Does anybody use Biochar as component of soil mix?

[stoned-trout]

Nice, ya I was going to do the build a box 40 cup box too once I decide what amendments Im going to be using to re-amend or top dress and decide how many cups of each to get. Right now I have the BAS ClackamasCoots kit in my soil mixes right now. Has all kinds of good stuff in it, neem, karanja, crustacean meal, kelp, glacial rock dust, brix blend basalt, gypsum, and oyster shell.

Probably will stick with those amendments when I order a build a box and add a couple more inputs in small amounts for more variety.

nice site...I used to have organic place nearbye in city ,now I have a long drive.... how the Clackamas kit working for u...how much you add????thanks for the link yall

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

The recycled char from your spent carbon filters is good stuff. Because its well aged the char will have come back to neutral and can be added at high ratios. 5% is good for a base mix but i have been reliably informed we can push the envelope to 20% for very heavy feeding plants.

 

[Bueno Time]

nice site...I used to have organic place nearbye in city ,now I have a long drive.... how the Clackamas kit working for u...how much you add????thanks for the link yall

Seemed to make a rich soil mix. I added the small kit to 1 cu ft recycled soil and then mixed that with a 1.5 cu ft bag of FFOF. Have to wait and see how the quality is this run with it.

I got the same batch made up for next run then after that Im just going to re-amend a little each time or try no-till if I grow a pair.

The recycled char from your spent carbon filters is good stuff. Because its well aged the char will have come back to neutral and can be added at high ratios. 5% is good for a base mix but i have been reliably informed we can push the envelope to 20% for very heavy feeding plants.

Nice! Thats great news, I can put that old filter to use (save the metal canister to possibly refill in the future and use the spent carbon for soil mixes).

 

[garlicnaan]

this is all speaking from a pyrotechnic standpoint, but it is literally the exact same concept and end product. i used to make a LOT of charcoal for my pyro buddies.

the key to yield is NO OXYGEN!!! oxygen = combustion = less end product with a higher amount of ash. whatever container you are using, pack it completely full of uniform size feedstock pieces. use one small vent hole in the lid and when pyrolysis begins you should be able to light this little jet of smoke on fire. the char is done when the flame goes out and little to no smoke is escaping the vessel. cover all vent holes (i used mud) while it cools to minimize oxygen drawn back into the vessel, i guess since its for dirt you can just quench it with water.

my main issue is regarding temperature. i have read a number of articles saying 350-500 degrees c is ideal for agricultural char, but this is very low. at low temps you aren't driving off as many volatile compounds and there is higher potential for recondensation within the vessel. this is nasty and i don't see why it seems to be desired? this tar isn't magical south american gaia jungle mana, it's full of carcinogenic compounds produced by incomplete combustion.

here is a little reading on the matter...a soil amendment that is a sponge for ions and might last hundreds to thousands of years? potentially disastrous if done without proper safety considerations imo.

http://www.biochar-international.or...lications_of_Potential_ Dioxin_in_Biochar.pdf

https://biocharbraf.wordpress.com/faqs/



don't forget terra preta comes from a time when bioaccumulation didn't really exist.

 

[Ranger]

this is all speaking from a pyrotechnic standpoint, but it is literally the exact same concept and end product. i used to make a LOT of charcoal for my pyro buddies.

it's full of carcinogenic compounds produced by incomplete combustion.

here is a little reading on the matter...a soil amendment that is a sponge for ions and might last hundreds to thousands of years? potentially disastrous if done without proper safety considerations imo.

http://www.biochar-international.org/sites/default/files/IBI_White_Paper-Implications_of_Potential_%20Dioxin_in_Biochar.pdf

https://biocharbraf.wordpress.com/faqs/



don't forget terra preta comes from a time when bioaccumulation didn't really exist.

they may be carcinogenic to us but to soil microbes, not so much.

 

[Terps]

So i thought i would try and charge a bucket of Biochar with some organic bottled nutes so i poured half a litre of the nutes with a cup of ewc and then filled it with water just below the surface and gave it all a good mix. It was only meant to be left for 48 hours but ended up being just under two weeks! lol now i poured the water out but the Biochar kinda smells like shit!

Should i just bin this or can i use it? im thinking the shit smell is from bad bacteria and could be detrimental if i mixed it in my soil..

 

[Mikell]

I would be more worried about what the concentration of nutrients was, but letting it air out for a week would be beneficial. Can't imagine much could live in a high EC, high pH environment though.

 

[bigshrimp]

My last batch of char sat soaking in the hot sun for weeks, smelling all kinds of bad.

Works just fine.

 

[Terps]

thanks gents i'll spread it out to dry until im ready to use it then.

 

[biocharlie]

Tappin Roots has a product (Soil Amender) that has biochar as a main ingredient.

 

[VortexPower420]

Bump.

Volatile compounds and tars left over from incomplete combustion dose not feed the soil microbes. It can lead to a bad situation.

If the char black doesn't wash off your hands with water, I would think twice about using it.

 

[Amauulu]

RICE HULLS.....Try your local ranch-pet-chicken-rabbit feed store. Rice hulls are often used as bedding for animals. You'd probably get it cheaper at a feed store than from a nursery or hydroponics store.

 

[Limeygreen]

Rice hulls can also be found a beer brewing shops.

 

[Deezl]

Ok so I've never used biochar before and I'm re-using last year's organic outdoor dirt so I'm adding some.

I have to transplant in the next two days, so I decided to try and do a quick activation because I just don't have two weeks.

