How I Make Biochar - Easy Methods - And How I Inoculate or "Charge" the Charcoal with Compost
Vložit
- čas přidán 16. 01. 2022
- Making biochar can be as easy as tending a campfire. I'll show how 10 gallons of biochar was made in about 45 minutes using a cone shaped pit during this video. I also show how charcoal was made using my Bar-B-Q. It's as easy as enjoying a campfire in the backyard, followed by extinguishing the hot coals with water. What remains is charcoal that can be burned later with the grill for cooking, or crushed and mixed with an active compost pile to inoculate it with beneficial microbes and nutrients. Then when that compost applied to the garden, it adds even more carbon to the soil than it would otherwise. And that carbon from the charcoal can last a long time. I have read about fertile soil located in parts of South America, referred to as Terra Preta, that was created by people using charcoal with compost long ago and is apparently still very rich in carbon. A video that explains some of the benefits biochar has to offer is listed below. Some books that helped me learn about biochar, microbes, and charcoal in general are also listed below. I receive a commission from some of the links in the description. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What is Biochar? (video link): • What is Biochar? - How...
Biochar Benefits - Stable Carbon (video link): • Biochar Benefits - Add...
Clay Soil, and Biochar (video link): • Biochar Benefits - Imp...
Books that Helped Me Learn How to Make Biochar:
- Gardening with Biochar: amzn.to/3S4oecF
- Making Charcoal and Biochar: amzn.to/3OFr3jo
- Teaming with Microbes: amzn.to/3tS48dx
Gloves I Wear in the Video: amzn.to/3xDggRd
Biochar has many benefits for garden soil and can even help mitigate the effects of pollution. This is the cheapest and easiest method I know of to make biochar, but there are other ways that are more efficient and can produce higher quality charcoal. The first two books mentioned above both include information on how to make higher quality charcoal than I typically get using the method shown in the video. The more efficient methods involve using kilns or retorts. The second book listed above, "Making Charcoal and Biochar", is particularly detailed about the subject of kilns and retorts and gives a little history along the way. Doesn't have much info about gardening with biochar, but it does include a lot of good information about making charcoal. The first book, "Gardening with Biochar", provided me with enough info to start making my own biochar and also gave some history as well as info on how to use it in the garden. I read it first. The last book listed, "Teaming with Microbes", is about the microbiology in soil. It helped me to better understand how to promote healthy soil ecology.
Affiliate Disclosure:
This video and the channel may contain links to affiliate websites, and I may receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. My affiliates include Amazon Associates. I am a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn advertising fees by linking to affiliated websites.
General Disclaimer:
Any information and all content including video, audio, or text provided by the Budget Phil CZcams channel and it’s creator/producer (“I" or "me") is for general informational and educational purposes only. All information provided by me on this channel is provided in good faith, however I make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on the channel. This channel does not contain any professional advice on how to design, purchase, make, use, maintain, repair, or clean anything and may not be suitable for all ages and skill sets. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon information found on this channel, I encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. Under no circumstances shall I have any liability to you for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of this channel or the reliance on any information provided by me or the channel. Your use of this channel and your reliance on any information on the channel is solely at your own risk. - Jak na to + styl
![Eminem - Houdini [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/22tVWwmTie8/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm about to give you the best tip of your life for making this stuff. When you think its burnt enough, throw a sheet of roofing iron or such over it and cover with dirt, it will starve it of oxygen but continue to smoulder for a while giving you the best char you have ever seen. Thanks not needed.
That's a great tip. Water is hard to find in some places. Plus with the steel sheet method ,or similar, the charcoal would be dry and could be used right away for other things besides biochar if needed. Thanks for stopping by
Hey thanks! You're a hero.
Thank you
I was thinking this would work
Great
If you go by the areas that have been destroyed by wildfires you notice where it regrows it’s lush and beautiful.
I've seen that also. I bet the biochar naturally created during that process plays a role in the fertility.
I love your presentation, and your attention to detail is phenomenal. Thanks for the great content!
And now I'm going to go make me some bread on a stick
Thank you
Excellent video, it answered many of my questions!
Thank you
Great tips thank you for sharing this important information
You're welcome
Subscribed. This is a great biochar video! I've been watching a lot of them, as I'm going to move up to my property next month. I loved the amount of information you put in - it's obvious you know what you're talking about.
