Black earth and seaweed

[Saul0Wall]

I wonder if this technique is in anyway compatible with the "black-earth" or "black-soil" research? (Whatever it is called - the use of fish waste and bio-char to sequester carbon but which also holds water and nutrients that would otherwise run off and which stimulates biotic activity in the soil.)

I wondered if it might be feasible and beneficial to use some black-earth under or instead of the mulch.

I have also heard of a seaweed protein that someone was considering for use in desert reclamation projects due to its ability to hold water that would otherwise dry up. (Sounds like the fiber stuff they give you to keep the colon on the go but better.) If this could be combined with the "hydroseeding" to make it more effective in desert areas it might help by creating a grassy buffer between the reclaimed gullies and dryer nearby areas. It might help hold dew at the ground level instead of being lost to the desert sky.

Just a thought. Maybe others have suggested these ideas. One hears about differing reclamation efforts and ideas and it it natural to wonder if there is any potential cross fertilization.

[Saul0Wall]

I should mention for clarity that the "bio-char" is not just ashes from burnt plant matter but matter that has instead been charred in a low oxygen environment so that most of the carbon and nutrients are left in the stuff and fuel gases are released for use as energy. The resultant charcoal is very porous, holding water and nutrients well, and the fish waste adds valuable nutrients. (I understand that Geoff Lawton is already using fish/goose ponds to provide extra nutrients for the reclamation projects.)

The idea seems to have been used by South American Indians originally (I read somewhere) since the soil of the Amazon is not great for farming. They would char areas rather than burn them and mix in the fish waste to make the land productive for longer periods. This seems to explain how some surprisingly large settlements were possible in areas of jungle that die of quickly when regular agriculture is used in modern times.