I'd like to thank @davidthegood for putting me on to you and thank you for the technique! I got two big ol diced tomato cans, ran over to my father-in-laws to steal a crimping tool and had the whole family working on this project lol. The wife was collecting sticks in the yard while our dogs helped chomp them up. It's now 5:53 am and I'm so excited I'm checking the can in my bath robe 😂.
Instead of throwing away cans with holes you can probably use the bottom of them to make lids for other cans. Also you can just cut the tops with safety or side can openers for a clean cut without an inner ridge. I’ve been using a paint bucket for ages, done at least 20 burns without it getting a hole. Pressure might be a part of it - I just place the lid on top instead of having a hole to exude smoke.
@@RahulVarshney956 If you're using aluminum foil, your retorts aren't getting nearly hot enough to make quality char which needs to reach about 1500°F (815°) Aluminum melts at about 1200°F and can't be used for making a retort!
@@dethmaul How long they last depends mostly on the water content of the feedstock. The more water, the faster they'll burn out! I keep using them, even after they develop holes in them, until I start to see some ash, and then I throw them in the recycling bin!
I have seen a lot of videos about biochar's production. But this one is the best one as you use simplicity and intelligence to explain the whole production process. Thank you very much !!!!
Regarding the particle size of your char, I find it reasonable at every level to have structure in compost and soil. This leaves space for air. It is in fact surface area that is within your charcoal. If you crush it, its like deflating it. Its known that plants create aggregates in their root zone and aggregates of differing sizes create pockets of air. Its the opposite of soil compaction. When it rains, these pockets fill with water and the gas(air) leaves through the surface. When the water drains from the soil, it sucks more air into the pockets. Its gas exchange for the roots, bugs, worms, bacteria, fungi yada yada. Same for your compost. If you liquify all your mats and then put it into a container, You will end up with an anaerobic sludge mess. You would be essentially compacting your compost. You need leaves and sticks or particles to create those air pockets to aerate your microbes. In the long run its porosity in your root zone.
@@sicsempertyrannis4351 You're partially right, at first IT IS hydrophobic. But as it's oxidized on contact with air and water, biochar becomes hydrophilic. Here's a documented scientific study to back this up: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcbb.12026
Love your content! I realized that I need to acquire a piece of land..growing in a small backyard is ok but one needs a good sized plot to have enough to make it worth the effort
@@ianfrancisledesma4431 But it is always worth the effort to learn the principles of regenerative gardening so you can transfer your skills to your good-sized plot once you acquire it! Even if you have NO plot whatsoever, you can still grow in pots on the windowsill and try to get as much food as you can from that one pot. I grew four good-sized potatoes in a 16-ounce cup that I started by picking one eye off of a shriveled-up potato. It IS worth the effort! Take a look at that video: ruclips.net/video/3t2VGY20C5k/видео.html There are the two potatoes you see, and then two more the same size in the interior of the cup!
Don't forget to use the wood ash out of your stove. The ash is rich in minerals and lots of potassium. These are very water soliable and erodes out of the ash as soon as water is applied. which means campfire ash if its been rained on very few minerals and potassium is left it has eroded into the soil below the campfire base. Now how to extract the minerals n potassium. Simply scoop the ashes into a container and add water n stir. Now all the minerals and potassium is contained for usearound your plants. Any plant fruit or crop that is high in potassium this is a #1 soil fertilizer. Don't forget to start out with about a 10 part water to 1 part ash water.
Hello, it's nice, that you take comments of your viewers in a count, there will be always some "spicy" comments, but you obviously do your best, back it up with science and top it off with all the passion you have for your garden. I sincerely thank you for all I learned from your videos. Those are packed with valuable information and also you are not feeding us with the "only right" option. I think it's always good idea to give yourself some space for a mistakes. 🤭 In the end we are all humans. All the best from Finland and please, keep doing these great videos, they are very much appreciated. Thank you! 🍀☺️🍀
By using your can method I have made three 5-gallon buckets of this black gold and inoculated it with KLF and other goodies will see what happens this spring
I'm new to the community, but had been casually experimenting with charcoal and soil, because my sandy soil doesn't grow much... Anyway simply putting charcoal in the bottom of the pots and growing as normal has produced positive results, so you probably don't need to worry about doing it 'the correct way' so much as you need to just do it the way that works best for you.
@@vidard9863With respect, you will find much better results if you charge your biochar beforehand. (There are a multitude of ways to do so, though I really think what you saw here covers all the bases well.) If you don't pre-charge the charcoal, for the first year or so, the charcoal will be absorbing nutrients from the soil, which limits what is available to the plants. Over time, this will balance out, but you will find lower productivity until this happens.
@@NorthernIllinoisWormFarm you are not wrong, however my soil is sandy enough that good compost has little effect because the nutrients can leech out of it before a single season is over as a result the charcoal added ends up with a higher concentration of nutrients than the surrounding soil in less than a year. Initially I just thought that it would store water for the plants, so the results have been better than I anticipated, but yes, charging it would be better, and I intend to add it to one of my compost barrels while it finishes, because frankly I don't have the time and resources invested in gardening at this time to do anything more complicated.
Thanks for this very valuable input! And don't worry to much about spicy comments. There are people who criticize everybody and everything, this won't ever stop as this is their sense of life. We should all be able to adjust information to our own needs that might be different to the needs of others. You are doing a great job explaining how it works, thanks again so much!
Totally correct, the interior spaces are far more important than the exterior surface and have far greater surface area on the inside pores. This is for the process of adsorbtion. Great video, thanks.
Thank you as well! I think a lot of people agree with us about the interior spaces, but don't comment. If you have any input on why you also have come to that conclusion, please let us know!
Pore size and interior surface area are key factors that affect adsorption of ions and other materials in chemistry and also for bacterial growth for breakdown of ammonia into nitrites and nitrates in saltwater aquariums. Similar should be true in land based systems.
Like your simplified method of using a woodstove to make charcoal. Making charcoal out of difficult-to-otherwise-use materials is a great way to make biochar. For me it's a safe way to put bones in the garden without worrying about the dog eating them. The additives you show are extraneous because much of the benefits biochar is that it binds with soil to correct its properties. It also aids microorganisms in making insoluble nutrients available to plants. Avoid using synthetic chemical inputs, monocultures, annuals, tilling, etc on your garden to enhance natural soil fertility. Putting the charcoal directly into the soil also means avoiding having to store a big barrel of charcoal and applying the charcoal sooner means it goes to work right away...
Thanks for your viewpoint. Almost all of the science based studies I have seen show that putting biochar into the garden without charging it first will stunt the growth of your plants in the first year because the biochar pulls the nutrients out of the soil and temporarily make them unavailable to the plants. The purpose of charging the biochar in the barrels is to load them up with bacteria and nutrients BEFORE adding it to the soil so instead of of charcoal soaking up the nutrients FROM the soil, it will release the nutrients TO the soil. But it's quite possible, in my opinion, that what you're describing would work quite well on soil that already has lots of nutrients and soil life to correct its properties as you say.
I've done it both ways and the way I'm doing it now works the best for me! I use the sheet method I describe in this video: ruclips.net/video/J3wPr4hwS2o/видео.html
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow What youce said is different than saying "my soil has been under organic, no-till, polycropped production for 15 years. I've tried it both ways and "precharging" the charcoal works best."
I also said that what you're describing would work quite well on soil that already has lots of nutrients and soil life, to correct its properties as you say. If my soil has been under organic, no-till, polycropped production for 15 years, my soil would be pretty darned good, and I said that what you said would work quite well for that!
Amazing content, you are very knowledgeable, and a great teacher. I can see I'll be doing some binge watching in the near future. Your explanation is very in-depth and scientific but still very easy for anyone to comprehend. Thanks from Australia.
11:15 As I understand it, the crucial point for the accumulation of water and nutrients at the end of the charring process is the quenching of the charcoal with cold water. The crystalline structure of the plant charcoal shatters because the heat cannot be dissipated quickly enough in contact with cold water, additional pores are opened and clear the way for absorption - this is probably illustrated by the fact that the plant charcoal in this way, unlike the one in the video sequence shown, is easier to break. Thank you for your work and info.
Thanks for your comment! Definitely, definitely, more is NOT known about biochar than what IS known, and what was once thought of as truth is being replaced by more advanced information. However, there are many "experts" still holding onto the former "truths." My opinion is, that if they are really experts, they would understand that there are no experts. There is science, however, and true science is always evolving and coming to a greater understanding of natural things as they’re revealed. For example, it was once thought that grinding biochar to a fine powder was best for plants, and I think that water quenching kind of falls into that same category. I think those ideas came about because of the paradigm of using activated charcoal in a water purification perspective. In that case, you want to “open up” the pores by removing the tars and other things, but when used as a soil conditioner, those tars and other things are actually food for the microorganisms! When they use charcoal for water purification, they want to create as much surface area as possible because the way it works is basically through electrical charges attracting toxins which in turn attach themselves to the charcoal, purifying the water. With biochar, however, the most important part isn’t the surface area, but rather the cubic area of the interior pores. Even if the pores are present, but filled with tars, the benefits of the tars are that they provide food for the bacteria and promote a diversity of life in your garden, especially now that we know of the synergy of all the other larger, but still microorganisms, like fungi, protozoa, and beneficial nematodes. Here is a great study done by researchers and published on the NIH website that gives us an even greater understanding and pushes us past the old paradigm: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466324/ Let me know what you learn from the article. I'm on the same quest as you!
Definitely, definitely, more is NOT known about biochar than what IS known.." Right, it's still a miracle how it works. Having different conditions, my approach is also different. With less time in the field, more for watching YT Videos and investigating while I'm working (with my hands) , I 1st thought about the history and understanding Portugues, I read a bit in available PDFs. Going back or observing other cultures in similiar circumstances, what would they do, how they prepare their stuff, cook their meals.. and how they extinguish their fires so that char could be left? In the Amazonas with so much water around wouldn't it be obvious to use it? Reading about the particle size of the examined char, I imagined just this process could led to those numbers in the short PDF down below. For sure the indigenous People of South American did not stomp their char, what factual incentive they would have had? - but Perhaps like this their char was soft enough to be ground over time by tillage, animals, erosion etc. Anyway, that's just my theory and I'm just on a journey as everybody else. Nevertheless I'm glad to have found your completely underrated channel with so much detailed work and a prescious motif - thank you.
@@GWFries-gb7sh Thank you so much! One amazing thing to me is that, apart from all these man-made pockets of amazing fertility, that area of the world has some of the poorest soil on earth! Another amazing thing is that this fertility is self-regenerating. It is said that the terra preta gains about 12 cm (1/2 inch) per year in thickness even though more material is not being added. This second fact is what I'm trying to achieve in my garden with biochar and microorganisms which spread throughout the soil and mine it for nutrients and concentrate them in my garden beds.
12:30 there's a can opener in existence that takes the entire top off of cans, rim and all. Not sure how to search to buy one, and not sure if you can roll it around a pull top can once it's been opened, but i assume you could. My mother has one. It's like a round rolling blade on one side and then a metal loop on the other side. I had no idea cans were glued together until i used her can opener. I would've assumed cans were all one piece of metal all melted/welded together.
You don't want to remove the rim, it maintains the structural integrity of the cans and makes them last a lot longer especially after going through the fire a few times!
🤔Your sponge analogy was perfect, even without showing it. Smaller things might breakdown quicker, but for something that has porosity for moisture, oxygen, and gives home to life, it makes perfect sense that it should not be a powder. Thank you 👍
13:21 watching 3-4 videos of yours this morning has already transformed my whole approach to my garden preparations for next year. I am a believer in your very simply yet very effective methods. I appreciate your knowledge and how you pass it along. I’m amazed. I’ll be doing the worm buckets and I’m looking for a video of yours of how to maintain worms once you have thousands and thousands of them.
Hey there and thank you a lot for these great lectures! Have you heard about a birch-derived slow pyrolysis liquids? It is by-product from making biochar from birch wood. It is a non-toxic pest repellent. It has other great uses too like, if you have a cesspool, you just pour few liters of this stuff in and after awhile all the organic material have been cleared, only water is left. We use it in our outhouse, few sprays and all smells are gone. I think it is speeding up our composts too. It is fairly new material so not many studies. Only few Finnish studies can be found if you search: "Potential of the slow pyrolysis products birch tar oil, wood vinegar and biochar in sustainable plant protection : pesticidal effects, soil improvement and environmental risks"
Thanks for sharing this with us. I typed the phrase in you asked me and there's quite a bit of impressive research. Tell us where you purchased it from as it looks like it's not something easily made at home.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow I got it from a finnish company called charcoalfinland and the product is called "ecokoivu". I dont know if they ship outside of Finland. You can ask them by email. Or you can try search if there is some company in your country doing this pyrolysis, they might not even know how good this stuff is!
I found out about you from David The Good's channel, and I love the simple yet knowledgable approach to every topic you present. Yes we are stewards of our Heavenly Father's earth! I have a question... Since I don't have a wood stove, is it possible to place the bio char tork into a fire Im burning outside or even a regular fireplace?
Thank you for your logic as far as size of the pieces. My first biochar was a 55 gallon and produced 200 lbs of char. I did grind it to a fine reduced state and inoculated it with worm castings tea with molasses and fish emulsion, making a slurry. I let it sit 2 months in this mix and spread it on tarps to control is as I did not have compost ready so I direct sowed that into my newly set up hugoculture raised beds. I figured year 1 would produce a reasonable crop. Yes, there are other variables not stated here as you must know. The fail I had was my crop of tomatoes couldn't be held by bamboo structures it crushed the bamboo I was constantly rebirthing supports. Cattle panel tunnels over the raised beds proved sufficient, kinda! So year 1 was great, learned what and what not to do but. I'm looking at doing another biochar barrel. All work is in place . I will try what you say and now have 1000 lbs of compost to work with.
