I made my first batch of biochar using commercially available 100% hardwood charcoal pellets and following your inoculation suggestions. (I’m a townie so making my own charcoal was not an option.). I soaked 30 lbs of charcoal for about 3 weeks using garden soil, my own compost and pieces of wood from last year’s pruning that were inoculated with mycelium. It’s been in and around my beds for about 2 months and every plant is responding well as I resurrect my played-out soil. Thank you so much for all the good information!
I love hearing this and glad you got some ideas from the video. Make sure the "charcoal" that you use is untreated as charcoal can treated with accelerants to enhance the combustability. Lump charcoal might be ok to use but again check to make sure it has no additives. Thanks the the comment. I dig this! 😎
Hi love your video . I have found a great way to break up my Biochar. I found a pair of jeans and tied the legs bottoms. This is my best way so far crushing as it is very sturdy .Great video !😎🇺🇸😎
Terrific presentation with clear, concise explanations. Answered my questions about biochar, which I plan to try this year in my garden. Thank you. New sub.
Just bought a hundred liters of Biochar from Dorren Jackman, will start the process of inoculation tomorrow and looking forward to adding it to our wicking beds in 3 weeks.
When using humsn urine for this purpose, it's best to collect from one person who is the healthiest individual in the group. Not a good idea to collect from indiviuals on continuing medication, especially pshyc meds. Be advised urine contains a lot of salt, so the end product is not suitable for plants that are salt sensitive such as avocado trees.
I have biochar urinals, The runoff urine from this is collected and used the same way as miracle grow would be and with the same results. I also add azomite, Kelp meal and an organic bloom fertilizer (no particular brand). This makes the runoff urine as a plant superfood. I also add what ever DR Earth fertilizer I have because of the mycos.
I do basically the same mix but I add some worm castings from my worms to the mix. Then put it all in 5 gallon buckets and I add an aquarium airstone to keep the micros aerobic. I let it bubble 2 to 4 weeks.
Im very new to this, I have only made 2 batches thanks to your videos and I have been considering making 3 form of inoculation. 1) fungal dominant. 2) bacterial dominant, 3 ) NPK salt fertilisers. I would then add all 3 forms in qual ratios. What is your opinion?
I tend to make my compost Tea trending toward being more fungal dominant. I think as an inoculant it is not as important which of these you choose as long as you choose some form of inoculation. The only real way for the average person to know for certain which of these perform better is to run some side by side comparative tests to see if there is any discernable difference. I choose a more passive approach generally because it is easier however sometimes I will use compost tea to inoculate. Thanks for the question and thanks for watching.
One of the best inoculants is Lactobacillus culture, and molasses. Molasses is loaded with micronutrients and has an NPK count. The lactobacillus culture will enrich your soil bacteria. Lactobacillus is a natural byproduct of cheese and yogurt making. You can also add aquarium grade nitrifying bacteria to your pond or livestock water source to super charge the existing bacterial flora. You would need to add aeration to properly encourage the aerobic nitrifying bacteria
Absolutely! Lactobacillis is an aerotolerant anaerobe that will only add biological diversity useful in deeply compacted anaerobic soil conditions. It the primary bacteria responsible for making silage, bokashi composting and as you mention human digestion. Thanks for your input and for watching the video. 🙂
It seems like that would be an awesome alternative. There are no rules as to what you can use. Most excrement has alot of undigested nutrients that could be a beneficial inoculant. 👌
After you have soaked large pieces of biochar in water from a pond or in a garbage can of fermenting fertilizer tea for 2 weeks, then have crushed it down to the fineness showed, would you then ever add it to a mulch or directly around fruit trees or in a vegetable garden?
You absolutely could at that point. The water removes the hydrophobic tendency and the nutrients from the pond water will be absorbed. I prefer to add it to compost at that point to allow it to fully charge before using and an amendment. That is just how I do it but there are other valid approaches. Good luck.
Wonderful explanation. I crush my Bio-char to a medium size grape and put it in a plastic bag, tie it and make small holes it it and put it in a (curb size garbage) drum where I make liquid fertilizer using kitchen crapes, garden wees, grass clippings etc. I am zone 5 so probably the winter freeze and thaw will take care of the size (hopefully).
We heat with wood, clean local burnt in wood stove. can I take out some of the coals before they are burnt to ash and cool them to make biochar now in the winter. then I can add to my chicken coop bedding and use in spring?
Extinguishment of your coals before the are consumed fully could be an option although somewhat time consuming and potentially messy. A small container with a loose fitting lid and filled with a bit of feedstock placed within the firebox may be another option. Experiment to see what works for you. 👌
@@therealprtrhsenteal I burned smaller round branches, and when they just started to turn while, I put in a old small cast iron pot with a lid, and put a little soil on top to slow the burn... I think it worked good. And now I have them buried in my worm castings.
