The Biosphere Blog

There are always two (and sometimes more) sides to a discussion and time usually resolves the issue one way or the other.
On this particular matter it seems that 97% or so are on one side and a small minority of 3% or so are on the other (obviously these levels of percentages quoted can also be argued over as to their accuracy).

I personally disagree with the general thrust presented here but give credit to the author for a well written and well researched presentation on a difficult to understand and quite divisive matter which has been gaining worldwide accelerating momentum for some years now. I particularly agree that the aggressive/abusive ways some people approach this topic as depicted above do little for their cause and in some respects turn otherwise sympathetic observers towards the opposite argument.

Regarding who is right or who is wrong is problematic. Irrespective if you are of the 97% or the 3% there are always well-argued articles available on both sides as support to each side’s perspective.

Carbon Dioxide is the culprit here. As mentioned it comprises some 0.04% of Earth’s atmosphere. I am very very far from being a scientist but my readings and research over many years tell me that even though it’s such a tiny percentage, the volume of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere is the most critical factor which controls the earth’s temperature. The argument here is not that 0.04% is such a small amount - it’s the up or down percentage movements in this percentage which can and do (as in the past) have such a dramatic effect on earth’s surface temperatures. One article (and there are many others) which illustrates this succintly: https://www.worldatlas.com/environment/how-much-carbon-dioxide-is-in-the-atmosphere.html

Ultimately, only time will prove this dilemma but it would be foolish in the interim to ignore potential dangers and not take action on the positive side.

Always lovely to hear from you again Farouk, and wow, thank you so much for the feedback! Glad it helped clarify things in your mind.

Is that a Philodendron sp. Albo? What an amazing leaf.
I can see why you chose biochar as it sounds absolutely perfect for your needs. I just updated the Conclusion to mention these!

I had theorised as to whether biochar in a potting mix requires less fertilising and/or watering - would love to know your thoughts from real-life experience please, as I’d love to update the post further ;)

I am drooling at the thought of what your ’salts and herbs’ are coming of!! But I wouldn’t be concerned about these. I definitely wouldn’t worry about the herbs. If anything they are supplying cations to prime the charcoal. They would have burnt to ash containing potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron and other cations from the leaves.

The salt levels may be high straight off the BBQ, but won’t have much impact in the grand scheme of things once incorporated into a large volume such as a hot compost pile or your ground prep work. Salts in general, including the sodium chloride table salt (NaCl), can even help improve soil structure by drying it out and causing clays to cluster together. All the organic matter you’re adding helps enormously too, and would have a much greater impact over anything the salt would do.

[Please don’t confuse salt in soil with soil salinity (salty water in soil which can kill plants) or soil sodicity (high concentration of sodium ions in soil which disperses clays and breaks up soil structure.)]

My number one way of assessing soil or compost quality? The number of earthworms and arthropods present! If they are thriving then whatever they are in has to be plump full of health and vitality.

If you’re not seeing these well within six months, then and only then would I be concerned.

all the best,
Kristi

Hi Kristi, this was amazing, very interesting & so we’ll put together, you really spoon fed the concept of biochar, you’ve satisfied my need for more info on this amazing product, I’m getting into biochar backwards, we’ve been using it store brought in our Aroid plant soil mix for years, more for drainage & the hype of its benefits, it also looks better in our Ads 😅 when selling them. I feel empowered with the better understanding of biochar/charcoal, in my more mature fruit tree gardening in the last 5-10 years I’ve been preparing fruit tree ground planting spots 6m to 2 years in advance by turning the soil (mainly sticky orange Sydney clay & some top soil) adding manure, some of my compost & a thick layer of mulch to lock it in & keep it moist & watering it, in hopes to activate it & get the beneficial insects/micro-organisms in. In my next fruit tree prep I will add home-made charcoal/biochar but unlike the people of the Amazon I’ve always thought I’ve got to burn a pile specifically for biochar purposes as I’ve always worried about using piles from bbq, concerned about all the salts & herbs which may affect the soil, what are your thoughts on this? Will the residual salts be ok in the decomposing setup of 6m to 2 years before planting?

Thank you,

Regards Farouk

<laugh> Sorry, can’t help it!! Awesome, many thanks - am currently writing a new post so when that’s up I’ll definitely be looking at these and shall drop a line sometime in the next few days :)

Trust you to take interest in the details!  From what I know of you through your words, I’m not surprised!  Here’s a few pics that’ll explain the project much easier, there’s obviously lots missing, but this’ll give you the gist! I ran an experiment first to determine how many replicates i’d need to achieve statistically significant results, 10 was the answer.  Then trialled a range of different ways to explore plant growth response to various spatial distributions of media.  I also tested a liquid fertiliser with a single application point.  See attached images 😊

And, I’d love to take this offline, drop me an email:) info@thegourmetgarden.school

Please, you’re going to have to tell me more :)

Would you mind at all elaborating on the details, as I’m not quite clear as to the setup sorry? Heterogeneous was compost in sand, or…?? And homogeneous was pure sand, fertilised somehow, or…?

Many thanks for the warm fuzzies :) Good to know the posts are of interest!

Yes by all means. My honours dissertation was on tomato plants and their individual response to heterogeneous v.s. homogenous distribution of nutrients in their soil.  It was fascinating to see the variability in performance according to different distributions of compost (the nutrient-rich media) and sand.  In truth I forget what my majors were, it’s been a while 😅

Anyway it was the start for me with my love of understanding plant and soil health, and the intricate interrelationships there.  I followed a proverbial rabbit down a hole and I’ve never come out!  

