Effects of mycorrhizal fungi and biochar 75 Days

[sodpa]

Interesting Biochar Video

In this video he states that there is a difference in charcoal and biochar. Mainly in the temperature in which they are created. He also states that after crushing it should be pretreated by wetting and mixing with a good soil or compost before adding. Ideal ratio is 8 to 10%.YouTube - MAKING BIOCHAR: with Peter Hirst of New England Biochar

[Aaron]

biochar

Great vid! 8-10% sounds a little low compared to the real Terra Preta or
is that about right?

I'm simply going to till mine into the ground and that patch will be all mixed
good before anything is planted. There is already a lot of mycorrhizal fungus
and biochar in that soil and I want more biochar. I only have probably a
couple % biochar in my bed but works. My sunflower roots were denser than
steel wool pads, literally!

Here's the book mentioned in the video as the compendium of biochar:
Amazon.com: Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology (9781844076581): Johannes Lehmann, Stephen Joseph: Books

Here is the author's website:
Biochar for Environmental Management: Science and Technology | International Biochar Initiative

[sodpa]

Biochar

I don't know if 8-10% by weight would be low. As heavy as soil is, it would take a lot of biochar to hit those percentages to any depth. It's a matter of just adding as much as possible. Any amount seems to have some benefits.

The real magic is in the combination of the organic material (compost) and the biochar. One is just as important as the other. This then encourages a flush of micro-organisms and other beneficial life forms such as earth worms. Making all the compounds in the soil itself and the compost more available to the plants. The compost adds soil conditioning, water retention and minerals.

I think it would be worth the effort to crush the biochar ahead of time. To make it disperse more evenly through the soil and make more of it's surface area usable.