Big fat piggy kisses 💋!! Haha . Gonna use biochar in my plants next summer... Just gotta figure out what inoculation method I'm gonna use! Gathered most of my inputs. Just got some rabbit poo as well! 🐇 😂
Yes. Either by soaking for a period of time or by adding water when the char is being crushed. I do have some crushed dry char that I add to bedding in the coops and other livestock areas.
Just PEE on it and add in some sulfur free molasses. Keep moist. If you cook your biochar hot enough, there won't be any biotars. When mine is done converting, I quench it in a solution of water, PEE, and sulfur free molasses. The cold water fractures the red how charcoal and in the cooling process, the biochar draws in the solution. Fun fact: fresh sterile biochar is edible.
I saw a guy on Polish youtube making biochar in an earth pit and then quenching it with water once it was done but before it cooled down. Do you think it would also work in a retort? To quench the biochar as soon as it's done and hot to make it hydrophilic asap?
Quenching before it cools will help minimize the hydrophobic tendency but it doesn't fully eliminate. I don't add water to the retort only because it would likely be more work than benefit. Great suggestion though. Thanks. 😉
Better or best is subjective and could depend on alot of different considerations but I prefer a passive method of inoculation by adding biochar directly to compost under development or livestock bedding areas. This will be a slower but effective way of inoculation and easier imo.
@@therealprtrhsenteal I have chicken and loads of cow manure, maybe I should just test. Just bought a 45 gallon drum on my way to making biochar. I have heard that you can add 3% to the feed of chickens and I just bought 60 day old chicks last week. Your video are really well done and easy to understand.
I'm not sure what you mean by Terra Preta recipe. I am just adding the biochar to the compost I am making. I am not using a specific recipe per se. No formulas or measurements I am just trying to create Terra Preta by continually adding it to my soil amendment.
@@therealprtrhsenteal I'm not sure of the exact recipe either but I know they found loads of broken terracotta pottery mixed in with the biochar in the Amazon Terra Preta. And un char'd bone.
you shouldn't crush the biochar.. It is very porus. so the more surface area the better. It acts like a sponge. The bigger the sponge, the more nutrients it can hold.
The porosity of biochar can vary greatly. The porosity is largely determined by the type of feedstock and the temperatures for which it is processed. The pores are microscopic and can range from nanometers to tens of micrometers. Biochar has many applications and whether to crush or not to crush is a choice dependant on the context for which it is being used. I use Biochar for microbial habitat and it's wster retentive qualities. My approach is to crush and I incorporate char of various sizes because diversity has value and I try to not overcomplicate a very simple process. Thanks for watching.
Icp has talented former big tech engineers coders etc, working on the dfinity team, big tech knows this and has an eye looking their way because they are very nervous
Greetings from the LooseNatural farm in Andalusia Spain where we currently make biochar
Hey thanks for checking us out and how do from Northern California! 😉
I made my first batch of biochar using commercially available 100% hardwood charcoal pellets and following your inoculation suggestions. (I’m a townie so making my own charcoal was not an option.). I soaked 30 lbs of charcoal for about 3 weeks using garden soil, my own compost and pieces of wood from last year’s pruning that were inoculated with mycelium. It’s been in and around my beds for about 2 months and every plant is responding well as I resurrect my played-out soil. Thank you so much for all the good information!
I love hearing this and glad you got some ideas from the video. Make sure the "charcoal" that you use is untreated as charcoal can treated with accelerants to enhance the combustability. Lump charcoal might be ok to use but again check to make sure it has no additives. Thanks the the comment. I dig this! 😎
I love the practicality of your video! Thank you for posting this
I'm glad to hear this. Thank you!
Hi love your video . I have found a great way to break up my Biochar. I found a pair of jeans and tied the legs bottoms. This is my best way so far crushing as it is very sturdy .Great video !😎🇺🇸😎
That is a creative use for an old pair of jeans. Thanks for watching and love your suggestion. 👌
Or a burlap bag
Thanks, this makes the process easy for anyone trying to do it on a small scale.
You are welcome. 🙂
Learned quite a bit from this video and especially how I should be using BC that I wasn't aware of otherwise! Thanks a million for the knowledge.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching:)
Very informative. I learned something, which does not happen a lot.
Thanks for watching! 😉
Terrific presentation with clear, concise explanations. Answered my questions about biochar, which I plan to try this year in my garden. Thank you. New sub.
Love to hear it thanks for the kind words. Welcome! 😉
Just bought a hundred liters of Biochar from Dorren Jackman, will start the process of inoculation tomorrow and looking forward to adding it to our wicking beds in 3 weeks.
