[Terrapreta] growth

[Robert Flanagan]

Dear Richard,

Thank you for supplying the data from your trial. From the little I know it
appears that not all fibrous materials appear to be good feedstocks for
biochar. Robert Hill found that he did not get the same positive effect when
he used his beneficial bacteria on charcoal produced from the mulberry bush.
There may also be a time factor as claimed by Bruno Glazer where it can take
two to three years before you see the full effect of the biochar? It should
be pointed out that you still did a good thing by fixing atmospheric carbon
in the form of charcoal and placing it in the soil should keep it stable for
many years to come.

I think this again point out how much we have yet to understand about
"Biochar" as it can be produced from so many different feedstocks. One
simple way to accumulate info is to get more people to conduct a simple pot
trial and submit a photo after 30days with details about the type of
charcoal used in your trial. All you have to do is set up six 1L pots and
mix about 10% by volume of biochar into three, then plant some thing fast
growing like corn.

Also if any one else has plot trials could they take a short clip and post
it on www.youtube.com so we can all take a look at the results with out
blocking up emails.

Kind regards,
Rob.


On 7/30/07, Richard Haard <richrd at nas.com> wrote:
>
> Some results from the 28 - 17 foot planting block experiment with
> charcoal, compost, fertilizer and permutations. at Fourth Corner
> Nurseries with swiss chard, a native aster and a woody shrub,
> Lonicera involucrata.
>
> Spent a few hours at the research plots today. Picked swiss chard and
> squash for dinner and farm crew.
>
> Above ground results so far (July 29) are as expected. Best is
> compost plus fertilizer with or without charcoal, next fertilizer
> with or without charcoal, next compost with or without charcoal and
> last control with or without charcoal. The only measurable
> differences in these sets is with the swiss chard.
>
> I decided to omit the urea treatment as soil analysis showed adequate
> nitrogen levels in both compost and  fertilizer treatment sets.
> Growth is very rapid now and I plan next week to harvest and blanch
> November.
>
> A first look at the soil analysis on samples collected end of June .
> Next samples will be taken for soil testing in November just before
> harvest. This set of samples is essentially at the beginning of the
> experiment about 6 weeks after plots were set up. 23 months to go
> before the experiment is finished.
>
> Total = 24 plots All OM= 5.04 (.72)  All N=14.7 (9.4)
>
> Total =  2 plots control OM = 4.6 (1.7)  N= 2.5 (.71)
> Total =  6 plots charcoal and control OM = 4.73 (.79)  N=5 (5.1)
> Total =  4 plots charcoal  OM = 4.8 (.27)  N= 6.25 (6.1)
>
>
> Total =   2 plots compost OM=5  (.57) N=10 (2.8)
> Total =   4 plots compost and charcoal OM=5.78  (.60) N=12.75 (3.4)
> Total =   4 plots compost and fertilizer and charcoal OM=5.5 (.34)
> N=19.25 (7.3)
> Total =   2 plots compost and fertilizer OM=5  (.42) N=34 (2.8)
>
> Total =  2 plots fertilizer OM= 4.65 (.77) N=20 (11.3)
> Total =  4 plots fertilizer and charcoal OM= 4.53 (.64)  N=16.75 (2.6)
>
> Key
>         OM= organic matter %
>         N= nitrate ppm
>         bracketed (__) = standard deviation (a statistical measure
> of variation between the set of samples)
>
> Considerable variation is noted in soil analysis numbers at either
> ends of test row hence an explanation of large variability seen in
> some sets.
>
> It is interesting to see the effect of compost ,fertilizer and
> charcoal additions on soil om and nitrate. Have not looked at this
> set of data yet on some of the other items of interest as CEC, and %
> base saturation.  There is essentially no difference between the
> treatments  in pH and buffer pH.
>
>
>
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>



-- 
Robert Flanagan
Chairman & President
Hangzhou Sustainable Agricultural Food & Fuel Enterprise Co., Ltd.

Tel:   86-571-881-850-67
Cell:  86-130-189-959-57
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