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  • From: prmsdlndfrm AT aol.com
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Charcoal Production - Was: Loss of Soil Carbon After Tilling
  • Date: Sun, 24 Jan 2010 12:52:44 -0500

I pretty much make my own. Over the winter I collect the clinkers from the wood stove, and I also start piling up tree limbs over the vegetable fields, prior to spring while everything is still wet I burn it, works just the same as all the hype over bio char . When you burn it wet it doesnt break down to ash, but to clinkers, then you spread compost over this to innoculate it with  all the microoganisms. I learnt to do this as a boy on the tobbacco farms, tobbacco farmers have been doing it for centuries. It keeps ya busy in winter cleaning up the farm and woodlot, and piling it over the fields. You can do this even on a small plot, Id bet any neighbor wold be happy to be rid of leaves and limbs. If your like me there is more time than money.
josh



-----Original Message-----
From: Allan.Balliett <allan.balliett AT gmail.com>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sun, Jan 24, 2010 6:45 am
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Charcoal Production - Was: Loss of Soil Carbon After Tilling

Richard - Sorry to be so slow to respond.  I've lost a lot of 
interest in bio-char in the past year, so I haven't been tracking it 
as closely as I should. Just the same, in the past two years, every 
lead I've had for bulk char at a reasonable price has never 
materialized. on thing 'appears' to be clear in the studies I've read 
or heard about in recent months is that not all char is equal in 
producing results with vegetables production. If you are open to 
hearing really bad news about char, check out what Dr Will Brinton 
has to say at Woodsend lab (I think you can google it with that info)

Over the years I have had a few samples sent to me but the hysteria 
around char led every one of those suppliers to raise their prices to 
unaffordable before I could buy from them.

Now my interest in charcoal is pretty much limited to finding a 
reasonably priced supply for my chicken feed.

But keep me posted! I sure like everything I've read about terra preta!!

-Allan in WV
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