Living organic soil from start through recycling

[ClackamasCootz]

CC, I bought a big bag of their coconut carbon a couple years ago. Seems great.

If one picks & chooses carefully, they have some very nice products.

Their powdered bamboo biochar is goofy - $365.00 for 44 lbs. before handling charges and their 'accessorial charges' are not cheap.

If I'm going to get screwed that hard I would think that a nice dinner and a few drinks are in order. Otherwise I'll just burn my own bamboo and hope for the best.

Delusional

CC

 

[Gascanastan]

I do have to say the cycle which ran directly after adding the char to the soil....I had no premature yellowing in any of the 20 or so types.

It seemed evident that the char had stored and was releasing that fish/guano....being that was the first time using char in a soil mix.

I noticed the change.

Gawd I'm fucking high....woooosh...hits of 80 day Kali followed by Cherry Bomb...der uh duh...eeeek...twitch...

 

[Microbeman]

I have remained skeptical of mesquite as well...the oils seem questionable for use in soil mixes.

After I smashed the char I soaked it in a blend of EWC,fish hydrolysate,and bat guano for two weeks...mmmmmm yummy!

It is imperative, according to the biochar aficionados, to treat the char like you have or mix it thoroughly with [vermi]compost. Otherwise one has char and not biochar and apparently runs the risk of N lock up (caused by microbes using all available N to degrade carbon).

We make char with fir and pine shavings and soak it down with ACT. Most plants like it....a couple of species do not like it.

 

[rrog]

That's interesting MM. I'm aware of an organic farmer here in MI that makes charcoal and inoculates, and a website where I read up a bit on Bokashi was discussing making charcoal and he stressed inoculation or else it would suck up the nutrients. While that made no sense to me, perhaps the problem was the drop in N and that's simply how they interpreted it.

I add the carbon and let the soil cook for a month or longer before using.

 

[OrganicLearner]

That bamboo char price is insane! The plant grows so fast you would think it would be cheaper than charring wood from a tree that takes years to grow..

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Yowza SS_OG! Those ladies are HUGE for those pots! I take it they were out in the sun?

Yeah they are 10 litre pots which were outdoors in a very sunny spot. Inside a trough so that i could water all pots at once and it protected the pots and roots a bit.

Yup i try and char scrappy bits of hardwood mostly. But some softwood char is better than none. I guess you would just end up with less once the cooking takes place... but i do know we are preserving the natural oils. The key is pyrolysis. Which is heating without oxygen. Which is why the biscuit tin works well. Any tiny holes in the tin and you would have a tiny pile of ash...

MrFista:

The char is inert so far as life goes as we've pyrolised it. (I know you probably realise this just stepping myself through it as well). The char surface is however covered in functional groups. This is chemistry speak for molecules that can react with other atoms/molecules.

The ratio of acidic/basic functional groups is determined by temperature of pyrolisation to an extent. Lower temp gives lower pH with more acidic functional groups present at the char/soil interface (desirable). These functional groups, in ways that I don't understand yet (over my learning level) are responsible for the increased microbial activity and diversity encountered in char soils. Char put in a compost heap will not only innoculate the char, it will increase the metabolic efficiency of the heap and decrease gas emissions/nutrient loss due to this.

As for the actual inhabitants of the char, it houses pretty much anything that'll fit in it from what I understand. The elevated P levels in char soils I'd attribute to fungi though some folk in Japan found a microbe that solubilizes P not so long ago. The high N from N cycling bacteria. And all their mates and associates...

The nutrient drain from non innoculated char is attributed to nutrients being taken up by microbes as they inhabit the added real estate that is the char. By innoculating char in a compost heap you will load it with composting organisms. Which sounds pretty good to me.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrolysis#Biochar

Biochar improves the soil texture and ecology, increasing its ability to retain fertilizers and release them slowly. It naturally contains many of the micronutrients needed by plants, such as selenium. It is also safer than other "natural" fertilizers such as manure or sewage, since it has been disinfected at high temperature. And, since it releases its nutrients at a slow rate, it greatly reduces the risk of water table contamination.[3]

This stuff is an aeration amendment, soil builder, compost activator/improver, fertiliser and even helps soil warm up in spring. There are other benefits... like reduced water use (the stuff is very porous) and also helps with waterlogging issues. I am sure there are more

As for simple ways to make it:

http://www.holon.se/folke/carbon/simplechar/simplechar.shtml

http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/makingcharcoal

http://worldstove.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/EverythingNice_Stove_Instructions.pdf

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Also there's this

jaykush:

the thing i like is once the char is "charged" shall we say, it promotes high nutrition through a soils life.

"1 - the organisms that inhabit the char take nutes to make them."

short term, the nutrients are cycled faster as the microbes are eaten by the soil food web, available early on in a TP soils life.

"2 - the aromatic ring structures at the face of char are capable of chelating nutrients."

medium, the nutrients held in place until needed, usually after sufficient microbial communities are around to process them.

"3 - char accelerates humus production and this is turn chelates nutrients."

long term, we all know what humus does and how long it lasts given you dont fuck with it. basically properly maintained it will out last us lol.

three cheers for char!!!

Char tends to come out with a high ph aka basic. Can be as high as 9-10. Improperly made char will have been generally overcooked and then it gets more basic (it also looks dry, crumbly, burnt, cracked, which is why char from leftover fires is usually way too cooked and should be treated just like wood ash). This is why mixing it through a compost heap is really the ultimate method but there is absolutely nothing wrong with a quick 24 soak in goodness and then use it as a bottom layer in a soil mix outdoors say (i have done this with great results for any demanding crop - corn, tomatoes, pumpkin etc) Just dig a trench or hole, add a decent layer (say 5-10cm) mix it in a bit then add a layer of sand and then your regular soil mix.

