"Biochar-soils". This is the home for discussion devoted to technical issues concerning biochar use in soil. This will be the place to use words such as "productivity improvement", "tonnes per hectare", and "char placement depth (or technology)". This list will also be the pre-dominant location of terms such as "CEC (cation exchange capacity)", "pH", "optimum char size", etc.
This list will encompass all possible scales of use in soil (from a single backyard pot up to the largest possible farm or plantation.) The list will encourage discussion of all possible geographic areas - and all possible forms of soils or new green growth - from backyards to algae farms to forests to feed-lots, etc. Discussion of biochar use that can create new forests will be encouraged.
One type of "characterization" - that of the physical attributes of the biochar in the soil itself - will be focused in this list. When there is a need to discuss char-in-soil characterization that impacts char production, that is appropriate for the Biochar Production Group. The reverse will also true. Policy and economic issues related solely to biochar use in soils are appropriate here, but in general, we encourage those to be discussed on the Biochar Policy Group.
Hi Ron, ... Yes, thanks indeed. Ken is a very thoughtful and care full man. Next year,if there is a crop failure I can come up with six more speculations. ...
... Cost is a big factor. $13 with OM. I like their service too. http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/services1.htm Since their OM test is % by loss by
Richard, ... Sketching speculation, not drawing conclusions. Kevin made me do it. :) ... Biochar was incorporated in May. Soil was sampled in late July. ...
Thanks for look at your soil tests. Re: Variation in test results between treatments. I took 28 soil tests each year for 3 years from 17 foot plots in a 500
Hi Kevin, Perhaps biochar can make amateurs out of professionals. It certainly make skeptics. :} No one would accuse me of being an amateur speculator. So here