Wow Chris, that's fantastic! I would love to see some pictures! If would suggest you visit Elaine Ingham's channel to take the next step in your learning, to make sure everything is progressing on the micro level, especially the fungi to bacteria ratio. I bought an inexpensive microscope I hook up to my computer screen so I can see all the bacterial, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes in my soil. This has helped me to REALLY understand what's going on, so I'm not just repeating other people who are repeating other people, etc, etc. I know what works and what doesn't because I see what's going on. It can't be just theory for you as it it for a lot of people. Here's the microscope I use: amzn.to/41euAtC At least take a look, maybe someday you can get one. Here's a video of one of our subscribers: ruclips.net/video/H4Nas0oakfA/видео.html Microscopy take you to a whole new level in gardening!
I don't crush mine either. I like a variety of sizes. I believe that the larger sizes help prevent compaction and help with aeration. Thanks for sharing.
Were the castings darker... really...new heavy duty poop.. several life time guarentied as it is already one of the most durable form of soil Bravissimo ...
From what I've seen, the folks that are breaking up their char have started with larger wood and have significantly larger pieces than the ones that come from your wood chips. Most are crushing their char until it looks much like your results. Thank you for presenting an easy way to make char in a home wood stove.
There's an advantage to it. Larger wood pieces have less surface area, thus reducing the amount of charcoal loss from burning with oxygen ( unless you use a specialized kiln to make biochar there's always some oxygen in the vessel). That's saying, unless you are making biochar at the industrial scale this loss shouldn't be significant.
@@minhducnguyen9276 Most of the subscribers to the website won't be either! But we are interested in learning what you find out. We're rooting for your success!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you sir. I'm trying to figure it out by myself. There are a few professors in my university who are already doing research on biochar. Unfortunately, My instructing Professor isn't one of those. She teaches sustainable farming but biochar isn't her expertise and picked the topic solely because I was interested in it.
@@minhducnguyen9276 Sadly some people will never get it because, in my opinion, they view everything you put into your garden has to be a plant nutrient, and they can't, or don't want to, understand that it's a method of facilitating microbial life
Gotta say, the retort idea is really clever. I’ll be on yet lookout for those bigger steel cans. Have use smaller cans for now in my smokeless fire pit.
Do you have problems with your chimney build up? With all that water vapor I would think Creosote would be a bigger problem than normal. Wonderful information and great video! Thanks!!!!
Hi Michal, I clicked on your picture and went to your channel, awesome setup for your hydroponics! I have some experience with peppers, and since you have a long growing season, I would prune the tops off your pepper plants to get a bigger harvest. That causes your plants to bush out and produce more stems, buds, and more peppers. Maybe you could try it with one and see how it works for you. Here's how I would do it: Your plants are at the size you could cut the plant in half. After you cut off the tops, you'll see new stems coming from each of the leaf nodes. Each of the new stems will grow into what is like a whole new pepper plant... all on one plant! I'm not sure about that dark area in the nodes. That could hinder the production of new stems. When you top your plants at this stage of growth you could actually take the top and root it to turn it into another plant! Here's a link to a website that shows you how to clone peppers: growhotpeppers.com/pepper-plant-propagation/ I hope this helps!
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@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you for your tip - I actually did it many times and that really works well for me. I am just not sure, witch of my papers you've seen - I got even one that is 15 yo :-) My baby came thru some bad times, but doing great most of the time. If you are interested, can send you some pictures of her :-)
I use an old stainless steel saucepan and lid.Fill it with sawdust or wood chips and put it in the wood heater overnight.Very easy and over time becomes a large quantity.
I had a question. I’ve been researching making bio char for only a few weeks. I’ve made about 1 five gallon bucket of charcoal so far. My question is how often should I be making more? You said you make about 500 pounds a year. From what I can find, the soil only wants a certain percentage of bio char. And the charcoal lasts for hundreds of years. So why do you need to add it year after year? Adding fertilizer and compost to the soil normally should be re charging the bio char yearly I think. So if the garden size is fixed, why do you need more?
Hi Josh, thanks for your question. From what I’ve read in the studies people have done, the optimal amount of biochar for most crops is around 10% of the soil makeup. However, most of the tests were done in pots, where ALL the medium was mixed in precise ratios. In garden beds, the rooting area can be from 10 inches to three feet deep so using the results obtained from planting in pots is pretty irrelevant. But just assume your rooting zone to be 10 inches deep for convenience. You would need to apply one inch of biochar to get that 10% ratio. Your five-gallon bucket contains .67 cubic feet of biochar, so five gallons would only be enough to supply a 2x4 foot area to that one-inch depth. Once that area was completed you wouldn’t ever have to put any more in, except for the fact that as your fertility increases, your rooting zone could go from 10 inches to 30 inches, in which case you could add more. A full garbage can is about 125 lbs of activated biochar, and it’s about enough for one of my garden beds to about an inch thick. So I produce enough for about 4 beds per year. I presently have 25 beds and I plan on adding about 50 more on my property, so I will be making biochar for many years to come!
This is very interesting. Thank you for the reply. I could easily calculate the amount or char needed in a 10 inch rooting area. And add in the yardage as I expand. The numbers don’t lie. I just wasn’t thinking of the over all scope of this. Unless I was able to make or buy a thousand pounds it will take years
@@joshd1512 The way I look at it Josh, and it's different for everybody, but if I'm going to heat my house anyway and I get free woodchips from the power company, why shouldn't I heat my house all winter for free with the woodchips? I don't think I can ever make too much in my lifetime! (I can always put it on my lawn!) Plus I'm preventing all that CO2 from going into the atmosphere.
Can you make biochar from green wood? I can get all the heavy-chopped wood I want for free from my local tree service guys, but it is fresh, not dried. Second question: How well does this work when you put your cans in a burn pile or slash pile (common in timber country during logging, clearing, road building, etc.)?
Yes, you can make it from green wood. Its moisture content will be a little higher so it will take a few minutes more to pyrolyze. But the worst thing is when it rains on your pile. I always fill my garbage cans, and dozens of 5-gallon buckets, with the chips the day they get delivered, and then bring them into to house to be converted to biochar in the winter. You can put your cans in any fire like you're describing as long as the cans turn cherry red meaning your retorts have reached 1500°F (815°C) for the best quality char!
Thank you! David the Good sent me to your channel. Great video!! New sub. The cans with the sharp lip, I use a can opener and remove the ring. Then it’s a smooth edge that’s not sharp.
Love your videos. Not all anaerobic processes are bad, though. Bokashi is a way to use fermentation as a way to make compost. You can use charcoal in bokashi as well.
Thanks, that's true but there are caveats. You ARE right, there are valuable uses for anaerobic organisms, and what I said also was right, but you have to follow my words carefully because they're easy to misunderstand: I didn't say all anaerobic microorganisms are bad, I said all bad microorganisms are anaerobic! The bokashi method uses anaerobic microorganisms to decompose organic matter faster, with the resulting product called *pre-compost*. You can also use this method of decomposition for meat and dairy-- things you wouldn't **_normally_** put in your compost pile! This *pre-compost* must either be buried in trenches in the garden or added to your traditional compost heap for further decomposition as it can harm your plants because of its acidity. Bokashi uses a *controlled process* that uses anaerobic microorganisms to break down organic matter. But then you must kill off those organisms before the resulting compost can be used in your garden. So if you do it right it IS beneficial! On the other hand, excluding air from a bacterially dominated compost pile, or having garden beds with hardpan underneath, (which also promotes harmful anaerobic bacteria), is not going to be beneficial for your garden.
Thank you for commenting and sharing that. We have a lot of Comfrey growing throughout our gardens and do that in the summer. Comfrey is great, but I don't think a lot of people know that.
Bio oils, Biochar and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). I'm not sure if you mentioned this in another video, but a really good thing to do is to crush char with your fingers when it's completed, and then run your fingers under water. If the bio oils come off, then the char is done. If the black all washes off well, it's done and most PAH are burnt off. If there is still an oily residue remaining, then you may have a lot of PAHs left, and these are carcinogenic. There is still dubious research about the pathway of PAH from soil to food, and as long someone doesn't then grow root crops, potatoes, tubers in that biochar, then they are likely okay. However, we need to be aware of that danger. I'm a huge proponent of biochar - I run coppice sumac systems for feedstock to it. I mention it in so many of my videos and guides. This is a really important aspect of char though. Great video overall, one of the better ones on youtube regarding biochar.
A thank you for your comments! I've spent time thinking about what you’re saying, even before I started using and promoting biochar, and that’s partially the reason why I make biochar in my woodstove rather than in an open pit outside. Here’s a quote from this scientific study: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c00952 “The content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in biochar has been studied extensively; however, the links between biomass feedstock, production process parameters, and the speciation of PAHs in biochar are understudied. Such an understanding is crucial, as the health effects of individual PAHs vary greatly.” I fully agree with you that the research is dubious and that’s exactly what they have admitted in their study. That study, although it can be difficult to follow and understand, states that the smaller the biochar is crushed, the higher the number of PAHs. Also that the temperature reached during the pyrolysis determines the number of PAHs present. The study also noted that higher temperatures achieved in small lot pyrolysis destroyed most of the PAHs, while uneven temperatures utilized by open pit burning had the highest concentration of PAHs. So, to determine the temperature of your retort, here’s a chart denoting the colors of steel achieved at different temperatures. My retorts turn bright cherry-red to orange-red, indicating a temperature of @ 1500-1600°F (820-870°C): www.makeitfrommetal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Heat-Colors-of-Steel.pdf I also studied PAHs outside of the world of biochar and I noted a study on the PAHs present in rainwater: publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC32562 I suppose there’s a silver lining to all this, and that is, the information found in the following study talks about specific bacteria that consume PAHs: journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/AEM.66.5.1834-1843.2000 So the very fact that (correctly made) biochar is a home for, and conducive, to microbiological life, and the fact that our soils have been introducing PAHs to our soils through rainwater since the industrial revolution, leads me to believe that the specific bacteria needed to break down PAHs are already present in our soil, and using good farming practices including the use of biochar, facilitate the proliferation of those specific bacteria. If the correct bacteria are NOT present, facilitating that, in my opinion, should be the main focus of soil scientists. That’s why I’m so glad you brought it up. Perhaps those same scientists will someday study those bacteria that specifically consume PAHs and solve the food crises created by man! I believe the bacteria already exist in our soils evidenced by the sheer fact that we are able to grow food organically. However, they probably don’t live at all in lifeless chemically-based agricultural land! Without chemicals, you can’t grow food on those lifeless lands at all. With everything in consideration, I believe you must look at it from those bacteria’s perspective. They don’t view PAHs as toxins, they view them as a food source! Well-constructed biochar could actually be very helpful for these beneficial bacteria! It makes my garden grow great, and everything looks balanced fungally and bacterially under my microscope, so, unless shown otherwise, I view that as evidence as well of healthy soil!
I agree with your view on not crumbling it to powder state… It doesn’t really make sense as it is a housing for microbial life to live in… Very simple Way to make it. Keep up the videos!
do you think you can use 'wet' wood/ biomass in the tins ( with seasoned logs of course). Steam is pumping out of yours. Is this not damaging as burning wet wood on the stove? The injection of steam into the burn chamber might be preventing the combustion of wood gases, therefore creating more creosote in the flue? Maybe I'm wrong though?
Hi Mark, thanks for the question. I always use feedstock that's as dry as possible, but I have used woodchips that have been rained on. I usually put those in OPEN cans on top of the wood stove to dry out first, (but you have to watch them carefully or they'll start to burn). That will evaporate some of the water. One thing to remember is that *the expansion rate of water, when it turns to steam, is 1,700:1* meaning one cc of water will expand to 1,700 ccs of steam. So when you see steam pumping out of your retort, even if there's just a small amount of water, it will create a huge amount of steam, but there is still very little water in that steam. Even DRY wood contains some water but when you multiply it by 1,700 it looks like a lot!
Thanks Mark, please subscribe to help us get the message out to more people. Not only will people have the best gardens EVER, and grow the most nutritious food for keeping healthy... they will also reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by making biochar! It's a small FREE way you can partner with us to get the message out!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Of course, just have. Thanks for your reply. I tried your method last night and it worked well. Its going to take me a long time to build up a significant amount though!!
I watched a video of a person who made (activated) biochar using Royal Oak 100% hardwood charcoal. This would be so much more doable for me if you think it is valid. Love your videos, so informative and I am learning so much!! Thank you. Susan
to:Live on what you grow :-- I COMPLETELY hear you on the state of the world. the instability of the planet grows. (not good). So, Great to Add that thought to all your video's. REminds me why i'm doing this!! Thank you. and besides Having Food,,, This Home Grown Food is FAR< FAR! Superior than the junk at the supermarkets here in NH, Farmstands are overpriced for my budget.... I was reading an article,,, That compares the nutrients in our foods in about the 1950's,, vs now,,, OMG,,, Most of the foods we buy today have 1/3rd to 1/2 !!!! of the nutrients at this time,,, That's Outrageous!,,, Happy Growing,,, thanks!
What did you use for crimping before the special crimping tool? Also, is it safe to use cans that have lining, like certain vegetable cans do? And it looked like some of the larger pieces of wood might have previously been treated lumber… that doesn’t become dangerous in the wood stove?
