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Terra Preta - Dark Soil - Experiment

Bueno Time

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I would start at 2.5% and add a bit each cycle. I soak mine in fish hydrolysate at the recommended mixing rate for application for a minimum of a week before using it. I've made probably 50 yards of this recipe over the past year at 10% biochar per yard.

I wouldn't be too concerned about the pH. The soil will probably need to nutrient cycle for a week or two after adding the biochar, so I would plan for that too.

Thanks for the quick reply. I added like a cup of the fish hydrolysate to 2 gallons of char, is that going to cause any issues with using so much fish to soak? I figured it soaked up a ton of N so was the reason for such a high amount of fish used plus they were bottles Ive had around for a couple years that I rarely use so I was using them up on this.

Im not entirely sure what nutrient cycling means but I am assuming to sit and "cook" after amending? My soil mix has been amended and wet with lacto b serum and sitting for at least 6 weeks so far (with another 4 weeks until I need to use it) and when this flower cycle finishes I planned to add/mix the current runs soil together with the fresh batch of soil and char when I assemble the no till bed. I will probably just use half the char I have soaking then so its at 2.5% of total volume and reserve the rest of the biochar for later use.

(EDIT: re-read your post and I read it wrong the first time, now it makes sense, let the mix sit for 2 weeks after adding the char.)

I appreciate the prompt and knowledgeable replys guys. :tiphat:

Also siski thanks for the reply, unforunately I cant add this much char that I need for my soil mix to my worm bins, it would be a larger quantity of char than my current bedding/worm size haha. But I have been adding pinches of powdered char to the top of the fruits/veggies mix when I feed the bins. I figure that should only make better castings and help house microbes and store nutrients and acids, all the good stuff.
 

SilverSurfer_OG

Living Organic Soil...
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Good advice from CTguy.

Did you make the char yourself?

Better to be safe than sorry if using freshly made char. Soaking it can bring down ph but this is temporary. However 5% should be good just keep in mind how much lime is added...

If you want to be 100% safe i would add the 2.5% into the mix and use the other 2.5% as a mulch layer on top. This way it will age (and come back to neutral ph) and be slowly worked into the soil by watering, worm activity, micro tilling etc... :smoke:
 
C

ct guy2

Good advice from CTguy.

Did you make the char yourself?

Better to be safe than sorry if using freshly made char. Soaking it can bring down ph but this is temporary. However 5% should be good just keep in mind how much lime is added...

If you want to be 100% safe i would add the 2.5% into the mix and use the other 2.5% as a mulch layer on top. This way it will age (and come back to neutral ph) and be slowly worked into the soil by watering, worm activity, micro tilling etc... :smoke:

We are fortunate here in WA State to have one of the top biochar producers in the country, that is doing remediation projects with multiple agencies and research with Cornell. I use Black Owl Biochar. Highly recommend them if you have a source on it. I'm learning that there is a big difference in quality on the commercial level, I would assume the same could be said in regards to homemade stuff too, though I've never made it myself. I did read a study showing how the CEC of biochar can change dramatically based on the type of wood and how it is pyrolized.

As for rates on the fish, we just followed the rates they recommend for application, which I think was an ounce per gallon of water and then used enough water to cover the char entirely. I'm not saying that is the BEST way, but it works for us. I think there is still a lot of research to be had on biochar and we are still discovering what "best practice" will look like.
 

Bueno Time

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Im using carbon from an old carbon filter, its still soaking been about 3-4 days so far.
 

Mikell

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We are fortunate here in WA State to have one of the top biochar producers in the country, that is doing remediation projects with multiple agencies and research with Cornell. I use Black Owl Biochar. Highly recommend them if you have a source on it. I'm learning that there is a big difference in quality on the commercial level, I would assume the same could be said in regards to homemade stuff too, though I've never made it myself. I did read a study showing how the CEC of biochar can change dramatically based on the type of wood and how it is pyrolized.

As for rates on the fish, we just followed the rates they recommend for application, which I think was an ounce per gallon of water and then used enough water to cover the char entirely. I'm not saying that is the BEST way, but it works for us. I think there is still a lot of research to be had on biochar and we are still discovering what "best practice" will look like.

