[Terrapreta] Press release: limitations on charcoal as a carbon sink

[William Carr]

>
> The effect of biochar on the loss of carbon already in the soil  
> needs to be better understood before it can be effectively applied  
> as a tool to mitigate human-induced increases in carbon-based  
> greenhouse gases.
>

What a laugh !

Terra Preta was historically used to build up WEAK soils with no  
appreciable organic matter content.

Thus there was no organic matter to lose in the first place.



Adding Terra Preta to rich forest soil would be nonsensical.


Forest soils are ALREADY pretty good.


But add the biochar to sandy soils and you have no downside.



I've been adding organic matter to my garden for about twenty years,  
and it always works out the same.

Add the OM, and the soil takes on texture and life.


Months later, it's all gone.

The soil bacteria eat the organic matter and blow it off as carbon  
dioxide.



In all these years I've only progressed from blond sand to brown sand !


An expert suggested I try to rein in the soil bacteria by adding fungi- 
dominated soil -- from the nearest forest !!



Okay, I'll try it.   As well as first trying the trench method of  
adding biochar to the garden.

I just got my order of fungal spores from Fungi Perfecti yesterday.

I'm going to dig a trench, lay down a corregated pipe, and build a  
fire from scrap wood on top.

After I have coals, I'll add more green wood, and then blow compressed  
air into the pipe before I smother the works in wet straw, then mound  
dirt on top of it.

When I cut the compressed air, the coals should damp out to biochar  
quickly.



The goal is to heat the soil on top enough to pasteurize it, killing  
the soil bacteria.

Then I'll re-inoculate with the fungal spores and horse manure.


Hopefully, using soil fungi to hold down rampant bacteria  would work  
in any soil type.



William Carr