"Wee Beasties" and other "Critters" in TP

[Ahmabeliever]

I agree with almost everything he said.

Sugars of varying types are a standard addition to compost teas. Blackstrap molasses is preferred for it's micro-nutrients, though if the soil already has these, why not use plain ole sugar.

Well, the bacteria like mocronutrients and carbs.

In the teas which generally brew 2-3 days some common ingredients I use/have used are

Molasses
Golden Syrup
Unrefined cane sugar
Overripe fruit pulp including melon and banana

I prefer a more natural source myself than pure sugar, I think it's more to do with me than anything I've read.

Molasses is one of my FAVOURITE garden additives. It gets results...

Abridged from a gardening site...

"There are a number of different nutrient and fertilizer companies selling additives billed as carbohydrate booster products for plants. Usually retailing for tens of dollars per gallon if not per liter. Products claim to work as a carbohydrate source for plants. A variety of benefits are supposed to be unlocked by their use, including the relief of plant stresses and increase in nutrient uptake. While these kinds of products almost always base their claims in enough science to sound good, reality doesn’t always live up to the hype.

We are pretty well known for our distrust of nutrient companies who produce large lines of products claiming to be a series of “magic bullets”.
One member of the collective decided to sample one of these products a while back, intending to give the product a fair trial and then report on the results.

Imagine, if you will, Tweetie bird flying off to the local hydroponics store, purchasing a bottle of “Super Plant Carb!” (not it’s real name) - and dragging it back to the bird’s nest. With a sense of expectation our lil’ bird opens the lid, hoping to take a peek and a whiff of this new (and expensive) goodie for our wonderful plants. She is greeted with a familiar sweet smell that it takes a moment to place. Then the realization hits her. . .

Molasses! At the thought that she’s just paid something like $15 for a liter of molasses she dips a wing into the sweet juice ever so slightly, and brings it up to have a taste. It was indeed nothing more than Blackstrap Molasses.

A quick taste had confirmed she had wasted time and effort lugging home a very expensive bottle of plant food additive. Molasses is something we already use. In fact sweeteners like molasses have long been a part of the arsenal of common products used by organic gardeners to bring greater health to their soils and plants.

Molasses is a syrupy, thick juice created by the processing of either sugar beets or the sugar cane plant. Depending on the definition used, Sweet Sorghum also qualifies as a molasses, although technically it’s a thickened syrup more akin to Maple Syrup than to molasses. The grade and type of molasses depends on the maturity of the sugar cane or beet and the method of extraction. The different molasses’ have names like: first molasses, second molasses, unsulphured molasses, sulphured molasses, and blackstrap molasses. For gardeners the sweet syrup can work as a carbohydrate source to feed and stimulate microorganisms. And, because molasses (average NPK 1-0-5) contains potash, sulfur, and many trace minerals, it serves as a nutritious soil amendment. Molasses is also an excellent chelating agent.

Dark colored blackstrap molasses is the most nutritionally valuable of the various types of molasses. It is commonly used as a sweetner in the manufacture of cattle and other animal feeds, and is even sold as a human health supplement. Any kind of molasses will work to provide benefit for soil and growing plants, but blackstrap molasses is the best choice because it contains the greatest concentration of sulfur, iron and micronutrients from the original cane material.

Why Molasses?

The reason nutrient manufacturer’s have “discovered” molasses is the simple fact that it’s a great source of carbohydrates to stimulate the growth of beneficial microorganisms. “Carbohydrate” is really just a fancy word for sugar, and molasses is
the best sugar for horticultural use. Folks who have read some of our prior essays know that we are big fans of promoting and nourishing soil life, and that we attribute a good portion of our growing success to the attention we pay to building a thriving “micro-herd” to work in concert with plant roots to digest and assimilate nutrients. We really do buy into the old organic gardening adage - “Feed the soil not the plant.”

Molasses is a good, quick source of energy for the various forms of microbes and soil life in a compost pile or good living soil. As we said earlier, molasses is a carbon source that feeds the beneficial microbes that create greater natural soil fertility. But, if giving a sugar boost was the only goal, there would be lot’s of alternatives. We could even go with the old Milly Blunt story of using Coke on plants as a child, after all Coke would be a great source of sugar to feed microbes and it also contains phosphoric acid to provide phosphorus for strengthening roots and encouraging blooming. In our eyes though, the primary thing that makes molasses the best sugar for agricultural use is it’s trace minerals.