Very good video's. My question is, if biochar lasts for 1000 years, why do you produce 600+ lbs. of biochar each year incorperating into your grass/leaf compost and adding that to your soil? Seems to me adding compost, compost tea, worm castings, ect. each year would recharge the biochar that is already in your soil.
Hi Eric, thanks for your question. I don't know if you've seen the video I made on how I incorporate biochar to my soil: ruclips.net/video/J3wPr4hwS2o/видео.html but, for that bed, adding two inches (5cm) of biochar, about 250 lbs (113kg), will get me to the 10% ratio I'm looking for in the top 20 inches (50cm) of soil... just for that one bed. And I have about 30 beds and am planning on building 20 more! If you can cover your entire garden with 2 inches, you're right, you won't ever have to make it again!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you for your reply. I am 67 years old, living in NH alone. I am planning on 4 - 4ft x 12ft x 32 inch high raised beds. Two for asparagus and 2 for vegatables. I will also be planting in ground sweet corn, potatoes, melons and winter squash. I have 3 acres on top of a hill, which until 2001 was our family dairy farm cosisting of 240 acres for 3 generations. Full sun for about 12 to 15 hours in the summer with full south exposure and a 20 acre field south of that. My soil is listed a Carlton Loam. It is so fertile that I can not stop anything from growing, vegatables or weeds! I am going to raised beds for the sole reason I can't bend over or be on my knees like I used to. I am a true beliver that everyone should attempt to grow their own vegatables, weather they have land like I do or live in a city where they can only have a back yard garden or a few pots on their balcony. Gardening is very theraputic, rewarding and yes, challenging! But the way socity is going today, so important!
Hi Eric, thanks for telling us about yourself. Please help us out by hitting the "like" buttons whenever you can, AND hitting the "Subscribe" and "Notify" buttons so you won't miss any of the new content I've got coming soon. And it will be very important about _specific aspects_ of soil fertility to help you eliminate those weeds. Now that I'm 64, I don't want to pull weeds either, and, for the most part, I have already eliminated them from my garden! What a joy, finally, to not have to weed!
The only thing that's really in question is the lining of the cans. In my study, I believe that by heating the retorts to the temperature we do, about 1500°F, anything that's volatile, and potentially harmful, will be eliminated. If you are concerned, you can heat the empty cans red hot in the fire, remove them, let them cool, and then take a wire brush to clean out the residue!
Another great presentation. Do you have an opinion on using human urine to charge the charcoal? I have tried this, and so far have added 2 gallons... The charcoal ( from wood stove) has absorbed 90 %"of the urine so far and because the charcoal also absorb odors, it doesn't smell very much at all. This method is not for everyone, but as I said the ammonia smell is minimal and human urine contains many beneficial nutrients. Once the biochar is made, with whatever it's charged with, should it remain in the 'open air ' or can the container be sealed til spring?
Yes, I use urine, and I think it's fantastic and safe, but as you said, it's not for everyone! Urine is sterile, and when I think of chicken manure and all the other things I put into my soil, urine seems pretty innocuous! For the second part of your question, GOOD Bacteria need air to live. If you cut off the air, anaerobic (bad) bacteria will take over and in all likelihood produce methane, That's why I always put air holes down into the char as it's charging. Anaerobes are your enemy in gardening! I just had an idea. Why not put perforated pipe down in the center of the biochar as it's being charged, kind of like a Johnson Su Compost Reacter, to get a constant supply of oxygen to the middle and bottom of the piles. Thanks for the inspiration!
Absolutely. I first thought of using paper towel or toilet paper cores, but perforated 1 1/2" pvc pipe could work...maybe 3 or 4 per container. I might also try a plastic mortar mixing tray (about 8" deep) to let the charcoal bathe in the urine, but then it could be easily turned over and airated .
Thanks much. I do the trays outside when the weather's warmer. But it's just more convenient to have it in a garbage can in the house and activating it AS I'm making it through the winter!
I personally DON"T till it in. Tilling destroys all the LIFE we're trying to build with biochar and compost. I put it on top and lightly scratch it into the soil with a cultivator. A also put it into my planting holes and mix it with the soil at the bottom of the holes.
Thanks Stefan, Here is a website that will tell you everything you need to know about the coatings: www.foodpackagingforum.org/food-packaging-health/can-coatings My personal view is that the high temperatures we're subjecting the cans to in the woodstove will volatilize anything that could be harmful. But you could first do the crimpings you need to do on the cans, and then put them into the fire empty, and then the coating comes off very easily with a wire brush AFTER you let them cool down.
If you use my sheet method as seen in this video: ruclips.net/video/J3wPr4hwS2o/видео.html you can use it almost right away as you're not mixing it with the soil. But I do like to charge it up for about 30 days at least!
Thank you for this richly informed video. It is apparent that you've done a great deal of research in this subject. I've read some of the comments but forgive me if I'm repeating a question. Re: the PAH & safety of the biochar... you responded that it could be made in a fire pit as long as it reaches 1500 degrees. In the video, you show that it's done (in the wood stove) when the steam stops & flames shoot from the retort. Would this signify that it's hot enough in a pit? Also, would the can size impact the internal temperature if placed in a fire pit? Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
You need to use steel cans for the retorts, and the steel conveniently turns cherry red when heated to that temperature. So once the steam and the flames STOP coming from the end hole and from the seams in the cans, you can be pretty sure you've reached the correct temperature!
Does the biochar effect the PH of the substrate? It seems to me that it would raise it since wood ash is very alkaline as I recall. Would the addition of some dolomitic limestone help neutralize it? Is it as effective putting the biochar retort on an open fire outdoors? What are your thoughts about adding biochar to container gardens? Great info and Ideas on biochar production, Thank you!👍
Wood ash and biochar are completely different things. Wood ash is almost pure minerals, and biochar is almost pure carbon. So they have different effects on the soil. While wood ash raises pH considerably, biochar raises it minimally. In the old 1940’s paradigm of chemical farming, if you had high pH, you would add sulfur to your soil, NOT limestone, (which would increase the pH even more). Organic growers trying to ameliorate pH in that way are still chemical farming. It’s mixing the old and new paradigms, and a lot of people who say they grow organically still do it. It’s like a given, add some lime to raise the pH. The new paradigm organic scientists like Elaine Ingham and Matt Powers show us that well-made, aerated compost with the proper fungi-to-bacteria ratio, with lots of diversity in its composition, has the ability to BUFFER pH, and that is: to bring it to neutral, (lowering high and raising low pH). They also show that microorganisms are the key to healthy soil and good crops, not quantities of water-soluble nutrients measured by NPK and pH testing meters. The health of your microbiology and plants are your indicators of whether your soil is healthy or not! Healthy soil and plants are accomplished by the actions of, what I call, the big four: beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and beneficial nematodes, along with the rest of the supporting cast-- the microarthropods, arthropods, and the higher trophic levels, that can turn inorganic elements into the EXACT form of nutrients your plants need. The plants are in control of all this. The plant's root exudates actually TELL the fungi and bacteria what nutrients they need, and the fungi and bacteria work on the sand, silt, clay, rocks, and all the organic and inorganic matter, to convert it into the exact plant soluble nutrients it needs! This is exciting stuff, and of course, there’s going to be pushback from the old paradigm! But you can’t be lacking in ANY of the classes of biology stated above or it just won’t work, and that’s what compost and biochar are for! And BTW all this can be seen live under a microscope. Organic growers say to feed the plants, and not the soil. What we’re really saying is: feed the microbiological living organisms, and not the soil! That’s what compost and biochar are for. One last point I want to make: In the event the power grid were to go down, to use an extreme example, building long-term fertility is going to win every time. If the chemicals conventional farmers use for growing were suddenly unavailable they would not grow anything on that lifeless, chemical, toxic plot of ground. As for your question on making your biochar in an open pit outdoors, I think it’s a great way to make large amounts all at once, and the ONLY reason I DON’T do it is that I want to harvest all that free energy wasted going up into the atmosphere. Biochar works well in container growing because it holds moisture and nutrients, and since potted plants don’t have connections to the mycorrhizal network, you have to be in control of making sure your plants are getting all the nutrients and biology they need.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you for your thorough and speedy reply. I have been an organic indoor gardener for almost 30 years and a worm casting tea brewing aficionado for half that time. I just recently started making my own compost and castings to have the knowledge of what exactly goes into it. Also started building a couple of raised beds from some pallets I rescued from a dumpster. I find the relationship between plants and microbial life completely fascinating! It blows my mind to think how long thier evolution has been taking place, surely Prehistoric, before dinosaurs walked the earth. Thanks again for the schooling!👍
I am a new gardner at tgmhe age of 70+ years old. I gave a small fire pit and hope to be able to make some biochar. I have 3 above ground beds. I enjoyed your presentation. Mary
Make sure you're subscribed and click the notifications bell. Keep us updated on what's happening in your garden... and make a BIG compost pile and completely empty into your garden beds every year along with your biochar!
Thanks for sharing this information. You may be taking your wood stove for granted a bit though. I don't have one nor do I know many people with one (I can think of one person about a 3hr drive away). Do you have any suggestions for those of us in the city without a wood stove or even a fire place??
You can make char in the retorts in any fire, so you could make a fire pit outside and make it. Or you can buy pre-mad biochar from a company like this: amzn.to/3Y8sUz4
Okay, I believe now I understand some things that just didn't make sense yet in the previous videos. Namely ... exactly what was meant by biochar ... and "biochar" vs wood charcoal and ash ... I believe, if I'm understanding this correctly now (microbiology I get very easily and pick up fast ... but the chemistry involved comes much more slowly), that using the cans helps increase/elevate the temperature to promote chemical reactions that makes the wood (or other organic matter) more structurally sound, stronger but still porous and biodegradable .. biochar = turning the cellulose into a more harder/firmer/durable skeletal frame work ... and with less of it being turned to ash or into the softer wood charcoal you typically get directly from just burning wood in a fireplace or wood stove ... so biochar breaks down more slowly over time ... slow release ... thus not having to add as often (or not at all once have the total amount/ratio needed and get the soil culture, etc. in proper balance). In turn it probably helps aerate the soil, lessens soil compaction, helps retain moisture yet also promotes better drainage ... better distribution of water throughout the soil so neither too dry nor overly saturated ... as well as and most importantly creating castles/homes and slow release continuous supply of nutrients for the kingdom of microorganisms in the soil which are needed to keep the soil healthier and more naturally self sustaining which of course healthier soil leads to healthier plants. Then, you inoculate it (aka activate it) with all the nutrients and water needed to encourage and get the beneficial microbes kick started. OH! And you get more heat output from wood stove ... which I'm guessing might cut down on the amount of wood needed (at least a little bit but maybe even significantly) to stay warm.
Yes to everything! The only thing I would add is that when you heat organic materials to 770°F everything else gets volatilized leaving the carbon behind. So cellulose, being C6 H10 O5 -- when you heat it to 770°F in the ABSENCE of oxygen, it separates the molecule into 6 atoms of Carbon (C6) and 5 molecules of water (H10 O5 divided by 5 is 5 molecules of H2O). (No Carbon dioxide is created and released into the atmosphere.) When you burn cellulose IN the presence of oxygen, it produces carbon dioxide (released into the atmosphere) and water with NO carbon left behind.
In another video, you talk about the only way to breakdown the calcium carbonate in eggshells is to add it during the charcoal making process. Have you filled a (small) burner with just eggshells and treated it in exactly the same way as you treat your wood chip cans? What where the results? Can the results be stored? (Sorry, I live in Central Queensland and do not have access to a stove.) Stephen
Good morning. I don't think I would have said that. I think I said they are broken down by acids in the soil, nonetheless, yes, I have made eggshells into biochar in my retorts and use them the same way as any other charcoal, And lastly all charcoal can be stored indefinitely as it is in the recalcitrant form and can be mixed with compost and other organic nutrients to make biochar. _If you like our content, partner with us to help get the message out to more people. You can do that easily for free by hitting the SUBSCRIBE and NOTIFICATIONS buttons, and also clicking the LIKE icon whenever you like a video. There are some bad things happening in the world and we should be prepared to grow our own food! If they DON'T happen, you'll still know how to grow superior food for yourself!_
You could take a it a step further and bubble the water with a powerful air pump. It gets rid of any chlorine that can kill off bacteria and adds oxygen to the water. Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the advice... however, things are changing and some municipalities aren't adding chlorine anymore. They're adding chloramine, a much more powerful bacteriacide that does not dissipate from the water when you bubble the air through it! It's the world we're living in! I guess they have to do it. Imagine how many people could die if the water was contaminated by dangerous bacteria!
You can cut slits with some metal cutting shears on the open end of one of the cans and then fit it into the other can. It doesn't work as well, meaning you'll get more ash. The cans also will degrade a lot faster, so you won't get as many burns, but it will get you some biochar. The crimpers make everything so much easier, so invest in them when you can if you're going to make a lot of biochar.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Yes. I'd just like to give it a try before I commit to crimpers and changing to tin cans cuz everything is plastic nowadays and I dont have a woodstove, though I do have the occasional outdoor fire. I have a small backyard but I do have a lot of wood that I cant chip and it would be a great way to add fertility to my soil with my existing bio-waste.
Good video, cheers, nice experiments & nice experiences shared, with scientific & organic& biological approach, thanks for all, but couldn't get how actually biochar retort was "harvested", when & how do you take it out of the burning stove, how do you actually extinguish it before it is totally burned out into ashes?
