Biochar shortcut

[TychoMonolyth]

Last year I had a large burn pile of branches from my maple trees that fell over the fall and winter. I put a match to it and burnt it away. Once it was over I stuck some plants in it to see how they'd do. Those plants exploded and produced a great crop. And that was with biochar that wasn't even activated.

I want to use biochar again only I'll activate it and add it to my field amendments. One square inch of biochar has a football field size hotel for microorganism to populate.

Can BBQ wood charcoal as a starter be used? It's cheap and would take a lot of work to produce as much.

 

[trichrider]

more likely it was the potassium.


ashes are not biochar.
biochar is produced in a low oxygen/no oxygen environment, not open burn pile.
and charcoal itself is not biochar until it is activated.


find many videos about making biochar here:

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=making+biochar


beautiful plants btw.

 

[Hookahhead]

I agree with trichrider it was most likely from potassium/calcium from the wood ash. To answer your original question, you can use charcoal as long as it is “natural” charcoal. This kind will look like burnt chunks of wood, not perfectly shaped brickets.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

Ash is the best fertilizer

 

[TychoMonolyth]

Thanks guys. Then I'll be keeping the wood stove ash for this season.

 

[Benny106]

Pot ash is the best ash.

 

[TychoMonolyth]

I have lots.

 

['Boogieman']

I have been making biochar from fallen branches around my property for a while now I'll share my experience. Dig a cone shaped hole about 3 ft wide and 1 1/2 ft deep and get a fire going. Once the fire is going good add your bigger pieces of wood first you want smaller pieces last so it doesn't take too long to finish. I throw a good stack on let it burn then push it down before adding more and this seems to work well and make less ash. Once the hole is almost full of burning red coals I throw compost over the top about 6 or 8 inches then pour water through it about an hour later. Then I wait a few days and harvest the biochar. I have mixed it with compost and worm castings and I'm also soaking some in strong nitrogen rich compost tea.

 

[h.h.]

Any fire will produce a small percentage of “biochar”. I used to use fireplace ashes. Put them in water. Any char that floated I used as biochar. The water was used for potassium and the rest went into the garden.

 

[GOT_BUD?]

I agree with trichrider it was most likely from potassium/calcium from the wood ash. To answer your original question, you can use charcoal as long as it is “natural” charcoal. This kind will look like burnt chunks of wood, not perfectly shaped brickets.

View Image

Just smash it up with a hammer to make really small pieces, right?

 

[Sunshineinabag]

i know that native farmers in the amazon turned CHIT soil into the best in the world! Not much is spoke about thise old age practices that not only worked ...they sustained cultures many have no clue about, europe HAD NOTHING ON THEM BELIEVE ME! Just some pandemics to share........wink wink.
terra preta
https://youtu.be/iKP_Dju9UK4

 

[St. Phatty]

I've been realizing that the burnt stuff we clean out of our pipes is basically char.

 

[TychoMonolyth]

i know that native farmers in the amazon turned CHIT soil into the best in the world! Not much is spoke about thise old age practices that not only worked ...they sustained cultures many have no clue about, europe HAD NOTHING ON THEM BELIEVE ME! Just some pandemics to share........wink wink.
terra preta
https://youtu.be/iKP_Dju9UK4

Yeah yeah.... I remember that. They grew all their crops in it when the soil was barren.

 

[PDX Dopesmoker]

I've been realizing that the burnt stuff we clean out of our pipes is basically char.

The geranium I use as an ashtray is really healthy

 

[Sunshineinabag]

Yeah yeah.... I remember that. They grew all their crops in it when the soil was barren.

its still viable to this day, wait till those idiots clear cut the rainforests and the reality of that knowledge is fully understood