Science Forums 2

[maikeru]

I've been playing with my old home-made terra preta again for potted plants (fig and banana trees), and I've been wondering what some of the tricks Hypographers and terra-preta lovers used to get their "wee beasties" off to a good start. We know that half the magic of terra preta lies in its smallest inhabitants, who truly bring the soil to life and help with the recycling and storage of nutrients and litter in the soil.

Things that I've used in the past are chopped/blended seaweed (to add macro- and micronutrients to the charcoal), chemical fertilizer (which I regret using, but is instant nitrogen and doesn't require time to decompose), leftover milk from the milk bottle, and spent coffee grounds. I notice the coffee grounds usually become fuzzy with fungus after a few days, so long as they're wet, and that's usually a good sign that some microbial action and decomposition is underway. I've also thought about, but not had the chance to try things like a weak sugar solution (to feed bacteria and fungi), cheap beer, or compost tea from a compost pile.