Thanks for taking the time to explain your brewers to me. You do indeed seem to have an excellent business, and I wish you the best.
pseudostelariae
Active member
a good friend just gifted me a huge bag of biochar in exchange for keeping notes on a relatively simple experiment with it. basically i'll be running a side by side with 2 clones.
i've been reading that it is best to add 5-10% to your soil mix after inoculating it with either compost, castings or ACT. is this correct? some people are saying it is fine to use up to 25% in a mix but i'd rather err on the side of caution. also, i've heard it suggested that you powder the biochar before adding it to soil.
i would prefer not to powder it as it seems the bigger surface area would help aerate and be a better home to microbes but then again, microbes are very small..
i've been reading that it is best to add 5-10% to your soil mix after inoculating it with either compost, castings or ACT. is this correct? some people are saying it is fine to use up to 25% in a mix but i'd rather err on the side of caution. also, i've heard it suggested that you powder the biochar before adding it to soil.
i would prefer not to powder it as it seems the bigger surface area would help aerate and be a better home to microbes but then again, microbes are very small..
E
Eureka Springs Organics
My biochar manufacturer sited me studies that showed that no more than 10% is the way to go. There was no additional benefit at any rate higher than that. So somewhere between 5% and 10% is the way to go.
As far as size goes(don't trust a man that makes this statement
) The 3mm seems to be the way to go for microbial condominiums. I have not seen any studies on it, and if anyone has anything I would love to read it. This is just what I am being told by others in the biochar industry.
crushed provides more surface area hence more available sites for myke to take up residence...
take my word for it.
btw, that's a nice brewer (bioreactor! ...sorry mm)
3.0 What do I do with the charcoal once I've made it?
You can use freshly made charcoal as is, especially in small amount. For larger amounts, the choices are to crush, screen, add liquids, add dry materials, and to compost it. (Photos)
3.01 Why would I need to prepare the biochar, as opposed to applying it as is?
There are several reasons that might apply to your situation. Fresh charcoal is hydrophobic, as well as reactive in terms of chemistry and nutrient profile. It also may be dominated by a size fraction that is larger than desired for the specific application.
3.02 What size should the biochar be?
Finer is better from a soil and plant views, but finer is worse from a dust control and air quality view. Considering that charcoal naturally degrades in soil to a fine size, the level of effort exerted to make fine charcoal is really driven by the application sytem employed: banding fine charcoal down the seed row will require fine sand grain sized particles, but there is no fundamental reason to prevent incorporating gravel sized pieces.
3.03 What are some ways to crush and screen biochar?
For crushing, I am leaning to a mortor and pestle approach: a 5 cm dia tree branch and something like a 20 liter bucket with a plywood insert in the bottom.
For screening, I think a sloped screen works better than a horizontal screen for higher volumes.]3.04 What can I do to make the biochar easier to crush?
Wetting and drying it seems to help. Be aware that soaking separates the soluble ash largely responsible for the calcium carbonate equivalency (CCE, the liming effect) and the salinity which can be a net benefit to acidic soils. Crushing it with a little moisture in it helps to control dust without removing the soluble ash content.
3.05 Besides water, what else can I soak the biochar in?
You would want to choose materials that would mitigate stalling [ See 5.04]: Compost tea, MiracleGro™ (Calculation), fish emulsion, urine, more on urine, ....
3.06 Can I add biochar to compost?
Yes. This will help fill the biochar with biology and humic substances. For the added benefit of odor control, consider topping off each addition to the household kitchen scrap collector with a healthy layer of biochar.
3.07 Will biochar affect the compost process?
Casual observation indicates that adding fine, freshly made biochar may accelerate the composting process.
3.05 Will biochar harm the worms in my compost?
Composting worms have been observed to be unaffected below 50% charcoal content, above which reduced worm activity could occur.
http://biochar.pbworks.com/w/page/9748043/FrontPage
take my word for it.
btw, that's a nice brewer (bioreactor! ...sorry mm)
3.0 What do I do with the charcoal once I've made it?
You can use freshly made charcoal as is, especially in small amount. For larger amounts, the choices are to crush, screen, add liquids, add dry materials, and to compost it. (Photos)
3.01 Why would I need to prepare the biochar, as opposed to applying it as is?
There are several reasons that might apply to your situation. Fresh charcoal is hydrophobic, as well as reactive in terms of chemistry and nutrient profile. It also may be dominated by a size fraction that is larger than desired for the specific application.
3.02 What size should the biochar be?
Finer is better from a soil and plant views, but finer is worse from a dust control and air quality view. Considering that charcoal naturally degrades in soil to a fine size, the level of effort exerted to make fine charcoal is really driven by the application sytem employed: banding fine charcoal down the seed row will require fine sand grain sized particles, but there is no fundamental reason to prevent incorporating gravel sized pieces.
3.03 What are some ways to crush and screen biochar?
For crushing, I am leaning to a mortor and pestle approach: a 5 cm dia tree branch and something like a 20 liter bucket with a plywood insert in the bottom.
For screening, I think a sloped screen works better than a horizontal screen for higher volumes.]3.04 What can I do to make the biochar easier to crush?
Wetting and drying it seems to help. Be aware that soaking separates the soluble ash largely responsible for the calcium carbonate equivalency (CCE, the liming effect) and the salinity which can be a net benefit to acidic soils. Crushing it with a little moisture in it helps to control dust without removing the soluble ash content.
3.05 Besides water, what else can I soak the biochar in?
You would want to choose materials that would mitigate stalling [ See 5.04]: Compost tea, MiracleGro™ (Calculation), fish emulsion, urine, more on urine, ....
3.06 Can I add biochar to compost?
Yes. This will help fill the biochar with biology and humic substances. For the added benefit of odor control, consider topping off each addition to the household kitchen scrap collector with a healthy layer of biochar.
3.07 Will biochar affect the compost process?
Casual observation indicates that adding fine, freshly made biochar may accelerate the composting process.
3.05 Will biochar harm the worms in my compost?
Composting worms have been observed to be unaffected below 50% charcoal content, above which reduced worm activity could occur.
http://biochar.pbworks.com/w/page/9748043/FrontPage
Last edited:
E
Eureka Springs Organics
I dint wanna edit it out.
it's not exactly from organic pov, but will help peeps getting interested in biochar get a grip.
the site has more than what I cut and pasted.
...and it says also that it takes time to see results, like rock dust (ex) so it's not like BloomBastic or such.
grow with confidence.
it's not exactly from organic pov, but will help peeps getting interested in biochar get a grip.
the site has more than what I cut and pasted.
...and it says also that it takes time to see results, like rock dust (ex) so it's not like BloomBastic or such.
grow with confidence.
E
Eureka Springs Organics
Most have both. Mobile phones as well.
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