Maturation

This is where things get tricky. Life requires several things and to be healthy it needs all of them in relatively equal measure. Habitat is a biggie because there must be several things for optimal growth and reproduction. The char provides that. Like a condo complex for soil microbes, the habitat is there, all fourteen acres of surface area per handful. Resources include food and moisture, a place to be safe, to reproduce, to consume nutritious materials and to excrete waste and exchange gasses. The more air and water you can keep on and in the char, the better. Again, without pooling water and ideally, warm enough for microbes to multiply. When conditions are right, it will keep you busy stirring the material three or more times a day. When weather turns cool, you may only need to mix the material once a day, or even less if things freeze up. Some bacteria can colonize and exponentially grow and reproduce in a matter of hours, and folding them through the vast surface area in char requires presenting many hundreds of  chances for the surfaces to be jumbled. Since microbes are pretty much immobile on the scales that exist in the char, you will be required to spread the microbes physically turning and mixing the material.

The fastest I have been able to transform char into biochar is about six weeks. The conditions were optimal and it was during summer when I paid close attention to it several times each day, stirring, adding more minerals, adding compost and/or moisture and other nutrients and micronutrients during the maturation phase. The key is getting the right materials in the right quantities as well, but the bottom line is that it takes time to populate the char with microbes, and the more balanced the mix of inputs, the more rapidly you can colonize the char with microbes appropriate to your site.

In situations where people don't want to pay much attention to the process, I have seen them just put a layer of moistened and mineralized char in their compost pile and mix it in the following spring. I don't garden on those sites, but the people who do say that it has been effective too. It just depends on what your situation is and what you want to accomplish with your particular application. My own uses are for gardening mostly and we have alkaline soil, so I typically mineralize with granite dust to help buffer the Ph toward neutral. If you have acidic soils, you might want to mineralize with lime, just remember that changing the Ph is not always practical and if you get soil microbes who cannot handle the conditions of the soil you introduce them to, you will be killing off the microbes you sought to introduce. As  my biochar gets closer to ready, I typically add a few, up to ten percent local soil, to help buffer the mixture between the mixture that I jade and the existing conditions. That way, when I finally till it in, it is not such a shock for the soil microbes.

I have had beds enriched with biochar that continued to improve both soil tilth and production for several years after being amended the first time and beds that, although they have been amended do not really come into vastly better production for a few years. Perhaps this is in part based on how "ready" I had gotten the biochar before adding microbes. Obviously, a full dose of well made char is best for production right out of the gate, but if there are less than spectacular results in making it, moisturizing it, adding minerals or nutrients, adding microbes or maturation, nature tends to fix them pretty quickly. Keep in mind though, quickly for nature could be several years or a decade. I typically don't like to till the soil very deeply, or very much in fact, but if there is biochar in them and they are not producing optimally, I do try to tousle the material several times to help spread it through the existing soil microbiome. One old-timer told me that his family would burn, and immediately incorporate the blackened and charred, woody material into the soil. The following year, nothing would grow, but after there had been a year or two of poor production, those soils would improve drastically. Nature will always take her course, but my interest is in making good things as fast as is practical. Maturing the char into biochar requires time and the energy of turning the material. you don't want to stir it like a blender would, or violently stir it either, just folding it in and on itself, lifting the bottom layers to the top, etc. as you become proficient in biochar making, you will feel the material change. At first, when it is just a collection of resources, it will feel like you are stirring a container of wet glass shards, but when the microbial community is well-developed, it will feel fluffy and soft.

Because we inhabit a range of scale that takes for granted our large size and ability to zip across the globe, it can be difficult to think in the scale of the char maturation process. When tiny bits of char, under 2mm maximum size, as you can see from the SEM images, are like a thousand straws, each can be thought of as a cave in which a bacterial colony might inhabit. In fact, even though these tubes are microscopic, many different microbes could exist and thrive within a single tube! To them, the housing is very roomy. In a cube 1cm on each side, about a third of a sugar cube, of pure char, there is as much square footage as a soccer field. I have tried for years to understand this, but I find that it is virtually unimaginable.