Glad you enjoyed it! After the fire stops coming out of the end hole and seams, most of the volatile gasses have already burned and it is completed. At that point take the retort out of the fire with tongs and let it cool without opening. The coals will still be red hot inside so if you open the retort all the coals will turn to ash. If there's even ONE tiny red coal in there it will turn the whole thing to ash! I usually leave the retort overnight to cool and open it carefully, making sure not to spill it out, the next morning to see if it's done. If everything is black, with no brown wood visible, I'll dump it into the garbage can to inoculate. If there is uncarbonized material remaining just close it up and put it back into the fire to complete the process, usually about 15 minutes.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Genious really, this a totally different method than what I have read so far (which required extinguishing immediately by immersing into water). Since your "retorts" have very small holes to take oxygen inside, so practically they can cool down without further burning I guess. Looking forward to trying it myself - as son as I have the opportunity- Thanks so much!
You're right, they do not burn any further if there is even one red coal inside, the pressure will be pushing air OUT not drawing air in. Some people say you need to quench the coals to fracture the charcoal to clean out the pores to make room for the food for the micronutrients, but I find it unnecessary and actually counter-productive. What they call "impurities" ARE actually food for the microorganisms! Why would you remove food for the microorganisms to make room for the food for the microorganisms? Besides that, I do this in the house, and it makes a terrible odor when you quench the hot coals. Believe me I've tried everything!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thanks very much for sharing your experiences and for your explanation. Meanwhile I thought if it would be a good idea to let the retort cool down inside an airtight (or almost airtight) metallic chamber, just to guarantee that it won't restart burning. Just an idea. Thanks so much
The longer the better, but at least 30 days. However, if you use my sheet method of putting it on top of the soil without mixing it in, you can use it sooner. Watch my video about the best ways to apply it to your garden: ruclips.net/video/J3wPr4hwS2o/видео.html I think if you use David the Good's method of putting it in his "Fetted Swamp Juice" or whatever he calls it, you can also use it a lot sooner! ruclips.net/video/k2sqdvboKl8/видео.html
I put my biochar in a sealed bucket and after checking on it after a week, it had mold on it. I took the lid off and stirred it up. Will I still be able to use it?
I've never had that happen so I honesty don't know. However it might not be mold, it could be beneficial fungus. Maybe someone in the community here can answer it for you! You could always put it into a retort and put it back in the fire, if you deem that the mold, if it is that, could be harmful! If you can't find out, why take a chance. Bring it back up to 800°F and all the living things will be killed.
Gracias por tus videos muy instructivos e interesantes , mi pregunta es en casa tengo una estufa a pelet crees que funciona si en la camara de combustion donde se quema el pelet coloco una de las cajitas se metal con madera? Podría funcionar?
No it can't! You need the temp to reach about1500°F to make high quality biochar, coincidentally the temperature in which the steel cans will glow red!
Maybe... if you use small soup cans. I wouldn't recommend it as the temperatures you need to reach are 1200-1500F° (650-800°C) and you would burn right through your grill, probably after only two or three times. You would be better off digging a cone shaped pit and burning some sticks and quenching it with water when you get a good bed of red-hot coals.
Another way to get the rim off of your cans is to use the can opener. You first have to take off the lid like you normally would use a can opener. Then you put it on its side and you just go around and cut the rim off of it with your can opener. I used to do this a lot when I was doing liquid nitrogen testing on my honeybee combs (to find out how hygienic the bees were).
The rim is actually needed, in my experience, to maintain the integrity of the can. When removed. I've found that the cans don't last as long. In addition, the edge becomes sharp, especially after they're been through the fire a few times.
What if you put it in a tumbler that rotated occasionally? The oxygen content of the tumbler could be monitored to estimate biological activity. A threshold could signal more O2 to refresh the system.
I think I know what you mean. A tumbler to activate the charcoal with nutrients to convert it to biochar. I think it sounds like a GREAT idea, especially if it had a thermometer to measure temperature. You could use it for your biochar and for making compost. I used to have a compost tumbler like this one with a crank: amzn.to/3SjGePO but after looking at a some others, I think I'm going to give one of these smaller models a try for activating my biochar: amzn.to/3Si21Y0 I'm so glad you commented. Whether or not you invent the oxygen monitor, I think this tumbler will be a great tool for inoculating biochar! Thanks Anybody out there that's tried this!
Mostly I let it steep in the nutrients and water for about three months. I also add it to my compost pile as I'm making it. If I put it on my garden any sooner than 3 months, I mix it with compost and put it on top of the soil as a mulch so it won't rob the soil of nutrients in the rooting zone.
You can do it in any fire as long as you get the temp up to about 1500°F for the best quality char. The steel cans conveniently turn cherry red at that temp so you know it's hot enough.
Yes that works! But not in the winter... at least around here because it freezes up solid. So, because I make my biochar in the winter, I make sure to bring in buckets of compost to add to the charcoal as I'm making it. When the weather's warmer, I do add charcoal to my compost. I keep it in a garbage can next to the heap and whenever I add, say a load of grass clippings, that's when I'll mix it it so to absorb all that fresh nitrogen.
I do both. At the end of the day I leave them in overnight when I'm going to let the fire burn out, but during the day I'll pull them out and put more in.
Re: growing enough food for all year, what is your climate like where you live? I'm in a zone 3 that has winter/snow/frost 8-9 months of the year. The snow just left 2nd week of April and it started in September. With such a short growing season, do you think it's still possible to grow enough for the whole year?
We had snow on the ground this year on April 1st, and, generally, we have our first snow in early November. To live on what you grow in your neck of the woods, it would definitely be all you could think about, AND you would have to make the most of the time you have, and increase your soil fertility to the nth degree. One thing you do have going for you to offset your short season is the longer day length in the summer, so it definitely is possible, as I said, if producing food is the only thing you think about 24 hours a day 365 days a year. I'm in zone 6 with about 161 frost-free days a year but by starting plants in the house and using my two greenhouses, succession cropping and plants that withstand freezing, I can add at least another 100 days to that.
There's a man in Maine that's growing all year. (i can't remember his name at all),, But he's on YT,,,, He grows greens for restaurants Too,,,, But mainly he's growing all yeara for himself,,, I 'think' he built (greenhouses/hothouses out of plastic like rounded and long. SO, YEP,,, it can be done, Im in NH and i would consider it,,,, but im getting a bit older and can't be outside like that too long.... But anyways Yes,,, there are ways,, Good Luck
I made a soil mix and I had no idea Biochar needed to be charged and the plants are now in that mix. I assume just fertilizing with a liquid feed often will charge the Biochar as well allthough it might take a few months this way?
It's no problem! The way it is now the biochar could absorb all the nutrition in your soil leaving none for the plants to uptake. You're right, all you need to do is add liquid fertilizer to make up for what your plants need. Just add what the plants need, everything will even out over time!
It’s not the same although parts of it are! What is called Activated Charcoal in water filtration starts out as the same charcoal we make in our retorts. But after they char the wood, they char it again, this time with chloride salts, to create more porosity. Their next step is to expose it to an oxidizing gas, such as steam, or carbon dioxide, to clean out the pores of any tars or wood alcohols left from the initial charring and the chloride salts from the second charring to open up more surface area. The surface area is vitally important in this type of activation because they want the natural electrical charge of the charcoal to attract and bind to any toxins in the water they're filtering. And to this end, they also grind the biochar into a very fine powder for the most possible surface area. When we gardeners and farmers talk about activating our charcoal and turning it into biochar, it’s similar. but at the same time, a completely different thing. The first part is exactly the same, burning carbonaceous material in a high-heat, oxygen-free environment, and we produce charcoal, (it's not biochar yet). Our definition of activation, and turning it to biochar, is not the cleaning of the pores, but rather the filling up of the pores with bacterial, fungal, and nutrient-rich materials in a water solution. Some soil scientists believe you should quench your charcoal immediately after taking it out of the retort. Quenching creates steam that opens the pores by removing the tars and wood alcohols, exactly the same as the water-filtration type of activation does. The thought is, by cleaning out the pores you’re creating more space for the nutrients and biology to occupy. But as one person commented, the tars and wood alcohols pyrolysis produces have great benefits in your garden. They’re nutrients for the microbiology of your soil! In my opinion, you’re removing nutrients to make room for nutrients, and to me, that doesn’t make sense! Especially when the nutrients inherent in the char are perfectly compatible with the char. I also don’t grind my charcoal to a fine powder because the finer you grind it, although the surface area increases, the cubic area inside the char that holds the nutrients and biology decreases. And that’s what’s important to me! I know there are a lot of people smarter than me that disagree with me on this. But it’s possible they haven’t looked at it from this particular angle! All I know is, what I’m doing works, and I verify everything I do with microscopy. If I did what they suggested and could get a 5% increase in output from my garden, I don’t know. But this is the easiest way for me to do it and I get good results! Maybe the most important part: I make biochar in my house all winter, and I tried quenching like everyone told me to, but what a mistake THAT was to do in the house! It created a big cloud of steam that smelled terrible… and my wife threatened to leave if I ever did it again! OK The bottom line. I don’t think it matters much which method you use to activate your biochar. Maybe it does! But each way has different benefits! Do it the way you think is best and try the other! If you find out you’re wrong have the courage to admit it!
Hi Debbie, thanks for subscribing, that means a lot to us! The charcoal goes through stages when you're making it, and just before it's done, the volatile gasses will escape from the hole in the end, and from the seam where the two cans join. and the gasses will start on fire. When those gasses stop escaping and burning, all the feedstock will have been turned to charcoal. So you take the retorts out of the fire and allow them to cool for about 12-hours. If, when you open it up, you see some brown left, you simply close it back up and throw it into the next fire where it will happily continue the process!
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I'd like to thank @davidthegood for putting me on to you and thank you for the technique! I got two big ol diced tomato cans, ran over to my father-in-laws to steal a crimping tool and had the whole family working on this project lol. The wife was collecting sticks in the yard while our dogs helped chomp them up. It's now 5:53 am and I'm so excited I'm checking the can in my bath robe 😂.
Same!
🤣 if I had a tool I'd be right there with you. I am so excited about this 😃
Yup, saw this on David the Good's vlog. Good information.
Just get one. You'll thank me later!
Me too!
Instead of throwing away cans with holes you can probably use the bottom of them to make lids for other cans.
Also you can just cut the tops with safety or side can openers for a clean cut without an inner ridge. I’ve been using a paint bucket for ages, done at least 20 burns without it getting a hole. Pressure might be a part of it - I just place the lid on top instead of having a hole to exude smoke.
Thanks!
I ate 2 cans of beans and made one quickly!! I'm so excited. I crimped it by grabbing with needlenose and twisting. Easy peasy.
Thanks for letting us know, I never tried needlenose! I'll remember that!
Any issues using aluminum foil and then poking a hole to cover the can? So far so good using chili cans this way in my toaster oven
@@RahulVarshney956 If you're using aluminum foil, your retorts aren't getting nearly hot enough to make quality char which needs to reach about 1500°F (815°) Aluminum melts at about 1200°F and can't be used for making a retort!
After 10 burns they were done, and after 8 they started getting holes. I got a box maybe 12x6x6" full!
@@dethmaul How long they last depends mostly on the water content of the feedstock. The more water, the faster they'll burn out! I keep using them, even after they develop holes in them, until I start to see some ash, and then I throw them in the recycling bin!
I have seen a lot of videos about biochar's production. But this one is the best one as you use simplicity and intelligence to explain the whole production process. Thank you very much !!!!
Thanks for the kind words!
Regarding the particle size of your char, I find it reasonable at every level to have structure in compost and soil. This leaves space for air. It is in fact surface area that is within your charcoal. If you crush it, its like deflating it. Its known that plants create aggregates in their root zone and aggregates of differing sizes create pockets of air. Its the opposite of soil compaction. When it rains, these pockets fill with water and the gas(air) leaves through the surface. When the water drains from the soil, it sucks more air into the pockets. Its gas exchange for the roots, bugs, worms, bacteria, fungi yada yada.
Same for your compost. If you liquify all your mats and then put it into a container, You will end up with an anaerobic sludge mess. You would be essentially compacting your compost. You need leaves and sticks or particles to create those air pockets to aerate your microbes.
In the long run its porosity in your root zone.
Thanks!
the char is hydrophobic, it doesn't 'fill with water'
@@sicsempertyrannis4351 You're partially right, at first IT IS hydrophobic. But as it's oxidized on contact with air and water, biochar becomes hydrophilic. Here's a documented scientific study to back this up: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/gcbb.12026
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you for the link to that study! Very informative.
Ah, so THAT'S what air spaces do! I wondered why they're so important. I didn't know they pumped air in and out.
David the Good sent me..liked and subscribed!
Welcome!
Love your content! I realized that I need to acquire a piece of land..growing in a small backyard is ok but one needs a good sized plot to have enough to make it worth the effort
@@ianfrancisledesma4431 But it is always worth the effort to learn the principles of regenerative gardening so you can transfer your skills to your good-sized plot once you acquire it! Even if you have NO plot whatsoever, you can still grow in pots on the windowsill and try to get as much food as you can from that one pot. I grew four good-sized potatoes in a 16-ounce cup that I started by picking one eye off of a shriveled-up potato. It IS worth the effort! Take a look at that video: ruclips.net/video/3t2VGY20C5k/видео.html There are the two potatoes you see, and then two more the same size in the interior of the cup!
Don't forget to use the wood ash out of your stove. The ash is rich in minerals and lots of potassium. These are very water soliable and erodes out of the ash as soon as water is applied. which means campfire ash if its been rained on very few minerals and potassium is left it has eroded into the soil below the campfire base.
Now how to extract the minerals n potassium. Simply scoop the ashes into a container and add water n stir. Now all the minerals and potassium is contained for usearound your plants. Any plant fruit or crop that is high in potassium this is a #1 soil fertilizer. Don't forget to start out with about a 10 part water to 1 part ash water.