In addition to sugars, molasses contains significant amounts of potash, sulfur, and a variety of micronutrients. Because molasses is derived from plants, and because the manufacturing processes that create it remove mostly sugars, the majority of the mineral nutrients that were contained in the original sugar cane or sugar beet are still present in molasses. This is a critical factor because a balanced supply of mineral nutrients is essential for those “beneficial beasties” to survive and thrive. That’s one of the secrets we’ve discovered to really successful organic gardening, the micronutrients found in organic amendments like molasses, kelp, and alfalfa were all derived from other plant sources and are quickly and easily available to our soil and plants. This is especially important for the soil “micro-herd” of critters who depend on
tiny amounts of those trace minerals as catalysts to make the enzymes that create biochemical transformations. That last sentence was our fancy way of saying - it’s actually the critters in “live soil” that break down organic fertilizers and “feed” it to our plants.

One final benefit molasses can provide to your garden is it’s ability to work as a chelating agent. That’s a scientific way of saying that molasses is one of those “magical” substances that can convert some chemical nutrients into a form that’s easily available for critters and plants. Chelated minerals can be absorbed directly and remain available and stable in the
soil. Rather than spend a lot of time and effort explaining the relationships between chelates and micronutrients, we are going to quote one of our favorite sources for explaining soil for scientific laymen.

“Micronutrients occur, in cells as well as in soil, as part of large, complex organic molecules in chelated form. The word chelate (pronounced “KEE-late”) comes from the Greek word for “claw,” which indicates how a single nutrient ion is held in the center of the larger molecule. The finely balanced interactions between micronutrients are complex and not fully understood. We do know that balance is crucial; any micronutrient, when present in excessive amounts, will become a poison, and certain poisonous elements, such as chlorine are also essential micronutrients.

For this reason natural, organic sources of micronutrients are the best means of supplying them to the soil; they are present in balanced quantities and not liable to be over applied through error or ignorance. When used in naturally chelated form, excess micronutrients will be locked up and prevented from disrupting soil balance.”

Excerpted from “The Soul of Soil”
by Grace Gershuny and Joe Smillie

[Ahmabeliever]

I believe some of TP's success, as pertains to gardening, is it's ability to greatly accelerate the rebuilding of depleted soil biology. This through increasing carbon exchange capacity while simultaneously providing additional housing for the resultant increased bacterial and fungal activity.

We can accelerate TP's biological stimulation via innoculation. Do you think the ancients were pre-composting their organic matter, I think not due to what I've been seeing.

Bearing in mind original TP is aged, organic, it is a complete soil biology. And so it is very efficient.

I got 1" strips of paper in a TP soil mix. I ripped up 1 dozen full sized newspaper sheets into strips, wet them then wrung out the excess water and buried them in the centre of a 150 litre pile of TP soil mix. I then innoculated it with a fungal tea as follows to see if the carbon in the paper would break down fast.

1 handful aged compost
1 handful root matter from native m.fungi hosts
25 ml liquid kelp
25 ml alfalfa (hand crushed sprout juice)
teaspoon milk powder
tablespoon crushed barley

This I brewed with a bubbler stone in 10 litres water for 2 days at 20 degrees, I did not add molasses as I was more intent on adding protein to encourage fungi in this tea and hoped the fungi would dominate.

Then I added a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses to another 10 litres water, mixed it with the tea and poured it over the TP mix with a watering can. 1 week later, could barely find traces of the paper.

So I'm thinking, this is only a 10% (charcoal) mix, and it's too hot! Added alfalfa seeds, they popped up two days later and grew just fine.

The efficiency of the fungal tea/TP soil mix to compost paper startled me, there may have been one or two worms that made it into that pile there is no way there were enough to consume the entire pile of paper. I've since repotted most of the soil round the place and so pulled the pile apart there was no significant amount of worms at all. The TP pile was also on top of plastic.

Upon being broken down in a week, that newspaper, or whatever nutritional makeup it does contain that is wanted by plants, could be plant food! It has already been fungal food.