Have you got a link to the study? There was a producer on here a few monthes ago yakking about variations in quality from different sources, different treatment temperatures. Piqued my curiosity, but I never did follow it up. Something to do today I suppose.
 
C

ct guy2

Have you got a link to the study? There was a producer on here a few monthes ago yakking about variations in quality from different sources, different treatment temperatures. Piqued my curiosity, but I never did follow it up. Something to do today I suppose.

This is going to be the lamest answer ever, but I was sent some stuff from Black Owl but asked not to share it at this point. There may be something from Cornell online though relating to it if you did an internet search. What I got wasn't the study though anyway, just a letter about their product from more of a marketing perspective based on the testing they did.

There is a big difference in grades of biochar though and I know black owl for instance has an environmental grade one that is about half the weight (more surface area) as their regular char. I would also add that it's really just "char" until you charge it and add biology, which they don't do for all their mixes. Something to consider when buying "biochar," making sure it's been charged and how it's been charged.
 

Mikell

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This is going to be the lamest answer ever, but I was sent some stuff from Black Owl but asked not to share it at this point. There may be something from Cornell online though relating to it if you did an internet search. What I got wasn't the study though anyway, just a letter about their product from more of a marketing perspective based on the testing they did.

There is a big difference in grades of biochar though and I know black owl for instance has an environmental grade one that is about half the weight (more surface area) as their regular char. I would also add that it's really just "char" until you charge it and add biology, which they don't do for all their mixes. Something to consider when buying "biochar," making sure it's been charged and how it's been charged.

Ah, even lamer, I never got around to looking. Something proprietary no doubt, I can understand that.
 

Bueno Time

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My carbon soaked for 11 days, drained the water/fish/etc mix out into a raised bed I have outdoor to not waste it. I think I lost some of the real nice powdered carbon I had ground up in a coffee grinder since the liquid was so black when I poured it off but there still seems to be some mixed in with the bulk of it. Nice black color to the top of the outdoor soil bed now just from pouring off the liquid and then watering it in a little with a hose, should up the nutrient and microbial capacity a bit in there as a bonus use for the "waste".

Got the soaked/drained carbon laying out on a tarp to dry a little bit so its not so soaking wet and easier to mix in. Also for storing some innoculated or charged char for future use I assume you dry it out completely and its fine to use as is when needed then?

Probably going to use it all anyway but just wondering for future purposes.

Hopefully I can report back in a few months if I notice any drastic difference right away. Though I know this is something that is really more beneficial in the long haul.
 

Mikell

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http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/2011/111213.htm

Spokas and Baker also conducted the first study that documented the formation of ethylene, a key plant hormone that helps regulate growth, from biochar and soils amended with biochar. They found that ethylene production in biochar-amended, non-sterile soil was twice as high as ethylene production observed in sterile, biochar-amended soil.

This strongly suggests that soil microbes are active in this biochar-induced ethylene production. The scientists also believe ethylene might be involved in plants' reaction to biochar additions, since even low ethylene concentrations produce various plant responses.


I am trying to track down the article by Spokas and Baker, but keep running head first into that nasty paywall. It is of some concern for sealed rooms.

Results of poking around a bit re: optimizing DIY biochar.

Biochar Production Technology for Conversion of Cotton Stalk Bioresidue into Biochar and its Characterization for Soil Amendment Qualities

Production and application of biochar from small-scale units on farm level may solve several environmental problems. The aim of the study was to develop a low cost portable kiln and to investigate the relationship between the production parameters with biochar characteristics. On-farm usable portable kiln unit (approx. cost per kiln was ₹ 1200) was developed on a single barrel design of vertical structure with perforated base and design function with direct up-draft principle. Cotton stalk bioresidues were subjected to thermo-chemical conversion at different loading rates and holding time. Holding time for each loading rate was correlated with internal kiln temperature. Grey gas colour was correlated with to 350-400˚C and blue gas colour to 450-500˚C kiln temperature range. Volatile matter content decreased, whereas fixed carbon and ash content increased with increase in temperature in each load. Biochar yield decreased with increasing temperature in each load types. Total C and N content of the biochars ranged between 592.4 to 719.3 g/kg and between 10.3 to 17.4 g/kg, respectively. The amount of total C and N recovered in the biochar ranged from 26 to 38% and 16 to 34%, respectively. Total P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn contents were higher in biochar compared to raw cotton stalk. The CEC of the biochar samples ranged from 11.7 to 51.3 cmol/kg. Highest maximum water holding capacity (3.9 g/g of dry biochar) and available water capacity (0.89 g/g of dry biochar) was exhibited at highest at 450-500˚C. Therefore, cotton stalk biochar produced at 450-500˚C showed the greatest potential for use as soil amendment to improve the fertility of rainfed soils as well as to sequester carbon.