I figured that I'd just wet the biochar then add some soaked nute blend (guanos, seaweed, glacial rock dust, humic stuff and maybe something else) and then add some strong aerated tea with what I had on hand (og biowar, veganic special sauce, hummissoil, EWC, molasses, palm sugar maybe something else) and let it sit for 2 days until I transplant.

So I did and now I have a big tub of biochar sludge, actually a bit wetter than sludge.

As I get ready to leave it for the night I'm starting to wonder if the wet sludge environment is going to make things go bad. I know that the nutes (guano etc) can sit in water for days but what about the aerated tea?

I know that I'm supposed to use bubbled tea right away, but does mixing it into wet biochar sludge count as "using" it?

I put some air hoses into the sludge to try and keep it bubbling but it is just bubbling little areas so it seems ineffective.

So, can I:

A. Just let it sit there all swampy for two days

B. Add more castings (I've seen a 50/50 ratio castings/biochar recommended) and water and let it sit there all swampy for two days.

C. Add more castings (and/or dirt?) to soak up the extra water and provide the microherd with some food and let it sit not swampy for two days, turning it over when possible.

D. Some variation on the above or

E. Something completely different!

Thanks in advance y'all!

 

[h.h.]

Ok so I've never used biochar before and I'm re-using last year's organic outdoor dirt so I'm adding some.

I have to transplant in the next two days, so I decided to try and do a quick activation because I just don't have two weeks.

I figured that I'd just wet the biochar then add some soaked nute blend (guanos, seaweed, glacial rock dust, humic stuff and maybe something else) and then add some strong aerated tea with what I had on hand (og biowar, veganic special sauce, hummissoil, EWC, molasses, palm sugar maybe something else) and let it sit for 2 days until I transplant.

So I did and now I have a big tub of biochar sludge, actually a bit wetter than sludge.

As I get ready to leave it for the night I'm starting to wonder if the wet sludge environment is going to make things go bad. I know that the nutes (guano etc) can sit in water for days but what about the aerated tea?

I know that I'm supposed to use bubbled tea right away, but does mixing it into wet biochar sludge count as "using" it?

I put some air hoses into the sludge to try and keep it bubbling but it is just bubbling little areas so it seems ineffective.

So, can I:

A. Just let it sit there all swampy for two days

B. Add more castings (I've seen a 50/50 ratio castings/biochar recommended) and water and let it sit there all swampy for two days.

C. Add more castings (and/or dirt?) to soak up the extra water and provide the microherd with some food and let it sit not swampy for two days, turning it over when possible.

D. Some variation on the above or

E. Something completely different!

Thanks in advance y'all!

Strain it, if you can.

I use buckets. Hold it up and pour it into another container, letting it splash a little.

Put it in a shallow container and set it outside.

Even if it sits awhile and I do nothing, I don't really worry about it as long as I do one or more of the above and get oxygen to it for a couple days before use.

 

[Deezl]

Thanks.

I strained it and it's continuing to drain where it's sitting so it seems pretty aerated.

It has big globs of wet guano and stuff in it but i'm not worried about that stuff being wet for a couple days.

I kept the liquid and I'm bubbling that so that it doesn't get anaerobic or septic or whatever.

I'm gonna try and mix the solids and the liquid with my old (and some new) soil within 48 hours. Plus I'm going to add more guano, EWC, Biobizz Premix, and Glacial rock dust to the mix.

Any opinions?

Thanks again y'all

 

[h.h.]

I use the liquid. Just so I have plenty of aeration in my soil.
You may get other advice saying not to chance it. Probably good advice. I only speak from my personal experience.
Rock dust would be good.
EWC within limits. It can effect aeration.
If I was using guano I'd keep it to top dress mixed in with my mulch.
I don't know Biobiz, some of the pre mixes look pretty good though.
Make sure you maintain your aeration. The biochar will help some.
Happy grows.

 

[Deezl]

24 hours later I mixed the biochar/amendment mix with more than an equal part old soil and poured the liquid on top.
Then I mixed it and spread it out on a tarp in the greenhouse.

The next day (today) it was actually in danger of drying up so I added some water and mixed it. It actually ended up so good and aerated feeling that I put it in a couple of tubs (with the lid off) so that it will stay moist in the hot weather tomorrow until I can mix dirt in the next couple of days.

It may not be "activated" but it's mixed up with plenty of nutes and tea so I figure it'll be fine. I'm only going to add one part biochar/amendment/soil mix to 9 parts other stuff (old soil/castings/new soil/rock dust/EWC) so It'll be less than 5% biochar anyway.

Also although the internet sounds the alarm about unactivated biochar leaching nutes/microbiology from the soil, I've had friends say that they haven't had a problem, likely because we supply so much food and tea to the soil anyway.

Thanks for the advice!

 

[h.h.]

I had the same thing going. I spread it out in the garage a few days ago, actually after reading your post. I walked in today and it has the sweetest smell to it.
Pretty much what I do every time.
You should be good.

 

[Maple_Flail]

Hey!

this intrigues me, however I don't think I really have room to 'make'
activated biochar, I don't think my neighbours would appreciate something
fermenting on my balcony (no garage, and only cat free space outside of the room that will be set up for my garden, which there won't be room for much after my medium cook bins are in the closet.)

Is this a thing that is on the market that is pre fermented
and crushed into amenable consistency?

or would it be better to take a tour of the farms and or greenhouses in the area to see if they make any and have some for sale?