[Terrapreta] Charcoal Injector

[Tom Miles]

Sean, Jeff,

 

Let me ask some fundamental questions like:

 

What function would charcoal play to improve growth in switchgrass? Would it
improve yields? If so how?

 

Where, how much and in what form should charcoal be applied? A simple slot
injection between "rows" might work if it puts it in the right place. 

 

Would charcoal use reduce the amount of fertilizer used for the same yield?

 

Too bad we don't have a budget for the agronomic work in the Chariton Valley
Biomass Project ( www.iowaswitchgrass.com ) project anymore.   

 

Tom

 

 

From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Sean K. Barry
Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 7:31 PM
To: Jeff Davis
Cc: terrapreta
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Charcoal Injector

 

Hi Jeff,

 

I can't say that I know anything about this.  I would think, though, that
one could find a way to inject charcoal into the slot provided by a chisel
plow, behind it for instance (if you even use this form of "low till"
practice).  Anhydrous ammonia injection is of a liquid.  Possibly, you could
pulverize charcoal into very fine dust, mix it with water, and inject it
also as a liquid with the same or similar equipment?  Barring that, I would
say that the charcoal needs to be "tilled"/"cultivated" into the soil.
Most, I think, consider incorporation to the depth of the root zone is ideal
and sufficient (scary when you consider that alfalfa can root 15 feet
deep?!).  Is it possible that the switch grass can survive being "tilled"
with charcoal into the soil?  Maybe you could wait to let it go to seed,
till the charcoal in then, water the shit out of it, and when the sprouts
pop, put a little fertilizer on it?

 

The "SPIKE" or the "NO TILL" injectors from NUHN look like the ticket for
doing what you want to do.  I think you just need to make the charcoal into
a liquid "slurry" maybe to use it in those equipment.

 

Just some ideas.

 

SKB

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Jeff Davis <mailto:jeff0124 at velocity.net>  

To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org 

Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 8:51 PM

Subject: [Terrapreta] Charcoal Injector

 

Dear List,

Being a switchgrass grower I would not want to plow up the grass in order
to add charcoal to the soil. I do not think that adding it to the top of
the grass would do much.

I do not know anything about these injectors so does anybody know if the
below machines would inject charcoal into the soil but not damage the
grass:

http://www.nuhn.ca/prod_injector.html


Jeff






-- 
Jeff Davis

Some where 20 miles south of Lake Erie, USA

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