Letting it rest and mellow out as with the soil recipes here is probably the best way for peeps growing in pots if you cant/dont want to make compost. Also if you just want to mix it right through a garden bed. Any char just mixed in that isnt charged will rob N and other nutrients.

Using acidic amendments to balance it out and less lime etc is also a good idea. But if you only use say 5% (a good amount) then its not a biggie. Max i have been recommended is 25% and some folks have had outstanding success with this amount on very poor soils.

 

[floral]

When I was looking for biochar sources, I found these:

http://www.soilbiochar.com/store/buy-biochar.php
http://www.sonomacompost.com/biochar.shtml
http://realmontanacharcoal.net/bio-char/
http://www.biocharm.com/buy-biochar

and the one mentioned above http://www.biocharm.com/buy-biochar .

 

[BlueJayWay]

Well hell, I might have to try some of this BIOCHAR.

Got my first leaf pile ready to overwinter, took about 2minutes to gather a huge amount of oak leaves.

Ignored my compost pile, for the most part, all summer, i went to turn it and spread it out over a layer of oak bark, and the bottom two feet of the pile was solid with tree roots that grew UP and into the pile, lots of white fungi visible down in there.

Side note, anyone have any idea what these strains are Kamoto & Java? Probably have to grow 'em out to find out! So many names out there LOL

 

[shmalphy]

SSOG, I have a wood stove in my house... If I stuff a cookie tin with wood I can put it in there, or is this something people are doing outside?

I always use the "cowboy charcoal", as I am a big fan of the cue myself, as well, CC. Nothing like a proper BRISKET... I always leave the end of the bag out and it gets wet, now I have a place to put it. I started adding it when I read JayKush talk about it here last year, and have noticed an improvement. I want to make a more consistent source for my worm bin.

 

[YosemiteSam]

CC...I want to publicly thank you for getting me to look/listen to all of that fascinating stuff about paramagnetism. Amazing all the info you get when you go off on what you thought might be a complete tangent.

One of the things I ended up finding out is that fulvic has more going for it than just a chelating agent...e.g. the fact that it allows a plant/(human?) to make longer chain polysachrides.

I know that from experimenting on meownself that when I limit insulin response I can eat a lot more without gaining fat and therefore can jam more biologically available minerals down my throat (from real food, not some fucking pill)...feel better with way more energy.

A little fulvic in my diet may make that even easier. How much do you eat?

Also there is definitely gonna be a little basalt/fulvic in my mixes.

 

[rrog]

Cowboy Charcoal is the best in my opinion. Consistently the biggest charcoal chunks. I use it in my Big Green Egg

 

[Microbeman]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXMUmby8PpU

 

[Neo 420]

Great info on the biochar guys. I think I will give it a try.....

 

[rrog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5tDYxXQAY0&feature=player_embedded

small volume production.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Yosemite Sam

We take 1 oz. of Wu Jin San each day as well as our trusted Yellow Lab who gets 1/2 oz. per day. This is a pure fulvic acid, human food-grade, etc. and is a liquid. Wu Jin San is the ancient Chinese name meaning 'Golden Medicine' and the Ayurvedic term is "shaljit".

Dr. Jerzy Weber's work is available to review here who is the professor of soil science at the Department of Soil Science & Agricultural Environment Protection, Agricultural University of Wroclaw, Poland. He's considered a leading expert in research on humic and fulvic acids.

I use 1/2 oz. agricultural grade pure fulvic acid per each gallon of water or tea or whatever with each and every watering in the MMJ garden.

Some other links:

Colloidal Minerals: Friend or Foe? - good overview of these rock dusts.

The Real Dirt on Humic Substances

CC

 

[OrganicLearner]

Do you guys think a 30-35 gal. metal drum within a 55 gal. metal drum would work to create the char? And would it matter if the drum was painted? Found some sellers in my area that have 15, 25, 30, 35, and 55 gallon metal barrels..

CC always bringing good reading material, thanks for providing so many good bookmarks!

 

[OrganicLearner]

This is the design type I was gonna try http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/files/Two Barrel TLUD Construction.pdf

 

[YosemiteSam]

Yosemite Sam

We take 1 oz. of Wu Jin San each day as well as our trusted Yellow Lab who gets 1/2 oz. per day. This is a pure fulvic acid, human food-grade, etc. and is a liquid. Wu Jin San is the ancient Chinese name meaning 'Golden Medicine' and the Ayurvedic term is "shaljit".

Dr. Jerzy Weber's work is available to review here who is the professor of soil science at the Department of Soil Science & Agricultural Environment Protection, Agricultural University of Wroclaw, Poland. He's considered a leading expert in research on humic and fulvic acids.

I use 1/2 oz. agricultural grade pure fulvic acid per each gallon of water or tea or whatever with each and every watering in the MMJ garden.

Some other links:

Colloidal Minerals: Friend or Foe? - good overview of these rock dusts.

The Real Dirt on Humic Substances

CC

You know...I always wondered about your guys use of the clays (because of aluminum) and the broad range rock dusts...now I see why you use fulvic with that...genius

 

[rrog]

Organic Learner, that TLUD design is the most common pyrolysis setup. The link I had above is a smaller version. Just depends on how much you want to make.

Also the starting material. In that video I linked, he starts with wood pellets for home heating. The carbon seems a good size when done. Starting with bigger chunks means you still have to turn big ones into little ones when you're done, meaning some big, some small and a lot of black dust