In article ,
"Nancy Young" wrote:

Hi, all.

I keep hearing good things about biochar as a soil amendment.

Does anyone here have experience using it? I'm thinking of
adding it to my flower gardens and vegetable beds.

nancy

Also known as "Terra Preta", I regularly add charcoal, and wood ash, to
my garden beds, but I haven't noticed any effect, but then I haven't
added it at the rate of 5 kg/m2 (1 lb/ft2). I don't doubt its efficacy,
it has been shown to work.

There is a good article on making charcoal at
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organ...har-To-Improve
-Your-Soil.aspx?page=2
unfortunately these folks refer to wood ash as being a good source for
phosphates(?). It isn't. It's a good source for potassium.

One important point that they bring up is
"Charcoal briquettes used in grilling are probably not a good choice
(for a source of charcoal). Those designed to light fast often include
paraffin or other hydrocarbon solvents that have no place in an organic
garden. Plain charred weeds, wood or cow pies are better materials for
using this promising soil-building technique based on ancient gardening
wisdom."

Lump charcoal (unprocessed charcoal) or it's powder at the bottom of the
bag, is OK. My main source of charcoal comes from the wood chips that I
use in my barbecue to flavor meat. I soak them in water, wrap them in
tin foil and then place them on the coals. After the barbecue cools off,
you will find that the wood chips have become charcoal, and this is what
I add to our garden beds. I just scratch it into the surface.
--
- Billy
"When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist."
-Archbishop Helder Camara
http://peace.mennolink.org/articles/...acegroups.html
http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth...130964689.html