Hi Fred, just charcoal is not fertilizing the soil. You need to charge it first with urine or animal po. If not it takes first the nutriants out by absorbing them. We make charcoal and then urinate on it in a bucket. This eliminates all odors and charges the char into biochar. After 2 days we collect it in a bigger bin and after 2 weeks its going in the soil. The results in the plants is enormous. If you put it around the young bamboo plants the wild boar (pigs) will not pull out your risomes the hate the smell of it. Thanks, Martin Portugal
We usually recommend mixing with compost or manure to balance the nitrogen levels with biochar's high carbon content. Otherwise, the short term results aren't very good, although in the long term the biochar will still increase soil quality and microbial life, among other benefits. You can get great results with urine too. Nice that it also works as a pest deterrent!
These are the Colombian Andes. They are not volcanic. Coffee farmers have used traditional fertilizers for decades, and the soil has gradually degraded, which is why we've been encouraging and supporting more regenerative practices, including the use of biochar.
Hi Fred, just charcoal is not fertilizing the soil. You need to charge it first with urine or animal po. If not it takes first the nutriants out by absorbing them. We make charcoal and then urinate on it in a bucket. This eliminates all odors and charges the char into biochar. After 2 days we collect it in a bigger bin and after 2 weeks its going in the soil. The results in the plants is enormous. If you put it around the young bamboo plants the wild boar (pigs) will not pull out your risomes the hate the smell of it. Thanks, Martin Portugal
We usually recommend mixing with compost or manure to balance the nitrogen levels with biochar's high carbon content. Otherwise, the short term results aren't very good, although in the long term the biochar will still increase soil quality and microbial life, among other benefits. You can get great results with urine too. Nice that it also works as a pest deterrent!
IS That A Volcanic Mountain ? And IS IT More Fertilized ?
These are the Colombian Andes. They are not volcanic. Coffee farmers have used traditional fertilizers for decades, and the soil has gradually degraded, which is why we've been encouraging and supporting more regenerative practices, including the use of biochar.
I TRUELY ENJOYED The Last Talk About Burning AN Growing Coffee ! IM A TEA DRINKER
I prefer tea as well, although Colombia temporarily had me reconsidering my preferences...
CAN YOU Grow Crops Better Against A Mountain ?
Not really, but sometimes you just have to work with what you have. In Colombia they have the Andes!