Biochar:
OK. Here are two case examples. This is papa ele'ele 'awa. Identical plants. Likely same parent plant. I have a couple of the non-biochar example. They are more or less in the same state. In the first photo you see the plant in native soil. In the second, you see it in a biochar and potting soil blend. The typical 1-1-1 or whatever unfortified stuff, with perhaps 30 percent biochar by volume. A month ago, I thought the plant in the char was going to die, as it was so burned back. Obviously this was because of nutrient burn. Be CAREFUL with the biochar. It is a very powerful add. I'm doing it on steroids, and this is what we must do, but you must treat it with the utmost respect.
I think it's very convincing, really. Try it. Make a test bed and try it. Nothing to lose. Just do it. Buy a cheap sack of BBQ charcoal(obviously no lighter fluid in it, right?) and just let it get wet and fall away to crap. Mix this in your potting soil at a 50 percent load--this is a lot--and bang, you have tera preta. Now, beware. It will be hard to get things to grow in it. They will languish. Once they boom, however, look out. I've never seen anything like it.
Clearly you can see large chunks of char in the picture. I leave them large as my soil is heavy naturally to augment drainage.
We may have to re-evolve plants that can take nutrients. Crazy, but really.
These are un-doctored photos taken 6 hours ago.
What's a sustainable pirate's favorite soil additive?
biochaaaar
Funny, I usually burned before planting anything, but only to clear the weeds and grasses, that works well, and I believe even that probly has some bio effect. The Hawaiians used to burn their pili grass fields because it came up better for roofing'.
I have a feeling that most woody stuffs would have a positive effect as char. University types say it has to be done just so with only this or that wood. The guava would be best, but if albesia would work, that would sure be easier.
I must admit that I'm pretty much overwhelmed and over my head here. Just trying to follow along and learn as I go.
The one relevant thing I do know about, which may be a contribution, is fire effects, i.e. the results of wildland fire (and Rx fire). As you know, from Paleolithic times up to the present, people have burned their forests to clear undergrowth and increase productivity. The trick is in keeping the fire manageable, and there's a whole science of prescribed fire devoted to just this thing. Not just any goofball with a driptorch and a yellow Nomex shirt should be out there lighting forest fires, although some do, and on the federal payroll. Burning down the town of Los Alamos, NM HERE was one of the more spectacular mis-fires (Ha!), but there's plenty examples of similar screw-ups.
Is Rx fire an aspect of biochar that could be (has been) explored, Jay? It's actually not very cheap to do safely and correctly.
Good morning!
Yes, you're right about that. I had some fire school training in the distant past and certainly am aware of the potential dangers. There's a much underestimated risk for serious fires even in Puna. The forest dries out fast with a couple of dry weeks and a burn on a good tradewind day would blow over the whole area.
Since the charring process must be contained in a pit or a steel box, it's less dangerous, but risks are still present. You want to keep the whole process on the cool side anyway so semi-rainy days are good to keep things under control.
Thats a really good vid.
This is fascinating ! If this works so well one has to ask
why isn't the information being given to the farmers?
Which then leads me to don my tinfoil hat.
There is quite a bit of reseach going into this sort of thing around the world. In the US we're about a decade behind on most everything.
Do you really think it's workable for a small farm or garden? Or should you buy the prepared stuff.
It's too expensive to buy here, so making it is really your only option.
Would any be interested in forming a cooperative and purchasing a commercial scale agrichar machine? We'd make the guava issue go up in a puff of smoke. Systems can be had in the 40000 dollar range with practical scale capacity.
Everyone should understand the difference between agrichar and ashes. Agrichar is not wood ash; it is charcoal made by heating wood in an oxygen-depleted environment. Burning off land for planting creates ash (valuable for some crops) but it's not agrichar.
Many years ago I had a hydroponic system based upon the Bentley method. I mixed my own planting media and nutrient chemicals using Dr. Maxwell Bentley's formulae. The media mix included activated charcoal. He recommended it for the same reasons as are being presented for agrichar. It's not a miracle substance, it just provides porus material for maintaining moisture and micro surface for the nutrients to adhere to and therefore remain available to the plant for longer time. Because the condition of most soil is less than optimal for plants, adding some charcoal will improve it. Purchasing activated charcoal for dirt farming would be prohibitively expensive, but an agrichar machine would probably make it feasible. It's something the various coöps should learn about and consider seriously.
Jay, to prove it's worth, I responded to a craigslist ad for supersacks, the 1/4 ton plastic bags the use for sand etc. The add was from Kahuku Oahu, and the bags were black(picture) from carrying charcoal.
I responded, and got a reply today, sorry they were out of em, they had just sold the last 500 bags!
Someone's buying charcoal, I asked what it had been used for, waiting for a reply!
Yes I would be interested!
Thanks for that clarification. Many are indeed confused about the difference and it's good to bring that up. It's best to see the char not as a nutrient in itself, but rather a buffer than preserves the nutrient load in the soil, as well as provides habitat for microbial digesters.
The charcoal, was for filtering water (Hon. board of water). Wonder what they do with it after use?
I'm interested. Let me know what sort of an investment a person could/would have.
Someone is selling biochar on CL. Anyone here?
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/big/grd/1243905903.html
