Terra preta in Portuguese means black soil because it comes in a very dark color. It is also one of the soil types that is also known as “Indian black earth” or “Amazonian dark earth”. As a highly fertile anthropologic, long-lasting soil, you can even make it yourself. When you are interested in planting cash-crop plants like mango and papaya, the terra preta soil recipe is what you need now.
Learn How to Make Terra Preta Soil Yourself
Know All the Ingredients
Terra pretas have been created by Amazonian civilisations since 7000 years ago. So, this soil type is more familiar in the Amazon region. Many local farmers usually use these soils to produce cash crops, such as mango and papaya. And if you are interested in using this soil, you can make it by yourself by knowing the ingredients first.
The first important ingredient in making terra pretas is clayey soil. Clayey soil is a soil type consisting of a large number of clay particles. This compact soil also contains a very small amount of humus and silt. The soil is even perfect to retain water because it has no airspace.
The second ingredient that you need to know is biochar super compost which is also known as soil improver. This ingredient is also required in making black soils because it is great for the environment. It is a light fluffy material that is able to hold lots of water. Besides, it will also reduce the impact of climate change by locking carbon into the soil.
Terra preta soil recipe recommends loam soil or sandy soil if you do not have clayey soil. Loamy soil is popular among people who have garden plants. This type of soil is actually a mineral mixture of clay, sand, and silt. Similar to clayey soil, loamy soil has a great ability at holding plenty of moisture.
Sandy soil is a light and warm soil that has good drainage. Known as dry and acidic one, sandy soil is low-nutrients but being used a lot for planting and cultivation. Even though it is less fertile than other soil types, it is still an ingredient for perfect terra pretas.Prepare the Right Composition
If you are ready with all the ingredients, start by adding 20% biochar super compost to the clayey soil. The ratio should be 1:4 for biochar super compost (SF60) and clayey soil. It is fine if you only have loamy soil, you can just add 10% biochar super compost to it. If you want to use sandy soil, make sure the ratio is 1:3 with the biochar super compost.Make the Black Soil
If you already know both the ingredients and composition, you can mix them. Use the recommended ratio as previously mentioned to get the best result. Black color of the terra pretas are actually from the biochar/charcoal/carbon that is already mixed with general soils.
Terra preta is a soil type that is unlike any other tropical soils because of its thinness. The nutrients contained in the terra pretas are also lower. However, you can make your plant’s health much better by growing them using this soil.