Nice. Let me know how it works for you. 👌
This might be gross for some but I fill a 5 gallon bucket with crushed charcoal and we use it as a urinal when we are outside
A good use of urine and biochar. 👌
There is a corner where my beer drinking buddies relieve themselves. I'm going to dig a spot there and fill it with bio-char.
When using humsn urine for this purpose, it's best to collect from one person who is the healthiest individual in the group. Not a good idea to collect from indiviuals on continuing medication, especially pshyc meds. Be advised urine contains a lot of salt, so the end product is not suitable for plants that are salt sensitive such as avocado trees.
@@racebiketunernot to mention that some medications could end up back in the food chain
I add it to compost and just peel on that
Would rain water be a good source of water if I cant get pond water every time? Thanks enjoying the videos.
Absolutely!, Naturally occurring untreated water would be best! Thanks for watching 👌
I like how your mind works.
Thank you! 😉
I have biochar urinals, The runoff urine from this is collected and used the same way as miracle grow would be and with the same results. I also add azomite, Kelp meal and an organic bloom fertilizer (no particular brand). This makes the runoff urine as a plant superfood. I also add what ever DR Earth fertilizer I have because of the mycos.
Sounds like a solid blend! 👌
As long as no one using the urinals is on medication of any type.
I do basically the same mix but I add some worm castings from my worms to the mix. Then put it all in 5 gallon buckets and I add an aquarium airstone to keep the micros aerobic. I let it bubble 2 to 4 weeks.
I will be adding worm castings to mine in the future
Great information
Thanks! 😉
If you quench it with water it absorbs the water as the air inside shrinks as it cools.
There are many quenching techniques. How do you do it ?
Pour/hose when you have hot coals. None of my charcoal is hydrophobic but I make it in a fire pit so all that crap is probably burnt off anyways
Nice tutorial. I use weed water that's been sitting for a few weeks & pour that over it.
Im very new to this, I have only made 2 batches thanks to your videos and I have been considering making 3 form of inoculation. 1) fungal dominant. 2) bacterial dominant, 3 ) NPK salt fertilisers. I would then add all 3 forms in qual ratios. What is your opinion?
I tend to make my compost Tea trending toward being more fungal dominant. I think as an inoculant it is not as important which of these you choose as long as you choose some form of inoculation. The only real way for the average person to know for certain which of these perform better is to run some side by side comparative tests to see if there is any discernable difference. I choose a more passive approach generally because it is easier however sometimes I will use compost tea to inoculate. Thanks for the question and thanks for watching.
congratulations!!!
👋🙂
One of the best inoculants is Lactobacillus culture, and molasses. Molasses is loaded with micronutrients and has an NPK count. The lactobacillus culture will enrich your soil bacteria.
Lactobacillus is a natural byproduct of cheese and yogurt making.
You can also add aquarium grade nitrifying bacteria to your pond or livestock water source to super charge the existing bacterial flora. You would need to add aeration to properly encourage the aerobic nitrifying bacteria
Absolutely! Lactobacillis is an aerotolerant anaerobe that will only add biological diversity useful in deeply compacted anaerobic soil conditions. It the primary bacteria responsible for making silage, bokashi composting and as you mention human digestion. Thanks for your input and for watching the video. 🙂
I loved this video!!! Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the kind words. 😉
Can I use Bsf frass instead of worm castings
It seems like that would be an awesome alternative. There are no rules as to what you can use. Most excrement has alot of undigested nutrients that could be a beneficial inoculant. 👌
After you have soaked large pieces of biochar in water from a pond or in a garbage can of fermenting fertilizer tea for 2 weeks, then have crushed it down to the fineness showed, would you then ever add it to a mulch or directly around fruit trees or in a vegetable garden?
You absolutely could at that point. The water removes the hydrophobic tendency and the nutrients from the pond water will be absorbed. I prefer to add it to compost at that point to allow it to fully charge before using and an amendment. That is just how I do it but there are other valid approaches. Good luck.
@@therealprtrhsenteal Mahalo!
Wonderful explanation.
I crush my Bio-char to a medium size grape and put it in a plastic bag, tie it and make small holes it it and put it in a (curb size garbage) drum where I make liquid fertilizer using kitchen crapes, garden wees, grass clippings etc.
I am zone 5 so probably the winter freeze and thaw will take care of the size (hopefully).
That's a great idea! Love it. Thanks for watching:)
We heat with wood, clean local burnt in wood stove. can I take out some of the coals before they are burnt to ash and cool them to make biochar now in the winter. then I can add to my chicken coop bedding and use in spring?
Extinguishment of your coals before the are consumed fully could be an option although somewhat time consuming and potentially messy. A small container with a loose fitting lid and filled with a bit of feedstock placed within the firebox may be another option. Experiment to see what works for you. 👌
@@therealprtrhsenteal I burned smaller round branches, and when they just started to turn while, I put in a old small cast iron pot with a lid, and put a little soil on top to slow the burn... I think it worked good. And now I have them buried in my worm castings.
