Terra Preta

[URIEL 13]

Hi All,

Maybe its just me but I see little on the subject of actual trials with a Terra Preta type soil and the results of using such a soil amendment.

 

I have researched the subject of Terra Preta for the last 3 years,most of the subject matter was academic. However there were pieces of information which I found to be useful, especially those regarding symbiosis and conjugation.

 

I am not a layman, but nor am I an academic, I consider myself as a realist in that I can see what works and know why and how it works. I am a son of the soil I grow crops on an allotment in Scotland and have done for the past 8 years. I have always been involved in the soil from childhood and have a fair understanding of how Mother Nature works.

 

If this forum is to be of any worth it must start producing results which are viable as to the efficacy of a Terra Preta type amended soil.

 

I will be within the next 2 weeks be starting my first trial of a Terra Preta amended soil, the trial will be with Garlic. We in Scotland live in a zone 6 to 7 environment although it now fluctuates between 6 and 8 and is unstable.

 

I will be conducting this trial with amended and non-amended cloves, these cloves will be planted out so that they produce foliage before winter sets in. Cloves which show foliage before winter sets in always produce a better crop.

 

Now as alliums are strongly Mycorrhizal they are a good subject for said trial. I will be using virgin soil, in that no crop has been cultivated in it for approximately 20 years. This creates a level playing field for all and any crops sown or cultivated in it.

 

Whereas I am mindful that I may be ruffling feathers on this forum I need to see people getting their hands dirty and producing results!

 

uriel13

 

The mind is like a parachute, it is totally useless unless it is open!

[Tormod]

Good luck with the trials! Please keep us posted.

[URIEL 13]

 

Hi All,

 

My understanding of the Terra Preta process is that two essential components must be available within such a soil. These are charcoal and VAM's(Vesicular Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi), without them anything you produce is just another compost mix.

 

I am also of the opinion that to re-create a Terra Preta type soil in a temperate climate also requires that the charcoal be inoculated. This inoculation should be organic as VAM's and micro-organisms in general do not fair well in a petro-chemical environment.

 

The inoculum can be from any organic source, However I employ molasses as part of my formula as it has a high soluble carbon content.

 

VAM's have a natural affinity with carbon in the from of charcoal, they feed on the soluble carbon which they access by means of attaching themselves to the roots of Endo-Mycorrhizal type crops.

 

This symbiotic relationship produces higher yields and if managed properly is self sustaining. This may sound far fetched but is a reality in the Amazon basin.

 

Now under normal circumstances VAM's are too few within the soil to initiate the Terra Preta process. This is why at first it is essential that they be added. The best method is to add the fungi in either granular or gel form to the roots of the plants.

 

Once an endo type plant sets down roots it sends out a chemical signal to the dormant endo spores causing them to awaken. They then attach themselves to the roots of the plants and the process begins. These mycorrhiza have roots twice to three times as large as the plant root. This permits the fungi to supply far greater amounts of nutrient to the plant during its life cycle.

 

When the plant has fulfilled its life cycle it sends out a chemical signal to the fungi causing it to create spores. These spores remain dormant within the soil until another endo type plant sets down roots.

 

It is a cyclic event if managed organically, this is not rocket science it is having an understanding of how Mother Nature works.

 

VAM's are the only micro-organism which can access locked up phosphorus within the soil. There are massive amounts of phosphorus within most temperate soils, I believe that this is part of the secret of Terra Preta.

 

I learned a long time ago that "Mother Nature does not do complex" we just read to much into how she works!

 

The mind is like a parachute it is totally usless unless open

 

 

URIEL 13

[Moontanman]

Where would one acquire VAMs?

[JMJones0424]

There are many suppliers that would be more than happy to drain your wallet, but unless you are growing in a sterilized medium or polluted soil, arbuscular mycorrhizae are already present. Tillage, anti-fungal treatments (sulfur), and synthetic fertilizers will curtail their establishment, whereas good organic practices will promote them.

