[Terrapreta] pulverizing charcoal

[Kevin Chisholm]

Dear David

Thanks very much for your detailed description of how you are proceeding 
with your charcoal tests.

Could you please tell us a bit more about how you are going to structure 
your tests, and measure the results, to come to a conclusion about the 
benefits of charcoal?

Kevin

David Yarrow wrote:
> thursday last week, i spread my first batch of biochar on one of my garden 
> beds.  the char was produced by my friend dan kittredge in the process of 
> burning underbrush he is clearing from land on the concord, MA farm he 
> manages.  he brought me two medium size plastic sacks full -- perhaps 25-30 
> gallons.
>
> i decided to reduce the sticks and branches to dust and chunks, and i needed 
> it done quick.  my insights say large chunks of char are slowly, gradually 
> invaded and inhabited by water and microbes (weeks, maybe months), while 
> small half inch or less particles are quickly saturated with water and 
> overrun by fully diverse microbial communities.  so the smaller the particle 
> size, the faster the char will be fully performing its multi-function soil 
> magic.  and in my spring vegetable gardens, i want the char to get into 
> action almost immediately.
>
> my method was primitive and personsal.  i closed each sack and pounded it 
> with the broad side of a square-headed 3# hammer, then screened it through 
> half inch hardware cloth.  the larger pieces that wouldn't pass the screen 
> went back in the sack for more abuse with the hammer.  this was repeated 
> three more times until all that was left were a few chunks of hard uncharred 
> wood.
>
> i don't like smashing char, since the physical force crushes and collapses 
> some of the micropore structures.  such a brute physical process requires a 
> lot of energy -- i worked up a sweat swinging the heavy hammer and shaking 
> the screen.  but the whole operation only took 30-40 minutes.
>
> the char was spread on the middle half of my kitchen garden, covered with 
> compost, traprock dust, greensand, rock phosphate and sea minerals, then 
> various brassicas, lettuces, endive, and herb seedlings were transplanted 
> in.  my first biochar soil test.
>
> later this week, i will repeat this with a bag of comercial hardwood 
> barbeque charcoal.  i'll get another bag of commercial charcoal and try 
> soaking batches in various solutions, including fresh water, sea mineral 
> water, EM water, compost tea, and urine to compare how quickly the char 
> absorbs water and becomes easy to crush.
>
> for a green & peaceful planet,
> David Yarrow
> 44 Gilligan Rd, E Greenbush, NY 12061
> www.championtrees.org
> www.OnondagaLakePeaceFestival.org
> www.farmandfood.org
> www.SeaAgri.com 
>
>
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