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<DIV>Tom, Kobus, </DIV>
<DIV> Once I start to produce nursery stock and bedding
plants I'll have sufficient usage for the charcoal fines. At some point I'll
build a charcoal powered forge and use the nugget char for that. I use any
charcoal for greenhouse heating in very cold weather once it's rebuilt. Yes ,
I'll incorporate compost, sand and even some ash back into the planting mix to
balance it. Allowing it to sit on rotated piles in the rain and break down
farther, helps to mix it. </DIV>
<DIV> The problem is to quickly find a cash market for
the char until I can start paying enough bills to rebuild the greenhouse. The
future in landscaping is bright because there is little competition left. The
prolonged severe drought, severe storms, and many foreclosed houses and
other neglected structures has left a huge backlog of landscaping work. My
suburb area north of Dayton is mostly a blue collar city. It was hit hard with
the auto and manufacturing downturn. Delphi ( once Delco) closed 5 large auto
parts plants in the area during the last decade. New manufacturing is
returning but it takes time. </DIV>
<DIV> The only problem is that right now few folks around
here can afford to pay to get work done. The ones that have the money are
nervous about the future. When I do rarely get a sales call for work, I have the
highest percentage of closed deals in 32 years in business. I do about 90%
of the jobs I bid on. Few are complaining about high prices for work
either. Few customers are discussing getting other bids on smaller jobs because
they have to get big expensive landscapers from 20 miles across the big city to
come and bid. My real competition is the black market with very unprofessional
grass cutters trying to act as professional landscapers. </DIV>
<DIV> The fines are produced from the small twigs in the
brush. Particularly the shrub dogwood and the Honeysuckle have multiple very
fine twigs. The Hedge Apple AKA Osage Orange or Boise De Ark ( wood of the bow).
has a lot of thorns. All of these pyrolise into very hard particles and shards.
</DIV>
<DIV> If anybody is having success selling charcoal in
the USA let me know how. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> Thanks, </DIV>
<DIV> Dan Dimiduk
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