[Terrapreta] TP Secondary Benefits

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear William

Very interesting observation!

If the char patch and the control patch were close, AND if the cutworms were not "travelers", like slugs, then the soil heat treatment could very well be the answer.

On the other hand if they are travelers, then the char on the surface may have acted as a repellent, as Folke seemed to observe with snails. 

I am going to be doing an experiment with slugs: make a circle of charcoal fines about 10" diameter, put a few slugs in the middle, and watch to see if they avoid crawling over the charcoal. You may wish to try the same thing with cutworms. If the "Charcoal Corral" will keep them in, it will also keep them out. :-)

Best wishes,

Kevin
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: William Carr 
  To: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2008 3:34 PM
  Subject: [Terrapreta] TP Secondary Benefits


  I just noticed something....


  This season I did the TP Trench Method in a 20 ft long by 3 ft wide  
  plot and then planted some tomatoes there.


  I was expecting secondary benefits;   that heat-treating the soil would

  a) kill the inimical bacteria in the soil so I could re-introduce  
  healthy microflora; and

  b) unlock some of the trapped N and K into bio-available forms.


  I think I may have chanced on a third benefit.


  Many of the tomatoes first planted in the “Control” patch were killed.


  I surmised the problem might be cutworms and, since I had a large  
  supply of cloned seedlings, replaced the lost plants and wrapped the  
  stems with aluminum foil cones.



  The replacement plants also died !     Sheared off at soil level.


  Also, even some older, established plants were damaged by having  
  branches lopped off,  up to 12 inches above soil level.



  So I tried waxed paper collars, and out of desperation planted more  
  seedlings in my protected, fenced off area I use for beans ( on the  
  theory it might be a raccoon ).



  Want to guess what happened?


  Most of those plants also died.   It seems that my garden has a  
  terrible cutworm infestation this year.    Or ....  Ninja Raccoons,  
  equipped with fence climbing equipment.


  So I planted the last of my seedlings, powdered the ground around them  
  with diatomaceous Earth, and as of yesterday evening had only lost one  
  more seedling.



  Then I happened to glance at the TP patch and wondered why those  
  plants were immune.


  Some of the plants that were killed were damaged a foot above the  
  ground, but these were untouched.


  Because they had thicker stems ... or because the heat from the  
  burning coals killed off all the cutworm larvae in that soil ???

  Hmmm.


  William Carr









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