Actinovate Shelf Life

[chalstonsc]

This year I noticed my package of Actinovate from last year had a "Use by 4/17/10" sticker on it. The website states 12 month shelf life.

I hate to waste anything and I could probably make it through the season this year with what I have. Would that be a mistake and endanger my anti-fungal campaign? Or could that date be like other package "best-by" dates and be purposefully over-conservative? Anybody know for sure or be willing guide me, one way or the other?

[amideutch]

From what I've been told microbial products loose about 10% effectiveness per year. Go ahead and shoot Boomer an e-mail and ask the question. He's also a member of TV. Ami

Boomer Cardinale
boomer@naturalindustries.com

[rnewste]

Ami,

Do you see any conflict with using BiotaMax in addition to Actinovate?

Ray

[amideutch]

No Ray. I think they should work well together. Were you planning on adding it to the tainers or using it as a foliar. My plans for my plant outs was to mix the BiotaMax with Actinovate and Mycogrow soluable in water and dip each one of my plants into the solution prior to planting in my containers and raised bed at work.
If I do use it as a foliar this season it will be added with the Actinovate to my microbe tea prior to the 24 hr. brew cycle and applied with a hose end sprayer to the plants. Ami

[rnewste]

Thanks Ami,

I am planning to do a soil drench of Exel LG soon, then I was planning on a second soil drench with the BiotaMax treatment. How long should I wait until after the Exel LG drench to apply the BiotaMax?

Raybo

[beeman]

Originally Posted by amideutch

If I do use it as a foliar this season it will be added with the Actinovate to my microbe tea prior to the 24 hr. brew cycle and applied with a hose end sprayer to the plants. Ami

I did question this with a supplier and was advised to add after the brew rather than before.

[amideutch]

Ray, have you done a soil drench using Exel LG before? Ami

[amideutch]

beeman, the Microbe Tea I'm referring to is made by T&J enterprises. It is not compost tea as some people believe. Here are the ingredients. Ami

Our microbe tea contains a number of bacteria and fungi. Bacillus sp, Lacto Bacillus sp, Azotobacter, Rhizobium sp, pediococcus sp, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Trichoderma Sp, Aspergillus Sp, soluble kelp, molasses, sucrose, powdered minerals: lime, SRP, gypsum, trace minerals, and powdered organic materials.

[rnewste]

Originally Posted by amideutch

Ray, have you done a soil drench using Exel LG before? Ami

Ami,

Last Season, I did a 1 oz. Exel LG to a gallon of water ratio, soil drench. Not sure how effective this was, but it seemed to do no harm.

Raybo

[chalstonsc]

Ami,
Thanks for answering. I did send a private message to Boomer via Tomatoville but have not yet heard back.

Ami and Raybo,
I grow in what has to be one of the worst environments for disease due to the heat and humidity, so am interested in protection/prevention. Can you elaborate on what you expect to gain by adding the Biotamax and Exel to the Actinovate, myco and microbe tea...I know you're looking for more protection in general, but are you doing this based specific ingredient information/specifications? Experimenting?, or have you or others found additional usefulness in past years? I tried Containerted's Biotone in my seedling mix this year and my seedlings were and (now transplanted) are more robust than any I've ever had...I also gave them a drench of Actinovate and Mycogrow at plantout. As I said, I'm very interested in protection and prevention, but am wondering if there might be duplication, if any, or diminishing returns to what I've done so far. Thanks.
Tom

[amideutch]

Tom, I can see where it might be confusing when I talk with Ray or other members concerning these products. We are trying to come up with a regimen that gives the best results. The one key point to remember is compatibility of the different products especially when talking about microbial inoculants or Rizobacteria and fungi which are your mycorrhizae.
Mycogrow is a mix of mycorrhizae and bacteria that work both sides of the fence in that they promote nutrient exchange between the earth and the roots while others aid in fighting off disease.
Actinovate consists of the bacteria Stretomyces lydicus strain WYEC 108 which is effectice against several fungal diseases. Myco Grow also has Stretomyces lydicus but not the 108 strain.
The reason for my question to Ray concerning EXEL LG is I'm not sure about what effects Mono and Di-potassium salts of Phosphorous acid have on the fungi and bacteria we are putting in the soil. For this reason I only use EXEL LG as a foliar application and alternate it with Actionvate and Azoxystrobin which are my foliar controls for disease. Another words I don't want to negate the effects of the other products by mixing them together so that is why I stagger their application.
The microbe tea is a convenient way to apply my Actinovate and feed the plants at the same time.
So, right now with your Actinovate-Mycogrow drench during plant out you have pretty much taken care of the below ground stuff, now you need to worry about the above ground disease prevention and foliar feed if you choose to do so. I would use EXEL-LG by it's self and if you choose to use Actinovate I see no reason why it could not be mixed with Biota Max if you want to use it also. It wouldn't hurt to use Biota Max as a one time drench either as it should work with the MycoGrow as well as the Actinovate which you have already applied at plant out.
Hope this answers your questions and if you have anymore feel free to ask. Ami

PS-I sent Boomer an e-mail and he will reply to your PM as soon as he gets back from a road trip.

[chalstonsc]

Ami,
Thanks very much for the above....I get it all better now. You've found from using both that the Exel provides protection against disease types that spraying with Actinovate does not provide....correct? Or does the Exel improve the effectiveness of the Actinovate? Have you used the Biota Max before? Am I correct that the reason to use Biota Max would be because it contains different types of beneficials, that together with Myco and Actinovate, should provide better prevention?
Thanks, and thanks with Boomer.
Tom

[rnewste]

Ami,

Thanks for clarifying the interaction issue between Exel LG and the soil already treated with Actinovate. I hope Boomer can add some to this. The Exel LG Instructions do not give any warnings re: use as a soil drench and the potential negative impacts on the Mycos.

Raybo

[amideutch]

Tom, Actinovate and Exel fight disease in different ways. Actinovate uses a biological mode to attack disease and is a contact fungicide that remains on the plant surface where Exel (Phosphonic Acid) uses a chemical mode to fight disease plus it also works as a systemic where it moves through the plants vascular tissue. The link below gives a pretty good explanation on how fungus and fungicides work.

My interest in Biota Max is more from the biofertilizer aspect and using it as a soil application because of the Paenibacillus polymyxa bateria it contains which I explained in the Biota Max thread Ray started. I have not used Biota Max before and this will be the first time as I will incorporate it in the pre-plant dip which will have Actinovate and MycoGrow as well.

So as I said before I will use Exel LG (Agri-Fos) only as a Foliar and by itself until I find out what it's interaction with biopesticides and biofertilizers are. So by staggering the application of the different products each one can do it's thing and not negate the effects of the other. If you choose to use Biota Max and Actinovate together I see no problem as they consist of bacteria and should work together. Might need to ask Boomer on the compatibility of Actinovate and BM to be on the safe side.

Ray, I'm going to send the folks at Fungi Perfecti and Boomer concerning what effects if any Exel LG will have on their products. Also the folks at Custom Bio.

http://www.hort.wisc.edu/cran/pubs_a...es_McManus.pdf

[amideutch]

I have sent e-mails to Boomer at NaturalIndustries, Fungi Perfecti and Biota Max concerning their products compatibility to phosphorous acid (phosphonic acid) products. Agri-Fos and Exel LG to be more specific. Until we find out I would not use either product as a soil drench when the soil has already been inoculated previously with mycorrhiza or other beneficial bacteria. I think between the 3 of them we should get a pretty definitive answer. Ami