[Terrapreta] Debate: "nobody knows for sure what the "best" (or right) kind of charcoal is

[David Yarrow]

this is nonsense all over again.

think positive.  speak in an affirmative.  what do we know about char and soil?

i have a perfectly usable 40 pound bag of oak hardwood charcoal sitting on the front seat of my car right now.  got it at my food coop.  it's like a giant loaf of stale bread.  although more inert than alive, it will add great qualities to my soil, but it could be better.

maybe this fall, i will help fire up half a dozen pyrolytic ovens and bake some fresh char -- fuming hot volatile vapors and oozing organic acids and elements.  fresh bread.  yum for soil scum -- wee beatie bacteria, fungi and mycorhyzae.

if i shop for char, where do i find it?  what do i look for?  brandnames, tradenames, or product classification?

if i cook my own char, how do i do it?  what am i making?  how do i use it?  where do i find or build equipment?

no data, ideology and argument.  just simple, practical instructions and guidelines.  maybe a bit of system design, and a foldout page "how to do your own science at home."

write em down, edit em together, polish the presentation & layout.  print it.

David Yarrow
"If yer not forest, yer against us."
Turtle EyeLand Sanctuary
44 Gilligan Road, East Greenbush, NY 12061
dyarrow at nycap.rr.com
www.championtrees.org
www.OnondagaLakePeaceFestival.org
www.citizenre.com/dyarrow/
www.farmandfood.org
www.SeaAgri.com
 
"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, 
if one only remembers to turn on the light."  
-Albus Dumbledore
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Rob 
  To: Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org 
  Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2007 2:42 AM
  Subject: [Terrapreta] Debate: "nobody knows for sure what the "best" (or right) kind of charcoal is


  Hi all,

  RE: "nobody knows for sure what the "best" (or right) kind of charcoal is

  I have been reading this list for about a month, and am not sufficiently expert to make an informed comment
  on the technical side.

  However, in relation to the debate:

  "nobody knows for sure what the "best" (or right) kind of charcoal is

  per chance today had a half hour discussion with Prof. Johannes Lehmann (Cornell)
  http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/cvjohannes.htm
  in Adelaide, Australia where he is presenting at a soils conference, and we discussed exactly that point.

  Dr. Lehmann said words to the effect, "nobody knows for sure what the "best" (or right) kind of charcoal is.

  In particular, he indicated (as far as I understood him to say) as yet no-one was really sure: 
  (1) what were the relative benefits of the different types of feed stock and cooking temp;
  (2) what was the optimum and most cost-effective application rate,
  and he indicated those factors will be influenced by (A) the soil type and (B) its pre-existent nutrition content, and further 
  (3) no-one was yet quite sure what fertilizers will work best with what types of bio-char. 

  He indicated this was all being researched now. So for what it is worth my understanding is the current state of research is that those questions are yet to be fully answered, and when they are answered, those answers will not be generic and will specifically relate to soil types which vary from place to place.

  The book mentioned in the post due in 2008 might be this:
  http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/lehmann/biochar/Book/Biochar_book_publication.htm
  of which Dr. Lehmann is a co-editor. Perhaps by 2008 some of those questions may be settled or better understood, but I am not sure they
  are now.

  Anyway that was my understanding of Dr. Lehmann's answer to practically the same question I asked just a few hours ago.

  Rob Wyly

  Message: 4
  Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2007 02:48:53 +0200 (Közép-európai nyári idõ)
  From: "Edward Someus" <edward at terrenum.net>
  Subject: [Terrapreta] Terra Preta CHAR QTY
  To: "Kevin Chisholm" <kchisholm at ca.inter.net>, "terrapreta"
  <terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>, "Sean K. Barry" <sean.barry at juno.com>
  Message-ID: <46F85AF5.000014.02492 at TERRA-16190F9E7>
  Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

  Short notice on char QTY and VM: .............."nobody knows for sure what
  the "best" (or right) kind of charcoal is".........higher VM content .......
  .....is better" char to use for a soil amendment to help plants "

  .............."nobody knows for sure what the "best" (or right) kind of
  charcoal is".........YES WE KNOW IT EXACTLY. This is already evaluated and
  developed. Scientific + product publication will be made on this in 2008. 


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