When the char has fully matured, it loses the clean, crisp smell of something absorbing everything it can. It gets the rich fecund smell of soil, that is one way to tell it is done. When you stir it, it feels very light and "airy". Almost like you were stirring a lighter version of marshmallow fluff.

In my initial flyer, covering all six parts of the process of making biochar, I wrote, about maturation,

"Biochar can be made by adding char to compost heaps, animal bedding, or other agricultural wastes. In fact, many large industrial agriculture operations use char for odor control, however, when we wish to create a balanced, healthy, ecosystem, using organic components, keeping the material moist and aerated, adding organically derived nutrients as well as minerals and allowing nature to take the lead in maturation creates a product more valuable than gold, the best biochar. Because char has such vast surface area, it is like a 3-D petri dish. Allowing time for microbes to multiply, diligently stirring them through the material repeatedly and taking care to maintain an optimal moisture level, speeds the processes that, in nature could take many years. Growing and distributing microbes throughout the char cannot be rushed."

Once again, let me say, I love and care about everyone and that is why I share these, most recent posts. I have said many times that biochar is more valuable than gold. Every person that has worked with it agrees, biochar has worked for them as advertised. One even said that if our culture collapsed tomorrow, this might be the most important technology to know about, understand and utilize in an attempt to survive. One friend who is a grower, completely reliant on her soil for her living, calls it her "secret weapon". she has said that it is the only thing keeping her in business. Collectively we can use biochar to literally heal the Earth, sequestering carbon for geologic time, doubling crop production, conserving both surface and ground water, reducing the need for irrigation and off site nutrient inputs. We also would grow far healthier plants and be able to eat healthier food if we used char on all productive soil. We all know what happens when you do that! Some of us still remember when they taught us in school that "You are what you eat." It is time for us to learn that important lesson. Making soil healthier makes us healthier as well. Please share this info. With anyone you might think would be interested. Anyone you know, who grows any crop at all, can benefit from this simple ritual. It is part of our birthright as human beings, your ancestors developed it, share it! How do you measure the value of doubling production forever? when you begin to understand what it means to you, please send me something of value as a thank-you. My Paypal account number is: tnsaladino42@hotmail.com if you want to contact me directly with questions or concerns, please do so, my e-mail is the same...

To help one to understand the truth behind the saying "Think globally, act locally.",  check out my other blog, ecotoursofwisconsin.blogspot.com, specifically Get an Apple...

Snowed In Means Rest Of World Snowed Out

Bliss under a white blanket reminds me that there is nothing quite as sweet as a true day off!

"Official" Start of Spring

The news has been telling us that "Spring", what they consider to be springlike weather is coming a week early this year. They are basing this opinion on the fact that when consulting the Julian Calendar and applying dualistic logic to that subjective and fictional accounting of time, the seasons have everything to do with the equinoxes and solstices. Anyone who has been exposed to the ritual calendar of the tribal cultures around the globe know that Julius Ceasar is not powerful enough to set the time signature of life, nor is the dynamic sphere that we call the Globe able to be relegated to a mere scientific accounting. The officials are just plain wrong and it is time for all of us to question their other assumptions as well.

Spring actually began, according to the pagan calendar on, or about, the second of February. For those of us who work outdoors a lot, you could feel two things combining their efforts to change the season. The tilt of the Earth, combined with our slow annual revolution around the sun, combined to make the lengthening days most apparent. During these times, the day length jumps up in the largest increments of the year. In addition, the sun angle in our middle latitudes changed from it's lowest angle, that allows most of the sun's energy to reflect off the sphere of the Earth, back into space, to a much higher angle that has the power to melt even the occasional spring snows that fall over the next few moons. A friend called to find out if there was anything that they needed to know about the New Moon that coincided with the start of Spring this year. My view is that the New(no visible)Moon brings a time of new beginnings, of introspection, setting of goals and tuning in, if you will, to what resonnates within our own being. Once you allow yourself free reign over your inner talents and motivations, it becomes a time of reestablishing contact with the core of one self, so that new directions can be explored.