[URIEL 13]

Where would one acquire VAMs?

 

Hi Moontannman,

 

Good to hear from you again, There are many sources of VAM's and America has more than most.

 

Just type in "Mycorrhizal Fungi supplier" to your search the web box and you should access the suppliers the USA.

 

You can purchase it in granular or gel form according to your specific needs.

 

If planting out seedlings use granules, dip the roots into the granules and plant as normal.

 

If planting out garlic, onion, shallot wait until the first shoots appear then inject the gel into the root area.

 

All Alliums are strongly mycorrhizal and benefit greatly by being infected by VAM's

 

I have added a link to a site which will enable you to purchase the correct for your needs.

 

It list plants according to the mycorrhiza which best benefit their cultivation.

 

When you access the site just scroll down to the plant listings.

 

Hope this helps

 

 

URIEL 13

[URIEL 13]

There are many suppliers that would be more than happy to drain your wallet, but unless you are growing in a sterilized medium or polluted soil, arbuscular mycorrhizae are already present. Tillage, anti-fungal treatments (sulfur), and synthetic fertilizers will curtail their establishment, whereas good organic practices will promote them.

 

Hi JMJones0424,

AM's are not the same as VAM's, VAM's have a natural affinity with carbon on the form of charcoal.

 

Their numbers within the soil are dependant on the amount of carbon within the soil, It is only by augmenting the amount of carbon in the form of inoculated charcoal within the soil that proliferation of VAM's takes place.

 

Most soils have insufficient soluble carbon to sustain large numbers of VAM's, it is therefore necessary to augment the soil with inoculated charcoal. By this means you create an environment suited to their existence and well being.

 

Once sufficient inoculated charcoal has been added to an organic soil ( approximately 30%) you create an environment in which they can multiply. The purchase of VAM's is necessary initially to build up numbers, however it should only require two seasons of Purchase to achieve this.

 

I would also point out that the purchase of VAM's is cost effective when compared to their petro-chemical equivalents.

 

If you feel that the purchase of VAM's is not to your liking so be it, I respect your right to find fault with my post.

[Essay]

Hi JMJones0424,

AM's are not the same as VAM's, VAM's have a natural affinity with carbon on the form of charcoal.

 

Their numbers within the soil are dependant on the amount of carbon within the soil, It is only by augmenting the amount of carbon in the form of inoculated charcoal within the soil that proliferation of VAM's takes place.

 

Most soils have insufficient soluble carbon to sustain large numbers of VAM's, it is therefore necessary to augment the soil with inoculated charcoal. By this means you create an environment suited to their existence and well being.

 

Once sufficient inoculated charcoal has been added to an organic soil ( approximately 30%) you create an environment in which they can multiply. The purchase of VAM's is necessary initially to build up numbers, however it should only require two seasons of Purchase to achieve this.

 

I would also point out that the purchase of VAM's is cost effective when compared to their petro-chemical equivalents.

 

If you feel that the purchase of VAM's is not to your liking so be it, I respect your right to find fault with my post.

 

I was thinking VAMF and AMF were the same thing, so I went to my summer readings.

 

From the book, "The Rhizosphere: an ecological perspective" 2007, ISBN-13: 978-0-12-088775-0

http://www.elsevierdirect.com/ISBN/9780120887750/The-Rhizosphere

 

"Both molecular and fossil evidence indicate that the earliest land plants... did not posses true roots but rather stem-like rhizomes that were colonized with fungi that appear similar to modern-day arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi...."

"....suggest that plants could not have colonized land without fungal partners capable of acquiring nutrients from the underdeveloped soils that existed during the Silurian and Devonian. Once terrestrial plants became established and soil organic matter accrued, more mycorrhizal partnerships evolved as plant and fungal taxa radiated into the newly forming terrestrial niches rich in organic matter." ~p.74

IMHO.... More than 400 million years of "mutualistically" allowing plants to evolve....

