[Terrapreta] growing plants with charcoal

[Richard Haard]

reading list members

Below is an image of our charcoal as soil additive study at our  
nursery. Shown is one of our test subjects a local native shrub that  
we propagate and sell for riparian restoration projects. Black  
Twinberry, Lonicera involucrata. This plant was a 2 year old  
seedling, bareroot harvested and stems clipped to 6 inches before  
planting in the test bed 7 weeks ago.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1344/634886240_78b8dc7032_o.jpg

and our set of images on the 4CN charcoal project

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rchaard/sets/72157594444994347/

The charcoal in this test plot (charcoal 2) was prepared at our  
nursery from mostly alder cordwood. We had a proximate analysis on a  
sample of this charcoal at Hazen Labs. I sent in a sample with the  
fines and lumps as I applied it. Notice the ash is quite high. A  
considerable portion of this ' ash ' however is soil that  
contaminated the charcoal from our top draft earth covered pile


Proximate (.% )    As Recd		         Dry					Air Dry
Moisture 			34.47 			0.00				1.54
Ash 				27.70			42.26				41.61
Volatile 				  7.35			11.22				11.05
Fixed C 			30.48			46.52				45.80
Total 			     100.00			100.00				100.00

Lastly we had a surprise visitor to our farm this week and by  
coincidence when Larry and I were studying our plots. Sean Barry and  
his family on a vacation trip stopped by and we had a good ole time  
chatting about charcoal , our project and most everything under the sun

Rich Haard, Propagation Manager, Fourth Corner Nurseries
Bellingham, Washington



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