Science Forums 2

[Taildragerdriver]

David:

I think on a large farming operation most everybody will pretty easily turn the charcoal to dust pretty fast. I my case I plan to use a rotovater to till it into the soil. That is just a big rototiller and it basically turns almost everything to dust in the first foot of soil.

Even if farmers don't use these same methods. In most cases I can think of, if they want to use charcoal they will have to do a least a single major tilling operation to incorporate the charcoal into the soils. This at least entails plowing and disking which would pretty much turn the top layer to dust. After that no till farming fits best with charcoal in my mind for row corp type uses. In fact one of my concerns is how to not grind it too much and have the charcoal sifted to the top and be susecptable to wind in the first year before the planted cover protects it.

I hope after tilling gets it incorporated initially the charcoal affinity to water will keep it bound to the soil particles and reduce any loss if the field is well irrigated.

I think carcoal can work even if not well ground up but the particle surface is not as great so the best condition to present maximum surface area would be all ground up. If I understand this process it takes time to develop so I think it should not be critical either way.

Thanks

Taildragerdriver