[Terrapreta] SEED BALLS

[Philip Small]

On Sun, May 25, 2008 at 6:42 AM, Richard Haard <richrd at nas.com> wrote:

>
> We can move from tons per acre to ounces per acre needed for a tp nova
> situation.
>

Wonderful economy of words. Consider biochar benefit/costs (esp opportunity
costs). the fundamentals for massive application are not forming up to a
simple picture. seedballs, side banding, inoculate carrier, and other
micro-quantity applications have peak B/C.  we can build momentum for TPN on
that. -phil

>
>
> Rich
>
> On May 24, 2008, at 7:54 PM, Michael Bailes wrote:
>
> Benjamin this is all very interesting but this list is about Terra preta
> and issues relating to that.
> Could you please restrict your posts to that topic or at least show how
> what you are posting is relevant to the topic.
> Thank you
> Michael Bailes
> TP List Moderator
>
> 2008/5/25 Benjamin Domingo Bof <benjaminbof at yahoo.com.ar>:
>
>> On Seedballs
>>
>> Seedballs are seeds wrapped in a mixture of red clay and fine compost and
>> rolled into balls about one-half inch in diameter or smaller.
>>
>> They can be an effective way to provide broadcast sown seeds with
>> protection from birds, insects and other creatures.
>>
>> They can be useful in broadcast sowing food crops, and also for ecosystem
>> modifications such as restoring native plants or regenerating plants in
>> damaged or other plant-deficient areas.
>>
>> The words "can be" are used because they don't always work the way one
>> hopes. Their effectiveness depends upon environmental conditions and timing.
>> It takes rain or irrigation to dissolve the clay and release the seeds to
>> germination, and even if the seeds are released the resulting seedlings
>> could be overwhelmed and suppressed by existing vegetation.
>>
>> The most commonly used basic formula for making seedballs is to take one
>> part of seeds (by volume), three parts of relatively dry and sifted compost,
>> and five parts of dry powdered red clay. Mix the seeds into the compost to
>> partially coat the seeds with the compost, and then mix the powdered clay in
>> to coat the seeds/compost. Then start adding water sparingly until you have
>> a somewhat thick mud pile. Break off a small chunk (about the size of a
>> marble) of this mud pile with your fingers or a small spoon and then roll
>> the chunk in the palms of your hands until it feels firm. Set aside to dry,
>> break off another chunk, and keep repeating until the mud pile is gone.
>>
>> Some people add microorganism inoculants to the mixture. Some add powdered
>> hot red pepper to increase repulsion of creatures that might otherwise feed
>> on the seeds.
>>
>> Some people mass produce seedballs by putting the seeds/compost/clay
>> mixture into a large rotating drum, such as a cement or mortar mixer with
>> smooth interior walls, adding water, and extracting the seedballs as they
>> are formed to the right size by the revolving action of the mixer.
>>
>> Before you start making and using seedballs it is important to do some
>> research and do a little thinking about what you might unleash if your
>> seedballs work. There is an inherent danger in their use - the introduction
>> of plants into an ecosystem that become invasive and destructive to existing
>> desirable vegetation.
>>
>> An excellent place to start your research is at the seedballs.comwebsite. There are several articles about how to make and use seedballs, how
>> they have been used to modify ecosystems in a beneficial way, and about what
>> you really need to think about before you start making and using them.
>>
>> *-- Lawrence Haftl <support at fukuokafarmingol.info> *
>>
>> ------------------------------
>>
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>>
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>
>
>
> --
> Michael the Archangel
> "Politicians will never solve The Problem;
> because they don't realise they are The Problem.".
> -Robert ( Bob ) Parsons 1995
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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
Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/philipsmall
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