Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["John D'hondt" <dhondt@eircom.net>]

To me "bio" char is just a new-speak word to sell charcoal better Rob. Should you not better try compost teas, microbial teas and other biological brews on their own without the black stuff before you ascribe a growth miracle to charcoal?

I have tried charcoal not only on seedlings but in plant beds as well since I have it available most of the time anyway. I had beds with and without and with and without the brews that you mention and I saw results from the teas and nothing from the charcoal. Zilch, nada, nothing. I do see results from hugelcultur, putting real timber underground and letting the soil microbes and fungi do the job of breaking timber down.

 

I know that the net is full of articles waxing euphoric about "bio-char". It is extremely fashionable. Even Dr. Mercola seems to be sold on it these days. I have yet to see anybody doing real tests with controls so until people do it is no more than an emperor without clothes. And I have every reason to believe it is extremely damaging to the environment. See how much energy it costs to make charcoal yourself and how much carbon dioxide is spewed into the air while doing it. A quick calculation tells me that you likely bring 20 times more CO2 into the air than you sequester with the end product. Real pyrolysation is less damaging but who can afford such an installation?

 

I do think that activated charcoal can be a fantastic health material. It used to be readily available for all kinds of digestive problems. And it is great in case of poisoning.

And it can bind to pesticides and other toxins in the soil and make those inactive. But you don't need tons of it for that purpose.

John

 

 

 

From: Rob Wilson

To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

Sent: Sunday, September 29, 2013 3:21 AM

Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] about climate

What utter nonsense. Do not confuse charcoal with biochar.

John I suggest you read the attached comments.

Here in Australia the much revered CSIRO  and other Government primary industry bodies have been conducting large scale broad acre trials with biochar. All report positive outcomes from the application of biochar. The following link is just one or these reports http://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/447857/DPI-BioChar-in-Horticulture.pdf

Many years ago, on the advise of my green fingered uncle, I planted peas over trenches that I had buried charaoal. And yes it was the worst crop of peas that I had ever grown. The charcoal had sucked all nutrient out of the ground.

Now days I inoculate my charcoal with compost teas, effective microbial teas and other biological brews. The charcoal can then be referred to as biochar. This gives excellent results. Increased yields, more robust plants and less need of water and fertilisers.

The degraded block of land I am clearing and trying to rejuvenate is benefiting from the carbon I am returning to the ground. This is much preferable to burning windrows and sending it into the atmosphere

Rob Wilson.

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From: John D'hondt <dhondt@eircom.net>
To: Healthy soil and sustainable growing <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Saturday, 28 September 2013 8:31 AM
Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] about climate

I am so glad that at last an official scientific institute has come out
against ""Biochar"". I have been writing about this for ten years at least
since I first did tests with it. I found seedlings and plants to grow less
vigorous with charcoal than without. And this is nothing but logical.
Charcoal is the oldest wood preservative known to man because all soil
organisms avoid it like the plague.
John

----- Original Message -----
From: "tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2013 5:55 PM
Subject: [Livingontheland] about climate


> Surviving Global Warming, Localized Food & Energy Systems #climate
> http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Surviving_Global_Warming.php
>
> Beware the Biochar Initiative
> Turning bioenergy crops into buried charcoal to sequester carbon does
> not work, and could plunge the earth into an oxygen crisis towards mass
> extinction
> http://www.i-sis.org.uk/bewareTheBiocharInitiative.php
> _______________________________________________
> Livingontheland mailing list
> Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland
>

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