Thanks, Dave.
Hello, it's nice, that you take comments of your viewers in a count, there will be always some "spicy" comments, but you obviously do your best, back it up with science and top it off with all the passion you have for your garden. I sincerely thank you for all I learned from your videos. Those are packed with valuable information and also you are not feeding us with the "only right" option. I think it's always good idea to give yourself some space for a mistakes. 🤭 In the end we are all humans.
All the best from Finland and please, keep doing these great videos, they are very much appreciated. Thank you! 🍀☺️🍀
By using your can method I have made three 5-gallon buckets of this black gold and inoculated it with KLF and other goodies will see what happens this spring
I've never heard of KLF. What's that?
This is a very creative way to produce biochar on a small scale. With diligence a lot can be made over time. Thank you for demonstrating this.
Very interesting. I guess you could add the biochar to a compost bin and over time that would also activate the biochar?
Absolutely, I put most of the biochar into the compost, even the unactivated charcoal!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow thanks!
I'm new to the community, but had been casually experimenting with charcoal and soil, because my sandy soil doesn't grow much... Anyway simply putting charcoal in the bottom of the pots and growing as normal has produced positive results, so you probably don't need to worry about doing it 'the correct way' so much as you need to just do it the way that works best for you.
@@vidard9863With respect, you will find much better results if you charge your biochar beforehand. (There are a multitude of ways to do so, though I really think what you saw here covers all the bases well.) If you don't pre-charge the charcoal, for the first year or so, the charcoal will be absorbing nutrients from the soil, which limits what is available to the plants. Over time, this will balance out, but you will find lower productivity until this happens.
@@NorthernIllinoisWormFarm you are not wrong, however my soil is sandy enough that good compost has little effect because the nutrients can leech out of it before a single season is over as a result the charcoal added ends up with a higher concentration of nutrients than the surrounding soil in less than a year. Initially I just thought that it would store water for the plants, so the results have been better than I anticipated, but yes, charging it would be better, and I intend to add it to one of my compost barrels while it finishes, because frankly I don't have the time and resources invested in gardening at this time to do anything more complicated.
Thanks for this very valuable input! And don't worry to much about spicy comments. There are people who criticize everybody and everything, this won't ever stop as this is their sense of life. We should all be able to adjust information to our own needs that might be different to the needs of others. You are doing a great job explaining how it works, thanks again so much!
Totally correct, the interior spaces are far more important than the exterior surface and have far greater surface area on the inside pores. This is for the process of adsorbtion. Great video, thanks.
Thank you as well! I think a lot of people agree with us about the interior spaces, but don't comment. If you have any input on why you also have come to that conclusion, please let us know!
Pore size and interior surface area are key factors that affect adsorption of ions and other materials in chemistry and also for bacterial growth for breakdown of ammonia into nitrites and nitrates in saltwater aquariums. Similar should be true in land based systems.
Like your simplified method of using a woodstove to make charcoal.
Making charcoal out of difficult-to-otherwise-use materials is a great way to make biochar. For me it's a safe way to put bones in the garden without worrying about the dog eating them.
The additives you show are extraneous because much of the benefits biochar is that it binds with soil to correct its properties. It also aids microorganisms in making insoluble nutrients available to plants.
Avoid using synthetic chemical inputs, monocultures, annuals, tilling, etc on your garden to enhance natural soil fertility.
Putting the charcoal directly into the soil also means avoiding having to store a big barrel of charcoal and applying the charcoal sooner means it goes to work right away...
Thanks for your viewpoint. Almost all of the science based studies I have seen show that putting biochar into the garden without charging it first will stunt the growth of your plants in the first year because the biochar pulls the nutrients out of the soil and temporarily make them unavailable to the plants. The purpose of charging the biochar in the barrels is to load them up with bacteria and nutrients BEFORE adding it to the soil so instead of of charcoal soaking up the nutrients FROM the soil, it will release the nutrients TO the soil. But it's quite possible, in my opinion, that what you're describing would work quite well on soil that already has lots of nutrients and soil life to correct its properties as you say.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow
Wonder if it is already harmed soil, or soil that has had little prior harm done to it.
I've done it both ways and the way I'm doing it now works the best for me! I use the sheet method I describe in this video: ruclips.net/video/J3wPr4hwS2o/видео.html
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow
What youce said is different than saying "my soil has been under organic, no-till, polycropped production for 15 years. I've tried it both ways and "precharging" the charcoal works best."
I also said that what you're describing would work quite well on soil that already has lots of nutrients and soil life, to correct its properties as you say. If my soil has been under organic, no-till, polycropped production for 15 years, my soil would be pretty darned good, and I said that what you said would work quite well for that!
Amazing content, you are very knowledgeable, and a great teacher. I can see I'll be doing some binge watching in the near future. Your explanation is very in-depth and scientific but still very easy for anyone to comprehend. Thanks from Australia.
11:15 As I understand it, the crucial point for the accumulation of water and nutrients at the end of the charring process is the quenching of the charcoal with cold water. The crystalline structure of the plant charcoal shatters because the heat cannot be dissipated quickly enough in contact with cold water, additional pores are opened and clear the way for absorption - this is probably illustrated by the fact that the plant charcoal in this way, unlike the one in the video sequence shown, is easier to break.
Thank you for your work and info.
Thanks for your comment! Definitely, definitely, more is NOT known about biochar than what IS known, and what was once thought of as truth is being replaced by more advanced information.
However, there are many "experts" still holding onto the former "truths." My opinion is, that if they are really experts, they would understand that there are no experts. There is science, however, and true science is always evolving and coming to a greater understanding of natural things as they’re revealed.
For example, it was once thought that grinding biochar to a fine powder was best for plants, and I think that water quenching kind of falls into that same category. I think those ideas came about because of the paradigm of using activated charcoal in a water purification perspective.
In that case, you want to “open up” the pores by removing the tars and other things, but when used as a soil conditioner, those tars and other things are actually food for the microorganisms!
When they use charcoal for water purification, they want to create as much surface area as possible because the way it works is basically through electrical charges attracting toxins which in turn attach themselves to the charcoal, purifying the water.
With biochar, however, the most important part isn’t the surface area, but rather the cubic area of the interior pores.
Even if the pores are present, but filled with tars, the benefits of the tars are that they provide food for the bacteria and promote a diversity of life in your garden, especially now that we know of the synergy of all the other larger, but still microorganisms, like fungi, protozoa, and beneficial nematodes.
Here is a great study done by researchers and published on the NIH website that gives us an even greater understanding and pushes us past the old paradigm: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5466324/
Let me know what you learn from the article. I'm on the same quest as you!
Definitely, definitely, more is NOT known about biochar than what IS known.." Right, it's still a miracle how it works. Having different conditions, my approach is also different. With less time in the field, more for watching YT Videos and investigating while I'm working (with my hands) , I 1st thought about the history and understanding Portugues, I read a bit in available PDFs. Going back or observing other cultures in similiar circumstances, what would they do, how they prepare their stuff, cook their meals.. and how they extinguish their fires so that char could be left? In the Amazonas with so much water around wouldn't it be obvious to use it? Reading about the particle size of the examined char, I imagined just this process could led to those numbers in the short PDF down below. For sure the indigenous People of South American did not stomp their char, what factual incentive they would have had? - but Perhaps like this their char was soft enough to be ground over time by tillage, animals, erosion etc. Anyway, that's just my theory and I'm just on a journey as everybody else. Nevertheless I'm glad to have found your completely underrated channel with so much detailed work and a prescious motif - thank you.
@@GWFries-gb7sh Thank you so much! One amazing thing to me is that, apart from all these man-made pockets of amazing fertility, that area of the world has some of the poorest soil on earth!
Another amazing thing is that this fertility is self-regenerating. It is said that the terra preta gains about 12 cm (1/2 inch) per year in thickness even though more material is not being added. This second fact is what I'm trying to achieve in my garden with biochar and microorganisms which spread throughout the soil and mine it for nutrients and concentrate them in my garden beds.
12:30 there's a can opener in existence that takes the entire top off of cans, rim and all. Not sure how to search to buy one, and not sure if you can roll it around a pull top can once it's been opened, but i assume you could. My mother has one. It's like a round rolling blade on one side and then a metal loop on the other side. I had no idea cans were glued together until i used her can opener. I would've assumed cans were all one piece of metal all melted/welded together.
You don't want to remove the rim, it maintains the structural integrity of the cans and makes them last a lot longer especially after going through the fire a few times!
🤔Your sponge analogy was perfect, even without showing it. Smaller things might breakdown quicker, but for something that has porosity for moisture, oxygen, and gives home to life, it makes perfect sense that it should not be a powder.
Thank you 👍
13:21 watching 3-4 videos of yours this morning has already transformed my whole approach to my garden preparations for next year. I am a believer in your very simply yet very effective methods. I appreciate your knowledge and how you pass it along. I’m amazed. I’ll be doing the worm buckets and I’m looking for a video of yours of how to maintain worms once you have thousands and thousands of them.
Hey there and thank you a lot for these great lectures!
Have you heard about a birch-derived slow pyrolysis liquids?
It is by-product from making biochar from birch wood.
It is a non-toxic pest repellent.
It has other great uses too like, if you have a cesspool, you just pour few liters of this stuff in and after awhile all the organic material have been cleared, only water is left.
We use it in our outhouse, few sprays and all smells are gone.
I think it is speeding up our composts too.
It is fairly new material so not many studies. Only few Finnish studies can be found if you search:
"Potential of the slow pyrolysis products birch tar oil, wood vinegar and biochar in sustainable plant protection : pesticidal effects, soil improvement and environmental risks"
Thanks for sharing this with us. I typed the phrase in you asked me and there's quite a bit of impressive research. Tell us where you purchased it from as it looks like it's not something easily made at home.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow I got it from a finnish company called charcoalfinland and the product is called "ecokoivu".
I dont know if they ship outside of Finland.
You can ask them by email.
Or you can try search if there is some company in your country doing this pyrolysis, they might not even know how good this stuff is!
Amazing! I tried last night and it took 1 hour in my fireplacd to produce first 900 grams.
Nice work! Did you see the flames coming out of the hole and from the sides?
I found out about you from David The Good's channel, and I love the simple yet knowledgable approach to every topic you present. Yes we are stewards of our Heavenly Father's earth! I have a question... Since I don't have a wood stove, is it possible to place the bio char tork into a fire Im burning outside or even a regular fireplace?
there are many videos on Utube that demonstrate this with bigger cans (20-100L or 5g-25gallon ) inside 55gal US 44gal UK 200L steel drum fires.
Thank you, I love your sharing heart.
Thank you so much!
This is brilliant! It never occurred to me that two coffee cans would get the job done.
Good on you sir!
What's brilliant is that it's free!
Yes,the effort you put in is directly proportional to the results you get out.
😊
Isn't that true with everything?
Thanks for the great information. This was very enlightening for me. I'd love to be able to biochar of this quality.
Thank you for your logic as far as size of the pieces. My first biochar was a 55 gallon and produced 200 lbs of char. I did grind it to a fine reduced state and inoculated it with worm castings tea with molasses and fish emulsion, making a slurry. I let it sit 2 months in this mix and spread it on tarps to control is as I did not have compost ready so I direct sowed that into my newly set up hugoculture raised beds. I figured year 1 would produce a reasonable crop. Yes, there are other variables not stated here as you must know. The fail I had was my crop of tomatoes couldn't be held by bamboo structures it crushed the bamboo I was constantly rebirthing supports. Cattle panel tunnels over the raised beds proved sufficient, kinda!
So year 1 was great, learned what and what not to do but. I'm looking at doing another biochar barrel. All work is in place . I will try what you say and now have 1000 lbs of compost to work with.
Wow Chris, that's fantastic! I would love to see some pictures! If would suggest you visit Elaine Ingham's channel to take the next step in your learning, to make sure everything is progressing on the micro level, especially the fungi to bacteria ratio. I bought an inexpensive microscope I hook up to my computer screen so I can see all the bacterial, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes in my soil. This has helped me to REALLY understand what's going on, so I'm not just repeating other people who are repeating other people, etc, etc. I know what works and what doesn't because I see what's going on. It can't be just theory for you as it it for a lot of people. Here's the microscope I use: amzn.to/41euAtC At least take a look, maybe someday you can get one.
Here's a video of one of our subscribers: ruclips.net/video/H4Nas0oakfA/видео.html
Microscopy take you to a whole new level in gardening!
Great, wow yes! I'll do that in winter, such a great idea with the cans, thank you.
You're welcome!
I don't crush mine either. I like a variety of sizes. I believe that the larger sizes help prevent compaction and help with aeration. Thanks for sharing.
Thank YOU!
I use powered biochar in my worm bins mixed in the bedding so it ends up in the castings.
Me too!
Were the castings darker... really...new heavy duty poop.. several life time guarentied as it is already one of the most durable form of soil Bravissimo ...
It's hard to tell because the biochar is mixed into the bedding and castings already!
That's one way I charge my charcoal too.
I enjoyed the all natural and frugality ways in your video.
Thank you!
Thank you
From what I've seen, the folks that are breaking up their char have started with larger wood and have significantly larger pieces than the ones that come from your wood chips.
Most are crushing their char until it looks much like your results.
Thank you for presenting an easy way to make char in a home wood stove.
You're welcome!
There's an advantage to it. Larger wood pieces have less surface area, thus reducing the amount of charcoal loss from burning with oxygen ( unless you use a specialized kiln to make biochar there's always some oxygen in the vessel). That's saying, unless you are making biochar at the industrial scale this loss shouldn't be significant.
