Quote:
Originally Posted by malcolmf
A fine imagination, but charcoal sucks in water, including its dissolved nutrients, like a vacuum cleaner. What happens when your houseplants dry out?
This may be a reason why today's Amerindians mulch on top of charred material.
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Ok, imagination aside, what happens when you dump a bit of acid on your soil?
I'll answer for you.
The soil becomes more acidic.
What then happens to basic-loving plants?
I'll leave that one to the imagination...
All I am saying is that other factors are involved and we should take them all into account. The charcoal "sucking in water like a vacuum cleaner" is acting as a storage center for said water and nutrients. The plants are able to cling their roots to the char and extract these nutrients and the water with the help of wee beasties. The pH however is not so easily surmounted.
The reason I said "I imagine" is because I do not have any experimental data to back my claim. However, my pH soil probe is in the mail and I'll be doing some experiments on my own shortly. Cheers.
