 2013 Sounds like promising stuff,very generous of you. Pmed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
niggles Posted May 18, 2013 I would love to try some! I was about to order some 'soil' probiotic stuff from these guys: http://www.probioticsolutions.com.au/Agricultural-Products but I would like to try yours. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Halcyon Daze Posted May 18, 2013 (edited) apparently they like a carbon source as well. I was just thinking of inoculating a nicely decomposed pile of mulch before I go n spread it around the place Edited May 18, 2013 by Halcyon Daze Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted May 18, 2013 Whoops, just realised I made a major typo: according to the product info sheet that's enough to treat 10 square metres of soil or 2kg of seeds That should actually have been "100 square metres" - I've corrected the OP. Only about 200mL claimed so far, plenty to spare, don't be shy folks! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
whitewind Posted May 18, 2013 Uh wow okay would love some pleasuls will pm Amazing giveaway Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
altenate Posted May 18, 2013 Yes please, would love to try that. Thanks a bunch Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NotJohn Posted May 19, 2013 Would love to experiment.Pm sent Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted May 20, 2013 Any left? I'd love to try some Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
irabionist Posted May 20, 2013 I'll grab some if there is any left over! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anodyne Posted May 21, 2013 (edited) Yep, plenty left. I was planning to send out a batch today, but have been a bit under the weather and didn't get it finished in time for the post office. So they'll be going out sometime later this week when I have time to finish the job. Sorry bout that. Everyone who has already sent me their address will have theirs sent in that batch, otherwise it'll be sent next week or something - should have some more time then. No one is in danger of missing out yet though, less than half the total is spoken for so far. Edited May 21, 2013 by Anodyne Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