Like the walkabout of the aboriginies, we occasionally need to reset our moral and ethical compass and this reflective time every moon allows for that as well as many other healing processes. Letting go of what has held us back, putting new ideas into practice and renewing one's commitments to the most deeply held goals and aspirations fits right into the New Moon Energy, as well as the start of Spring. like being dealt a pair in Black Jack, doubling up on this energy of renewal can have profound effects on one's future. Many fear the future and what it may hold in store for humanity, those we love, or, in fact, our own lives. This is old way thinking. We are really on the doorstep of a completely different mind set, we just need the courage to let go of what we thought was real in the past. In feudal times, it was good to have a castle to run to when your land was being overrun by jealous forces, intent on raping and pillaging your towns and the fertile countryside. In those days, one's enemies were pretty obvious. Doing exactly as the king wished was a matter of life and death. Today, we are in a different world, one that allows our enemies to rape and pillage under the cover of authority and expediency. We are called to find a new way to protect ourselves and at the same time create new communities that are protected from a different kind of ransacking. Stone walls will not protect us from the type of attacks we are likely to face.
Our air may be contaminated from worldwide use of toxic compounds. Our water might be contaminated by people trying to dispose of hazardous chemicals by pumping them into our aquifer or thrying to "release" the last oil and natural gas from deep layers of the bedrock. the land may be rendered sterile by the use of anhydrous ammonia or bio-cides that were developed by industrialists to quell natural pests that swarmed over sick fields. These are the real and present dangers that we are facing at this moment in time, not fur clad heathens. In fact, if we are not careful, many more of us might have to become fur clad heathens if we are to have a chance at surviving the next major shift in our culture. The key will be in keeping our humanity intact whils letting go of many of the fictional accounts about who we are, how we got to where we are and the ultimate place which we occupy in the Universe.

Just as the Julian Calendar is not the true time signature of life, and the saying that humans are "brutish", cruel, self-centered and greedy is based on subjective analysis of long dead scholars, many other beliefs are outdated and need to be discarded if we are to have a chance at creating the world anew. Scientists have now proved beyond a reasonable doubt something that all parents knew implicitly. Children are magnanamous, compassionate and giving, until they are impacted by the world around them in negative ways. Abuse a child or neglect them and they begin to transform before your very eyes. That is where the "brutish" side is created. Sure, we were unaware of how it happenned back in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, but today, we can see our way clear to a new age, a new future that was obscured as we crouched behind the ramparts of our rulers. now we use the term official to squelch every form of questioning that makes those in charge uncomfortable.

As we approach the Equinox this week, and the fullness of the Moon that coincides with it this year, try to find a quiet place within yourself. or share that quiet space with others who can appreciate the abundant blessings that we all partake of daily. Feel the generosity of the unwounded child within, and attempt to reflect that generosity in everything you do for just one short month. I bet, that you will never go back to unfeeling, uncaring or unwitting participation in the "dog eat dog" world. If you need a guide or a mirror to reflect back to you the images and new found insights of this new way of being, I am available for consultations, classes and tours that focus exclusivly on reestablishing a deeper contact with our natural world. sustainability begins within each of us and can only be reflected by attuning ourselves to the laws of nature and the ever changing world that we live in.

As part of my own transformation to a new world order, I have been committing myself to a not-for-profit organization here in Northeast Wisconsin that plants native trees while providing experiences in nature. Our efforts have led to the planting of over 60,000 trees before we even registered with the State of Wisconsin as a non-profit. In the six years since registering with the state, we have planted another 60,000 trees and are in the process of reforesting over two hundred acres. The sharing that has taken place on these tours has been worht all the effort and time that we have put into it. Our staff is all-volunteer, so not a single cent of our donations is wasted on salary. Every dollar that we receive goes directly to purchasing seedlings, planting them, protecting and caring for them and many of the trees we have planted are already transforming the landscapes in which they were planted in positive ways. Many of the trees we have planted will outlive us and provide benefits long after we are forgotten. Participation in these efforts has changes many lives for the better and helped to stabilize the local environment as well as the climate of the entire region.
You can reach us to find out more about ECO-Tours of Wisconsin at: 1445 Porlier street, Green Bay, Wisconsin 54301. Or if you prefer to donate online, we do have a Paypal account at tnsaladino42@hotmail.com. It takes the combined efforts of many to get important things to happen, but if we each take responsibility for our own actions, understand the full effects of each of our choices and lend a hand in whatever way our spirits compell us to do so, thing will improve exponentially whatever the old way thinkers say. It is time for us to stand for the truth, however we come to know about it. Taking for granted that others, especially "officials" know more or better than the rest us has led to most of our problems. The time has come to take back our own power and lead, so that our leaders can follow.