Fast nutrient cycling.

[Ahmabeliever]

Just been skimming back through the thread.

Extremophiles, those bacteria that live in extreme conditions, raise some most interesting frames of reference.

As does a pine forest soil
A clean beach
A fetid swamp.

Basically, anywhere on the planet, with the slightest variance, shows variance in bacterial populations. Any and all external influences (seasons, weather, pollutants) cause variance as well.

Then the soil type, the fungal species, the plant diversity, the insect species, the birds, mammals, each and every one of them adding to the mix of bacteria present.

An eco-system is a closed loop where inputs and outputs are virtually equal. The seasons may cause loss at times, gains at others, but a balance is met.

Why is it that forests support numerous species of mammals indefinately without the need for external inputs.

All the waste from the species living on the land, goes back to the land, gets recycled in the system, and so balance is met. Apart from acts of God and man, only virus and disease should upset this balance.

Evolution/adaptation is most prevalent in adverse conditions. Say a specific mammal has learned/started to hunt. Their diet changes and so does their waste, this changes the nutrient profile in the soil, and thus, the bacterial population.

The changes are based on doing the best they can with what they have for their primary purpose, the mission statement, if you will, of all life, survival.

Radical claims department

Charcoal amendment has very little to do with assisting the effectiveness of fertiliser in soil. Charcoal amendment is more to do with turning the existing soil into fertiliser! hehe.

Humic and fulvic acids break down minerals providing energy. No humus, no humic and fulvic acids, no point adding the charcoal, maybe for water retention...

Humus is SOM. This is how TP 'fertilises' so well. It turbo charges humus production via high carbon exchange capacity, till there is so much humus it can sustain itself with energy derived from soil minerals ie: clay.

Adding anything detrimental to bacterial and fungal growth to the soil (like NPK ferts) is contrary to the desired effect of improving soil fertility. Without organic matter there is no humus, thus there is no fulvic and humic acids, the charcoal is not mineralised, nor is the clay. The energy levels required for greatly accelerated growth are not met.

Adenosine Tri Phosphate deserves a mention here also - ATP is the energy source for cellular division - plant growth.

"Living things can use ATP like a battery. The ATP can power needed reactions by losing one of its phosphorous groups to form ADP, but you can use food energy in the mitochondria to convert the ADP back to ATP so that the energy is again available to do needed work. In plants, sunlight energy can be used to convert the less active compound back to the highly energetic form"

The fact mineral fertilisers can produce excellent results points out (for me anyway) that soil mineralisation is as much a part of TP's effectiveness as the soil biology.

TP soil is better than both organic and fertilised soils. Why? It is both.

With the presense of calcium in the bones, silica in the clay and carbon in the charcoal, TP mix has the minerals to create more energy than your average soil can hope to compete with.

It's like the best of both worlds. Organic gardening and NPK ferts. But it takes time, can't wait to see some year three results of organic trials.

Still need a big think about this, brain hurts....

Getting closer methinks.

[Ahmabeliever]

Scuse the last post, rather disjointed just trying to summarise a bit now, then move forwards.

I've had my big think and now I'm twice as confused.

The problem with trying to pin down how things work in TP is that it is beyond me.

Each piece of the equation has so many variables, and can change, literally, at the drop of a hat (hat makes shaded spot, less sun and more moisture select variant species, increased worm, fungal, and bacterial activity to degrade hat)...

I think I understand most of the (obvious) variables enough

Charcoal increases CEC, plus housing and promoting fungi and bacterial development, assisting soil tilth and water retention, and decreasing erosion. Many other derived soil benefits from the fungi and bacteria.

Stable Organic Matter providing humic and fulvic acids that assist in mineralisation of inorganic parts of the soil for energy.


Other parts, well, they're more theory...

Fired Clay - Firing clay results in glass? The silicate binds type thing? If so this can be converted to energy by organic acid. Does the amazon soil have sand present?

Bones - Bacteria and fungi in soil mainly live on the products of plants, and can be seen as vegetarian. But predators in the food chain prefer animal food sources, the presense of bones would alter the bio-diversity of soil life. Predatory organisms allow for 'grazing' within the bio-community. Grazing recycles nutrients, and allows room for expansion where otherwise the space would be glutted. Worms are one such grazer.

