[Terrapreta] no instantaneousness = no overnight

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear Michael

Michael Bailes wrote:
> I worry a little when we just talk about Char as it is the total TP story.
> Certainly it is the part of TP that western agriculture that has 
> ignored, up to now.
> However worms have to eat something and that means SOM, unless someone 
> discovers they eat glomalin or some similar substance produced by the 
> catalyst effect of char.

Very interesting observation!! I wonder if the charcoal protects 
Glomalin from such "earthworm predators. I wonder also if there is some 
other "second layer effect" with Humic and Fulvic Acids.

Earthworms make "earthworm castings." Glomalin makes soil aggregates. Do 
earthworm castings retain their structure as well as the aggregates made 
using Glomalin? Will earthworms eat charcoal of ingestible size or avoid it?

In one of my next lives, I'm going to apply to be a Soil Scientist. :-)

Kevin


>
> With dry soils with 3% organic matter ,Australian soils are not going 
> to feed too many worms.
> m
>
> 2008/6/2 folke Günther <folkeg at gmail.com <mailto:folkeg at gmail.com>>:
>
>
>         * *onths)* There will be a very fast increase in the earthworm
>           population, both in number and size. This is probably an
>           effect of the increased soil microorganism population.
>         * *(6 months +) *The effect on plants due to the above is
>           rather dramatic and well known by the members of this list.
>
>
>
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