===

 

Most notably, page 75 begins:

 

"These disparate symbioses have been grouped into six general types of mycorrhizas: arbuscular (also called vesicular-arbuscular), ecto, ericoid, arbutoid, monotropoid, and orchid." Orchid!!? Wow!

 

Yep, I thought I remembered that about VAM & AM.

 

...And also....

"The fungal partners in AM associations are remarkably abundant, accounting from 5 to 50 percent of the microbial biomass in agricultural soils. These fungi are members of the Glomeromycota... containging 150-160 described species... sometimes called "endomycorrhizas" because the fungal partner forms intraradical structures (i.e., inside plant roots). ....one gram of grassland soil may contain as much as 100 m of AM hyphae." ~p.75

 

===

 

For my 2 cents worth: ...in general....

Remember trees and perennials are favored by the fungally dominated soils--building enduring relationships between the roots and fungi.

 

Annuals and vegetables are favored by bacterially dominated soils, and grasslands are about 50/50 bacterial and fungal.

 

The environment to which you add inoculated biochar may not favor the particular inoculum, but just adding "raw" biochar will encourage whatever favorable species that already exist in the soil to be more resilient and prolific. I like to "age" my biochar for a few weeks in the compost pile, just to release any potent, short-term effects and to soak up water and new nutrients (humus). Then it will improve either bacterially dominated, or fungally dominated, soils.

 

A good strategy might be to inoculate your soil, or biochar, with some nearby or regional, historically undisturbed, legacy soils from the type of soil that you are trying to build.

 

:)

[JMJones0424]

Excellent post Essay. I will not rehash what you have pointed out.

 

The purchase of VAM's is necessary initially to build up numbers, however it should only require two seasons of Purchase to achieve this.

 

Do you have a source for this claim? Why two seasons? What crops, soil conditions, farming techniques, etc.? This seems like an arbitrary statement found in a sales pamphelet.

 

I would also point out that the purchase of VAM's is cost effective when compared to their petro-chemical equivalents.

 

What petro-chemical equivalent? Or do you mean AMF in conjuction with organic fertilizers, when compared to synthetic fertilizers? If so, this statement may be true, depending on the availability and cost of organic fertilizers. I think you will find that most of the time though, when comparing fertilizer prices alone, organics can not compete with synthetics in cost. It is when the benefits of organic soil management are taken into account that organic agriculture becomes cost effective when compared to conventional industrialized agriculture. It is these easily refuted statements that are thrown around by proponents of organic agriculture that makes "converting" conventional farmers so difficult.

 

Please do not misinterpret my intentions. I do not claim that AMFs are not beneficial, nor do I claim that adding AMFs to a soil is never beneficial. However, I do claim that the expense of adding AMFs is warranted only in special circumstances. One of the primary stumbling points I come across when encouraging others to try organic soil management is that they see all of the various soil ammendments marketed to organic gardeners and come to the conclusion that the organic approach is more expensive than conventional agriculture. If I accomplish nothing else in life, I would like to counter that perception.

 

 

For my 2 cents worth: ...in general....

Remember trees and perennials are favored by the fungally dominated soils--building enduring relationships between the roots and fungi.

 

Annuals and vegetables are favored by bacterially dominated soils, and grasslands are about 50/50 bacterial and fungal.

 

The environment to which you add inoculated biochar may not favor the particular inoculum, but just adding "raw" biochar will encourage whatever favorable species that already exist in the soil to be more resilient and prolific. I like to "age" my biochar for a few weeks in the compost pile, just to release any potent, short-term effects and to soak up water and new nutrients (humus). Then it will improve either bacterially dominated, or fungally dominated, soils.

 

A good strategy might be to inoculate your soil, or biochar, with some nearby or regional, historically undisturbed, legacy soils from the type of soil that you are trying to build.

 

Excellent advice!

[URIEL 13]

Excellent post Essay. I will not rehash what you have pointed out.