And the complete lack of knowledge area I've saved for last. I have reading to do...

The resins in pyrolised charcoal.

Are resins the magic ingredient? (I think all of the above plus resins is the 'magic ingredient list')
Are resins in some manner used in the nutrient cycle of Terra Preta - and if so, how? I'm thinking if they are it's the humic and fulvic acids again.

Although this soil seems perpetual - even regenerating itself, I'd say there's a tipping point where it will cease to regenerate.

What goes up must come down.

How long did it take to establish these soils that take an area the size of France?

The stable organic matter was unstable organic matter at one stage, and I suspect for at least decades, more likely hundreds of years all the waste of the people living there was piled into the soil. All their hunting and fishing wastes, gardening compost, humanure, every year without fail, the garden was replenished with more than the soil could use.

Terra Preta contains stable nutrition. I think it is extremely energy efficient, an ecosystem in and of itself. So efficient that it appears to be self replenishing.

Terra Preta was not built in one day.

[Michaelangelica]

I've had my big think and now I'm twice as confused.

No you sound pretty clear to me
My worth

Charcoal increases CEC, plus. . .

I would add 'reduces pollution of rivers from farm fertiliser run off.' I believe this is a big problem in the Mississippi river.
It would be nice to have a bit more science in on water holding capacity.

From my own observations char also seems to make potting mix easier to re-wet once it has dried out (A big problem in large nurseries. If their automatic watering system goes down and pots dry out, then when re- watering, the water just runs down the side of the pot)

My warmer garden or char also seems to have made my parsley perennial.
Remember TP was in the Amazon --daily watering also means a little daily infusions of fresh fertiliser (N) from the rain. Will TP work as well in Dry climates?

Are resins in some manner used in the nutrient cycle of Terra Preta - and if so, how? I'm thinking if they are it's the humic and fulvic acids again.

Good questions, probably correct assumption, given that Victorian Brown Coal works in this way
Dynamotive does not produce energy from it's pyrolysis but makes bio-oils. They were going to look at this/these as a possible soil amendment. Not sure if they have yet.
The Amazonians used hardwood to make Charcoal. I am assuming hardwood would have more bio-oils than softwood.(?)
Hence another area of research based on the source of the char.

Fired Clay - Firing clay results in glass?

I don't think so. But I could be wrong. It just forms different condominiums for bacteria et. al., and probably protects soil from erosion (a lot of 'biggish' pieces were used) Remember it rains every day at 2 pm.
Zeolite clay works in very many similar ways to charcoal. (see pottery TP thread)
Silica is very high in some chars such as Rice Hull Char (Being used a lot in the Philipines now)

How long did it take to establish these soils that take an area the size of France?

good question
5-50-100-1,000 years?

Basically, anywhere on the planet, with the slightest variance, shows variance in bacterial populations. Any and all external influences (seasons, weather, pollutants) cause variance as well.

yes agreed. Although you don't think of the sea or beach as being full of bacteria. I may never go in the water again

We can accelerate TP's biological stimulation via innoculation.

This worries me a bit as, with galloping urbanisation and land clearing, we may be putting to death thousands or millions of different soil flora and fauna.
The Japanese just discovered one 'wee beastie' in volcanic pumice To their delight they found this 'wee beastie' makes phosphate. (Up to that point they were looking at Oz technology for applying super -phosphate to Japanese soils)
There may be many treasures under our feet but as soon as we start our Farming/Gardening practices (organic or chemical) we will destroy the aboriginal populations of "critters."

Then I added a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses to another 10 litres water, mixed it with the tea and poured it over the TP mix with a watering can. 1 week later, could barely find traces of the paper.

I can't find Molasses here only "Golden Syrup" which may be the same. (?)
I have yet to try "horsy-farm produce" shops. I have been experimenting with raw sugar. Per kilo, the cheapest soil additive around.
How thick was the shredded paper? One leaf? This is very fast breakdown.

Charcoal amendment has very little to do with assisting the effectiveness of fertiliser in soil. Charcoal amendment is more to do with turning the existing soil into fertiliser! hehe.

