[Terrapreta] Sustained Biochar

[Robert Klein]

I cannot help but think that the methods used to
produce the black soils must be self sustaining and
indigenous to the farm itself.  I also see the use of
fairly large pieces of charcoal that will be difficult
to pulverize properly.  Remember that grinding has a
natural sizing limit, past which a great deal of
effort is needed.

Without question the use of corn stover to build
natural earthen kilns is a great solution when we are
relying on hand labor alone.

See:http://globalwarming-arclein.blogspot.com/2007/07/carbonizing-corn-in-field.html

We also can conclude that corn stover is the best
available source of large volume biochar. It needs to
be central to any program simply to ensure 100%
coverage of the fields with sufficient biochar.

Is there a way to do this in the field with equipment?

Let us return first to best hand practice. From there
we can speculate on how this can be made easier with
power equipment.

We do not know how the Indians in the Amazon did this
but we certainly know how they grew corn everywhere
else.

In North America, they used a trinary system.

That meant that they cleared a seed hill, likely two
plus feet across, perhaps slightly raised, in which
they planted several corn seeds and also several
beans.  These hills would have been at least two feet
apart.  this means that twenty five percent of the
land was been cropped in this way.  They also planted
every few hills a few pumpkins.  This provided ground
cover for the seventy five percent of the land not
been directly cropped.

An interesting experiment would be to now grow alfalfa
in between the hills in order to fix nitrogen and
provide a late fall crop.  It unfortunately would
likely take too much water.

This Indian system is ideal for hand work and for the
production of terra preta by hand.

In September,after the corn,beans, and pumpkins are
picked, it is time to remove the drying corn stover
and bean waste.  The pumpkin waste will be trampled
into the ground fairly easily by now.

Hand pulling the stalks from one seed hill gives you a
nice bundle to carry off the field to where a earthen
beehive is built for the production of Terra preta.

How do we accomplish the same result with the use
equipment is a difficult question.  Using a stone boat
or wagon is obvious.  A hydraulic grabber of some sort
to pull the bunch associated with a hill would be very
helpful.  Tying the bundles would also be helpful.

This would allow two workers to clear a larger field
quite handily.

After the earthen field stack is set up, the rest is
fairly simple.  A wagon full of biochar is taken to
the field and each hill is replenished with biochar
before planting.  Still a lot of labor but much easier
than the most basic system.

To do this with row agriculture will mean the creation
of some fairly complex lifting and baling machinery. 
At least we are on the right track.





       
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