What's new
  • ICMag with help from Landrace Warden and The Vault is running a NEW contest in November! You can check it here. Prizes are seeds & forum premium access. Come join in!

Terra Preta - Dark Soil - Experiment

ThaiPhoon

ThaiPhoon

Active member
Awesome input jaykush and bongsong...
jaykush your mixes look awesome...I remember seeing you post those somewhere before! The link I have seen as well.
I think the aging of the TP mixes is quite important. Other things I have read suggest that a fresh mix may stunt plants, but they seem to recover quickly once its settles down...

The rice husk charcoal is great. No need to grind it up, its almost like micronised charcoal. It holds an amazing amount of water. Very sponge like, and it blends in very very well with the other soil components.

I'm with JayKush, time to smoke and think...
 
Last edited:
ThaiPhoon

ThaiPhoon

Active member
Holy smokes JK, I hope I am reading that chart properly. (my viewer has a rotate option)
Looks like the biochar has a very significant positive effect on the microherd! At least on the myco they were testing. Thanks for that!
 
SilverSurfer_OG

SilverSurfer_OG

Living Organic Soil...
ICMag Donor
Veteran
This is all excellent work guys :D

The microbes must colonise the charcoal pretty quick... do you think they could also lie dormant if the charcoal dries out ready to burst back into life?

Heres my 3 remaining Buddahs and a Mexican sat on the far left in orginal coco/charcoal mix.

From left to right - coco/charcoal, coco, soil, soil/charcoal


Hey Bongsong thats interesting with your peppers... You also use the 30% charcoal rate recommended in the article... any pics?

My clones are taking their time but should be ready soon. I have small bag activated charcoal made from coconuts on hand to use and my original mix.
 
Last edited:
G

Guest

I'll try get pics guys I don't own a camera so must borrow...

Yep, 30% charcoal. It mixes (breaks up) far easier with a metal spade edge just dropped on it (metal handle too, quite heavy). Ramming it large mortar and pestle style was much more work. Wet it first folks, don't want to breathe it.

Let's hear it for iron tools!
 
jaykush

jaykush

dirty black hands
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Bongsong just wet the charcoal first, let it drain some then smash no dust and it works into a nice airy paste texture perfect for amending. i used a bag and a brick, smash! smash!
 
Smurf

Smurf

stoke this joint
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Same here... normally soak in a bucket using tea,, then ,,,a bag and a sledge hammer, a brick would be better tho.
 
G

Guest

I kept breaking my bag so went for the bucket and broke that so I (hehe) Got the 4x2 and pulverised it in bottom of a barrel and splintered that up and then I got a steel tool and haven't broke that yet.

I'm so glad we're out of the dark ages. If it wasn't for steel tools and industrial barrels I'd be pounding it into the ground with a stick.

ABC Documentary? You guys get moving pictures? :monkeyeat
 
jaykush

jaykush

dirty black hands
ICMag Donor
Veteran
ahh good video. im going to laugh if the stoners figure out the key to TP first though.

bongsong too funny, how big are the chunks your starting with. thaiphoon has it easy using ricehull char, hes just laughing at us for smashing shit.
 
G

Guest

OK my beginning 'chunks' are approx 3" blocks. I think it maybe is not 100% done as it could be?....

In answer to TP in pots, and if it is beneficial. Well, I don't know, but love to theorise...

I think because so many of you folk are so good at organics already you/we'll see results that are not so startling as those who can't garden very well (yet!).

I think 'low tilling methods' can be established in pots it's just that much more finicky to look after (easier to swing temp, water conditions etc)

I've found in my AP system with a stubborn root system if I cut the plant first and return a few days later I can 'pull' the root ball far easier as most of the fine stuff is already degrading and being consumed by microbials. So I pull the one plant and replace it immediately with another. - No downtime for the microherd, though some may lay dormant or change their job profile till the plant get's bigger.

Established microherds plus worms are the ultimate composting machine. Within hours of cutting your plant the finer root hairs are being assimilated as sugars for your next grow. The worms already have highways in place and they 'speed' (hehe) to each rot site and turn the excess decay into worm castings....

