[Terrapreta] Charcoal Injector

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Kurt,

I like your "driven" perspective.  I think you are too right about we need to get at it and put some charcoal down into some soils.  But, we do need to use "The Scientific Method"; pose a hypothesis, design an experiment with controls, clearly outline what is done and what is to be tested before the experiment is done, correctly observe and document the results.

Then repeat.  If a method shows promise, I literally mean repeat the same experiment (a few times) and make more and better observations those next times.  Write up a report for all experiments.  Post them here for "peer review".  Help anyone who wants to repeat any experiment you do; good results or bad.  Unless we do this like scientists, we do run a greater risk of convincing ourselves of what we want to see.

By reporting plans on experiments we want to do to the others here, they can help us form better experiments and we can avoid potentially unnecessary duplication of their work (this is beyond repetition, like beating a dead horse, so it is obvious that it's dead, when every one else has seen that is dead already).

SKB

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: rukurt at westnet.com.au<mailto:rukurt at westnet.com.au> 
  To: 'terrapreta'<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 11:10 PM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Charcoal Injector


  Hi folkes,

  I think Tom's response highlights a problem, in this place and also in 
  others, the Oil from Algae one for instance. We are still at a "suck it 
  and see" stage with terrapreta in non tropical areas, and, truth to 
  tell, in todays tropics as well. We need some practical experience in 
  what happens if you add charcoal to any sort of soil. Then look at what 
  you get and theorise from that. Too much intellectual carrying on, 
  before any black stuff hits the soil, too much attempted fine tuning, 
  before we know what we are tuning, is not going to help a lot.  Whack it 
  on and see what happens.

  I think the spike unit would work best, without disturbing the grass too 
  much, but Jeff is going to have heaps of fun coming up with a successful 
  suspension of fine dust charcoal in water. Boil it up with a whole lot 
  of cornflour to thicken it into a thin creamy soup? That'd also feed the 
  wee beasties a bit of  carbohydrate, which they might appreciate. Of 
  course, that *would* obscure the effect of the charcoal alone.

  Kurt




  Tom Miles wrote:
  > 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<http://www.iowaswitchgrass.com/> ) project anymore.   
  >
  >  
  >
  > Tom
  >
  >  
  >   


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