Northeast Wisconsin Apples Beyond Ready for Picking

Earlier this summer, I was flabbergasted when the broccoli bolted two weeks ahead of time, before we even had a chance to enjoy it. I was amazed that, even before the first bloom normally hits the day lilies, they had faded and their bloom spikes had browned off. I was amazed at how early everything was happening in the gardens. I had to tie up the asters, the peonies and daisies about two weeks early, mostly because of the record breaking rain. I saw my first pile of deer apples on the curb today. Fall still seems far away, but the harvest is definitely coming in early. I don't know how much more destabilized the global climate will have to get before we realize that mankind is acting like a bull in a china shop.

My first seven years or so were spent in Southern Illinois, as well as seven summers after that. The summertime heat and humidity that we had there in the sixties and seventies is here in Green Bay now. People tend not to notice trends that occur on this scale, but the weathermen will tell you a tiny bit about what is going on, as much as they might deny it, fact is that when a series of records that were set over 100 years ago fall in a period of weeks, something big is going on. When records across several different parameters are set, that is even more of an indication that something is up with our climate. This summer we set a three-month precipitation record where I am from. Simultaneously, there was that issue of it being the hottest summer on record as well. The last major storm that passed by included hail and high winds, but the airport, which is outside the city, on the windward side received just under three inches of rain in the short three hours that the storm took to dump on us. I live within a mile or two of center city and our rain gauge captured seven and three sixteenths inches! I'm almost certain that if you were keeping records here that would have beaten any and all storms, ever.

Living lightly on the planet requires a weaning off of fossil fuel, we know that, but the insidiousness of fossil fuel use is that it creeps into nearly every purchase we make. Think about the truck driver bringing food from California, Florida or Texas, the only way to stop that fuel from being burned is to buy local produce, ultra local. In my case, I choose to buy seed and just walk the food into the kitchen. Even the water we use is most often brought to us through pumping, again using coal energy turned into electricity. Rain barrels have allowed me to significantly reduce my water use and still keep my garden productive through dry spells. Even the packaging on most items has the blessing and curse of fossil fuel use upon it. Buying unpackaged items as opposed to packaged ones can cut petrochemical and fossil fuel use by up to 60%.

For a little perspective, the fossil fuels (Carbon)that nature took millions of years to lay down and store (sequester)are being consumed by our modern culture at a rate that will be on the order of hundreds of years. All of it, the Coal, oil and natural gas have stored solar energy, conveniently yes, but we cannot sustain the planet and use it all up. We need to step across the threshold that confronts us now. We need to use the sunlight that hits the earth today, or that which hit the earth yesterday, The Sun and the Wind have the potential to power everything we do now, in a more benign way, the challenge for us now is to put them to use as quickly and efficiently as possible. corporate interests will fight like there is no tomorrow, but when the people come together on this issue, they will have no choice. The fossil fuel industries have been the most profitable undertakings that humans have ever participated in, bar none. Asking, begging or cajoling corporate interests to walk away from them will not be easy. Human beings with conscience must stand shoulder to shoulder and demand that practices change. We have come to a place that is full of danger and risk for our children and life as we know it, we cannot stand idly by and fail to reclaim our right to a cleaner. safer and more sustainable way of life. The future is now and there are apples to pick, almost a month early!

