[Terrapreta] Soil microorganisms

[Tom Miles]

Richard's posts always send me to the library (online and offline) where I
usually discover some new interesting aspect of charcoal, soil and plants.
While looking for information on wildfires in forests I came across several
links which I added to the Terra Preta site under the general category of
"Forest Soils." See:
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/taxonomy/term/203/9

One interesting effect of charcoal after a wildfire is that it apparently
dilutes the phenols which are ordinarily allelopathic or prevent growth of
competing plants. The dilution and the nutrient holding properties of
charcoal apparently stimulate growth of plants that would ordinarily be
excluded. 

Several years ago we used straw sediment dams and grass seed to control
erosion on steep slopes following wildfires in  a local watershed. We seeded
late in the year just prior to some heavy rains. The growth of the grass was
far more abundant than we expected, or had previously seen, on the forest
soils. I wonder if the charcoal had other effects beyond the nutrients in
the ash available following the fire.    

Charcoal is also apparently compatible with ferns and other forest
understory plants of the kind we have in our area.

Aging the charcoal is also of interest. It tells me that I might be better
off to take my store of charcoal out of the bin and put it under the Douglas
fir trees until I relocate it to native plants which we inevitably add each
year. 

Lots to try if the "master" gardener will let me. (If I offend her then I'll
find myself in the street.) Experimentation at all levels should lead to
reasonably informed "collective wisdom" on this topic. The plants will tell
us when we've gone astray.     

Tom