 

 

 

Do you have a source for this claim? Why two seasons? What crops, soil conditions, farming techniques, etc.? This seems like an arbitrary statement found in a sales pamphelet.

 

 

 

What petro-chemical equivalent? Or do you mean AMF in conjuction with organic fertilizers, when compared to synthetic fertilizers? If so, this statement may be true, depending on the availability and cost of organic fertilizers. I think you will find that most of the time though, when comparing fertilizer prices alone, organics can not compete with synthetics in cost. It is when the benefits of organic soil management are taken into account that organic agriculture becomes cost effective when compared to conventional industrialized agriculture. It is these easily refuted statements that are thrown around by proponents of organic agriculture that makes "converting" conventional farmers so difficult.

 

Please do not misinterpret my intentions. I do not claim that AMFs are not beneficial, nor do I claim that adding AMFs to a soil is never beneficial. However, I do claim that the expense of adding AMFs is warranted only in special circumstances. One of the primary stumbling points I come across when encouraging others to try organic soil management is that they see all of the various soil ammendments marketed to organic gardeners and come to the conclusion that the organic approach is more expensive than conventional agriculture. If I accomplish nothing else in life, I would like to counter that perception.

 

 

 

 

Excellent advice!

 

 

Hi JMJones0424 & Essay,

 

First of all let me point out that I don't do sales pamphlets, never have done and never will do!!!

 

So when you're quite finished massaging your ego's I would point out that said information is not relevant to what I am attempting to do.

 

 

Your information is noted, however it is not that I don't understand what you are saying, It is that this information is not the real world findings of our group.

 

Those in our group who have already started experimenting with composted inoculated charcoal are already seeing good results in terms of greater crop yields. What we have yet to establish is the longevity of such a soil.

 

It is the findings of our group that the use of VAM's in conjunction with the special compost mix is not only beneficial to greater crop production but creates a better soil.

 

This would seem to be a contradiction to what you are saying. We will tread our own path with regard to what we see as factual results from like minded organic cultivators of the soil.

 

I have learned that "Mother Nature does not do complex", only a son of the soil would know this through cultivating the soil over a life time. Not surprisingly our group are like minded in this regard through long association with the soil.

 

The ancient tribes people who discovered the Terra Preta process, albeit by chance were not academics. However they lived in tune with the Mother of the forest and existed in harmony with the environment in which they lived.

 

It is by this means that they came to understand the process and use it for the benefit of their people. I will use their simplistic mind set in my endeavours to re-create a Terra Preta type soil.

 

It may have no relevance in your world, but for those of us who cultivate and understand the soil the significance of the initial experiment is evident.

 

When you can feed your family from the organic soil that you cultivate I will listen to what you have to say.

 

Until then we must agree to disagree on how Mother Nature works in the real world!

 

No offence intended and I hope none taken.

 

PS: - I would ask you to view the documentary "A Farm For The Future" with an open mind and understand what the future holds for our present way of life.

 

 

http://dotsub.com/view/5df58cf6-837e-4618-a9e8-094637fb4ade

 

May you live in interesting times, until knowledge becomes understanding, they are not one and the same with regard to how Mother Nature works!

[URIEL 13]

Hi Moontannman,

 

Good to hear from you again, There are many sources of VAM's and America has more than most.

 

Just type in "Mycorrhizal Fungi supplier" to your search the web box and you should access the suppliers the USA.

 

You can purchase it in granular or gel form according to your specific needs.

 

If planting out seedlings use granules, dip the roots into the granules and plant as normal.

 

If planting out garlic, onion, shallot wait until the first shoots appear then inject the gel into the root area.

 

All Alliums are strongly mycorrhizal and benefit greatly by being infected by VAM's

 

I have added a link to a site which will enable you to purchase the correct for your needs.

 

It list plants according to the mycorrhiza which best benefit their cultivation.

 

When you access the site just scroll down to the plant listings.

 

Hope this helps

 

 

URIEL 13

 

 

Hi Moontannman,

 

My humble apologies for not adding the link, too many things on my mind at present.