P.S. I have the match to your cat.
Thank you
Thanks for this Phil. 👊🏼
You're welcome
great video
Thank you
Awesome video. Much thanks.
Thank you
@@BudgetPhil We are lucky to have a decent-sized lot to have a garden in. Too shady for much vegetable growing (we do a little peas and potatoes) but is great for naturescaping, which is a complete bonus for us people too. Our soil is classified as "excessively well-drained", so building the organic material is very important, for both retaining nutrients and moisture.
I have a nice big compost bin, and we get a lot of wood chips from local arborists, but the carbon breaks down within about two years of application, and we only get one load each of compost and wood chips every year.
Carbonizing a small portion of the wood chips (and branches etc) we get, and mixing them in the compost to give them nutrients and inoculate them should help the soil health and resistance to our summers in northwestern Oregon.
If the wood chips are turned into biochar, the carbon in that charcoal should remain stable and not break down for a long time. I've read that there is soil in parts of South America, known as Terra Preta, that was made by an ancient people using biochar. It's said to be thousands of years old, and the carbon is still present in the soil and stable. It's a remarkable achievement, and a very interesting subject. Adding that carbon to your excessively well draining soil should really help to retain soil moisture
Fantastic my friend 🔥🔥👍
Thank you
Mum uses a method of a ten gallon drum inside a forty gallon drum, she ties newspaper around the smaller drum and places it upside down inside the larger drum which has some vent holes cut around the bottom, then builds a fire inside around the smaller drum and lights it, the stuff inside the smaller drum is pyrolized. She linked me this because she found it interesting and I do likewise!
It sounds like your mom has a good method for producing some high-quality biochar. I think I'd like to make something like that someday. Thank you for sharing that information.
Very² amazing....👍👍
Thank you
i'm gonna start doing this and selling it near me. awesome video man
Thank you
You can also soak your bio char in an organic liquid fertiliser followed by jadam microbial solution (easy to make with leaf mould and potatoes) this will inoculate it way faster than a compost pile and avoid the charcoal leaching nutrients from the soil initially
Thank you for the advice.
nice! my usual task is big fires in feb or early march on top of my garden and mix all the ash and charred bits in to the soil. i knew it was good for the garden but i had never heard of biochar! ill have to try to have a fire and not let it get to ashes LOL
Thank you. The charcoal left over after a fire is, from what I understand, considered stable carbon that can last for thousands of years in the soil. There is soil in South America referred to as Terra Preta which was developed by people using biochar. It still exists and grows good crops to this day.
hey was that some bread at the end? that was fantastic
Thank you. Yes that was some basic yeast bread dough I wrapped around a stick and cooked over the fire.
Great video.... between the 1st two pit methods, which one did u find better....where u keep adding wood slowly and building the fire or where u add all the wood together and burn from top?
Thank you. I usually prefer to start with a little wood, or whatever feedstock I'm using, and add more as it burns because it's easier for me to control the fire. But if I want a big fire, I'll fill the pit with wood then light it.
This guy sounds extremely excited about all of this😂
I tried to hide my excitement.
Thank you for this experiment.
Subbed!
Best wishes from India 🇮🇳
You're welcome, and thank you
@@BudgetPhil please post more videos for Winter tips, especially if you have Citrus plants if any. Thanks.
Thank you for the suggestion
@@BudgetPhil I would greatly appreciate that if you did videos on citrus care as just everyone searches for those online. Thank you in advance.
That's good advice, thank you. I added those topics to my list. I don't have much experience with growing citrus trees but I love eating citrus fruit of all kinds and would like to try growing some dwarf varieties again. Winter can be cold and harsh where I live, so I need to bring citrus plants inside during that season.
Thanks so much for not making it seem like you have to be a microbiologist engineer rocket physicist psychic to make good bio char. I enjoyed your techniques and your narration.
You're welcome. I hope to share more of what I learned about biochar. It's quite a remarkable substance
@@BudgetPhil Thank you good Sir. I made some today and mixed half (2.5 gallons) into my compost pile. Then capped it off with the rest.
