[Terrapreta] Char Addition Parameters

[Richard Haard]

Kevin

There are some other options for addition, though i have not done them  
myself.

Banding using a side dressing implement on tractor to put charcoal in  
soil next to seed in planting.

using as one would put bonemeal in a planting hole for transplants  
like tomatoes, etc, again getting best milage for charcoal in root zone.

rehabilitation sickly  or fertilizing trees by digging trenches or  
using a heavy bar or augar to drill multiple holes  around dripline  
possibly combined with innoculum or fertilizer (from Ogawa)

In my vegetable patch at home I am now composting charcoal and alfalfa  
with soil and plan to spread as mulch to work into garden soil for  
winter vegetables.

Rich
On May 10, 2008, at 8:03 AM, Kevin Chisholm wrote:

> Dear List
>
> Various amounts of charcoal could be added to the soil. Most accurate
> would be knowing the weight of charcoal added to a weight of dry soil.
> However, it is not very practical to dry the soil in the field, and
> often the weight of charcoal is not known either.
>
> A simple way to make char additions is to apply a uniform layer of  
> char
> to the soil area and then till it in. It is very easy to measure the
> area being covered with char, and it is very easy to measure the depth
> of char.
>
> Several questions now arise:
>
> 1: Depth of Soil to be treated: What is a good depth of soil to be
> treated with char? I believe the "standard" tillage depth" is  
> considered
> to be 6", or 150 centimeters.
> WHAT IS YOUR SUGGESTED PREFERENCE FOR SOIL TILLAGE DEPTH?____________
>
> 2: Weight of char to be added: One can add varying amounts of charcoal
> to the soil. Lehman et al suggest that the benefit is a maximum at  
> about
> 7% charcoal addition, above which growth performance seems to fall  
> off.
> (Regrettably, I can't find the reference to their work at the present;
> perhaps someone can post it?)
> WHAT IS YOUR SUGGESTED PREFERENCE OF CHAR ADDITION RATE, AS A % OF  
> SOIL
> WEIGHT?_________
>
> 3: Soil Density: Soil densities can vary significantly...
> WHAT IS YOUR SUGGESTION FOR THE RANGE OF TYPICAL SOIL
> DENSITIES?_______________
>
> 4: Charcoal Density: Charcoal densities can vary significantly,
> depending on their source material, temperature of charring, size, and
> shape factors.
> WHAT IS YOUR SUGGESTION FOR A RANGE OF CHARCOAL DENSITIES? 
> _____________
>
> 5: Charcoal Application: I would suggest that the best way to apply  
> the
> charcoal is to spread it uniformly over the area to be treated, and  
> then
> till it in, to give the desired depth of treated soil.
> CAN YOU SUGGEST A BETTER WAY TO INTRODUCE CHARCOAL INTO THE
> SOIL?_______________
>
> I would propose to put together a simple spread sheet that would allow
> the grower to calculate how much he could afford to pay for charcoal
> additions to the soil.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Kevin
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Terrapreta mailing list
> Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
> http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/
> http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
> http://info.bioenergylists.org
>