 

http://www.viresco-uk.com/information/horticultural_mycorrihizas.asp

 

Just scroll down the page to plant type to identify plants and specific mycorrhiza.

 

 

URIEL 13

[JMJones0424]

When you can feed your family from the organic soil that you cultivate I will listen to what you have to say

 

I can and do, and I struggle to get others to do the same. I also do my best not to recommend unneeded products to others. This is the reason why I asked, specifically, under what conditions did you find two seasons of adding commercially sourced arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to be warranted? Have you tried starting a test plot without AMF addition? Clearly, there is no harm, I am curious as to why you found it necessary though? When trying to convert a hobby gardener to organics, recommending two seasons of a particular soil additive is one thing, but when you make those claims to people with hundreds of acres under management, they are going to want a few specifics. In my reading, and in my personal experiences (limited to only the soil located where I currently live), I have not found the addition of AMF to soil that is under proper organic management to have any measurable effect whatsoever. Again, in an area where you are growing in heavily polluted, disturbed, or otherwise destroyed soil, AMF additions could easily prove beneficial.

 

I am afraid we started off poorly. None of my posts, including this one, were meant as a personal attack. I specifically tried to construct my previous post to try to sound non-confrontational. I did not accuse you of writing a sales pamphlet, rather I said the quoted statement seems like an arbitrary statement found in a sales pamphlet. If we are able to communicate, there are two possible outcomes: 1) You will be made aware of an unnecessary expense, or 2) I will learn of a previously unknown (to me) beneficial application of AMFs. Either way, I hope nothing but the best for your experiments.

 

If you are interested, here is a link to an Australian site that does an excellent job covering the topics of the various types of mycorrihizal fungi, their effects on host plants, and on methods of identification.

 

http://mycorrhizas.info/index.html

 

Also, while there are many TP enthusiasts here, the member erich seems to be the guru. His posts contain many links and references to TP trials and biochar production techniques that you may find useful. Specifically, I recommend reading this thread on his own trial last year.

 

http://scienceforums.com/topic/15930-virginia-field-trials-proposals-questions/

[URIEL 13]

I can and do, and I struggle to get others to do the same. I also do my best not to recommend unneeded products to others. This is the reason why I asked, specifically, under what conditions did you find two seasons of adding commercially sourced arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to be warranted? Have you tried starting a test plot without AMF addition? Clearly, there is no harm, I am curious as to why you found it necessary though? When trying to convert a hobby gardener to organics, recommending two seasons of a particular soil additive is one thing, but when you make those claims to people with hundreds of acres under management, they are going to want a few specifics. In my reading, and in my personal experiences (limited to only the soil located where I currently live), I have not found the addition of AMF to soil that is under proper organic management to have any measurable effect whatsoever. Again, in an area where you are growing in heavily polluted, disturbed, or otherwise destroyed soil, AMF additions could easily prove beneficial.

 

I am afraid we started off poorly. None of my posts, including this one, were meant as a personal attack. I specifically tried to construct my previous post to try to sound non-confrontational. I did not accuse you of writing a sales pamphlet, rather I said the quoted statement seems like an arbitrary statement found in a sales pamphlet. If we are able to communicate, there are two possible outcomes: 1) You will be made aware of an unnecessary expense, or 2) I will learn of a previously unknown (to me) beneficial application of AMFs. Either way, I hope nothing but the best for your experiments.

 

If you are interested, here is a link to an Australian site that does an excellent job covering the topics of the various types of mycorrihizal fungi, their effects on host plants, and on methods of identification.

 

http://mycorrhizas.info/index.html

 

Also, while there are many TP enthusiasts here, the member erich seems to be the guru. His posts contain many links and references to TP trials and biochar production techniques that you may find useful. Specifically, I recommend reading this thread on his own trial last year.

