Sami Grover
DCL
Biochar, or the practice of using charcoal to sequester carbon and improve soils, is a hot topic these days. Advocates argue that biochar can boost crop yields and cut carbon emissions. Meanwhile skeptics argue that a large scale biochar industry could be a dangerous distratction, providing an excuse for not cutting emissions, and using up precious land resources to grow crops for biochar.
Whichever side is right (and I suspect they both have a point), there are plenty of people out there who say they've experienced increased yields after applying biochar. So I thought I'd conduct a very unscientific experiment.
I had a bag of charcoal lying around in the shed that we never used, and I had a compost heap that was getting a little aromatic from one too many applications of urine. (See Josh's post on how to garden with urine.)
Knowing that charcoal helps retain nutrients from urine, that it helps to absorb odors, and that I needed some space in the shed - I decided to crush up the charcoal and add it to the heap. I know for sure that the smells have dissipated - so much so that I'm giving it the occasional sprinkle once more (though that may be TMI!). And I'll be reporting on what happens when I apply it to the garden next Spring. Watch this space!
I should note, of course, that I am not sure about the greenness of this as a general practice. Charcoal burning is often an energy intensive and polluting activity - so unless energy is being harvested as the charcoal is burned, I'd be interested to know whether there would be any benefits from a mere CO2 standpoint. But I knew I had the charcoal available, I had a problem with odors anyway, and I'm intrigued to see whether this really boosts plant growth. We'll see...
Need proof that it's possible to balance being green and still be a supportive partner and parent? See how Ed Begley, Jr. does it on Planet Green TV's Living with Ed.
