Bio Char

First off I do make my own biochar in my fire pit but it's winter and I am not planning on sitting out by my little stove in the back yard.
Can this be used? Crushed up then inoculated?

I emailed them and they didn't add anything to it. It's 100% charred hardwood. Other then the gravel you find with it.
Would this be advisable to use. Cause biochar is just so damn expensive.

Not that particular brand, but all I use is hardwood lump charcoal, crunched up, for my biochar needs.

Biochar is not only stupid expensive but the claim that it's fundamentally different than the lump charcoal is wildly exagerated..

Like those Central American farmers that started it 2,000 years or so ago had a special technique? Or, were they just tossing the ashes/charcoal from cooking fires into the fields?

Wet

I dont know enough about it to give you a solid answer, but from what I've learned on biochar, I dont know that this would have the same effect as what you are looking for. Biochar is designed to be absorbent and have a high CEC. Charcoal is made to be a fuel source. It comes down to how the product is made. Have you listened to Tad's podcast on biochar with Renel Anderson? Its a good listen and they go over exactly what you are talking about. https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/cannabis-cultivation-and-science-podcast-episode-14

Yeah I watched a documentary about Terra preta. And when the scientist tried to figure out why things were growing so well and then 50 feet away it was like dessert. They found charcoal and pottery shards. And they realized that the char was holding the microbes as well as nutrients and water. The carbon was the secret. Good old burnt wood

SlownLow86 said:

I dont know enough about it to give you a solid answer, but from what I've learned on biochar, I dont know that this would have the same effect as what you are looking for. Biochar is designed to be absorbent and have a high CEC. Charcoal is made to be a fuel source. It comes down to how the product is made. Have you listened to Tad's podcast on biochar with Renel Anderson? Its a good listen and they go over exactly what you are talking about. https://www.kisorganics.com/pages/cannabis-cultivation-and-science-podcast-episode-14

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Yeah I listened to that podcast. And I've also watched John Kohler from Learn Organic Gardening at GrowYourGreens

John Kohler has a video called "What is biochar? How to make & Why you shouldn't use raw biochar."
Sorry I can't get the link to work

Some of John Kohler's Youtube videos about biochar

What is BioChar? How to Make & Why You shouldn't use Raw Biochar

Top Reason Why Biochar Doesn't Increase Crop Yields & 5 Ways to Fix it

Is Biochar the Answer to All Your Gardening Problems?

Why Biochar Doesn't Live Up to the Hype & Biochar FAQ

This is the documentary I was saying about
The Secret Of Eldorado - TERRA PRETA

I love that dude John! I’m using his Brix and it’s been a huge huge difference

Since I have almost 8 inch of snow in my back yard right now and I am itching to go outside I'm going to crush up some of this hardwood charcoal to as fine a powder as I can. Then I'm going to just sprinkle it over my compost piles in the back. I figure it will melt some snow and work it's way down over the freeze/ thaw
And when the compost is finished mid spring or early summer it should be full of good stuff. Plus it's something to do today

bearded.beaver said:

Since I have almost 8 inch of snow in my back yard right now and I am itching to go outside I'm going to crush up some of this hardwood charcoal to as fine a powder as I can. Then I'm going to just sprinkle it over my compost piles in the back. I figure it will melt some snow and work it's way down over the freeze/ thaw
And when the compost is finished mid spring or early summer it should be full of good stuff. Plus it's something to do today

Click to expand...

this inspired me to go turn my bins outside before some winter mix rolls into my area soon. I still haven't started using biochar just quite yet though. I want to set up my own little kon tiki style kiln and make my own from all the scrap brush/tree limbs that fall all over the yard. Have you noticed a significant difference to the soil/compost you have added the bio char to in previous trials or are you just experimenting with it now?

I started two years ago when I moved to the house I'm in now. I have been adding biochar to my compost and in the fall I sprinkled it on the top of my garden with a layer of fall leaves. In the spring I top dress with the compost I made the year before. I started with a 12x8 key hole garden so basically 5 4x4s and then the next summer I added a 6x30 garden but I didn't have enough compost or biochar. And I could really tell the difference. The side I started adding on grew really well and you could tell the side I didn't. I think the long term benefits will show in time. By adding it to my compost it will absorb what it needs and when the compost is added to the garden it already has it in there. I double turned my garden the first year because I was basically just digging up lawn. And I've been doing no till or lasagna gardening since. I think that's the most like nature. I just keep top dressing with compost, mulch of fall leaves. This season I just chopped and dropped everything and then mowed up all my fall leaves and mulched with that and grass clippings. Next year I will be throwing my compost in the spring and then grass clippings and leaves I have saved in those paper bags. I also make compost and earthworm casting teas and I add some biochar with it and water on top. I just don't add too much at one time. I think nature takes it time things die or get burned lay on the ground, decompose and then get eaten broken up by bugs,worms, etc. So I just try to encourage nature and not try to control it

Quick tip for anyone trying to bust up lump charcoal into dust. Wearing a dust mask with a beard doesn't work.
And do it outside. I did it in my workshop I didn't realize how much of the fine micro dust goes into the air. The day after there was a fine coat of black over everything. what a mess. And when I used the shop vac to clean up I don't think my filter cloth was on fully so I just blew it all around. What fun. Next time I'll either wet it down or do it outside.