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  • From: Mathew Waehner <waehner@gmail.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] if there were a benefit to deforestation...
  • Date: Fri, 8 Jan 2010 08:39:30 -0500

Larry, if you decide to make biochar yourself, give me a shout and I will
lend a hand. I don't have any particular skills in this area except a
strong back and a love of fire.



On Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 12:09 AM, Tripp Tibbetts <slowfoodguy@yahoo.com>wrote:

> Hey Mathew,
> It is good soil if not very deep. When Mt St Helens erupted 30 years ago
> (!?!) I was a second grader playing on the piedmont clays of Athens, GA, a
> lot closer to your stomping grounds. But I'm benefitting from that volcanic
> mineral load today here in eastern Washington. Can't complain.
>
> I didn't charge my biochar with tea before burying it. Guess I should
> have. Think a heavy application in situ would help? I did mulch heavily
> and plant comfrey, chives, leeks, Johnson's geraniums, yarrow, and walking
> onions around my little apple though, before I read the first thing about
> permaculture guilds, so I don't feel too embarrassed! I'll know better next
> time on the biochar. Thanks for the heads-up. Makes sense.
>
> You're not too far away from Lawrence London. I would've assumed you were
> dealing with red clay too, but it sounds like you're farther down-slope. I
> started organic gardening in Gainesville, Florida several years ago while I
> was finishing college. Could've used some info on biochar back then!!
> (Although rosemary, sage, and jasmine grow like madmen in chip
> mulched thermic sands among the live oaks.)
>
> Thanks for the FAQ.
>
> Tripp out.
>
>
>
> The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow.
> -Chinese proverb
>
>
> --- On Fri, 1/8/10, Mathew Waehner <waehner@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> From: Mathew Waehner <waehner@gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [permaculture] if there were a benefit to deforestation...
> To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> Date: Friday, January 8, 2010, 2:11 AM
>
>
> Tripp:
>
> I'm in the city of Raleigh, NC, on a tiny fragment of land with 150 year
> old
> trees. I'm on sandy, alluvial loam, in a warm temperate climate. The last
> owner was as crazy about soil as I am, and the soil has been receiving
> horse
> and chicken manure for at least a decade. I don't use biochar, although I
> plan to make some because I like to play with fire.
>
> As far as your experiences, did you pre- load the charcoal with compost tea
> before using it? If you don't, it actually takes nutrients out of
> circulation until it becomes "charged". But it sounds like great soil; I
> don't know how biochar would improve it.
>
> Here's a good FAQ on biochar in the garden
> http://biochar.pbworks.com/FrontPage
>
>
> On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 7:54 PM, Tripp Tibbetts <slowfoodguy@yahoo.com
> >wrote:
>
> > --- On Thu, 1/7/10, Mathew Waehner <waehner@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > "I personally believe that biochar will prove to revolutionize
> agriculture
> > in
> > some regions, but I also think there are places it won't have much effect
> > at
> > all. It is an exciting field of study where back yard experimenters can
> > make real discoveries."
> >
> > I agree! Interesting stuff. I assume you have your own trials going.
> > Tell me more about the specifics. What's your climate like? Soil type?
> > Water regime? How many seasons have you been at it?
> >
> > I can tell you that one season of using it in my garden with one young
> > apple tree didn't produce any noticeable results compared to other fruit
> > trees sans biochar. It's the only apple I have, so not totally
> objective,
> > but the Italian prune plum seems to be similar in pace. My soil is
> volcanic
> > loam about 8" deep before you get to a confining density of glacial
> > moraine. Climate-wise, we're semi-arid steppe with hot, dry summers
> > followed by cold, snowy winters, ~16" of annual precip, mostly frozen.
> So
> > not much leaching to worry about...
> >
> >
> >
> > The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow.
> > -Chinese proverb
> >
> >
> > --- On Thu, 1/7/10, Mathew Waehner <waehner@gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> > From: Mathew Waehner <waehner@gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [permaculture] if there were a benefit to deforestation...
> > To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> > Date: Thursday, January 7, 2010, 6:16 PM
> >
> >
> > As I understand it, biochar improves nutrient holding ability but doesn't
> > help soil texture and water holding ability like organic matter. On the
> > scale of a bacteria, a particle of biochar has a labrynthine structure.
> It
> > may provide good habitat for the soil food web, but that is a dificult
> area
> > to study.
> >
> > I personally believe that biochar will prove to revolutionize agriculture
> > in
> > some regions, but I also think there are places it won't have much effect
> > at
> > all. It is an exciting field of study where back yard experimenters can
> > make real discoveries.
> >
> > On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 12:55 PM, Tripp Tibbetts <slowfoodguy@yahoo.com
> > >wrote:
> >
> > > So basically, more fines/OM in your soil = more CEC = less need for
> > > biochar. Is there a soil texture at which addition of biochar actually
> > > becomes deleterious?
> > >
> > > Tripp
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow.
> > > -Chinese proverb
> > >
> > >
> > > --- On Thu, 1/7/10, Mathew Waehner <waehner@gmail.com> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > From: Mathew Waehner <waehner@gmail.com>
> > > Subject: Re: [permaculture] if there were a benefit to deforestation...
> > > To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
> > > Date: Thursday, January 7, 2010, 5:49 PM
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > >Burning creates smoke, a pollutant
> > >
> > > Proper biochar kilns produce very little smoke, because they consume
> > nearly
> > > all of the combustion byproducts, similar to a rocket stove.
> > >
> > > > >and materials burned should be cold composted and then returned to
> the
> > > > soil using appropriate tillage methods
> > >
> > >
> > > That doesn't work well in the tropics, because soil organisms degrade
> the
> > > humus and rain washes it away too quickly. Biochar lasts longer in
> soil.
> > >
> > > As I understand it, the main *proven* benefit of biochar is that it
> > > provides
> > > cation exchange capacity. Some soils in temperate climates are in dire
> > > need
> > > of increased CEC, others have different needs.
> > >
> > > >From the pictures I've seen on your blog, Larry, you are working good
> > > peidmont clay. That has good cation exchange capacity, but needs
> organic
> > > matter to build soil structure. Biochar probably wouldn't help much
> > there.
> > > But on the sandy soils of Eastern NC, biochar could enhancce soil
> > fertility
> > > significantly by holding onto nutrients.
> > > _______________________________________________
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> > >
> > >
> > >
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