[Terrapreta] Char made made under pressurized conditions?

[Sean K. Barry]

Hi Larry, Tom,

I think you express the "let's get on with it" feeling here, Tom ...

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, of course

It sure begins to look like combinations of compost + charcoal is a big part of the working Terra Preat recipe.  Separate tests to determine which is the more effective component and/or how and where to apply what takes time and ignores the possibility that there is a significant "synergy" (which we don't understand) that can go on between compost & charcoal in all soils.  Maybe this is what the Pre-Columbian people recognized?

What Wayne said earlier seems to make a lot of sense, too ...

The biggest advantage of adding char to compost (aside from the sequestration over the long term) is that it reduces leaching losses of nitrogen compounds, keeping nutrient available for plants for longer periods.


As Tom suggests, we can just begin to mix this stuff up and get on with making TP soils, not knowing exactly why, if it does seems to work in some way better than other things tried so far.  To make forming Terra Preta take off as an agricultural soil practice, it needs to show viability or a least promise real soon, to farmers and other agricultural users especially.  The sites that have used combination of charcoal + compost or charcoal + compost tea are showing the most promise.  The combination of compost and compost teas + charcoal could be the new best focus on how to actually begin to make Terra Preta soils?

Get on with it ...

Regards,

SKB
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tom Miles<mailto:tmiles at trmiles.com> 
  To: 'Larry Williams'<mailto:lwilliams at nas.com> 
  Cc: 'Terra Preta List'<mailto:terrapreta at bioenergylists.org> 
  Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 4:20 PM
  Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] Char made made under pressurized conditions?


  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<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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