Yes but
It worries me that many are just taking the char from the TP equation. Possibly because of the Global Warming implications. You are probably right but I would say "'TP techniques'(clay, SOM, fish, bones etc)is more to do with turning the existing soil into fertiliser! hehe."

I was a bit worried when I recently read an article that claimed that charcoal can lock up nutrients. I may have seen this happen in some pots when first application of char made the plants go backwards, then recover and thrive. I did loose a couple of acid loving plants. (My soil is shite with some areas of pH 9)

Adding anything detrimental to bacterial and fungal growth to the soil (like NPK ferts) is contrary to the desired effect of improving soil fertility.

And how to you think this is going to go down with big agribusiness fertiliser suppliers?
Adding nitrogen has been shown to kill or interfere with nitrogen fixing bacteria in a couple of recent studies.

I think we can start writing our "TP for Home Gardener's Book" now?

Ahmabeliever
Just a couple of things to help you not run fowl of moderators
1. don't quote too much from copyrighted work. Use the quotes tool to identify a quote and give the URL address for people to follow up. Maybe tell them why they should follow it up
2 Keep on the thread topic if possible You were thinking out loud here and its fine, but some posts could have gone into a more general TP thread.
In fact you probably have something to say on most of them!SEE
Terra Preta - Science Forums

[Ahmabeliever]

Quote Michaelangelico

"I would add 'reduces pollution of rivers from farm fertiliser run off.' I believe this is a big problem in the Mississippi river.
It would be nice to have a bit more science in on water holding capacity."

fungal mycelium will provide outstanding water retention and soil stability. They are being looked into for Washingtons state forests. The roadways cause erosion and so berms of organic material with fungal innoculation are proposed. A meeting of minds is needed here. TP the firebreaks and roadways and then innoculate them.

Quote

"From my own observations char also seems to make potting mix easier to re-wet once it has dried out (A big problem in large nurseries. If their automatic watering system goes down and pots dry out, then when re- watering, the water just runs down the side of the pot)"

I've observed this too, but it's not as good at retaining water as an unknown potting soil I brought a hybridberry in. I can soak it without a tray and nothing comes out.

Quote

"This worries me a bit as, with galloping urbanisation and land clearing, we may be putting to death thousands or millions of different soil flora and fauna.
The Japanese just discovered one 'wee beastie' in volcanic pumice To their delight they found this 'wee beastie' makes phosphate. (Up to that point they were looking at Oz technology for applying super -phosphate to Japanese soils) There may be many treasures under our feet but as soon as we start our Farming/Gardening practices (organic or chemical) we will destroy the aboriginal populations of "critters."

The destruction of bacterial and fungal populations comes with the clearing of land. Collection and redistribution of top-soils, native plantings, and re innoculation of exposed subsoils with native innoculants would help a great deal.

This is one summation point that was overlooked. The mention of extremophiles and beaches was also meant to point out that wherever you are, bacteria are present. When you inoculate material you need to be adding local compost, populated for local bacteria. Local root material, for local fungi.

The local critters are already adapted to many of the variances. Adding some charcoal and bone and clay will more likely help than hinder them, as it did in the amazons gardens.

What applies in the amazon is amazonian beasties. Pretty much the same deal as the beasties you have, or I have. Any specific variations will bring variance.

Fantastic wee beastie making phosphate from pumice. No local limestone, very little animal droppings, and a lack of calcified rocks is my rough guess, nature had to provide.

Quote

"I can't find Molasses here only "Golden Syrup" which may be the same. (?)
I have yet to try "horsy-farm produce" shops. I have been experimenting with raw sugar. Per kilo, the cheapest soil additive around."

Golden syrup is more refined, and very nice on pancakes. good plant food too. Horsey farm shops will have your molasses. Get unsulfured, the sulfur is said to mess with fugal hyphae.

Quote

"How thick was the shredded paper? One leaf? This is very fast breakdown."

The shredded paper was in handful sized chunks of 1" strips that I'd torn into 4"ish lengths. I'd rifled it around a bit once I put the handfuls in the pile. Many spots would have had it clumped with more than 1/2 dozen sheets together.

