Charcoal in Horticulture

[7DSUSYstrings]

Please let us all know what you are up to.

Pick a relevant thread ("Wee beasies"?) or start your own.

There are no (well, not many) "appropriate police" here.

 

I appreciate the inquiry. Actually I've been trying to stay warm for the winter. I had another nuisance obstacle thrown at me: The person I'm buying the house I live in tried to extort the 2008 taxes from me and now we are in court over his gambit to regain possession verses my receipts and the contract that saay I'm paid up as agreed. This has complicated things for me and set me back in my work again, but has also inspired a new project. I'm gathering together the materials to build a sort of houseboat that is resembling a flying saucer. I call it a "podule" and it will have a ring around the upper deck that will be a growing area 40 meters in circumferance and 2 meters deep as a ring. It qualifies as a boat, so I don't need a permit to buid it. I'm building it so it can either be disassembled in modules and shipped on a semi to some lake (Superior I'm thinking about) or other body of water and float anywhere else I want to go in that body or rest on six "landing" pods that unfold from beneath it. When I get a good CAD drawing of it, I'll render it and post it somewhere. I have a new computer now at home, but still haven't wired up to the net yet. The podule could also be moved assembled by a sky crane. That would cost a bundle, but maybe it would get on the news too. (Maybe I should tuck a five year old on board and dial 911:lol:)

 

Getting it to fly on it's own is not outside the realm of possibilities. The same structure that would allow the utility chopper to suspend it will also facilitate possible rotors, but the first idea is just to get it built and sitting in the back yard for as long as I want to keep it there... 2.3 meter privacy fences can be erected here without a permit, so the neighbors shouldn't have a complaint. I'll start growing the garden, though, as soon as that part is built; likely next year. The toughest part of the project is building the legs and a central stairway that will extend itself to the ground for boarding.

 

Here's how it relates to this thread: What should I use as a best all around greenhouse soil when that time comes? That burning the ground and soil idea sounds pretty wild. Is it truly viable?

 

Doctor C

[Michaelangelica]

I appreciate the inquiry. Actually I've been trying to stay warm for the winter. I had another nuisance obstacle thrown at me: The person I'm buying the house I live in tried to extort the 2008 taxes from me

It is a pain when greedy sellers do this. My sympathy

a new project. I'm gathering together the materials to build a sort of houseboat that is resembling a flying saucer.

Sounds like fun. A local radio station put a 'saucer' in a local inlet, Then did a whole H.G. Wells 'war of the world's' --replay type show. Even when the 'alien' that popped out of it was Prince Charles many still flocked to see the spaceship. You may be able to hire it out for similar publicity stunts!

 

Here's how it relates to this thread: What should I use as a best all around greenhouse soil when that time comes? That burning the ground and soil idea sounds pretty wild. Is it truly viable?

 

Doctor C

I have made long posts on the PIs permaculture forums under "Potting Mixes" about this.

Is this what you want?

[7DSUSYstrings]

PI forum?

[URIEL 13]

I have found it difficult using char in pots. The huge variation in pH is one problem (from 6.5 to 9.5). Nursery plant pots are such artificial things, it is hard to duplicate the processes of the soil. Yet I note, from our indoor plant threads, that it seems the potting mix biota is what actually cleans the air in offices. (?- I'm still not convinced of this).

Here, a product that could reduce fertiliser and water costs, would be embraced by the Nursery/horticulture Industry like a Messiah

 

This is a paper just posted at the BioEnergy List site

BioEnergy Lists: Biochar (Terra Preta) | Information on the intentional use of Biochar (charcoal) to improve soils.

 

Hi Michaelangelica,

 

I'm new to this site but not to Terra Preta, it seems to me that the temperature at which the charcoal is created may have something to do with the variations in pH.

 

The native tribes people who created this soil, to my knowledge used low temperature smoldering. This I believe would have retained most of the bio-oil condensates in a crystallised form.

 

I think that these condensates are necessary to the Terra Preta process, however a way round this would be to inoculate the charcoal.

 

I am about to start my Terra Preta project in Scotland using inoculated charcoal which has been added in layers to a dedicated compost bin. The vegetable waste added to the bin is also added in layers so that the charcoal absorbs the nutrient breakdown of said waste.

 

VAM's(Vesicular Arbuscular Micorrhizal Fungi) have an affinity with carbon in the form of charcoal. This I believe is what drives the Terra Preta process in that they feed on the soluble carbon from the plant roots to which they attach themselves. In return the plant receives a greater uptake of nutrient giving greater crop yields. This process as I'm sure that you are well aware of is called mutual symbiosis.

 

It is also my belief that there are at least 3 or 4 major mutual symbiotic relationships which are part of the Terra Preta process. To this can also be added microbial conjugation whereby these organisms exchange DNA to allow them to take advantage of a new food source.

 

These are just my thoughts on recreating a Terra Preta type soil, I'm sure others will differ.

 

 

URIEL 13

[maikeru]

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