Those compost microorganisms should really benefit from that addition. As well as the plants that grow in the compost. I've been really impressed with what biochar can do. I think you have made a wise decision adding it to your compost
Yea you just burn some wood but put it out before it all burns away by pissin on it and then put it on the garden voila.
This is the first time I have ever heard of biochar. Very fascinating. If I understand correctly, the goal is to not let the material burn to ashes, right Some surface ashes are okay because they can be washed away? Also, when ashes begin to appear, do you put light weight, fast burning material on them so that the flame is drawn away from the area that is turning to ash? I have so many questions when I learn new things.
That's correct. The goal is to maximize charcoal production and minimize any ash formation. Ashes have some nutrient value for plants but their pH is usually quite high and can raise soil pH when applied too heavily. The ashes form when the red hot charcoal reacts with oxygen in the air and burns up, leaving ash behind. But interestingly, if the hot charcoal is completely covered with fire, the oxygen can't get to the coals and chemicaly react with them. The fire consumes the oxygen in the air and doesn't allow it to reach the hot coals. When fast burning material is added in places that are ashing over, it quickly begins to smoke and combust which helps to consume the oxygen entering that area. Charcoal has been used for thousands of years to build soil fertility but I believe the term biochar came about in the 2000's. Enriching my garden soil with carbon has never been so easy. I still have a lot to learn about all the benefits it has for soil, there are so many.
@@BudgetPhil Thank you for explaning that!
Interesting. I burn most of my combustibles for disposal, rather than hauling them down to the dump. We don't have trash pick up out here - have to haul it ourselves. I use a burn barrel and sometimes get biochar (didn't know that's what that is) out of the barrel. I have just been throwing all of the ash and biochar behind the shed and letting the grass grow over it.
Would it be good for the lawn to throw that biochar and ash across it with a spreader?
Thanks for the interesting content. I enjoy your channel.
Yes, I think crushing the biochar charcoal and spreading it over the lawn could be very beneficial for that soil and the grass as long as the biochar is from non toxic organic material. Charcoal tends to absorb quite a bit of nutrients from the soil if it's not prepared first by adding some nutrient content. There's lots of ways to add fertilizer to the biochar. I usually just mix it with compost but I've had good results by pouring some liquid organic fertilizer on it a few days before spreading. I've also let a pile of biochar sit outside on the ground uncovered for a month or two before spreading and that seemed to work okay. But inoculating it with microbes from fresh compost (or a compost tea) makes it a real powerhouse of fertility. Wood ash tends to be very alkaline and can raise the pH of the soil when applied too heavily. It does have some potassium and other nutrients to offer, but should be used carefully. I usually try to extinguish the hot coals early to prevent much ash formation. That way I can just ignore the ashes when processing the biochar. So far I've been very impressed with the results in my garden. In part two, I'll go into much more detail of what biochar is and how it works.
Some people use a top lit updraft gasifier ( TLUD ) made from a steel barrel to make biochar and it doesn't produce much if any ash. I haven't used one yet but they look quite effective.
If you want to improve water retention - grind it to powder. It then becomes a bit like clay but still reduces clumping like clay.
Earthworms can easily move around in the powdered biochar. It will keep down the worm population drastically though if it goes 40% and above soil composition.
@@sumakwelvictoria5635 Thank you for that info!
Since you seem to be dealing with branches imho you should use the trench method so that you work less on cutting them into little pieces.
Sounds right to me. Thank you for the tip.
Agreed, I use the trench method and it is pretty easy and productive.
Rather than rinsing the good stuff from the charcoal on the top why not smother it with dried Russian Thistle (tumbleweeds) letting the flaming wood be smothered with ash then cover that with a non-aluminumized metal lid and or light layer of soil there by allowing the remainder to smoulder and "finish" the process even more?
Sounds good to me. We don't have tumble weeds where I live but soil is pretty easy to come by
Isn't Russian thistle anything you can't positively identify?
I add 5 to 10% in my mix 😊😊😊
Thank you for sharing that information.
