[Terrapreta] Greetings

[adkarve]

Dear Juergen,
Do not apply compost to the soil.  On the one hand, agronomists tell us to
apply organic matter to the soil in order to feed  the soil micro-organisms,
but on the other hand, they ask us to compost the biomass before applying it
to the soil. The nutritional value of the biomass is lost in the process of
composting. Also, while recommending the dose of compost to be applied,
agronomists calculate it according to the N.P and K content of the compost
and not according to the nutritional calories in the compost. We found in
our experiments that non-composted green leaves, applied at the rate of 125
kg per ha, once every 2 to 3 months, gives as high yield from crops as
application of recommended doses of chemical fertilizers.  Even in the case
of dung, we found that relatively small quantities of dung are highly
effective, if the dung is applied in the raw and non-composted form.  Dung
consists partly of lignin (which can be digested neither by herbivorous
animals nor by the anaerobic bacteria in their guts) and partly of a large
number of bacteria. Both the lignin and the dung bacteria serve as food for
the soil bacteria. By composting dung, we unnecessarily rob the soil
micro-organisms of nutrition.
Yours
A.D.Karve

----- Original Message -----
From: Juergen Botz <jurgen at botz.org>
To: <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
Sent: Wednesday, April 18, 2007 5:45 PM
Subject: [Terrapreta] Greetings


> Hello, all.  I just joined the list, glad to see it so lively!
>
> To introduce myself... about a year ago I acquired a small farm
> in coastal Bahia, Brazil.
>
> The land is 2/3 secondary growth Atlantic rain forest, the other
> 1/3 is partially planted with coconut palms and pineapple, plus
> various fruits and plenty of manioca.  Unplanted areas that
> aren't forest are heavily overgrown with dense brush.  The
> subsoil is nutrient-poor loam, often highly compacted.  In most
> spots there's a layer of anywhere from an inch to a foot that
> has a significant amount of organic matter, and yes, quite a bit
> of charcoal.
>
> The charcoal doesn't seem to have been deliberately incorporated...
> rather, the area has been cleared by fire a couple of times in
> the past and because of the high humidity here that leaves a
> lot of charred matter.
>
> I am experimenting with various natural farming and permaculture
> techniques here, and my main goal right now is to get the soil
> in better shape.  That means breaking up the compacted subsoil,
> adding organic matter, adding more charcoal to stabilize it and
> reduce future compaction, planting various leguminous trees and
> ground covers, and of course building up a layer of humus.
>
> I have a source of humus and wood for charcoal in the forest.
> I've also been making large quantities of compost from a mixture
> of wood- chips, manure, and seaweeds raked up at the beach.  I'm
> thinking of adding charcoal to this mix right from the start of
> composting.
>
> One of the things that led me to this list was that I was
> scouring the Net for info on small-scale charcoal production.
> I found a bunch, and I found this list.  I think I'll be trying
> some pit-kiln variation shortly, and in the longer run I may
> build something like the adam retort.
>
> :j
>
>
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