Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[mdnagel@verizon.net]

From what (little) I know, the strength of "Terra Preta" lies in its ability to provide pockets for microbes, minerals and water.

The carbon sequestration angle is highly questionable.  I've been challenging someone on this point for quite a while now and have not received any evidence that the CO2 released during the initial burning process is offset by the burying of the charcoal.  There's enough people dealing with Terra Preta that if there were clear evidence we'd be aware of it by now- this is not the case.

My further concern is that this would expedite deforestation, as capitalism looked to cash in on this.  Those cap-and-trade capitalists will be sure to externalize such that ehy ensure their profits.


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA


Nov 8, 2009 04:00:54 PM, livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org wrote:

My interest is not just in improving my soil. I have been doing pretty good in that department. The carbon that i put in the soil as organic matter will cycle back out into the atmosphere as CO2 as the organisms break it down. If i create terra prita and add it to the soil i will be sequestering carbon in the soil for over a thousand years while i improve the cation carrying capacity, the ability to hold microrizzal fungi and moisture. I would rather not suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous climate change but rather take up arms against it. 

There is an online conference which someone might be interested at this link. http://www.bioeconomyconference.org/  The two speckers i'm interested in are shown below.

Plenary Session Speakers

James E. Lovelock, Ph.D.
Dr. Lovelock is one of the world’s most renowned thinkers on global environmental science. He has called upon farmers to convert agricultural residues to biochar for incorporation into the soil as the only solution to global climate change.

Johannes Lehmann, Ph.D.
Dr. Lehmann is associate professor of soil fertility management and soil biogeochemistry at Cornell University and co-author of Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology. He will discuss the combined benefit of biochar for carbon sequestration and improved soil fertility.

On Nov 8, 2009, at 2:50 PM, Tradingpost wrote:

From what I read the Terra Preta was not the result of just adding charcoal to the soil. It involved adding large amounts of organic matter as well and may have taken centuries to develop into the black, fertile soil. If anyone has that long to wait, go for it. We build the healthiest soil already with a wide range of organic matter - and that contains plenty of carbon as well. I know. I started with thin, poor, arid climate dirt and brought it to serious fertility in a couple years.

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

"Down one road lies disaster, down the other utter catastrophe.Let us hope we have the wisdom to choose wisely."

 - Woody Allen

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 11/8/2009 at 12:23 PM Ken Hargesheimer wrote:

I can not think of any thing as destructive to the soil and organic

matter as biochar. Farmers did not come up with this hairbrain idea.  I

studied Brazilian jungle farming before the promoters got to college.

Biochar destroys the one thing the soil needs more than any other thing:

organic matter.  Burn it up and put the ashes on the soil.  Excuse me!

 

Ken Hargesheimer

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