@@minhducnguyen9276 Most of the subscribers to the website won't be either! But we are interested in learning what you find out. We're rooting for your success!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you sir. I'm trying to figure it out by myself. There are a few professors in my university who are already doing research on biochar. Unfortunately, My instructing Professor isn't one of those. She teaches sustainable farming but biochar isn't her expertise and picked the topic solely because I was interested in it.
@@minhducnguyen9276 Sadly some people will never get it because, in my opinion, they view everything you put into your garden has to be a plant nutrient, and they can't, or don't want to, understand that it's a method of facilitating microbial life
Thank you very much for sharing this very useful knowledge with us. I can't wait to get started making my own, #10 cans, here I come. Awesome!
Sounds great!
Gotta say, the retort idea is really clever. I’ll be on yet lookout for those bigger steel cans. Have use smaller cans for now in my smokeless fire pit.
Get them from a pizza restaurant. They're HAPPY to give them to you!
Do you have problems with your chimney build up? With all that water vapor I would think Creosote would be a bigger problem than normal. Wonderful information and great video! Thanks!!!!
Not at all, there is no more water in my woodchips than in any old log you burn!
Thank you - best biochar video I've ever seen. BTW I agree that bigger pieces is better ;-)
Hi Michal, I clicked on your picture and went to your channel, awesome setup for your hydroponics!
I have some experience with peppers, and since you have a long growing season, I would prune the tops off your pepper plants to get a bigger harvest. That causes your plants to bush out and produce more stems, buds, and more peppers.
Maybe you could try it with one and see how it works for you.
Here's how I would do it: Your plants are at the size you could cut the plant in half. After you cut off the tops, you'll see new stems coming from each of the leaf nodes. Each of the new stems will grow into what is like a whole new pepper plant... all on one plant!
I'm not sure about that dark area in the nodes. That could hinder the production of new stems.
When you top your plants at this stage of growth you could actually take the top and root it to turn it into another plant!
Here's a link to a website that shows you how to clone peppers: growhotpeppers.com/pepper-plant-propagation/ I hope this helps!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you for your tip - I actually did it many times and that really works well for me. I am just not sure, witch of my papers you've seen - I got even one that is 15 yo :-) My baby came thru some bad times, but doing great most of the time. If you are interested, can send you some pictures of her :-)
I use an old stainless steel saucepan and lid.Fill it with sawdust or wood chips and put it in the wood heater overnight.Very easy and over time becomes a large quantity.
Nice, I hope people are reading the comments to see variations on how to do it!
Brilliant suggestion. Will try they as I dont have all the tools.
I had a question. I’ve been researching making bio char for only a few weeks. I’ve made about 1 five gallon bucket of charcoal so far. My question is how often should I be making more? You said you make about 500 pounds a year. From what I can find, the soil only wants a certain percentage of bio char. And the charcoal lasts for hundreds of years. So why do you need to add it year after year? Adding fertilizer and compost to the soil normally should be re charging the bio char yearly I think. So if the garden size is fixed, why do you need more?
Hi Josh, thanks for your question.
From what I’ve read in the studies people have done, the optimal amount of biochar for most crops is around 10% of the soil makeup. However, most of the tests were done in pots, where ALL the medium was mixed in precise ratios.
In garden beds, the rooting area can be from 10 inches to three feet deep so using the results obtained from planting in pots is pretty irrelevant.
But just assume your rooting zone to be 10 inches deep for convenience. You would need to apply one inch of biochar to get that 10% ratio. Your five-gallon bucket contains .67 cubic feet of biochar, so five gallons would only be enough to supply a 2x4 foot area to that one-inch depth.
Once that area was completed you wouldn’t ever have to put any more in, except for the fact that as your fertility increases, your rooting zone could go from 10 inches to 30 inches, in which case you could add more.
A full garbage can is about 125 lbs of activated biochar, and it’s about enough for one of my garden beds to about an inch thick. So I produce enough for about 4 beds per year.
I presently have 25 beds and I plan on adding about 50 more on my property, so I will be making biochar for many years to come!
This is very interesting. Thank you for the reply. I could easily calculate the amount or char needed in a 10 inch rooting area. And add in the yardage as I expand. The numbers don’t lie. I just wasn’t thinking of the over all scope of this. Unless I was able to make or buy a thousand pounds it will take years
@@joshd1512 The way I look at it Josh, and it's different for everybody, but if I'm going to heat my house anyway and I get free woodchips from the power company, why shouldn't I heat my house all winter for free with the woodchips? I don't think I can ever make too much in my lifetime! (I can always put it on my lawn!) Plus I'm preventing all that CO2 from going into the atmosphere.
Can you make biochar from green wood? I can get all the heavy-chopped wood I want for free from my local tree service guys, but it is fresh, not dried. Second question: How well does this work when you put your cans in a burn pile or slash pile (common in timber country during logging, clearing, road building, etc.)?
Yes, you can make it from green wood. Its moisture content will be a little higher so it will take a few minutes more to pyrolyze. But the worst thing is when it rains on your pile. I always fill my garbage cans, and dozens of 5-gallon buckets, with the chips the day they get delivered, and then bring them into to house to be converted to biochar in the winter.
You can put your cans in any fire like you're describing as long as the cans turn cherry red meaning your retorts have reached 1500°F (815°C) for the best quality char!
Thank you! David the Good sent me to your channel. Great video!! New sub.
The cans with the sharp lip, I use a can opener and remove the ring. Then it’s a smooth edge that’s not sharp.
Welcome!
Enjoyed your video very informative keep up the good work
Thanks 👍
Love your videos. Not all anaerobic processes are bad, though. Bokashi is a way to use fermentation as a way to make compost. You can use charcoal in bokashi as well.
Thanks, that's true but there are caveats. You ARE right, there are valuable uses for anaerobic organisms, and what I said also was right, but you have to follow my words carefully because they're easy to misunderstand: I didn't say all anaerobic microorganisms are bad, I said all bad microorganisms are anaerobic!
The bokashi method uses anaerobic microorganisms to decompose organic matter faster, with the resulting product called *pre-compost*. You can also use this method of decomposition for meat and dairy-- things you wouldn't **_normally_** put in your compost pile! This *pre-compost* must either be buried in trenches in the garden or added to your traditional compost heap for further decomposition as it can harm your plants because of its acidity.
Bokashi uses a *controlled process* that uses anaerobic microorganisms to break down organic matter. But then you must kill off those organisms before the resulting compost can be used in your garden. So if you do it right it IS beneficial!
On the other hand, excluding air from a bacterially dominated compost pile, or having garden beds with hardpan underneath, (which also promotes harmful anaerobic bacteria), is not going to be beneficial for your garden.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thanks for clearing that up.
@@WatchAnotherClip Actually I appreciate you bringing it up so next time I make a video I'll be sure to talk about it!
Would then the bokashi juice not be good to add to biochar? Better to add to compost?
I've soaked dry wood chips in bokashi juice for a month, then buried them in garden soil. Not much left of them two months later.
If you pull the charcoal out hot and pour water on it, the charcoal will crack and cause more fissures for nutrients to grow.
Thank you for your useful information
You are welcome
Thank you very much for sharing
❤
Well done. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
I also use water that had comfrey leaves soaking in it for a week or so.
Thank you for commenting and sharing that. We have a lot of Comfrey growing throughout our gardens and do that in the summer. Comfrey is great, but I don't think a lot of people know that.
Great idea, I've been making comfrey/ weed tea with cow dung thrown in, great to know another way to use this.
This is a very informative video! I wonder if this would work in a fireplace?
Yes it will, as long as at least part of the can turns cherry red during the heating process, close to when it is done!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you for your response! Merry Christmas and God bless!
@@midwestribeye7820 Let me know how it works out for you!
Bio oils, Biochar and Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). I'm not sure if you mentioned this in another video, but a really good thing to do is to crush char with your fingers when it's completed, and then run your fingers under water. If the bio oils come off, then the char is done. If the black all washes off well, it's done and most PAH are burnt off. If there is still an oily residue remaining, then you may have a lot of PAHs left, and these are carcinogenic. There is still dubious research about the pathway of PAH from soil to food, and as long someone doesn't then grow root crops, potatoes, tubers in that biochar, then they are likely okay. However, we need to be aware of that danger. I'm a huge proponent of biochar - I run coppice sumac systems for feedstock to it. I mention it in so many of my videos and guides. This is a really important aspect of char though. Great video overall, one of the better ones on youtube regarding biochar.
A thank you for your comments!
I've spent time thinking about what you’re saying, even before I started using and promoting biochar, and that’s partially the reason why I make biochar in my woodstove rather than in an open pit outside.
Here’s a quote from this scientific study: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acssuschemeng.2c00952
“The content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in biochar has been studied extensively; however, the links between biomass feedstock, production process parameters, and the speciation of PAHs in biochar are understudied. Such an understanding is crucial, as the health effects of individual PAHs vary greatly.”
I fully agree with you that the research is dubious and that’s exactly what they have admitted in their study.
That study, although it can be difficult to follow and understand, states that the smaller the biochar is crushed, the higher the number of PAHs. Also that the temperature reached during the pyrolysis determines the number of PAHs present.
The study also noted that higher temperatures achieved in small lot pyrolysis destroyed most of the PAHs, while uneven temperatures utilized by open pit burning had the highest concentration of PAHs.
So, to determine the temperature of your retort, here’s a chart denoting the colors of steel achieved at different temperatures. My retorts turn bright cherry-red to orange-red, indicating a temperature of @ 1500-1600°F (820-870°C):
www.makeitfrommetal.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Heat-Colors-of-Steel.pdf
I also studied PAHs outside of the world of biochar and I noted a study on the PAHs present in rainwater: publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC32562
I suppose there’s a silver lining to all this, and that is, the information found in the following study talks about specific bacteria that consume PAHs:
journals.asm.org/doi/full/10.1128/AEM.66.5.1834-1843.2000
So the very fact that (correctly made) biochar is a home for, and conducive, to microbiological life, and the fact that our soils have been introducing PAHs to our soils through rainwater since the industrial revolution, leads me to believe that the specific bacteria needed to break down PAHs are already present in our soil, and using good farming practices including the use of biochar, facilitate the proliferation of those specific bacteria.
If the correct bacteria are NOT present, facilitating that, in my opinion, should be the main focus of soil scientists.
That’s why I’m so glad you brought it up. Perhaps those same scientists will someday study those bacteria that specifically consume PAHs and solve the food crises created by man!
I believe the bacteria already exist in our soils evidenced by the sheer fact that we are able to grow food organically.
However, they probably don’t live at all in lifeless chemically-based agricultural land! Without chemicals, you can’t grow food on those lifeless lands at all.
With everything in consideration, I believe you must look at it from those bacteria’s perspective. They don’t view PAHs as toxins, they view them as a food source!
Well-constructed biochar could actually be very helpful for these beneficial bacteria!
It makes my garden grow great, and everything looks balanced fungally and bacterially under my microscope, so, unless shown otherwise, I view that as evidence as well of healthy soil!
i have access to a lot of western cedar and not much else. are there certain types of wood that make better charcoal to make your biochar.
You can make it from any type of wood.
Your videos showed up just in time. Thank you. This is easier than coal dipping. More consistent product too. 🐎🐎🦅
I agree with your view on not crumbling it to powder state… It doesn’t really make sense as it is a housing for microbial life to live in… Very simple Way to make it. Keep up the videos!
You are not going to be able to crumble biochar smaller than microbes, just an FYI
You can.
do you think you can use 'wet' wood/ biomass in the tins ( with seasoned logs of course). Steam is pumping out of yours. Is this not damaging as burning wet wood on the stove? The injection of steam into the burn chamber might be preventing the combustion of wood gases, therefore creating more creosote in the flue? Maybe I'm wrong though?
Really good video and info (I should also say!)
Hi Mark, thanks for the question. I always use feedstock that's as dry as possible, but I have used woodchips that have been rained on. I usually put those in OPEN cans on top of the wood stove to dry out first, (but you have to watch them carefully or they'll start to burn). That will evaporate some of the water. One thing to remember is that *the expansion rate of water, when it turns to steam, is 1,700:1* meaning one cc of water will expand to 1,700 ccs of steam. So when you see steam pumping out of your retort, even if there's just a small amount of water, it will create a huge amount of steam, but there is still very little water in that steam. Even DRY wood contains some water but when you multiply it by 1,700 it looks like a lot!
Thanks Mark, please subscribe to help us get the message out to more people. Not only will people have the best gardens EVER, and grow the most nutritious food for keeping healthy... they will also reduce the amount of carbon in the atmosphere by making biochar! It's a small FREE way you can partner with us to get the message out!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Of course, just have. Thanks for your reply. I tried your method last night and it worked well. Its going to take me a long time to build up a significant amount though!!
I watched a video of a person who made (activated) biochar using Royal Oak 100% hardwood charcoal. This would be so much more doable for me if you think it is valid. Love your videos, so informative and I am learning so much!! Thank you. Susan
As long as you're not buying the kind they make that has starter fluid, go for it!
How did it go?? I think i use the same coals in my grill. The red bag? I have some left i can use if it went well.
to:Live on what you grow :-- I COMPLETELY hear you on the state of the world. the instability of the planet grows. (not good). So, Great to Add that thought to all your video's. REminds me why i'm doing this!! Thank you. and besides Having Food,,, This Home Grown Food is FAR< FAR! Superior than the junk at the supermarkets here in NH, Farmstands are overpriced for my budget.... I was reading an article,,, That compares the nutrients in our foods in about the 1950's,, vs now,,, OMG,,, Most of the foods we buy today have 1/3rd to 1/2 !!!! of the nutrients at this time,,, That's Outrageous!,,, Happy Growing,,, thanks!
