Ira Plato on Science Friday NPR

[rwork]

Will finally discuss "Terra Preta". Using charcoal in soil.

[mondo joe]

1. Flatow.

Ira Flatow. :-)

[Liberal In Texas]

2. Yeah, finally. That was a long time coming!

(What the heck is Terra Preta anyway?)

[ThomWV]

3. Dark Soil

It means dark soil. In the Amazon they find patches of it. They say it comes from older civilizations dumping stuff, including charcoal, manure, probably refuse from land clearing. Its very fertile (took a mastermind to figure that out) and much sought after.

If you want to duplicate it here its easy enough to do but might not be particularly beneficial everywhere. Manure and wood ashes (which can contain a lot of charcoal) will do it for you but be careful. If you live in a place where it rains a lot your soil is probably pretty acidic, if that's the case go for it, dump in all the ashes, charcoal, manure, and clippings you want. The ashes will have much the same effect as lime in raising the pH, which will be desirable. On the other hand if you live in a dry area, where soils are more likely to be alkaline, it might not be such a good idea to lay on the ashes.