Quote

"Yes but
It worries me that many are just taking the char from the TP equation. Possibly because of the Global Warming implications. You are probably right but I would say "'TP techniques'(clay, SOM, fish, bones etc)is more to do with turning the existing soil into fertiliser! hehe."

Correct - using just char benefits perhaps, but misses the chance to build really great soil.

Quote

"I was a bit worried when I recently read an article that claimed that charcoal can lock up nutrients. I may have seen this happen in some pots when first application of char made the plants go backwards, then recover and thrive. I did loose a couple of acid loving plants. (My soil is shite with some areas of pH 9)"

I theorise the nutrients are soaked up by bacteria, and then released again. This causing the so called stripping of nutrients.

Quote

And how to you think this is going to go down with big agribusiness fertiliser suppliers?

I care very little for these companies. I'd suggest they'd better start spending money on organic research, making pyrolised charcoal, fungal innoculants and compost activators. They've been rich and farmers poor for too long. I wouldn't care less if they dissapeared as another industrial dinosaur. Once we've learned to put our wastes back in the soil properly and treat the soil properly we don't need them.

Quote

"Adding nitrogen has been shown to kill or interfere with nitrogen fixing bacteria in a couple of recent studies."

- EXACTLY!

Quote

"I think we can start writing our "TP for Home Gardener's Book" now?

"

You know, that's not a bad idea. Where's a soil biologist to give my rantings a smiley face and a tick.

Quote

Ahmabeliever
Just a couple of things to help you not run fowl Bwaaarrrrk! Buk buk Bwaaarrrk!

1. don't quote too much from copyrighted work. Use the quotes tool to identify a quote and give the URL address for people to follow up. Maybe tell them why they should follow it up

Good point thanks, ruins flow but protects the greater good. I was hoping to draw people into the links - you got me.

Better still I guess would be permissions but OMG I've tried permissions with some of these - vegetable stuck in unspeakable orifice types. One time a university would not even sell me the ability to use a photo of a sheep. Not even for a percentage of profits.

2 Keep on the thread topic if possible. You were thinking out loud here and its fine, but some posts could have gone into a more general TP thread.
In fact you probably have something to say on most of them!SEE
Terra Preta - Science Forums[/QUOTE]

The manner in which I write and think out loud here is subconscious streaming in many parts, I guess I could go back and box it up. Just kiddin with ya!

I'm not trying to avoid the sites protocol and mean no disrespect. I am just trying to concentrate my thoughts and ideas which though you may not see, all tie in to my understanding of wee beasties roles in the soil. So I don't lose track of where I am, and where I'm going with this, I mention bones - and how they alter the population of wee beasties - clay - and believe it provides energy from mineralisation and subsequent further nutrition for wee beasties - charcoal - housing for wee beasties...

I doubt any one aspect of TP matters without wee beasties. (as pertaining to it's effects on soil, not global warming and the energy industry)

I am doing my darndest to point this out.

Wee Beasties!

[Michaelangelica]

Originally Posted by Ahmabeliever

And how to you think this is going to go down with big agribusiness fertiliser suppliers?

I care very little for these companies. I'd suggest they'd better start spending money on organic research, making pyrolised charcoal, fungal innoculants and compost activators. They've been rich and farmers poor for too long. I wouldn't care less if they dissapeared as another industrial dinosaur. Once we've learned to put our wastes back in the soil properly and treat the soil properly we don't need them.
:

I think you will soon find opposition to TP as you do to organic methods and bio-fuels. All coming out of some fancy sounding institute funded by some PR firm.

[Michaelangelica]

A good article on organic farming and costs of fertilisers
Farm Focus: Fueling organic soils with forages
Ends like this

The soil scientist W.A. Albrecht, however, was fond of saying that, "Fertile soils make the earthworms not vice versa." Farmers must furnish the organic matter to feed the worms, if they want to cash in on the earthworm's soil improving habits. As high earthworm numbers in grassland soils demonstrate, perennial forages benefit worms more than annual crop residues.

