Clayman said: "I don't know if youre talking about other pollutants maybe. I am concerned about this too though. Please send me some links if you've heard conflicting data." No, pollution is not a concern, there are ways to avoid the release of CO2; add BIM or EM to your soil, they will adsorb CO2 and turn it into sugar to feed the plants. Fermented organic "brews" added to aerobic microorganisms work together to use all organic matter in the soil to be fed to the plants is my understanding. With the addition of charcoal to the soil, not only are adsorbed nutrients available to plants for a very long time, it also increases the microbe population due to the natural tendency of the soil food web to consume organic matter (charcoal) and produce enzymes, vitamins, humic and fulvic acid, and other hormones to aid in the health of the soil and plant in the process. The discovery of increased microbe populations was revealed as (good and bad) news recently by Swedish scientists: "They found that when charcoal was mixed into humus, there was a substantial increase in soil microorganisms (bacteria and fungi). These microbes carry out decomposition of organic matter (carbon) in the soil, and consistent with this, they found that charcoal caused greatly increased losses of native soil organic matter, and soil carbon, for each of the three forest stands. Much of this lost soil carbon would be released as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas." (See link below) Good news for those wishing to increase microbe populations for organic gardening/farming, bad news for those looking to use forest soil to add charcoal to store CO2. They still are trying to figure out exactly what is the best use of charcoal as a carbon sink to store greenhouse gas. For those of us who are growing organically it is even better news to know "one" of the things charcoal does when added to soil. "Science Daily" has a wealth of information for those interested; get your favorite drink and have at it. I would go so far as to suggest one signs up for one (some) of their daily or weekly newsletters. Let me say one thing about using 55-gallon drums to store compost if I may. The only reason I use drums to store compost is because of "fire ants", that vermin of a pest that is a plague on the southern USA. Were it not for them getting into anything on the ground I would store my compost on the ground in a bin. The same results can be obtained; it is just a matter of knowing ones climate and making proper adjustments. The main thing is "time", give the compost time to do what it does, and then it will do what it does. I have been using charcoal for over 4 (four) years now; I hadnt stumbled upon the page you posted yet, and for that I thank you. I do make biochar during the summer months, the fireplace during the winter. Thus I can mix the two during the year, they both appear to do the same thing IMO; I rarely use the ash, and then only in small amounts. Best wishes on your project. If you have as much fun/success as my neighbors and I enjoy it would be a project to remember. If I can help in any way please let me know, I live in this neighborhood Blutranes

I had my tap water tested by my city and it is 7.7. I use that as a base for my testing. When I put the meter in a glass of tap water I leave it for a couple minutes as It moves SLOW. I know my meter is off by ONE point so I adjust my readings. Just make sure you test something that you already know the EXACT Ph of and you can gauge how well your meter works. Also be sure to leave your meter in its testing site for a few minutes to get an accurate reading. Nothing short of an industrial tester or lab analysis will give you exact results but prong testers will suffice for the home. I just use a paper towel with rubbing alcohol to clean and rinse with water between uses.

Thanks for all of the advise, much appreciated. I will be removing two additional 60ft maple trees that contribute significantly to the shade situation. This should increase the direct sun hours to at least 3hrs during summer months and near full sun when the leaves drop as the shade is caused my nearly by all deciduous maple trees. My drainage is pretty good. Right next to this planting I did the 1x1ft hole, fill/drain, and then fill and time. It completed in 45minutes, which indicates fast to very fast drainage. Ken, not sure if you have done this test, I'm curious what you would get in your pure sands, 20min? Additionally, I actually used a hammer drill to increase the space between these two rocks and installed a drain at the bottom using a 1ft vertical PVC pipe with screen on top and rocks in the middle, so I don't think draining should be a problem. I'm starting to think now, that shade can in fact kill a tree all by itself (assuming there is no disease on mine). If it can't retain it's needles, it won't just have stunted growth, but will eventually die.... Damm shade...I need to cut down more of these mature trees.

122) Chiggers love the sweet perfume of OFF! Wear it well at clothing openings and about the ankle. (Deer ticks are optional here but plentiful.)