[Terrapreta] Tom wrote

[Jeff Davis]

Dear Tom and All,


Tom wrote:
>We found harvesting switchgrass in Iowa that the argument for Spring
>harvest to reduce ash falls apart for practical reasons. You can't
depend >on the ground being solid enough in Spring to complete the
harvest.

I also cannot spring harvest because of the floods. Even have to be
careful of the fall harvest!

But if it were not for the floods I see no problem. Switchgrass (Shelter)
doesn’t seem to start growing until June so the soil has lots of time to
firm up before that. Also not everybody in the world has heavy machinery.
The first year I used my golf cart, trailer and pitchfork. But did use the
M to rake.


Tom also wrote:
>I am particularly concerned about the effect on water in soil of char made
>from low density crop residues. Pyrolysis of switchgrass suggests that it
>is not useful for activated carbon. I have not seen examples of
switchgrass
>char being used for TP


There’s a lot of meat on the bones of this question. If true switchgrass
should never be burned!


Best wishes,

Jeff

-- 
Jeff Davis

Some where 20 miles south of Lake Erie, USA