In biological systems, it is important not to discount the small contributions made by a broad number of other soil organisms. For instance, Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi are thread-like root extensions that facilitate water and nutrient uptake by a variety of crop plants.
The monetary value of their contribution may be less easy to pin down than the N2-fixing Rhizobium/legume symbiosis, but they play an important role all the same. The combined work of many soil organisms might be equated to the role of solar energy heating. Mostly unnoticed, their value suddenly rises as fossil fuel prices increase.
Not surprisingly, VAMs do poorly with excessive tillage and prefer undisturbed soil - like the soil under a two or three year forage/ legume crop.

The motto "feed the soil, not the plant" is another way of saying that organic farmers shouldn't forget to feed the below ground livestock.
Not doing so will severely test whether organic agriculture can thrive not because of higher prices for certified products, but despite increasing costs for fossil fuels.

Farm Focus: Fueling organic soils with forages

[Ahmabeliever]

Just reading the making charcoal thread again and I see this...

". . . Low temperature woody charcoal (not grass or high cellulose) has an interior layer of bio-oil condensates that microbes consume and is
equal to glucose in its effect on microbial growth (Christoph Steiner,
EACU 2004). High temp char loses this layer and does not promote soil
fertility very well."

So there's the tars/resin question answered.

Another thing I read concerned fish being a large part of amazonians diet and these wastes were providing calcium and phosphorus.

I'm thinking seashells.

Oh yeah, just got back from a wedding where I met the Marine Biologist who successfully bred eels in captivity. We were talking about bacteria with concerns to pH and temperature. A common aquarium belief is that below pH 6.0 and below a certain temperature the bacteria stop working. Here's what he said.

"That isn't true."

Me - So nature doesn't stop when the pH drops.

"Not at all. If you have a small filter, with a pH or temperature drop the bacteria may slow down, this drop in their productivity could be a problem for your tank. With a large filter filled with bacteria, it's never a problem. Besides, if the environment changes the bacteria themselves change to suit it, they don't die they adapt."

He's just taken on a job cleaning dairy industry waste making fish food out of it. Got no details but I reckon it's wee beasties work and goes something like this.

Yeast or whey waste - pond grows algae - algae feed plankton - plankton feed fish... It's a plan I thought of years ago for dealing with cattle manure.

Found out the trick to containing eels too - escape artists of the first degree! - A lil electric fence

Hoping to have extended wee beastie discussions with this man whilst raising me some fresh fish dinners (I need the fish for TP calcium and phosphorus you see, of course it's on topic )

Also caught up with a bloke who has an agency come in once a week and add bacteria to his u-bend where grease and oil go - the bacteria eat the grease in no time, every last bit, the end product is CO2 & water.

Go beasties go!

[Essay]

Hey! Just a short note to say thanks for all the interesting posts on this thread. I rarely get a chance to reply, but I've enjoyed hours of imaginary conversations, musings, and possible replies based on your posts. Especially Michaelangelica and Ahmabeliever, thanks (though I'm jealous of Ahma because you beat me to key insights and points all too often); I'm glad you take the time to share your inspirations.

One point that has been made before, but needs emphasizing is that the CO2 sequestration capabilities of soil reside in its ability to support microbes. hmmm... let's restate that.

It is the microbial biomass that is the sequestered Carbon. Adding char to soil is one way to hide some Carbon, but it's the microbes which the char supports, that provide the largest potential to quickly (w/ grey water & nutritive wastes) sequester significant amounts of atmospheric CO2. With or without char, soil can be managed (it's just easier with char) to sequester and retain enough CO2 to alter the climate.

The second point was about charcoal, making char, ...what's the best temperature to cook char, etc.

It occurred to me that it doesn't have to be exact, or uniform throughout. Some variation may be best; both high or low bio-oil chars will be taken advantage of by the beasties. I agree that it's probably best to strive for a relatively low temperature, but anything is better than nothing in this case.
Think of the smoldering piles of Amazonian trees, brush and debris. I'll bet within such a pile there are several different temperature profiles, creating various "grades" of char; and I bet it's all good for supporting microbes, and CEC, water retention, etc. Promoting Biodiversity!

I can't believe that for years I've been trashing the used charcoal from my fishtank filters.
Used, activated charcoal is probably just the same as low-temp (unactivated), bio-oil enriched, charcoal. Thanks for the insight!
From now on, it's going into the garden!

mmm....yummmm; aromatic hydrocarbons and graphene.