[Terrapreta] Marketing comment for TP. (was volatile matter and char)

[Brian Hans]

If I could put on my marketing hat. I agree with Greg (or April) that a higher value than soil or carbon sink is needed for TP to make much of an entrance. I think soilless mix might be one way to offer that higher value product with large market to base a solid business plan on. 
   
  There is nothing good about soilless mix's, except its functionality. Its ATM carbon positive from the peat and the perlite/other processing. Its dirty because of how they make the perlite and mine the peat. A very large energy footprint because perlite and shipping from north to south. Its inert. Its not renewable. Its pH sux. Its relatively short lived. Its starting to get expensive because of shipping and handling. The farther away one gets from the sources of peat, the more expensive it is to source that material (which means the more south you go, the more expenisive the good stuff like Berger is). Its only good because its the same everytime with some specific properties (that are easily copied). 
   
  TP could offer some real advantages by being the complete opposite of many of the above issues with many of the same benefits. By discribing the pain and offering economic solutions, this is how TP gets off the ground. That picture of Dr. Antol's Orchid flowering in his char comes to mind. 
   
  FYI, in the local chain garden center, one can buy 2.2lbs of Horticulture charcoal for $4 ($4000/t). Berger 3.8yd soilless mix B1 = $21 wholesale (~$700/t).  B2 and higher = more. And I hear the price is going up because e' costs along the supply chain. 
   
  Just my 2 pennies worth...
  Brian 
   
  

Greg and April <gregandapril at earthlink.net> wrote:
            

   
  Personally, I believe that modern Terra Preta technology is probably going to be mass used and perfected in green houses before the average farmer will use it.
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