I must say I’m very appreciative of your clear grasp and eloquence for explaining plant physiological responses to external stimuli and the way you explain the way plants function.  I’ve really enjoyed reading your posts! 😊

That’s a brilliant philosophy, and thanks for sharing Ian!

Yes, a lot of people discover just how fulfilling life is once they take on more of the custodian relationships you refer to.

May I ask what your major(s) and honours project were?

Yeah sure kristi, I’m happy to share.  I studied an honours degree in Env Sci 20 + years ago and learned then how agriculture and industry are the main culprits when it comes to environmental degradation and disrespect.  That industrial agriculture in particular is depleting Earth’s capacity to filter the pollution we’re creating by degrading soil health, poisoning us and yielding crops of a diminishing nutritional profile.  And yet it happens away from where most eyes see it, so we ignore it and keep consuming tasteless food thinking it’s nutritious.  

My passion is for cultivating foods that are grown in ways that regenerate soil health and contribute to healthy ecosystem function, grown on a small scale, at home, by hand, with mixed species and many flowers to support wildlife.  I believe that growing at least some of our own food actively connects us with Earth, reminds us of our custodian relationship, our ‘true’ role on this planet.  It’s my personal mission to help more people, discover and remember the joy of living in a reverent relationship with the food they consume, the plants they cultivate and the ecosystems that support them and the beauty they bestow.  I believe that if more people grew some or more food, there’d be less need for agriculture and when better nourished, more people can be more resourced to stand up for and protect natural ecosystems that commercial interests are seeking to commodify and pillage.

I live this mission by sharing my passion and skills for growing more food, of better quality, for less work through my organisation The Gourmet Garden School 🥕

In all honestly learning how to grow food plants better is my biggest love and it borders an obsession, albeit a ‘healthy’ one😂

Thanks Ian Epic Earth! Love to know more about your personal mission if you’d love to share, whether here or privately if you prefer?

Welcome back & thanks for another informative read.  I appreciate you sharing the journey, taking me with you with your curious mind 💚. Interesting times hey, with all the environmental changes and disruption to long established patterns of timing, some disturbed by natural anomolies, others by human activities.  Keeping our hands in the soil is certainly an adventure that I’m always learning from!

Thanks, Ian Epic Earth (formerly Ian Thomas) (yes, rather excitingly I’ve changed my name to reflect my personal mission to help advocate for this gorgeous planet:)

Thanks! I really hope to get back into a routine here again.

Yes, once it twigged what was going on I see it everywhere now!

This is why it is so important to maintain as much genetic diversity as possible, in everything including animals. And if you’re into home-grown vegies, select for local conditions by collecting seeds from the best-performing ones.

I discovered self-seeded snow peas and broad beans last month -  these are winter crops for me and I’ve never seen that before in summer! I was really surprised at just how quickly the snow peas especially grew to maturity - it was “is that a snow pea seedling??” one week to actually picking them a month later instead of a more usual two or three. No joke. So will definitely be letting those go to seed, just in case.

Time will tell if a lot of GMO stuff fails or performs miserably over the years.

Welcome back! - it’s been a while!

A most interesting, authoritative and demonstatively correct depiction of what happens in nature when plants become confused seasons-wise.

No doubt and over time plants will evolve to climate as it changes - or will perish if they can’t adapt.

Until reading the article I also had difficulties in understanding why side-by-side plants in our garden showed the same symptoms as described here. It’s much clearer now.

Good work and looking forward to the next article.

A truly inspiring, extremely well argued and well illustrated article on the toughness of these very special trees.
Looking forward to the fruiting photos of these same trees.
Airlie Group

Thank you so much Ian, and for taking the time to write this!

I love your ‘gourmetgardener’ moniker btw! Please feel free to correct any inaccuracies, or to share your own knowledge at any time, on any subject, as you’ll always be most welcome.

best regards,

Kristi

A fantastic article, thanks so much.  I found this really informative, useful and easy to read.  From what I know of soil, everything you have shared is accurate and I appreciate yo making the effort to write it.  It seems like positive feedback is long overdue, I hope it starts to catch up with you now:). Ian🥕

Hi Steve,

That’s a really good point about the nets catching any fallen fruit. Hail storm protection is yet another benefit they can offer now I think about it, so nets are without a doubt the best all-rounder solution to several problems at once!

Hi Kristi. 

Thanks for your comments and the link.  That is another advantage of the nets.  Any fallen fruit gets caught in the nets and is easy to remove.  And I will start to heat treat the fruit more carefully before I throw it in the compost heap. 

Cheers Steve,

Hi Steve,

Love your really impressive set up — would hate to be a fly up against those! Many thanks for the photos. (Now rotated :) )

This is a really good read about the life cycle that could explain the smaller numbers of flies each year. The cycle relies heavily on infected fruit falling to the ground so maggots (larvae) can enter the soil, where they pupate en route to adulthood.

You’ve broken that part completely, so no adults would be emerging from the ground to add to the population, and any new flies you are seeing may well be ‘passers-by’ that soon move on when up against Fort Knox there!

(And why it is so, so important for any poor souls who have copped an infestation to not allow any fruit to fall onto the ground but to remove from the tree and destroy the maggots with heat.)

Looks like you’re on track for a bumper crop again!

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