[Terrapreta] nitrogen fertility & terra preta

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Harmon,

Okay it is granted that industrial fertilizers like anhydrous ammonia will kill soil microorganisms.  Perhaps then natuural fertilizers like manure and animal urine might prove to be better additives with charcoal?  Maybe there are other less toxic forms of fertilizer that do not kill microbes?  or maybe industrial fertilizers can be applied a lower rates?  Perhaps the soil with charcoal and fertilizer in it could be inoculated with appropriate microorganisms sometime after the fertilizer is applied?

Regards,

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Harmon Seaver<mailto:hseaver at gmail.com> 
  To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 9:19 PM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] nitrogen fertility & terra preta


  Sean K. Barry wrote:
  > Hi 'terrapreta' list,
  >  
  > It is our hope that Terra Preta formation proves to make soil "hold" 
  > nutrients better than it would without the charcoal.  Urea in urine 
  > can be a significant source of nitrogen.  Currently, what is the 
  > requirement for nitrogen addtions to soil which is cropped?  Doesn't 
  > this depend on the crop?  How much anhydrous ammonia is applied per 
  > hectare or acre on average to agricultural land?  At what cost? How 
  > much of this nitrogen fertilization can be retained in the soil by 
  > adding charcoal?  It is presumed that the mechanism for this is that 
  > charcoal enhances the growth of soil microorganisms and these are what 
  > "hold" the nitrogen in the soil.  Does the kind of soil microorganisms 
  > that will do this matter?  Do they need to be "nitrogen-fixing" 
  > (Actinobacteria) and etc?
  >  
         If it the sold microorganisms that hold the nitrogen in the soil, 
  then using charcoal with chemical fertilizer would seem to be a waste of 
  time, since those same chemicals destroy natural soil fertility by 
  killing the native microorganisms.


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