[Terrapreta] growth

[Edward Someus]

Hello Richard, 
 
What dosis are using for charcoal to mix into the soil? What grain size? 
What is the organic volatile residual content in the char? Is that hard wood
or soft wood you are using for  char? 
What is your irrigation programme during tests?  
Tks
 

Sincerely yours: Edward Someus (environmental engineer)
Terra Humana Clean Technology Engineering Ltd. 
(ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified organization for scientific research,
technical development and industrial performance engineering design of
agro-biotechnological and pyrolysis methods, apparatus and applications) 

ADDRESS: H-1222 Budapest, Szechenyi 59, Hungary
TEL handy:  +(36-20) 201 7557
TEL / FAX:   +(36-1) 424 0224
TEL SKYPE phone via computer:  Edward Someus
WEB:   www.terrenum.net 
 
 
 
-------Original Message-------
 
From: Richard Haard
Date: 2007.07.30. 4:40:05
To: Robert Flanagan
Cc: Todd Jones;  terrapreta at bioenergylists.org;  Veronica Wisniewski
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] growth
 
Hello Robert 


Thanks for the comment


I had initially planned to set up a pot experiment with our farm soil in
some 200+ 3 gallon pots. Trouble is it set up like cement while testing the
soil/charcoal mixes. My motivation beyond testing the use of charcoal is to
study our soil management practices at our nursery. The test duplicates our
normal practices. 


Over past 4 years I have conducted soil tests with charcoal and charcoal
inocculation with Frankia and others but never really had controlled plots. 


Our charcoal is from 2 known sources with proximate analysis completed. I
have abundant supplies of these charcoals to conduct additional tests and as
the test plots will be harvested in November with a lifter-shaker the soils
will remain intact so I plan to replant with a fall planting of a nitrogen
loving shrub, Oemleria cerasiformis and no additional fertilizer or compost.







I agree 

On Jul 29, 2007, at 7:13 PM, Robert Flanagan wrote:


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. 



_______________________________________________
Terrapreta mailing list
Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
http://info.bioenergylists.org 




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

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


 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/terrapreta_bioenergylists.org/attachments/20070731/248f3a1b/attachment.html 
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 1458 bytes
Desc: not available
Url : /pipermail/terrapreta_bioenergylists.org/attachments/20070731/248f3a1b/attachment.jpe