 

http://scienceforums.com/topic/15930-virginia-field-trials-proposals-questions/

 

 

Hi JMJones0424,

 

slate cleared!

 

I Have been on autumn break and just back.

 

To be honest I don't know where we go from here as our positions seem to be diametrically opposed to one another.

 

My understanding is that VAM's have a definite affinity with carbon in the form of charcoal. This affinity permits the spores of VAM's to remain viable within the soil for a considerable passage of time. This is said to be due to the continual leaching of soluble carbon from said charcoal. These spores require there to be sufficient amounts of this soluble carbon to sustain them.

 

It would seem that the soil on UK allotments are deficient with regard to VAM's given that our group is gaining good results from their addition in conjunction with inoculated charcoal compost.

 

Now if this had been due to members of our group having suddenly changing from petro-chemical fertilisers, weed killers and insecticides to organic methods of cultivation I could maybe have understood why.

 

However we are all organic cultivators and have been for many years, yet we are seeing good results from the addition of VAM's in conjunction with inoculated charcoal compost.

 

I may not be the sharpest tool in the box, however I observe, collate and attempt to understand my observations from the data accumulated.

 

 

I have a question to which I have been unable to get a satisfactory answer to on the subject of VAM's:-

 

It is known that the roots of VAM type plants send out chemical signals to VAM spores when the plant / seed sets down roots to awaken the spores from dormancy. A similar signal is sent out when said plant has completed its life cycle to initiate the production of VAM spores.

 

Now not all crops grown are harvested at the end of life cycle stage. Do the hyphae of the VAM's attached to living harvested crops and left in the soil still go on to produce spores or just die.

 

This has implications with regard to leeks, first and second early potatoes, carrots and other crops, as in would this result in a drop in numbers of spores within the soil.

 

Your links are already known to me but it was good of you to pass them on.

 

My test plot is very small 25 feet by 14 feet, however is relative clear of perennial weeds and the soil is pristine. The reasons for the maximum of 3 years of trials is that by that time there would be migration of both VAM's and charcoal into the non-amended area making any further comparisons untenable.

 

I have a low temperature charcoal burner at my allotment which is just about fit for purpose. where possible am using Ash logs from the forest. Ash is one of the few woods which can be burned green thus preserving most of the bio-oil condensates within the resulting special charcoal. I find that I end up with a much greater amount of charcoal and charred carcasses as a result. There is also a byproduct which is a thick resinous coating on the inside of the lid. When cooled I add this to the special charcoal marinade in which I steep the rendered charcoal.

 

It is interesting to note that a German Company claim to have found the secret to the Terra Preta process and have set up a factory complex to produce a commercial product. From what little information is available it would seem that large amounts of charcoal are part of this product. It is due to be launched for marketing in late October or early November of 2010.

 

Now there are two things which can extrapolated from this venture information:-

 

That Terra Preta is not temperature dependant, In that Germany is a zone 8 to 9 environment.

 

That charcoal is part of the process.

 

http://cleantechnica.com/?s=terra+preta

 

The mind is like a parachute, its totally usless unless its open

 

 

 

URIEL 13

[JMJones0424]

Just got back from a brief vacation myself.

 

...we are all organic cultivators and have been for many years, yet we are seeing good results from the addition of VAM's in conjunction with inoculated charcoal compost.

 

Do you mean VAM + inoculated charcoal compost as opposed to only inoculated charcoal compost? Or VAM + inoculated charcoal compost as opposed to your previous organic techniques?

 

Do the hyphae of the VAM's attached to living harvested crops and left in the soil still go on to produce spores or just die.

 

Unfortunately, I don't know about continued spore production (but I'm sure someone here does), but from what I have read hyphae can continue to grow and form associations with other roots once the original host plant dies or is removed. Perhaps the fact that my soil is continuously planted, I intercrop as much as possible, and my climate is warm enough that winter cover crops don't die all means that AMFs have a continuously available host plant and no ammendment with spores are beneficial for me (even when constructing new planting beds from pastureland).

