bio char soil?ashes?

ChubbySoap

ChubbySoap

Well-Known Member
um...yeah, California might be fine...but after all the who hawing back in the 50 and 60's Nevada did....America IS an old toxic dump site friend.

Stewart A. Farber made me a convert i'm afraid...the old hack.
 
chronic coinoisseur

chronic coinoisseur

Active Member
to all those reading theres a difference between wood ash and char. Chared wood thats been heated and is completely devoid of moisture, this is biochar except biochar is ground to a powder, the same thing could be bought if you buy pure charcoal for a grill(not the briquettes). Ash is produced when you complete the burning process, it raises ph drastically and does not have any sort of long term effects, its leached out of the soil within a few waterings. Bio char however is pure carbon and is an extremely useful amendment especially longterm. It helps trap nitrogen from the air and helps maintain soil moisture as well as reducing fertilizer leeching from the soil. Just thought id clear it up.
 
chronic coinoisseur

chronic coinoisseur

Active Member
dangerouseknowledge said:
yes sir i was thinking about ashes not char at all
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Yea they both have there place for sure but ashes have a very short term effect and biochar very longterm. It's possible that you might not even see biochar benefits when applied the first year. Its really meant for longterm soil use because it helps build positive soil structure. I ground up a bunch of leftover chared pieces of wood i had from fires during the summer and applied it to my veggie garden last year, im hoping for great things to come
 
chronic coinoisseur

chronic coinoisseur

Active Member
I'm not sure what fine carbon is exactly? but charcoal or biochars helps capture carbon from the air and is the driving force behind the tera preta soil. Also reduces fertilizer and water input but capturing it and then releasing it when the plant needs it. Its said to stay and work in the soil anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand years.
 
doowmd

doowmd

Well-Known Member
I mixed wood ash from my stove into my soil mix this year and last . It helps give the soil a better texture imo, and also releases beneficial nutrients.
 
K

kappainf

Well-Known Member
chronic coinoisseur said:
to all those reading theres a difference between wood ash and char. Chared wood thats been heated and is completely devoid of moisture, this is biochar except biochar is ground to a powder, the same thing could be bought if you buy pure charcoal for a grill(not the briquettes). Ash is produced when you complete the burning process, it raises ph drastically and does not have any sort of long term effects, its leached out of the soil within a few waterings. Bio char however is pure carbon and is an extremely useful amendment especially longterm. It helps trap nitrogen from the air and helps maintain soil moisture as well as reducing fertilizer leeching from the soil. Just thought id clear it up.
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Thanks for clearing that up for everyone saved me some time.
 
STZ

STZ

Active Member
I was just reading about Biochar on my brother's blog. Apparently it helps keep nutrients in the soil longer and help the soil retain water. I know its not the same thing, but a friend's Dad (and grower of 20+ years) mixes wood ash with his soil and fertilizes using nothing but compost tea mixed with various proportions of wood ash, alfalfa hay and pig/donkey shit. The guy pulls 3 lb or sometimes more from Maui's grown this way :)
 
K

kappainf

Well-Known Member
STZ said:
I was just reading about Biochar on my brother's blog. Apparently it helps keep nutrients in the soil longer and help the soil retain water. I know its not the same thing, but a friend's Dad (and grower of 20+ years) mixes wood ash with his soil and fertilizes using nothing but compost tea mixed with various proportions of wood ash, alfalfa hay and pig/donkey shit. The guy pulls 3 lb or sometimes more from Maui's grown this way :)
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That's awesome. I also use wood ash when needed, but like others have said, you can over do it. Soil analysis helps keep things where they need to be and a lot of places will do soil, fertilizer, and even compost analysis for free.
 
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