The Solution to the Problem of Humanure

Ever wonder what to do with those bags of shit cluttering up your house and property? Biochar!
 

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SilverSurfer_OG

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Will the biochar remain nitrogen charged if allowed to dry fully? Yes i think so. Will it remain biologically active if allowed to fully dry? That one is a maybe. I know reliable char users who report a soil mix with active biochar that was allowed to fully dry out for months came back to life with a roar. But just the char in a bucket or bag not so sure... some life will go dormant for sure.

So the ethylene might ripen our buds earlier? Not such a bad thing? :smoke:

Happy xmas peeps! :dance013:
 

Mikell

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Unsure on the nitrogen. I would think it would depend if it were held by the biochar or used by the microbes working on the carbon. Hopefully a more educated answer follows this shortly :) Moisture and warmth would bring the life back though.

I'm not sure the effects from bio-char off gassing would be desirable (in that it is an unknown and concentration is out of your control).

There are commercial uses (DM Reverse, Ethephon, etc), but it is time/concentration dependent. Constant exposure would (I believe) produce stunted growth, weak/no flower development and possible plant death. I have no experience with this and posted that more as a future resource than anything, if anyone ran in to issues.
 

Mikell

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I worked hard for that title. Had to blabber out a 1000 posts of dipshititis. Ever figure out the answer to your question?
 

BurnOne

No damn given.
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Yeah well i guess you are a dipshit know-nothing!

:laughing:He might be a "dipshit know nothing" but he's the "IC Mag dipshit know nothing" and that's alright with us.:tiphat:

I worked hard for that title. Had to blabber out a 1000 posts of dipshititis.

Now THAT'S how you work it. Most here get that title after only two or three posts. Well earned Mikell. U da man!
Burn1
 

trichrider

Kiss My Ring
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biochar offgasses as it is made. when the off-gassing ends, the biochar is ready.

iirc...

woodgas...hmnnn.

Wood gas is a syngas fuel which can be used as a fuel for furnaces, stoves and vehicles in place of gasoline, diesel or other fuels. During the production process biomass or other carbon-containing materials are gasified within the oxygen-limited environment of a wood gas generator to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide. These gases can then be burnt as a fuel within an oxygen rich environment to produce carbon dioxide, water and heat. In some gasifiers this process is preceded by pyrolysis, where the biomass or coal is first converted to char, releasing methane and tar rich in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
 

Mikell

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Re: nitrogen. Struck my curiousity, but never ended up poking around for an answer.
 

m_astera

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Ammonium NH4+ is a stable cation that will be held on the negatively charged sites of the biochar, wet or dry, much like Calcium++ or Potassium+/
 

trichrider

Kiss My Ring
Veteran
the easiest method of charging (for me), has been adding air-float char to the food-scraps that go into the worm bin.
put food-scraps into a blender, add a little water, blend. add in char, blend once more, and it pours easily into the worm bin.
what comes out is perfectly balanced and charged biochar/vermicompost.

and i'm positive of the benefits.

no 'cooking' to assure of assimilation (actually 'cooks' inside worms), no worries about nitrogen depletion, no worries of using the wrong type wood...no worries of over applying(within reason-10% is OK).

loving it...:woohoo:
==============
Spokas and Baker also conducted the first study that documented the formation of ethylene—a key plant hormone that helps regulate growth—from biochar and soils amended with it. They found that ethylene production in biochar-amended non-sterile soil was double the level observed in biochar-amended sterile soil. This strongly suggests that soil microbes are active in this biochar-induced ethylene production and that the ethylene might be involved in plants’ reaction to biochar additions, since even low ethylene concentrations produce various plant responses.

link: http://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2011/nov/biochar
 

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