[Terrapreta] The new "Black Gold" is already on sale in Indonesia!

[Tom Miles]

David,

 

You write, ".even as acid fertilizers and acid rain degrade soil microbe
communities and sterilize the soil food web."

 

I have not seen the impact of acid fertilizers on microorganisms discussed
in relation to terra preta. The focus in literature has been on nutrient
retention by terra preta soils compared with high rates of leaching on poor
quality soils.  ( See, for example, Lehmann, Managing Terra preta nova in
the Central Amazon
http://www.geo.uni-bayreuth.de/bodenkunde/terra_preta/Lehmann_Abstract.html
). 

 

For soils that have had steady applications of acid fertilizer on modern
crops and will continue to use acid fertilizer what would you expect the
effect of charcoal addition to be? Would it buffer the acid fertilizer and
improve the habitat for microbes? Or would the impact be short lived?

 

I have had limited experience with measuring nutrient through multiyear
foliar analysis but I have seen that to maintain productivity you have to
keep feeding the plants in some form. When we tested soil amendments with
different nutrient contents and demands (sawdust, straw, mushroom compost)
we found that over time they all had about the same nutritional requirements
to maintain plant (blueberry) health. The compost just gives a shot and
looks great the first year then it needs added nutrients. Terra preta
promises to have a more lasting effect. Will we need to buy Robert's Black
Gold every year? If so then what is the effect of the charcoal?

 

Tom Miles

 

 

 

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