TP in your pot should help the micros out. I don't think it's a fert in any manner, maybe as a side benefit theres some potash residue... Adding TP is like constructing luxury condos for micros, and then they themselves make the roads, drains, power systems, etc.

So - leave the infrastructure intact - and give it a chance to shine.
 
Last edited:
Smurf

Smurf

stoke this joint
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Adding TP is like constructing luxury condos for micros, and then they themselves make the roads, drains, power systems, etc.
Click to expand...
LOL, I feel like I'm @ the comedy cafe with you guys.

That is quite conceivable about replacing the plant within a pot with out disturbing too much of the existing soil.
I like what you described Bongsong and thinking seriously about giving it a try next grow session. There is no reason to think that the mycorr herd can't or wont re-attach themselves to the existing root system. The theory sounds viable. Probably needs a good dose of vam, if only to connect the dots, so to speak. There is only one prob I can think of atm and that would be the time spent by mycorr not attached to a living root system would have to be minimized for all this to work.

I've done something similar,,, but not quite the same,,, I've already grown a few plants ( all at the same time) in a 95 L pot, most of which matured. I harvested the buds from 5 plants and let the last one go. She was a sativa and needed longer to flower.
Now after pruning back (Nov last yr) they've re-vegged nicely and I'm about to get my 2nd harvest from them. Haven't touched the soil in pot,,,, only top dressed with ewc & guano, then covered that with sugar cane mulch. At a guess I'm thinking maybe 7+ mths old now.
 
ThaiPhoon

ThaiPhoon

Active member
jaykush, I am not laughing at you for smashing the charcoal! I do feel sorry for you guys tho! It also shows how dedicated you all are to figuring out the secrets lost to time!

Bongsong, some of the stuff I've read online shows that adding only rice hull charcoal has increased yeilds. I believe that there is some nutrition kept in the charcoal that would be gradually released over time, with help from the microbes. I agree that best results will come with the maturing TP. In a few days the plant I have in the TP pot with the citrus tree will be harvested. I am going to leave the root ball in the pot. Then a few days after harvest, I will just plant another seedling in its place. I have found that mixing things like guano, compost, ewc together with some more charcoal to work well as a top dressing. I am also going to throw a couple dozen worms into the pot as well this time.

I love this thread!
 
Smurf

Smurf

stoke this joint
ICMag Donor
Veteran
This is a DIY rice husk charcoal.

FFTC LEAFLET FOR AGRICULTURE (Food and Fertilizer Technology Center For The Asia Pacific Region),,, and found this

Reasons for the effectiveness of rice husk charcoal

The mechanism whereby rice husk charcoal improves
crop yield is not clearly understood. The effect may
vary from soil to soil. However, the following effects
have been seen in experiments.
1. The rice husk charcoal increases the soil pH,
thereby increasing the available P.
2. The aeration in the crop root zone is improved.
3. The water-holding capacity of the soil is improved.
4. There is an increase in the level of exchangeable
K and Mg.​
Click to expand...
http://www.eprida.com/hydro/ecoss/background/ricehullcharcoal.pdf
 
SilverSurfer_OG

SilverSurfer_OG

Living Organic Soil...
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Thats awesome if it makes K, P and Mg more available as well as all the other good stuff :yes:

My ladies indoors in a mix of 50% coco, 20% compost, 20% perlite, 10% charcoal are going well. They under 400w CMH.

I am making a tea with charcoal in the mix from the start. Seems to be frothing well...

 
Last edited:
SilverSurfer_OG

SilverSurfer_OG

Living Organic Soil...
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Hey thats a great video Thaiphoon! Amazing to see the real Terra preta and the remnants of the great civilisation it supported. 880% increase in yields when using the charcoal too! :D

My plants loved the latest batch of tea. It was ready in 48 hours which for me is double quick time... i leave my tea bubbling outside and the weather was bit chilly. Going to mix up a new batch with less charcoal and see if i can replicate or even get faster frothy goodness cos its bit warmer now...

I am making a new soil mix today with 30% charcoal.
 
G

Guest

security issues sorry guys, the TP plants are all doing very well, dammit :laughing:
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Latest posts

Top