One thing I noticed there’s was char that was floating as well as majority that had sunk , read/ heard some where that stuff that floats may not be done yet or has tars and oils still in the wood that’s needs driven off so I separated the two and used the sinking stuff put it in a double walmart plastic bag and went to town in it with a rubber mallet no dust whatsoever and a nice crush! Per @DavesNotHere recommendation I I’m using finished worm cast at x2 of biochar volume and aerating with a small fish aquarium pump for several days ! May get the microscope out and snap some pics of how’s things are going! Stayed tuned!
u
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I utilize bio-char in my no-till pots. Mostly what is left is from 4 or so years ago when i decided to make the transition to no till. Whatever is still remaining. I also have some clay pebbles here and there in my pots. I am glad I read this thread, because I Have heard that activated bio-char is better than fresh, but I did not realize it was a necessity to avoid the bio char being a nutrient hoarder.
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I’ve never heard of this it’s really cool. I’m curious, what are you looking for with your microscope?
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Thanks for stopping in @miyagi been watching some vids on you tube with livingwebfarms awhile back I’m thinking your char was probably charged when bought , on most plants the video states it can negative effects on some crops when not "charged " the crops with noncharged char that seemed to benefit from what I can recall was the Cole crops broccoli, cauliflower and all the other brassicas,
From my understanding the char in your pots will remain forever and your microorganisms will always have a place to hid and reproduce if conditions are right!
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Bacteria density, health and different types (cocci, rods, spirals) Protozoa and nematodes, fungi and all other sorts of cool stuff!
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Thanks for the good thread! Yeah luckily, I bought mine from buildasoil.com and it was charged. When I bought it, I was a nube and compulsive.
I am happy I read this because I had plans of making my own here in the near future. Also cool to know it doesn’t break down, if anything very slowly.
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Good company right there !I see it as investment even though it might be a bit pricey at times.
Jeremy over there is a very knowledgeable peep in growing cannabis as well!
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I have to agree for sure! I have really learned a lot from Jeremy. I like his philosophy for the company and for growing. While it can be expensive, to your point its a good investment, and he encourages you to source it locally for a more reasonable price, if possible.
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I have a thread here !
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South American Indigenous People feed thousands of villages and Millions of people [even though most modern scholars have said there is no way the Amazon could support that many people { which makes little sense, where do the nutrients for the trees, plants etc… in the jungle come from}]with the help of biochar, fish, and other things (I remember watching how they dug down so deep and buried layer upon layer to enrich the soil) , its was shown in I think a PBS or National Geographic documentary many years ago.
mike28086
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@mike28086 Ya it’s ridiculous that terra pretta soil iv heard that they scape it away and haul it off for uses and it rebuilds itself at an alarming rate ! Now that’s definitely something that makes ya go Hmmmm!
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Easy to make with a brush pile lit from the top and put out with a hose. I often wonder about all of them apparatuses knowing full well that the ancient origin of this is lighting and wildfires giving indigenous peoples worldwide that knowledge of slash and burn. It’s pretty simple even though it can be complicated. I’ve also noted eBay is pushing a sellers Bamboo Inoculated Biochar from China. Thought I had seen it all - smh
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Perhaps they would swap for a nice large jar of fresh air? Perhaps taken from a fresh pine forest somewhere.
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But the one you have here is almost two years old and from reading it I have no idea of whether you decided it was worth the effort/price? Did you reach a conclusion?
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Ya this thread definitely hasn’t seen much action recently I think it’s worthy of placing biochar into your soils if your all about microbes Iv placed a small amount under a microscope in the past and there’s a tremendous amount of surface area in the stuff that’s for sure!
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I think I may not have answered your question correctly what was your question regarding effort/price? If it’s about the teas it was inconclusive as I had not increased my micro bugs to high levels to make for good observations.
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This is a great thread. I did a little research on biochar and had to bust out the old Websters dictionary.
Basically what I found was biochar is obviously a soil ammendment. I guess that part of it only works if it’s charged with nutrients. But how does it aid in microbe production?
Second is that it isolates co2. How does isolating co2 in the roots benifit the plant?
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It’s a microbe condominium in essence a hang out of sort ,cat house whatever what ya want to call it
Biochar over time can become inoculated Imo Iv heard it can have negative effects when not charged on certain crops … brassicas family comes to mind
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How would I go about charging say a gallon of biochar? What and how much would I have to charge it with? And also how about it isolating co2? I know oxygen is good for roots hence fabric pots and other mediums. Do u know what kind of affect co2 has on roots? I’m doing a lot of asking because I’m seriously thinking about adding this as a staple of ingredients in future grows
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