Thanks!
Great video and information. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
What did you use for crimping before the special crimping tool? Also, is it safe to use cans that have lining, like certain vegetable cans do? And it looked like some of the larger pieces of wood might have previously been treated lumber… that doesn’t become dangerous in the wood stove?
Very good video's. My question is, if biochar lasts for 1000 years, why do you produce 600+ lbs. of biochar each year incorperating into your grass/leaf compost and adding that to your soil? Seems to me adding compost, compost tea, worm castings, ect. each year would recharge the biochar that is already in your soil.
Hi Eric, thanks for your question. I don't know if you've seen the video I made on how I incorporate biochar to my soil: ruclips.net/video/J3wPr4hwS2o/видео.html but, for that bed, adding two inches (5cm) of biochar, about 250 lbs (113kg), will get me to the 10% ratio I'm looking for in the top 20 inches (50cm) of soil... just for that one bed. And I have about 30 beds and am planning on building 20 more! If you can cover your entire garden with 2 inches, you're right, you won't ever have to make it again!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you for your reply. I am 67 years old, living in NH alone. I am planning on 4 - 4ft x 12ft x 32 inch high raised beds. Two for asparagus and 2 for vegatables. I will also be planting in ground sweet corn, potatoes, melons and winter squash. I have 3 acres on top of a hill, which until 2001 was our family dairy farm cosisting of 240 acres for 3 generations. Full sun for about 12 to 15 hours in the summer with full south exposure and a 20 acre field south of that. My soil is listed a Carlton Loam. It is so fertile that I can not stop anything from growing, vegatables or weeds! I am going to raised beds for the sole reason I can't bend over or be on my knees like I used to.
I am a true beliver that everyone should attempt to grow their own vegatables, weather they have land like I do or live in a city where they can only have a back yard garden or a few pots on their balcony.
Gardening is very theraputic, rewarding and yes, challenging! But the way socity is going today, so important!
Hi Eric, thanks for telling us about yourself. Please help us out by hitting the "like" buttons whenever you can, AND hitting the "Subscribe" and "Notify" buttons so you won't miss any of the new content I've got coming soon. And it will be very important about _specific aspects_ of soil fertility to help you eliminate those weeds. Now that I'm 64, I don't want to pull weeds either, and, for the most part, I have already eliminated them from my garden! What a joy, finally, to not have to weed!
Good video , thank you for your time . I am going to work in that direction.
You can do it!
Great and simple idea! Someone asked me about any chemicals from the cans burning and/or leaking in the biochar. Do you know anything about that?
The only thing that's really in question is the lining of the cans. In my study, I believe that by heating the retorts to the temperature we do, about 1500°F, anything that's volatile, and potentially harmful, will be eliminated. If you are concerned, you can heat the empty cans red hot in the fire, remove them, let them cool, and then take a wire brush to clean out the residue!
Another great presentation.
Do you have an opinion on using human urine to charge the charcoal?
I have tried this, and so far have added 2 gallons...
The charcoal ( from wood stove) has absorbed 90 %"of the urine so far and because the charcoal also absorb odors, it
doesn't smell very much at all.
This method is not for everyone, but as I said the ammonia smell is minimal and human urine contains many beneficial nutrients.
Once the biochar is made, with whatever it's charged with, should it remain in the 'open air ' or can the container be sealed til spring?
Yes, I use urine, and I think it's fantastic and safe, but as you said, it's not for everyone! Urine is sterile, and when I think of chicken manure and all the other things I put into my soil, urine seems pretty innocuous!
For the second part of your question, GOOD Bacteria need air to live. If you cut off the air, anaerobic (bad) bacteria will take over and in all likelihood produce methane, That's why I always put air holes down into the char as it's charging. Anaerobes are your enemy in gardening!
I just had an idea. Why not put perforated pipe down in the center of the biochar as it's being charged, kind of like a Johnson Su Compost Reacter, to get a constant supply of oxygen to the middle and bottom of the piles.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Absolutely. I first thought of using paper towel or toilet paper cores, but perforated
1 1/2" pvc pipe could work...maybe 3 or 4 per container.
I might also try a plastic mortar mixing tray (about 8" deep) to let the charcoal bathe in the urine, but then it could be easily turned over and airated .
Thanks much. I do the trays outside when the weather's warmer. But it's just more convenient to have it in a garbage can in the house and activating it AS I'm making it through the winter!
How do you incorporate your bio char into your soil? I imagine you till it in but how deep do you go?
I personally DON"T till it in. Tilling destroys all the LIFE we're trying to build with biochar and compost. I put it on top and lightly scratch it into the soil with a cultivator. A also put it into my planting holes and mix it with the soil at the bottom of the holes.
Thanks! What about the coating of those cans? Have you information about effects of those coatings through the pyrolysis process?
Thanks Stefan, Here is a website that will tell you everything you need to know about the coatings: www.foodpackagingforum.org/food-packaging-health/can-coatings
My personal view is that the high temperatures we're subjecting the cans to in the woodstove will volatilize anything that could be harmful. But you could first do the crimpings you need to do on the cans, and then put them into the fire empty, and then the coating comes off very easily with a wire brush AFTER you let them cool down.
Tysm for this video. After you add all the bios to your biocharge and let sit. What time frame can you use it?
If you use my sheet method as seen in this video: ruclips.net/video/J3wPr4hwS2o/видео.html you can use it almost right away as you're not mixing it with the soil. But I do like to charge it up for about 30 days at least!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow ty! Good to know!
Thank you for this richly informed video. It is apparent that you've done a great deal of research in this subject. I've read some of the comments but forgive me if I'm repeating a question. Re: the PAH & safety of the biochar... you responded that it could be made in a fire pit as long as it reaches 1500 degrees. In the video, you show that it's done (in the wood stove) when the steam stops & flames shoot from the retort. Would this signify that it's hot enough in a pit? Also, would the can size impact the internal temperature if placed in a fire pit? Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
As long as the can turns cherry red you know it has reached that temperature no matter the size of the retort.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow thank you
You need to use steel cans for the retorts, and the steel conveniently turns cherry red when heated to that temperature. So once the steam and the flames STOP coming from the end hole and from the seams in the cans, you can be pretty sure you've reached the correct temperature!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow thank you for the clarification!
Does the biochar effect the PH of the substrate? It seems to me that it would raise it since wood ash is very alkaline as I recall. Would the addition of some dolomitic limestone help neutralize it? Is it as effective putting the biochar retort on an open fire outdoors? What are your thoughts about adding biochar to container gardens? Great info and Ideas on biochar production, Thank you!👍
Wood ash and biochar are completely different things. Wood ash is almost pure minerals, and biochar is almost pure carbon. So they have different effects on the soil. While wood ash raises pH considerably, biochar raises it minimally.
In the old 1940’s paradigm of chemical farming, if you had high pH, you would add sulfur to your soil, NOT limestone, (which would increase the pH even more).
Organic growers trying to ameliorate pH in that way are still chemical farming. It’s mixing the old and new paradigms, and a lot of people who say they grow organically still do it. It’s like a given, add some lime to raise the pH.
The new paradigm organic scientists like Elaine Ingham and Matt Powers show us that well-made, aerated compost with the proper fungi-to-bacteria ratio, with lots of diversity in its composition, has the ability to BUFFER pH, and that is: to bring it to neutral, (lowering high and raising low pH).
They also show that microorganisms are the key to healthy soil and good crops, not quantities of water-soluble nutrients measured by NPK and pH testing meters. The health of your microbiology and plants are your indicators of whether your soil is healthy or not!
Healthy soil and plants are accomplished by the actions of, what I call, the big four: beneficial bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and beneficial nematodes, along with the rest of the supporting cast-- the microarthropods, arthropods, and the higher trophic levels, that can turn inorganic elements into the EXACT form of nutrients your plants need.
The plants are in control of all this. The plant's root exudates actually TELL the fungi and bacteria what nutrients they need, and the fungi and bacteria work on the sand, silt, clay, rocks, and all the organic and inorganic matter, to convert it into the exact plant soluble nutrients it needs! This is exciting stuff, and of course, there’s going to be pushback from the old paradigm!
But you can’t be lacking in ANY of the classes of biology stated above or it just won’t work, and that’s what compost and biochar are for! And BTW all this can be seen live under a microscope.
Organic growers say to feed the plants, and not the soil. What we’re really saying is: feed the microbiological living organisms, and not the soil! That’s what compost and biochar are for.
One last point I want to make: In the event the power grid were to go down, to use an extreme example, building long-term fertility is going to win every time. If the chemicals conventional farmers use for growing were suddenly unavailable they would not grow anything on that lifeless, chemical, toxic plot of ground.
As for your question on making your biochar in an open pit outdoors, I think it’s a great way to make large amounts all at once, and the ONLY reason I DON’T do it is that I want to harvest all that free energy wasted going up into the atmosphere.
Biochar works well in container growing because it holds moisture and nutrients, and since potted plants don’t have connections to the mycorrhizal network, you have to be in control of making sure your plants are getting all the nutrients and biology they need.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thank you for your thorough and speedy reply.
I have been an organic indoor gardener for almost 30 years and a worm casting tea brewing aficionado for half that time.
I just recently started making my own compost and castings to have the knowledge of what exactly goes into it.
Also started building a couple of raised beds from some pallets I rescued from a dumpster.
I find the relationship between plants and microbial life completely fascinating! It blows my mind to think how long thier evolution has been taking place, surely
Prehistoric, before dinosaurs walked the earth.
Thanks again for the schooling!👍
We're all in this together. Let us know what the results are from your new raised beds so we can learn from your experience!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow would be my pleasure, thank you for your time and knowledge, great stuff😎
I am a new gardner at tgmhe age of 70+ years old. I gave a small fire pit and hope to be able to make some biochar. I have 3 above ground beds. I enjoyed your presentation.
Mary
I am interested in your communuty.
Make sure you're subscribed and click the notifications bell. Keep us updated on what's happening in your garden... and make a BIG compost pile and completely empty into your garden beds every year along with your biochar!
Thank you.
You're welcome!
Will you have a video how you use it in the garden ?
I already have one: ruclips.net/video/J3wPr4hwS2o/видео.html
Question I live in a legal state, how would I use this in cannabis or hemp production? Do I just mix it in as if it was as worm casting?
Thanks for sharing this information. You may be taking your wood stove for granted a bit though. I don't have one nor do I know many people with one (I can think of one person about a 3hr drive away). Do you have any suggestions for those of us in the city without a wood stove or even a fire place??
You can make char in the retorts in any fire, so you could make a fire pit outside and make it. Or you can buy pre-mad biochar from a company like this: amzn.to/3Y8sUz4
Okay, I believe now I understand some things that just didn't make sense yet in the previous videos. Namely ... exactly what was meant by biochar ... and "biochar" vs wood charcoal and ash ... I believe, if I'm understanding this correctly now (microbiology I get very easily and pick up fast ... but the chemistry involved comes much more slowly), that using the cans helps increase/elevate the temperature to promote chemical reactions that makes the wood (or other organic matter) more structurally sound, stronger but still porous and biodegradable .. biochar = turning the cellulose into a more harder/firmer/durable skeletal frame work ... and with less of it being turned to ash or into the softer wood charcoal you typically get directly from just burning wood in a fireplace or wood stove ... so biochar breaks down more slowly over time ... slow release ... thus not having to add as often (or not at all once have the total amount/ratio needed and get the soil culture, etc. in proper balance). In turn it probably helps aerate the soil, lessens soil compaction, helps retain moisture yet also promotes better drainage ... better distribution of water throughout the soil so neither too dry nor overly saturated ... as well as and most importantly creating castles/homes and slow release continuous supply of nutrients for the kingdom of microorganisms in the soil which are needed to keep the soil healthier and more naturally self sustaining which of course healthier soil leads to healthier plants. Then, you inoculate it (aka activate it) with all the nutrients and water needed to encourage and get the beneficial microbes kick started. OH! And you get more heat output from wood stove ... which I'm guessing might cut down on the amount of wood needed (at least a little bit but maybe even significantly) to stay warm.
Yes to everything! The only thing I would add is that when you heat organic materials to 770°F everything else gets volatilized leaving the carbon behind.
So cellulose, being C6 H10 O5 -- when you heat it to 770°F in the ABSENCE of oxygen, it separates the molecule into 6 atoms of Carbon (C6) and 5 molecules of water (H10 O5 divided by 5 is 5 molecules of H2O). (No Carbon dioxide is created and released into the atmosphere.)
When you burn cellulose IN the presence of oxygen, it produces carbon dioxide (released into the atmosphere) and water with NO carbon left behind.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Got it! Thanks bunches for taking the time to explain!
I was wondering what you do with all of the wood ash from the wood stove from heating your home and making bio char?
I put all of it in my garden beds.
In another video, you talk about the only way to breakdown the calcium carbonate in eggshells is to add it during the charcoal making process. Have you filled a (small) burner with just eggshells and treated it in exactly the same way as you treat your wood chip cans? What where the results? Can the results be stored? (Sorry, I live in Central Queensland and do not have access to a stove.) Stephen
Good morning. I don't think I would have said that. I think I said they are broken down by acids in the soil, nonetheless, yes, I have made eggshells into biochar in my retorts and use them the same way as any other charcoal, And lastly all charcoal can be stored indefinitely as it is in the recalcitrant form and can be mixed with compost and other organic nutrients to make biochar.