 

Another minor point of contention that I would like to clear up (because it may be a misunderstanding on my part), is that of the solubility and bioavailability of the carbon in biochar. I was under the impression that the carbon in biochar was not actually soluble, and therefore could not possibly be a C source for mycorrhizal fungi.

 

Finally, I don't know how much you spend on AMF inoculum, but in case it may be more economical to produce your own, you might find this method useful-

We have developed a method for the on-farm production of AM fungus inoculum in temperate climates that requires no input of synthetic chemicals or fumigation (Douds et al., 2005, 2006). Bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flugge) seedlings, colonized by AM fungi, are transplanted into black plastic bags containing a mixture of compost and vermiculite. The plants are tended over the growing season (weeded and watered as needed) and the AM fungi proliferate as roots spread throughout the compost and vermiculite mixture. Frost then kills the bahiagrass. The AM fungi naturally overwinter in the media and the inocula are ready for use the following spring. This system has successfully propagated all AM fungi tested, and produced hundreds of propagules cm-3 in a 1:4 [v/v] mixture of yard clippings compost and vermiculite (Douds et al., 2005).

http://www.extension.org/article/18627

[maikeru]

.

[URIEL 13]

Just got back from a brief vacation myself.

 

 

 

Do you mean VAM + inoculated charcoal compost as opposed to only inoculated charcoal compost? Or VAM + inoculated charcoal compost as opposed to your previous organic techniques?

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I don't know about continued spore production (but I'm sure someone here does), but from what I have read hyphae can continue to grow and form associations with other roots once the original host plant dies or is removed. Perhaps the fact that my soil is continuously planted, I intercrop as much as possible, and my climate is warm enough that winter cover crops don't die all means that AMFs have a continuously available host plant and no ammendment with spores are beneficial for me (even when constructing new planting beds from pastureland).

 

Another minor point of contention that I would like to clear up (because it may be a misunderstanding on my part), is that of the solubility and bioavailability of the carbon in biochar. I was under the impression that the carbon in biochar was not actually soluble, and therefore could not possibly be a C source for mycorrhizal fungi.

 

Finally, I don't know how much you spend on AMF inoculum, but in case it may be more economical to produce your own, you might find this method useful-

 

http://www.extension.org/article/18627

 

Hi JMJones0424,

The hyphae answer you gave is what I had hoped it would be, I could not imagine that a fungi which had survived for millions of years not having a back up plan.

 

Regarding inoculation, we as a group are inoculating our special charcoal with Blood, fish and bone granules. To this is added a liquid inoculation of simmered Yam and cassava meal to which is added molasses once cooled to a tepid temperature. this liquid is then poured over the charcoal and allowed to soak for a minimum of 48 hours. Once the charcoal has soaked up the nutrients it is sun dried and bagged for addition to our compost bins. Personally I use a shredder to render down the charcoal before inoculation.

 

The B,F and B is close to what the hunting diet of these ancient tribes people would have been. Add to this cassava, yam,banana skin, sweet potato an potato all rendered down and you have a basic formula for a charcoal and compost mixture akin to Terra Preta.

 

Some are using Bokashi run off liquid to inoculate their charcoal, then when sun dried adding this to their compost bins along with the Bokashi end product. We as a group have elected to allow the combination of both Terra Preta type compost and Bokashi type compost once they have matured. However for monitoring of results It must be stated what was used to achieve the end product in terms of crop yields.

 

We as a group discovered some time back that inoculation of charcoal with nutrients was a viable means of preventing charcoal from drawing nutrient from the soil. We all have our preferred liquid mixture but all use blood, fish and bone meal. Some use comfrey tea others use seaweed or nettle tea there is no barrier to what is used other fertilisers from a non-organic source.

 

VAM's are only added when the inoculated charcoal compost is added to the soil under the roots, bulbs or seeds of the crop being grown.

