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  • From: bobf <bobford79 AT yahoo.com>
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Homestead] Biochar -- Improve soil -- MEN article
  • Date: Sat, 31 Jan 2009 05:02:45 -0800 (PST)

This concept was recently discussed on the list . The article is from the
new issue of Mother Earth News.

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Excerpt:

Make Biochar — this Ancient Technique Will Improve Your Soil
Charcoal made from brush can increase your soil’s fertility and help slow
climate change.

February/March 2009 By Barbara Pleasant


Last year, I committed one of the great sins of gardening: I let weeds go to
seed. Cleaning up in fall, I faced down a ton of seed-bearing foxtail,
burdock and crabgrass. Sure, I could compost it hot to steam the weed seeds
to death, but instead I decided to try something different. I dug a ditch,
added the weeds and lots of woody prunings, and burned it into biochar, thus
practicing a “new” soil-building technique that’s at least 3,000 years old.


Build Better Garden Soil
Caring for the soil is the key to growing more of our food. We should never
take fertile soil for g...


What’s biochar? Basically, it’s organic matter that is burned slowly, with a
restricted flow of oxygen, and then the fire is stopped when the material
reaches the charcoal stage. Unlike tiny tidbits of ash, coarse lumps of
charcoal are full of crevices and holes, which help them serve as life rafts
to soil microorganisms. The carbon compounds in charcoal form loose chemical
bonds with soluble plant nutrients so they are not as readily washed away by
rain and irrigation. Biochar alone added to poor soil has little benefit to
plants, but when used in combination with compost and organic fertilizers, it
can dramatically improve plant growth while helping retain nutrients in the
soil.

Amazonian Dark Earths
The idea of biochar comes from the Amazonian rain forests of Brazil,
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http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/Make-Biochar-To-Improve-Your-Soil.aspx









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