[Terrapreta] Terra preta 101

[Jon C. Frank]

MB>
  a.. How to incorporate it into soil
Seems it's best not to disturb soil to much. The "wee beasties" don't like
there homes ripped up.

On row crops I would suggest working charcoal into the soil.  Carbon tends
to rise in soils.  Working the soil also adds oxygen which benefites aerobic
bacteria.  Also working it into the soil gets the charcoal in better contact
with the soil which should increase the interactions between the biology,
soil nutrients, and the charcoal.

Jon
  -----Original Message-----
  From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org]On Behalf Of Michael Bailes
  Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2007 10:04 PM
  To: terrapreta
  Cc: Elizabeth
  Subject: [Terrapreta] Terra preta 101


  Kevin apologies not needed.
  Sometimes my style reads a bit brusque but actually I only really get
angry about politics or religion.
  In these cases I am always right; with Terra preta we are all learning

  Now
  I grew up in a pre-google world.
  I am amazed that people can't use it as a research tool!
   You have no idea how time consuming research was in libraries with paper
journals, huge indexes  and pen & paper. It took days to find one relevant
article.
  .
  If I am brusque her forgive me I have been up 48 hours getting my daughter
to London
  but a bit of spoon feeding seems necessary
  To answer questions asked:-

    a.. Where to get the right charcoal
  Try the phone book;. charcoal is charcoal;. the Amazonian Indians used
hardwood.
  Make it youself see this list, hypography and stoves list.

    a.. What qualities to look for
  Ideally look for charcoal made at low temps that retain bio-ois (c 350-
450 C)
  Bio oils/resins encourage microbiological growth
  Environmentally pyrolysis is the most environmentally friendly way of
making char.
  Making yourself makes smoke (bad) and wastes energy
  See some of the info on the IAI site (Esp. the poster presentations).
  I was most amazed by the way they were making charcoal in western
Australia - not  the best way

    a.. What are reasonable costs
  At the moment outrageous $1-2,000+ a tonne.
  But you want to do your bit to sequester CO2 don't you?
  Hopefully firms like BEST Energies will get some of their big pyrolysis is
systems on line then you would be looking at c$ AUS $150--$300 a tonne at
the site + transport costs

    a.. How much per acre
  Depends a bit on your soil pH. The Japanese have along term 10 year
experiment going on Tea (Carmelia  trees). They have found applying 100g
grams, per tree, per square meter, per year; resulted in 40% better growth
after 4 years.
  They will be posting more results as the experiment progresses. Apart from
archeological theory, speculation and intelligent guesses; long term studies
of Terra preta are thin on the ground
  I would start with that amount and keep taking pH readings. You might find
they vary greatly over time
  Charcoal will lower pH. Ash will lower it drastically

    a.. How to incorporate it into soil
  Seems it's best not to disturb soil to much. The "wee beasties" don't like
there homes ripped up.

    a.. How to modify conventional fertilizer practices
  Your soil should hold conventional fertilisers better. However it has been
found that some chemical fertilisers inhibit bacterial growth. So go organic
if you can . A high level of soil organic matter  (SOM) is important

    a.. How to manage for the long-term
  Keep testing soil pH, start reducing chemical fertiliser, use as much
organic matter as you can lay your hands on. Anything that was once alive
will do.

    a.. How to assure effective microbial inoculation
  This will happen naturally.but  you can buy soil "critters" especially
from big organic garden supplies
  How much to use?  No one knows. The bugs are too numerous, the
interactions too dynamic and interrelated, and often the recalciterant bugs
refuse to grow in a lab petri dish
  Soil critters are probably the greatest weight of life on the planet

    a.. What are the national permit and legislation aspects
  You can look this up. Why should there be legislation?
  If anyone objects tell them you had a persticde spill and are soaking it
up with charcoal!
  (See the product "Pick Up" from Barmac)

    a.. What are the application follow up control practices
  Remember that there are at least three sides to Terra preta - the clay,
SOM, and Char. All three are needed.
  Have a look at my posts on clay (& zeolite)

    a.. What are the comprehensive environmental and human health safety
aspects (life cycle analyses)
  Well you can eat charcoal, you can't eat fertiliser.
  Environmentally you should save water and reduce fertilser run-off into
creeks and rivers
  You also sequester CO2 probably for a lot longer than pumping it back down
gas or oil holes.

  Now I'm going to bed..
  Happy researching


  --
  Michael the Archangel
  Moderator TP list
  "You can fix all the world's problems in a garden. . . .
  Most people don't know that"
  FROM
  http://www.blog.thesietch.org/wp-content/permaculture.swf
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