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Old 29-08-2010, 04:34 AM
uriel13 uriel13 is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2009
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Hi All,

It has been a while since my last post and I have learned much since then about the process.

I now believe it essential to render down the charcoal into small pieces and to inoculate the charcoal. the inoculum should be in liquid form enabling the charcoal to absorb the nutrient.

I use blood, fish and bone powder, molasses and fruit sugar, cassava and yam meal.

First render down 5 kilos of lump wood charcoal and deposit in large plastic container and mix in 1 kilo of blood, fish and bone.

To make this inoculation liquid you should use the following steps:-

To a pot add 1 gallon of water, bring to a simmer.

Add 6 ozs of both cassava and yam meal and the same amount of fruit sugar.

Stir continually for about 20 minutes turn off heat and allow to cool until tepid.

Add 2 table spoonfuls of molasses and stir in until dissolved.

Add the liquid to the charcoal mix and stir in leave for 48 hours, empty out onto plastic sheet in greenhouse and allow to sun dry.

Add in layers to a dedicated compost bin, the inoculated charcoal should be approximately 30% of the volume of the bin.

Add this compost to trenches and planting holes along with Rootgrow or similar VAM fungi product.

The addition of un-inoculated charcoal to soil will result in this charcoal absorbing all nutrient from the soil and lower crop yields due to lack of nutrient.

A 5 kilo batch of rendered charcoal is capable of absorbing approximately 11 to 15 pints of fluid, this is why inoculation is necessary.


uriel13