[Terrapreta] Fwd: Char application negative / delayed benefits

[Richard Haard]

Hi Kevin

I am not sure what else you need ?

Rex is reporting the same kind of synergism as Steiner in Manaus. Best  
Technologies, Adriana and others have been working in Australia with  
positive results. Then there is the long established use of charcoal  
in Japan as well as documentation of productivity of soils in areas of  
Europe associated with charcoal and kitchen middens. For me, I have  
indications here at 44 degrees North that 3 years after application of  
charcoal powder and 2 crop cycles residual effect from an application  
of charcoal powder showing up in a mustard cover crop easily observed  
via the relative growth of the plants.

A pot study with radishes is quick and easy way to work out dose,  
though it would help to have a greenhouse. I think Folke has expressed  
modus operandi for using charcoal .

We also know that most agricultural soils are carrying a significant  
load of inorganic carbon as has been shown in this study of US  
agricultural soils. How do you complete a controlled study when the  
untreated is already loaded with inorganic carbon?

http://soil.scijournals.org/cgi/reprint/66/4/1249
or the abstract in files
http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/node/617

clipped from this paper from table 2 , page 1251

the charcoal C content as percentage relative to total organic C
Brennyville silt loam (10)
Houston Black clay  (21)
Vallers silty clay loam (33)
Walla Walla silt loam  (35)



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As posted earlier today by Rex

Rank Table:  Soil + Char   68% mass
                   Soil control   100%
                   Soil + fertilizer 138%
       Soil + char + fertilizer  196%   ( expressed as 196/138= 1.42  
for 42% )

and Folke


> Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Char application negative / delayed benefits
>
> I addressed this problem in an article written last year:
>
> "However, if you add a lot of fresh charcoal to the soil, the  
> previously existing fertility might temporarily decrease. This, and  
> the length in time of this phase, depends of the properties of the  
> charcoal. Its large inner surface make a lot of nutrients and other  
> soil substances adhere to it, making them temporarily unavailable  
> for the plants until the charcoal is saturated. Contrariwise, when  
> the inner area of the charcoal is full of nutrients and soil micro- 
> organisms, it will work as a sponge for nutrients, readily available  
> to interact with the plant roots, keeping the nutrients away from  
> leakage.
>
> Therefore, the inner surface of the charcoal should be saturated  
> with nutrients before or during its addition to the soil. This can  
> be done by mixing the charcoal with compost, manure, urine, or  
> nitrogen fixed by Leguminous plants before or during the addition to  
> the soil[i]. This was done by the pre-Columbian Indians when the  
> original Terra Preta soils were created. For the sake of differing  
> from the freshly made ('active') charcoal, I call this nutrient  
> saturated charcoal 'charged', i.e. charged with nutrients.
>
> In human settlements, the sewage system has been a problem since the  
> start of urbanisation, and an increasing group of people work at  
> replacing the present system with source separating toilets,  
> producing urine and faeces in separate flows. The problem with this,  
> however, is that the collected urine is highly volatile, and  
> therefore, there are problems associated with its long-term storage  
> before returning the nutrients to the fields. However, if the urine  
> is used to 'saturate' the charcoal before it is fed to the soil, the  
> problems with unstable urine and the problems emanating from the  
> fresh charcoal might be alleviated simultaneously! "
>
> Simply: When you have poor soil and add charcoal, the char will  
> adsorb nutrients from the soil, thus decreasing its previously low  
> nutrient status. In a good soil, this effects will not be so  
> dramatic. Pre-charging the char with nutrients will avoid this  
> problem.
>
> FG
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