I don’t believe there is any difference between charcoal and what is marketed as biochar, except for that biochar has been inoculated with organics. I don’t mean the stuff that has synthetic in it or chemicals that help it ignite but the stuff that is marketed as all natural charcoal or lump charcoal. I think the only differences that biochar is marketed so that people feel that they can spend their money on some thing that is better or harder to obtain than their charcoal that is natural that may be available and their local supermarket. I think it’s all that marketing. I haven’t found anything that is conclusive to tell me different. Except for marketing. This wouldn’t be the first time that something was marketed at a higher price and the same thing was available at a lower price without marketing.
From what I have read, biochar is a grade of charcoal that is more porous than fuel grade charcoal (lump charcoal), but less porous than activated charcoal. It's a little complicated but I'm working on a video to help explain the differences. I have inoculated lump charcoal and used it in the garden, and it worked well.
My takeaway is that Biochar can store more bacteria and nutrients. It has a larger surface area
@@Rocketman0407 i’ve seen a few other channels that have used lump charcoal as biochar, and one in particular boogie brew has a super soil recipe where they use lump charcoal for their biochar. I have used boogie brew products for years now and I trust their analysis and I follow their recommendations. I have built my own super soil two years ago, and I am still using it with minimal to no fertilizer at all. This is soil that has been created, so it doesn’t need any added fertilizers. I only had compost. I keep adding biology and fungus to my super soil and it always works. This is just my personal experience. Maybe some lump charcoals are not adequate, but I found that the one I get at the local supermarket for one dollar per pound, and sometimes on sale for as low as $.40 per pound is all I need. like I say it’s probably marketing. You know how corporations will name a product and then call similar products and adequate just so they can sell their products at a higher price. when I was very young in fact, my first job was at a tomato factory. Many people believe that when they buy a name brand tomato product like hunts or Heines. They are getting a superior product, but in fact the same tomato product that is priced very high is the very same. That is the generic. The only difference is the label. I purchased some biochar this year, paid an arm and a leg for it and it wasn’t even inoculated. How disappointing. So I had to inoculate this stuff that looks exactly like the charcoal after you soak it in water and I will do some analysis myself over the next few years. maybe it will just break down to how it’s inoculated but I’m very happy with the lump charcoal. I paid a fraction of the cost for.
Yep, and it has other benefits as well, like storing water and improving the cation exchange rate of the soil medium. I'll talk much more about it's benefits for the garden in some upcoming videos.
I've been doing everything wrong. Thanks
You're welcome. I had trouble finding consistent information about biochar on the internet years ago, when I first heard about it.
I, also, would not use anything with aluminum in it as that is classified and a heavy metal -not good for your body.
Let’s add some more CO2 to the atmosphere 🤨😖
I had similar thoughts a few years ago, but it's not that simple. Compost releases CO2 faster than stable, sequestered carbon. The microbes eat both labile and stable carbon and release CO2 during the process. But stable carbon takes a lot longer for them to consume. That's why compost disappears so fast when in use, but biochar stays in the soil for much much longer. Labile carbon is still needed though, as a readily available source of carbon for microbes. I'll explain this better in some upcoming videos.
I think the same thing every time I have a campfire, but BudgetPhil is correct. In our garden, we have "excessively well-drained" soil (the official soil description) and a lot of trees that send their roots everywhere and take a lot of what little remains for the (mostly native) plants we grow. So we add a lot of wood chips and compost, as the carbon will help retain moisture through our hot, dry summers. But we have to add more every year. Why? The carbohydrates in the wood chips and compost break down the CO2 goes into the atmosphere.
By making biochar, some CO2 is released immediately, but the majority stays in the soil in a stable form, instead of all of it going into the atmosphere in a year or two. Charcoal in the soil can last for thousands of years, that's why it can be used to radiocarbon date archeological sites that have hearths, etc.
@patricknorton5788
Ok so burning releases co2. Uptake and use of nutirents in soil by roots increases co2 production as well as microbes eating in soil. But carbon hold co2 and releases slowly so in the end the amount of co2 release from charcoal production is really offset by the co2 sequestered charcoal eventually creates
Yes, the sequestered carbon should offset the carbon released into the air as CO2 during charcoal production. Biochar is mostly stable carbon, which can stay in the soil for a very long time because it's a form of carbon that is difficult for microorganisms to breakdown.
Do you know how many volcanoes are active at any given time and the magnitude of their emissions. How could people think they significantly impact global emissions in their back yard 😂😂😂