[Terrapreta] Earthen kilns in Cyprus and dry laqnd use of biochar and ash

[Philip Small]

I don't know if the pottery shards associated with TP are consistent with an
earth covering or more formal shaping, but there should be a distinct
difference in morphology. Those who have examined these shards would be in a
position to confirm.  I can comment that the clay that forms in tropical
soils are of a more refractory mineralogy than clay which forms in more
temperate zones: the premise that a soil covered kiln could produce fire
hardened shards is entirely plausible from that perspective. -phil


On Wed, May 7, 2008 at 12:07 PM, Robert Klein <arclein at yahoo.com> wrote:

>
> I posted these helpful tidbits in my Blog today.  This is likely as close
> as we will ever get to interviewing the makers of terra preta.   There is
> growing evidence of Bronze age trade between the Mediterranean and the
> Amazon Basin.
>
> arclein
>
>
>
> Dry Land Biochar
> I had a very revealing discussion with an
> old acquaintance today that drifted into the possibilities of biochar
> and proving that you never know who your informants might be. He grew
> up in Cyprus and is of Turkish ethnicity. When I shared with him a
> description of the earthen corn kiln method, he pointed out that the
> making of charcoal for fuel is done traditionally by building a tight
> packed heap of wood that is then covered by slapping wet mud over the
> outside. A small hole is left in the bottom were a fire is started and
> another small hole on the top creates the chimney.
>
> Hearing this,
> the only remaining question is how could they not form earthen kilns to
> produce valuable biochar the exact same way? In the Amazon, the extra
> step could well have been slapping wet clay on top of the outer shell
> formed by the roots. It would take a little extra effort, yet even
> better burn control could be achieved. Plenty of pottery like shards
> would also be produced over the decades as has been discovered.
>
> Obviously
> the natives fully understood the value of the method if only because
> this biochar product from corn stover served no purpose other than
> somewhat convenient disposal and soil enhancement. However, the work
> load change was trivial as the corn was been pulled in any event and
> needed to be burnt. This was not a valid value proposition for wood
> which is very costly to cut and pack and was done to provide a
> valuable fuel.
>
> I also learned something very important about dry land agriculture.
> If you form a seed hill, normal planting usually provides erratic
> results. If ash is added to the hill, or zeolite for that matter, moisture
> is drawn in during the night supporting vigorous growth. My informant was
> able to plant melons side by side with dramatic results.
>
> This
> informs us that the additional strength of biochar as a water attractor
> is been underestimated. I would now like to see the three sisters
> method applied in places in Africa were common sense suggests
> otherwise. One could even begin seed hills with wood ash to get it all
> going and then follow up each year with a dressing of biochar.
>
> I also understand better the importance of squash to the three sisters
> system.  The broad leaves of the squash would shade the intervening soil
> between the seed hills keeping it cool and speeding up the absorption of
> moisture from the atmosphere were possible.
>
> As I have posted in the past, activated carbon,
> zeolite and ash form a class of substances that are called solid
> crystalline acids. They are all strong absorbers of water and the free ions
> of nutrients.  This is why they create and sustain fertile soils.
>
> I do not yet understand why the three sisters culture has not been adopted
> worldwide among subsistence farmers.  Most of it has to do with the advent
> of draft animals that enforce a row cultivation system and the three sisters
> simply do
> not accommodate that. Most small plots are done with hand seeding
> anyway, which again begs the question. It seems little to ask to stand
> over a three foot seed hill and to plant a handful of corn and bean
> seeds properly spaced with a couple of squash seeds every third hill.
> In fact it would be fast and economical of effort.
>
>
>
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-- 
Philip Small, RPSS
Land Profile, Inc. * PO Box 2175 * Spokane, WA 99210
509-844-2944 cell * 509-838-4996 fax * 509-838-9860 office
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