Aquisition as Ethos

Our culture, in these United States, has become one in which commercials and jingles have their own special power over our thoughts and actions. Some people go so far as to watch the Super Bowl, "...for the commercials...". If I were to say, "Where Quality is Job One!", "Have it Your Way!" or "_____ Adds Life!" I might have to explain to a few what Corporation I was hawking, but most of us know it in our cells. Even logos reach into our subconscious and have literally changed us. The filing cabinets of our brain create relationships between these audio-visual messages and the territories that they use to get our attention. Sellers know that they have to sell you on more than just product, they sell experiences. Any product not promising more than it is worth won't stand a chance in competitive markets. Even knowing this intellectually can't save one from the onslaught. Hitting the primary emotional centers, images we see, hear and think about tell us that products being advertised will make us secure, healthy, rich, happy, vital well-adjusted and well-liked. Who wouldn't want that after all, it's just good sales. Being better than someone who doesn't have the product is just a spin off from the original theme. Even when the main competitor isn't mentioned directly, the implication is that those who make that choice are "square" or at least misguided. Even writing this passage is bringing on torrents of associations, we have been inculcated with. The most peculiar catch phrase that has stayed with me and will never be far from my awareness is "Hush Puppies aren't such a fancy shoe, or a phony shoe, they're just Dumb!" It was probably the shortest-lived ad campaign ever, but the images were great! It was from the time that the Japanese were kicking us with quality the first time, Probably, early seventies. Two Japanese guys in lab coats were inspecting the shoes with calipers and scientific instruments. After deliberation, they looked at one another, and the camera, in astonishment and declared, "We can make them better, but we can't make them dumber!" I still see the Hush Puppy logo and get a charge out of it. I even look at their shoes, even when I'm not shoe shopping, not caring whether or not they are my size, I just feel good looking at them. Multiply this effect by billions of people, thousands of advertisers, and in some cases, hundreds of purchases each day, and you begin to see a pattern being established. My intent in bringing this phenomenon up is to plea for it's opposite. Making decisions on the basis of value, (which I define as life-affirming) rather than the spurious intent of some executive in a far off corporate office, whose salary is determined by his ability to sell us thin promises. As you might expect, I see this as life-denying. Let's try a concrete example: Confronted with natural thirst, we need water to live. Do not succumb to the opinion that you should have sugar-laced brown liquid to make you anything. You are, endowed by your creator with a propensity to slake your thirst, that alone is a great gift. Sanctify that by giving your body the most pure water that you can find. One caveat, I do not want anyone to drink Distilled or Reverse Osmosis water exclusively. The first because mineral supplementation is required, and the energy footprint skyrockets and the second, because it is extremely wasteful, flushing many gallons of water away for the tiny fraction used. This one decision has greater effect on your ability to be healthy, secure, rich, etc. than any sugar water you can find! The choice of fresh and pure water will profoundly change a whole series of other choices that will come along. What we call into our lives has great resonating impacts that ripple out across the landscape. Again, staying with the drinking water example. Carrying a re-use-able vessel that sates our thirst over longer periods can have it's own, often unseen effects. The energy used creating a stainless steel container is equivalent to the energy in about 2000 plastic bottles! Associated with the steel or aluminum, are impacts like mining, refining, transport, etc. The plastic on the other hand has the specter of oil in it's past, can leach chemicals into our drink, and present special disposal problems. Even when recycled, there are transport costs and energy requirements that follow from our decision. When burned, plastics release toxic compounds. We can follow the fate of each and every item that we use if we take a bit of time to think about it. Pre-cycling is probably the surest way to make an impact on lives around the world in a positive way. This is making choices on the level of where they come from, what they do, and where they go in the end. My own water container will get recycled when it is no good any more, but I can't see how it could fail in my lifetime. I suppose that I could leave it sealed and full in freezing temperatures, but I guard against those things conspiring against it, and it should last indefinitely. I'm not encouraging everyone to go back to animal bladders, just to take the time to think about yourself as deserving of the recognition that you are good and whole already, without the packaging du jours, the "swoosh" of Nike, the Lightening Bolt of sports drinks, or the red of Coke, red,white and blue of Pepsi, or any of the tools of psychological bondage that are proffered up by corporations that try to make us buy anything! There is an annual Buy Nothing Day, I urge you to make that day today! It can have an incredibly liberating feeling to not buy anything for just one day. Instead, use the time you would waste shopping researching the best choices that you can make when you put your next dollars into the marketplace.