Thank you Gregory, This is the most comprehensive and informative video about Biochar I have seen. I am a gardeners in the UK and have subscribed to your channel. You really do sound like Jimmy Stewart and you are a pleasure to listen to. Thanks again. All the best. Phil.
Greg... I don't know if you misspoke or what but if you have a problem with acid soil the best thing you can do is add wood ash to it. Wood ash is an alkaline and will raise your PH.
Yes, wood ash is alkaline. Ash mixed with water makes lye which was used with fat to make soap. You are right that PNW soils tend to be more acid, but wood ash will sweeten it up.
Hi NGF, The kiln shown is roughly 4' X 4' across the top and about 3' deep. It's about 3' square on the bottom. We had these made at cost at the community college. We have found a pit works just as well. Obviously the pit is cheaper and is reusable. You will find the sides of the pit get baked, so it is easy to extract the char without getting a lot of dirt mixed in. Do not extinguish with water. Dry snuff by covering the pit with old sheet metal and covering with dirt so no oxygen can enter. Plan on waiting about 5 days for a pit this size to cool down before opening. Still look for any hot spots...you can never be too careful! Gregory's cohort, O.J.
Nice video. Mine never rinses off my hands (very dry skin and oily too). Those oils left over are supposed to be good food for the soil microbes. When I make mine I immediately quench the hot charcoal in a solution (has a little apple cider vinegar in it to make it slightly acidic). The charcoal draws in the solution quickly. I then begin straining mine to drain off excess water and begin the process of smashing it by hand. Long slow process and little to no dust released in the air. The black water is like platinum! Use it to water things and the biochar gets into the soil as you water.
From my training in biochar, oils in biochar are undesireable as they contain esters, kerosene, and other toxic chemicals. Oils are usually the result of unfinished biochar, low heat, and green feedstock,
@@wecangarden I could see some of those things possibly but kerosene? Ancient Amazonians had no way to determine the heat levels. And how are those things created from mere seasoned wood? I use heating wool pellets to make mine. I wait till the flames go out and then 30 more min. The stainless steel container is red hot.
I always thought it was just charcoal until it was charged with miro minerals.. then it became biochar, Am I mistaken??? Thanks for your advice..New to this, and learning all I can from you experts~~!!~~
Agricultural grade charcoal AKA biochar is made in a way that eliminates volatile organic compounds. The VOCs in BBQ charcoal are the part that burns (their energy is roughly half way between kerosene and wood) and have a detrimental effect on life forms in soil.
According to the following video, what he has done on this video is not biochar: ruclips.net/video/IhrU06ma1z0/видео.html. In order for it to be biochar, the wood has to be burned in an oxygen-free environment so the carbon remains in the charcoals. Even if what he had here was biochar, the pieces that you put in the soil should be much bigger than what he shows here.
This was very nicely done. You sound a lot like Jimmy Stewart which made the video even more enjoyable for me. =)
Thank you Gregory, This is the most comprehensive and informative video about Biochar I have seen. I am a gardeners in the UK and have subscribed to your channel. You really do sound like Jimmy Stewart and you are a pleasure to listen to. Thanks again. All the best. Phil.
Wow and I thought I knew a lot about Biochar! Lot's of great information here. I really appreciate you good sir. *hat tip*
God Bless
Great video, and I love the James Stewart accent.
Love your content Greg, keep it up!
Greg... I don't know if you misspoke or what but if you have a problem with acid soil the best thing you can do is add wood ash to it. Wood ash is an alkaline and will raise your PH.
Yes, wood ash is alkaline. Ash mixed with water makes lye which was used with fat to make soap. You are right that PNW soils tend to be more acid, but wood ash will sweeten it up.
I agree. Washing is a wasted step for my area, which has acidic soils.
Yup.
Hi Greg. I am going to make a large biochar burning pit something like this. What dimensions is your kiln?
Hi NGF, The kiln shown is roughly 4' X 4' across the top and about 3' deep. It's about 3' square on the bottom. We had these made at cost at the community college. We have found a pit works just as well. Obviously the pit is cheaper and is reusable. You will find the sides of the pit get baked, so it is easy to extract the char without getting a lot of dirt mixed in. Do not extinguish with water. Dry snuff by covering the pit with old sheet metal and covering with dirt so no oxygen can enter. Plan on waiting about 5 days for a pit this size to cool down before opening. Still look for any hot spots...you can never be too careful! Gregory's cohort, O.J.
You could easily make a trammel from old bicycle tire rims with 1/4" screen and really go to town.
Nice video.
Mine never rinses off my hands (very dry skin and oily too).
Those oils left over are supposed to be good food for the soil microbes.
When I make mine I immediately quench the hot charcoal in a solution (has a little apple cider vinegar in it to make it slightly acidic).
The charcoal draws in the solution quickly.
I then begin straining mine to drain off excess water and begin the process of smashing it by hand.
Long slow process and little to no dust released in the air.
The black water is like platinum! Use it to water things and the biochar gets into the soil as you water.
From my training in biochar, oils in biochar are undesireable as they contain esters, kerosene, and other toxic chemicals. Oils are usually the result of unfinished biochar, low heat, and green feedstock,
@@wecangarden I could see some of those things possibly but kerosene?
Ancient Amazonians had no way to determine the heat levels.
And how are those things created from mere seasoned wood?
I use heating wool pellets to make mine.
I wait till the flames go out and then 30 more min.
The stainless steel container is red hot.
Your wood ash maybe acidic. But ours is alkaline. Ashes are the trace minerals. Doing away with them is not a good idea.
I always thought it was just charcoal until it was charged with miro minerals.. then it became biochar, Am I mistaken??? Thanks for your advice..New to this, and learning all I can from you experts~~!!~~
Agricultural grade charcoal AKA biochar is made in a way that eliminates volatile organic compounds. The VOCs in BBQ charcoal are the part that burns (their energy is roughly half way between kerosene and wood) and have a detrimental effect on life forms in soil.
According to the following video, what he has done on this video is not biochar: ruclips.net/video/IhrU06ma1z0/видео.html. In order for it to be biochar, the wood has to be burned in an oxygen-free environment so the carbon remains in the charcoals. Even if what he had here was biochar, the pieces that you put in the soil should be much bigger than what he shows here.