[Terrapreta] Char made made under pressurized conditions?

[Tom Miles]

Larry,

 

To explain my reasoning:

 

I see compost as a method of delivering charcoal to the urban/suburban
homeowner. It is a method of packaging charcoal in a premixed nutrient
package that is easy for our consumers to buy. Think of it as a bulk "black
magic". The energy consumed for processing is not much different than the
soil and compost products currently available, just add charcoal . I have
previously surmised that if you put such a mix into new construction of the
kind that you have described you should really see the results in about
three years. I haven't done that but I think I'm right. 

 

In the case of the rural smallholder the energy input is labor to make the
charcoal and labor to create the compost, compost tea, digestate, etc . If
the result is increased productivity and increased drought resistance then
it is worthwhile for locations like the Sahel, the Gambia etc.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digestate )

 

I was discussing TP with a friend who is seeing impressive results in the
second year of pot trials with charcoal. The first year was not impressive
but the second year has been very impressive.  That first growing season is
probably taken up with the inoculation and adaptation. 

 

If we change our expectations can we skip separate composting and compost in
situ by mixing the ingredients and letting nature take its course? All
application and site specific, or course.

 

Tom

 

From: Larry Williams [mailto:lwilliams at nas.com] 
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 1:24 PM
To: Tom Miles
Cc: 'Jim Joyner'; 'Terra Preta List'
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Char made made under pressurized conditions?

 

Tom-------I still question the value of composting in an urban or rural
smallholder environment. In general, from my perspective, the collection,
turning and necessary incorporation into the soil is energy intensive and
with the opportunities for volatilization and leaching of nutrients
composting is overrated.

 

I have moved to a new garden location with a highly disturbed soil
condition. I added amendments to a very heavy clay soil so that I could have
raised beds. In this situation with no stable soil community, a input of
compost may have helped. Early indications are showing that this year's
garden may suffer from the mixing. I will use compost tea instead of compost
and will interplant with a crop of buckwheat which I will cut at an
appropriate time. The purpose of the buckwheat is it's roots system's
release an exudates which feed the "wee little beasties".

 

I do have a reasonable amount of prepared charcoal in most of the garden.

 

Food for thought as one eats--------Larry

 

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