 

On the subject of charcoal, in most of the literature that I have read, it is said that charcoal leaches soluble carbon over short and long periods of time. This is a grey area in that there is no consensus of opinion on this.

 

Given that Terra Preta is said to be approximately 30% charcoal this would I believe create an environment suited to VAM's. We must agree to disagree on this point but only time will tell as to the veracity of this. It should also be noted that with charcoal comes fine dust particles called finings which have a very short life within the soil and leach carbon at a higher rate.

 

The charcoal which I add to my dedicated compost bins is approximately 15 to 20% of this fine grained dust. My gut feeling is that soluble carbon is available to VAM's and crops and always has been in the cultivation of crops.

 

One of our group has said that it was his best season of both cultivation and harvest, however as his soil is chalky and subject to loss of moisture. It is this type of soil which I believe will derive most benefit from the inclusion of an inoculated charcoal and compost mix. The charcoal will retain moisture and leach the nutrient into the soil, the compost nutrient will also be drawn to the charcoal over a period of time.

 

I think that the results will differ depending on soil type, pH and available nutrient within the parent soil. In Scotland most soil is on the acid side of neutral and is a productive soil in terms of most food crops.

 

However the use of VAM's adds another dimension, they as far as I am aware the only micro-organisms which are capable of unlocking locked up phosphorous within the soil.

 

Your quote from David D. Douds Jr. was interesting but would you not get the same effect from cultivating hardy and half hardy bean and pea crops in the soil? Is there a particular reason for the choice of plant as it is unknown to me?

 

I am still of the mind that the special charcoal used by these native tribes people, was then, and remains a vital component of the Terra Preta process.

 

What I am endeavouring to accomplish is to re-create a Terra Preta type soil using where possible the ingredients used by these native peoples. There are obvious exceptions as in human faeces and urine, we as a species are to far down the road of antibiotic and drug misuse to use them. However dog urine and organic chicken manure pellets are a reasonable substitute.

 

My thanks for the input which I found to be useful, but I am on a quest to re-create a long forgotten soil which benefits all of Mother Nature's creations. I honestly don't see science achieving this goal as it is carried out for the most part in sterile environments.

 

Why did these native tribes people add approximately 30% charcoal to their soil if it was not for a specific purpose. It certainly was not for water retention as the rainy season lasts for months, and add to that the high humidity of the climate. For me this does not make sense, it had to be greater crop production.

 

I accept that Terra Preta was an accidental discovery, however once these natives understood how it worked I believe that they refined the process. I think that the vast fields of Terra Preta are testament to their understanding of the process.

 

I personally don't think that Mother Nature does sterile or complex, her way is the balancing of the ecosystem necessary for her life forms to exist and prosper.

 

The cracking of the code to Terra Preta will I believe be achieved by small scale experiments by plot holders. I don't believe that it is a process which can be forced into production as the Germans are attempting to do.

 

There are so many differences in soil, temperature, humidity and seasonal changes for the process to adjust to until it is fit for purpose. I have also added albeit in smallish quantities dried herbs from the Amazon basin and dredged water Lilly vegetation from a local river.

 

Under normal circumstances the micro-organisms of aquatic vegetation would never come it to contact with land based micro-organisms. However they did in Terra Preta rubbish pits, these natives were known to clear streams of aquatic vegetation to facilitate the netting of fish. This vegetation was also dumped in there rubbish pits.

 

I may be wrong but, I think that there was DNA exchange between these micro-organisms which enhanced the initiation of the Terra Process.

 

Again only my opinion but, to find the key to Terra Preta you must first embrace the logic, spirituality and understanding of how they lived and how these native peoples viewed their world.

 

The process as I understand it first requires to acclimatise to the parent soil, and by means of conjugation and mutual symbiotic relationships make best use of available nutrition within the parent soil. I don't believe that you can buy a product, dig it into the soil and expect Terra Preta to be the result. Our soils are far removed from that of the Amazon delta as is our logic on how to re-create it.

 

 

URIEL 13

[maikeru]

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