Thanks...very informative
So nice of you!
Love your channel
Thank you! I appreciate that. Glad you like:)
Big fat piggy kisses 💋!!
Haha .
Gonna use biochar in my plants next summer...
Just gotta figure out what inoculation method I'm gonna use!
Gathered most of my inputs.
Just got some rabbit poo as well! 🐇
😂
Do you soak the charcoal in the water before putting it in the chicken coop and pig zone ?
Yes. Either by soaking for a period of time or by adding water when the char is being crushed. I do have some crushed dry char that I add to bedding in the coops and other livestock areas.
Just PEE on it and add in some sulfur free molasses.
Keep moist.
If you cook your biochar hot enough, there won't be any biotars.
When mine is done converting, I quench it in a solution of water, PEE, and sulfur free molasses.
The cold water fractures the red how charcoal and in the cooling process, the biochar draws in the solution.
Fun fact: fresh sterile biochar is edible.
Sounds like you have a good system there. With snacks to boot! 😄
Succinct and informative.
Thank you!
very interesting!
I saw a guy on Polish youtube making biochar in an earth pit and then quenching it with water once it was done but before it cooled down.
Do you think it would also work in a retort? To quench the biochar as soon as it's done and hot to make it hydrophilic asap?
Quenching before it cools will help minimize the hydrophobic tendency but it doesn't fully eliminate. I don't add water to the retort only because it would likely be more work than benefit. Great suggestion though. Thanks. 😉
In your opinion is there a prefered inoculating material that would give better biochar?
Better or best is subjective and could depend on alot of different considerations but I prefer a passive method of inoculation by adding biochar directly to compost under development or livestock bedding areas. This will be a slower but effective way of inoculation and easier imo.
@@therealprtrhsenteal I have chicken and loads of cow manure, maybe I should just test. Just bought a 45 gallon drum on my way to making biochar. I have heard that you can add 3% to the feed of chickens and I just bought 60 day old chicks last week. Your video are really well done and easy to understand.
A biodegradable surfactant to break the surface tension of the water allowing the water to get into the charcoal faster.
What surfactant do you use?
Have you tried making your own Terra Preta recipe for your property? If so, I'd love to see it. 👍
I'm not sure what you mean by Terra Preta recipe. I am just adding the biochar to the compost I am making. I am not using a specific recipe per se. No formulas or measurements I am just trying to create Terra Preta by continually adding it to my soil amendment.
@@therealprtrhsenteal I'm not sure of the exact recipe either but I know they found loads of broken terracotta pottery mixed in with the biochar in the Amazon Terra Preta. And un char'd bone.
Old timers around here would worm their hogs with oak charcoal. I’m curious to see if your pigs eat your char?
Yeah they eat a bit of it by choice and I put a small amount mixed in with their feed. 👌
I know for a fact that pigs love coal.
I was also wondering if the pigs and chickens eat the charcoal.
We use charcoal burned logs as a way to heal our pigs if they’re not feeling well. They love it!
It's nice from you brother. God bless you. Ali
Same to you
I know I am jus trolling but PIGS DONT ......................... 2:29 to 2:31 ....................... USE THE "BATHROOM"😆
Haha. It sounded less offensive than saying they are taking a shit in the corner. 🙂
Don't waste your money on sea-90; it's literally sea salt they sell for ridiculous amounts of money
Some people like it I have never used it. I will assume sea-90 will not be pursuing you as product endorser. 😉
@@therealprtrhsenteal they blocked me on social media years ago after I exposed them.
Look up the SDS for the product; literally sea salt.
you shouldn't crush the biochar.. It is very porus. so the more surface area the better. It acts like a sponge. The bigger the sponge, the more nutrients it can hold.
The porosity of biochar can vary greatly. The porosity is largely determined by the type of feedstock and the temperatures for which it is processed. The pores are microscopic and can range from nanometers to tens of micrometers. Biochar has many applications and whether to crush or not to crush is a choice dependant on the context for which it is being used. I use Biochar for microbial habitat and it's wster retentive qualities. My approach is to crush and I incorporate char of various sizes because diversity has value and I try to not overcomplicate a very simple process. Thanks for watching.
Very informative
Thank you!
The more it is crushed, the larger the surface area. Look it up.
It's like a sponge. You wouldn't shred a sponge. The bigger the sponge. the longer it will hold nutrients.@@environmentaldataexchange3906
Yep, more peices means more surface area.
pig poop... that's almost a guaranteed pathogen problem.
So you're saying there's a chance there won't be a pathogen problem?
@@therealprtrhsenteal Enjoy your E-Coli.
Icp has talented former big tech engineers coders etc, working on the dfinity team, big tech knows this and has an eye looking their way because they are very nervous
😆🤷♂️