_If you like our content, partner with us to help get the message out to more people. You can do that easily for free by hitting the SUBSCRIBE and NOTIFICATIONS buttons, and also clicking the LIKE icon whenever you like a video. There are some bad things happening in the world and we should be prepared to grow our own food! If they DON'T happen, you'll still know how to grow superior food for yourself!_
You could take a it a step further and bubble the water with a powerful air pump. It gets rid of any chlorine that can kill off bacteria and adds oxygen to the water. Thanks for the info!
Thanks for the advice... however, things are changing and some municipalities aren't adding chlorine anymore. They're adding chloramine, a much more powerful bacteriacide that does not dissipate from the water when you bubble the air through it! It's the world we're living in! I guess they have to do it. Imagine how many people could die if the water was contaminated by dangerous bacteria!
What did you do before they sent you a crimper or how can I do this without a crimper?
You can cut slits with some metal cutting shears on the open end of one of the cans and then fit it into the other can. It doesn't work as well, meaning you'll get more ash.
The cans also will degrade a lot faster, so you won't get as many burns, but it will get you some biochar. The crimpers make everything so much easier, so invest in them when you can if you're going to make a lot of biochar.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Yes. I'd just like to give it a try before I commit to crimpers and changing to tin cans cuz everything is plastic nowadays and I dont have a woodstove, though I do have the occasional outdoor fire. I have a small backyard but I do have a lot of wood that I cant chip and it would be a great way to add fertility to my soil with my existing bio-waste.
There are plenty of channels that talk about how to do it in an open fire pit. That might be the best option for your situation,
@@jeil5676 I bet you could DIY some crimpers with a pair of pliers and three nails.
Edible acres takes containers from the gastronomy sector. Sean has a few videos regarding biochar
New to your channel, liked and subscribed. Inspirational.
I appreciate that very much, Paul!
Good video, cheers, nice experiments & nice experiences shared, with scientific & organic& biological approach, thanks for all, but couldn't get how actually biochar retort was "harvested", when & how do you take it out of the burning stove, how do you actually extinguish it before it is totally burned out into ashes?
Glad you enjoyed it! After the fire stops coming out of the end hole and seams, most of the volatile gasses have already burned and it is completed.
At that point take the retort out of the fire with tongs and let it cool without opening. The coals will still be red hot inside so if you open the retort all the coals will turn to ash.
If there's even ONE tiny red coal in there it will turn the whole thing to ash!
I usually leave the retort overnight to cool and open it carefully, making sure not to spill it out, the next morning to see if it's done. If everything is black, with no brown wood visible, I'll dump it into the garbage can to inoculate. If there is uncarbonized material remaining just close it up and put it back into the fire to complete the process, usually about 15 minutes.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Genious really,
this a totally different method than what I have read so far (which required extinguishing immediately by immersing into water).
Since your "retorts" have very small holes to take oxygen inside, so practically they can cool down without further burning I guess.
Looking forward to trying it myself - as son as I have the opportunity-
Thanks so much!
You're right, they do not burn any further if there is even one red coal inside, the pressure will be pushing air OUT not drawing air in. Some people say you need to quench the coals to fracture the charcoal to clean out the pores to make room for the food for the micronutrients, but I find it unnecessary and actually counter-productive.
What they call "impurities" ARE actually food for the microorganisms! Why would you remove food for the microorganisms to make room for the food for the microorganisms? Besides that, I do this in the house, and it makes a terrible odor when you quench the hot coals. Believe me I've tried everything!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow Thanks very much for sharing your experiences and for your explanation.
Meanwhile I thought if it would be a good idea to let the retort cool down inside an airtight (or almost airtight) metallic chamber, just to guarantee that it won't restart burning. Just an idea. Thanks so much
@@emeklikoala-y4d It never does! But if it did, it just means it wasn't done. Put it back into the fire. But it never does!
How long does the biochar really need to "soak" before it is activated and can be added to the garden?
The longer the better, but at least 30 days. However, if you use my sheet method of putting it on top of the soil without mixing it in, you can use it sooner. Watch my video about the best ways to apply it to your garden: ruclips.net/video/J3wPr4hwS2o/видео.html
I think if you use David the Good's method of putting it in his "Fetted Swamp Juice" or whatever he calls it, you can also use it a lot sooner! ruclips.net/video/k2sqdvboKl8/видео.html
I put my biochar in a sealed bucket and after checking on it after a week, it had mold on it. I took the lid off and stirred it up. Will I still be able to use it?
I've never had that happen so I honesty don't know. However it might not be mold, it could be beneficial fungus. Maybe someone in the community here can answer it for you! You could always put it into a retort and put it back in the fire, if you deem that the mold, if it is that, could be harmful! If you can't find out, why take a chance. Bring it back up to 800°F and all the living things will be killed.
Gracias por tus videos muy instructivos e interesantes , mi pregunta es en casa tengo una estufa a pelet crees que funciona si en la camara de combustion donde se quema el pelet coloco una de las cajitas se metal con madera? Podría funcionar?
Obviamente no conozco tu situación exactamente, pero si puedes encajarlo allí, ¡debería funcionar!
Is there a certain temp you are trying to achieve in the fire? This can not be done in the oven , correct? Thanks!
No it can't! You need the temp to reach about1500°F to make high quality biochar, coincidentally the temperature in which the steel cans will glow red!
Sent by David the Good, & subscribed...even tho I had to mute during the metal noises 😉(ow.)
Sorry!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow 😊 thanks. It's a painful sound for some of us. (Anti-ASMR lol)
Thank you so much. ❤
You're welcome 😊
Can you inoculate with septic tank treatments that put bacteria in the tank?
I don't know anything about that at all. Look on the package and look up the specific strains and see if they're soil dwelling ones!
Can you use your gas barbeque grill as a heat source? If so, how long would you need to "burn" it if you don't have a woodstove?
Maybe... if you use small soup cans. I wouldn't recommend it as the temperatures you need to reach are 1200-1500F° (650-800°C) and you would burn right through your grill, probably after only two or three times. You would be better off digging a cone shaped pit and burning some sticks and quenching it with water when you get a good bed of red-hot coals.
Another way to get the rim off of your cans is to use the can opener. You first have to take off the lid like you normally would use a can opener. Then you put it on its side and you just go around and cut the rim off of it with your can opener. I used to do this a lot when I was doing liquid nitrogen testing on my honeybee combs (to find out how hygienic the bees were).
The rim is actually needed, in my experience, to maintain the integrity of the can. When removed. I've found that the cans don't last as long. In addition, the edge becomes sharp, especially after they're been through the fire a few times.
What if you put it in a tumbler that rotated occasionally? The oxygen content of the tumbler could be monitored to estimate biological activity. A threshold could signal more O2 to refresh the system.
I think I know what you mean. A tumbler to activate the charcoal with nutrients to convert it to biochar. I think it sounds like a GREAT idea, especially if it had a thermometer to measure temperature. You could use it for your biochar and for making compost. I used to have a compost tumbler like this one with a crank: amzn.to/3SjGePO but after looking at a some others, I think I'm going to give one of these smaller models a try for activating my biochar: amzn.to/3Si21Y0 I'm so glad you commented. Whether or not you invent the oxygen monitor, I think this tumbler will be a great tool for inoculating biochar! Thanks Anybody out there that's tried this!
How long You leave the charcoal to became a biochar? After add all the things how long takes to use? Thanks. Amazing videos
Mostly I let it steep in the nutrients and water for about three months. I also add it to my compost pile as I'm making it. If I put it on my garden any sooner than 3 months, I mix it with compost and put it on top of the soil as a mulch so it won't rob the soil of nutrients in the rooting zone.
I'm here because of @davidthegood and I'd like to thank the both of you for putting this out there. ❤
Welcome!
Can you just put this on top of a regular campfire or does it have to be in a stove?
You can do it in any fire as long as you get the temp up to about 1500°F for the best quality char. The steel cans conveniently turn cherry red at that temp so you know it's hot enough.
It has been mentioned on other sites that you can activate the biochar by adding it to your compost piles. Will that work?
Yes that works! But not in the winter... at least around here because it freezes up solid. So, because I make my biochar in the winter, I make sure to bring in buckets of compost to add to the charcoal as I'm making it. When the weather's warmer, I do add charcoal to my compost. I keep it in a garbage can next to the heap and whenever I add, say a load of grass clippings, that's when I'll mix it it so to absorb all that fresh nitrogen.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow I am in the Philippines so no chance of a freeze
Fantastic! Make it outside. That's what I would do!
Do you leave them in the wood stove to cool down or pull them when they are hot?
I do both. At the end of the day I leave them in overnight when I'm going to let the fire burn out, but during the day I'll pull them out and put more in.
Re: growing enough food for all year, what is your climate like where you live? I'm in a zone 3 that has winter/snow/frost 8-9 months of the year. The snow just left 2nd week of April and it started in September. With such a short growing season, do you think it's still possible to grow enough for the whole year?
We had snow on the ground this year on April 1st, and, generally, we have our first snow in early November.
To live on what you grow in your neck of the woods, it would definitely be all you could think about, AND you would have to make the most of the time you have, and increase your soil fertility to the nth degree.
One thing you do have going for you to offset your short season is the longer day length in the summer, so it definitely is possible, as I said, if producing food is the only thing you think about 24 hours a day 365 days a year.
I'm in zone 6 with about 161 frost-free days a year but by starting plants in the house and using my two greenhouses, succession cropping and plants that withstand freezing, I can add at least another 100 days to that.
There's a man in Maine that's growing all year. (i can't remember his name at all),, But he's on YT,,,, He grows greens for restaurants Too,,,, But mainly he's growing all yeara for himself,,, I 'think' he built (greenhouses/hothouses out of plastic like rounded and long. SO, YEP,,, it can be done, Im in NH and i would consider it,,,, but im getting a bit older and can't be outside like that too long.... But anyways Yes,,, there are ways,, Good Luck
I made a soil mix and I had no idea Biochar needed to be charged and the plants are now in that mix.
I assume just fertilizing with a liquid feed often will charge the Biochar as well allthough it might take a few months this way?
It's no problem! The way it is now the biochar could absorb all the nutrition in your soil leaving none for the plants to uptake. You're right, all you need to do is add liquid fertilizer to make up for what your plants need. Just add what the plants need, everything will even out over time!
Is this the same method for activating charcoal for water filtration?
It’s not the same although parts of it are!
What is called Activated Charcoal in water filtration starts out as the same charcoal we make in our retorts. But after they char the wood, they char it again, this time with chloride salts, to create more porosity.
Their next step is to expose it to an oxidizing gas, such as steam, or carbon dioxide, to clean out the pores of any tars or wood alcohols left from the initial charring and the chloride salts from the second charring to open up more surface area.
The surface area is vitally important in this type of activation because they want the natural electrical charge of the charcoal to attract and bind to any toxins in the water they're filtering. And to this end, they also grind the biochar into a very fine powder for the most possible surface area.
When we gardeners and farmers talk about activating our charcoal and turning it into biochar, it’s similar. but at the same time, a completely different thing.
The first part is exactly the same, burning carbonaceous material in a high-heat, oxygen-free environment, and we produce charcoal, (it's not biochar yet).
Our definition of activation, and turning it to biochar, is not the cleaning of the pores, but rather the filling up of the pores with bacterial, fungal, and nutrient-rich materials in a water solution.
Some soil scientists believe you should quench your charcoal immediately after taking it out of the retort. Quenching creates steam that opens the pores by removing the tars and wood alcohols, exactly the same as the water-filtration type of activation does.
The thought is, by cleaning out the pores you’re creating more space for the nutrients and biology to occupy.
But as one person commented, the tars and wood alcohols pyrolysis produces have great benefits in your garden. They’re nutrients for the microbiology of your soil!
In my opinion, you’re removing nutrients to make room for nutrients, and to me, that doesn’t make sense! Especially when the nutrients inherent in the char are perfectly compatible with the char.
I also don’t grind my charcoal to a fine powder because the finer you grind it, although the surface area increases, the cubic area inside the char that holds the nutrients and biology decreases. And that’s what’s important to me!
I know there are a lot of people smarter than me that disagree with me on this. But it’s possible they haven’t looked at it from this particular angle!
All I know is, what I’m doing works, and I verify everything I do with microscopy. If I did what they suggested and could get a 5% increase in output from my garden, I don’t know. But this is the easiest way for me to do it and I get good results!
Maybe the most important part:
I make biochar in my house all winter, and I tried quenching like everyone told me to, but what a mistake THAT was to do in the house! It created a big cloud of steam that smelled terrible… and my wife threatened to leave if I ever did it again! OK
The bottom line. I don’t think it matters much which method you use to activate your biochar. Maybe it does! But each way has different benefits! Do it the way you think is best and try the other! If you find out you’re wrong have the courage to admit it!
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow WOW!
THANK SO MUCH FOR ALL THIS WONDERFUL INFORMATION ❣️🙏
Where do you get your #10 cans? We do not buy food in cans normally so I thought there might be a place to buy them.
Try asking at local restaurants, especially Italian ones. They're happy to give them to you.
@@LiveOnWhatYouGrow TY!!! Great idea!
How do you know when it has been in the fire long enough? This is all new to me but I am soaking it up like a sponge. Lol
Hi Debbie, thanks for subscribing, that means a lot to us! The charcoal goes through stages when you're making it, and just before it's done, the volatile gasses will escape from the hole in the end, and from the seam where the two cans join. and the gasses will start on fire. When those gasses stop escaping and burning, all the feedstock will have been turned to charcoal. So you take the retorts out of the fire and allow them to cool for about 12-hours. If, when you open it up, you see some brown left, you simply close it back up and throw it into the next fire where it will happily continue the process!