Ash is beneficial too. Burn longer, save the ash and mix with water and water with it when your plants are fruiting and flowering to add potassium, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals.
I agree, ash is a great fertilizer when used carefully. Temporarily messed up my soil pH with it once when I added too much, but it self-corrected. Was a good lesson for me. I can get ash from the stove so I just focused mainly on making biochar, but you make a good point. Thank you for the tip.
I find if you light a small fire, then add layers of fuel as the first layer starts to ash over, and repeat for each layer, you get a more consistant charcoal. I've tried different methods, now I use an old oil drum on it's side with a ~10" wide slot cut for the burn hole, it limits the oxygen just enough, and still produces a consitant charcoal with different dia wood, still need to douse it of course.
Love how Red Gardens composts the dead rodents. Seems like a more direct way to recover nutrients. Also seen video of industrial scale hog composting.. but there you need higher temperatures for 8-10 days. Only the bones remain, which then can be added to the biochar burning batches.
@@BudgetPhil do it. srsly. that's the key. we get scary stories about living sacrifices and burnt offerings and pagan blood rituals...because they are the key to surviving on this planet. ww3 started w/economic stuff several years ago....and "it's not dark yet, but it's gettin there."
@@BudgetPhil you just burn off all the edible stuff. (hence "sacrifice") it's also an energy transfer dealing with something you desire being given freely to 'god'
I have two Weber grills that I use for biochar. I just leave the vents open just a bit.
Thank you for the tip
Ash is beneficial too. Burn longer, save the ash and mix with water and water with it when your plants are fruiting and flowering to add potassium, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals.
I agree, ash is a great fertilizer when used carefully. Temporarily messed up my soil pH with it once when I added too much, but it self-corrected. Was a good lesson for me. I can get ash from the stove so I just focused mainly on making biochar, but you make a good point. Thank you for the tip.
I find if you light a small fire, then add layers of fuel as the first layer starts to ash over, and repeat for each layer, you get a more consistant charcoal. I've tried different methods, now I use an old oil drum on it's side with a ~10" wide slot cut for the burn hole, it limits the oxygen just enough, and still produces a consitant charcoal with different dia wood, still need to douse it of course.
Great info. Thank you for the tips.
Not super great charcoal.. but that's how it goes. it will have aromatic hydrocarbons in it - the usual concern.
It could be better for sure, but it makes good stable carbon for garden soil. And it's so easy.
ever burn roadkill? ....for some biblical-sacrifice-caliber amendments
Love how Red Gardens composts the dead rodents. Seems like a more direct way to recover nutrients. Also seen video of industrial scale hog composting.. but there you need higher temperatures for 8-10 days.
Only the bones remain, which then can be added to the biochar burning batches.
Not yet, but I'm open to the possibility.
@@BudgetPhil
do it.
srsly. that's the key.
we get scary stories about living sacrifices and burnt offerings and pagan blood rituals...because they are the key to surviving on this planet.
ww3 started w/economic stuff several years ago....and "it's not dark yet, but it's gettin there."
@@BudgetPhil you just burn off all the edible stuff. (hence "sacrifice") it's also an energy transfer dealing with something you desire being given freely to 'god'
Seems like it could be unpleasant to convert road kill into biochar, but I will seriously consider it.