[Terrapreta] Charcoal, Earthworms and Switchgrass

[Larry Williams]

Kurt-------If strong winds aren't a problem you could consider  
leaving the charcoal on the soil's surface for two or more years so  
that the annual rains and earthworms can transfer the nutrients and  
critters. With this exception, you might consider: 1) mixing the  
charcoal with sand and soaking the charcoal in a compost tea of local  
garden weeds. A mixture of different species of weeds pull a variety  
of nutrients from the soil. Terra Preta seems to be a process of  
storing nutrients and some soil fauna on the charcoal's surface or in  
the chambers of the hardwood charcoal or 2) make a mixed pile of  
charcoal and weeds (minus serious invasives) or other green  
vegetation letting the pile set awhile. Wet as necessary for the  
plant cells to leach their contents to co-mingle with the charcoal  
and then spread the pile with a manure spreader. You could add sand  
if it helps the spreading. The latter suggestion might be easier. Ya  
know, you might just wet the pile with a compost tea. Let your mind  
wander as to...

Either with a soaking process or just spreading the dry crushed  
charcoal on the ground (allowing the earthworms to internally carry  
and impregnate the charcoal with critters)  your test squares your  
results can be useful to the small farmers and gardeners on this  
list. I see these test squares as suggesting where further research  
is needed. I wonder if specific case points to the general case or if  
the reverse is true.

I personally prefer using the earthworms. As a general reference, The  
Earth Moved by Amy Stewart (ISBN 1-56512-337-9) writes about the  
importance and movement of earthworms via human transport. We would  
do well to care for earthworms in our fields.

You do have earthworms, don't you? Is a switchgrass field to dry for  
earthworms?

Many thanks to the thoughtful comments on this list--------Larry



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	From: 	  teelws at jmu.edu
	Subject: 	Re: [Terrapreta] Charcoal Injector
	Date: 	April 11, 2007 3:06:10 AM PDT

All,

Getting charcoal into a perennial agricultural system is a
fascinating problem, but maybe one where we don't have to do
much work.  Generally perennial systems, especially those
with some plant diversity, promote a high population of
worms that move organic material throughout the upper soil
profile, and sometimes even into the B-horizon.  If you were
to spread finely crushed char, not just dust, but the
largest particles about 2mm in diameter, mixed with compost
or mulching materials, worms would surface to feed from the
bottom carrying the char into the profile.  In this way you
would not have to use fossil fuels to do the work.  If you
can rely on nature, why not?  It does call for some
experimental work in a switchgrass or other perennial system
to test, but the result could be telling for a broad swath
of the landscape.

Wayne Teel - JMU



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From: 	  rukurt at westnet.com.au
	Subject: 	Re: [Terrapreta] Charcoal Injector
	Date: 	April 10, 2007 9:10:48 PM PDT

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



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