Terra Preta.
Where?
How much $?
Anyone use it?
Biochar?
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Pride Lands is the only brand I know that has biochar/terra preta locked down. Ive been using it since it hit the market, and Ive yet to find a premix that can even get close. They also sell biochar as an individual input.
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Have to check them out. Do you have a link by any chance?
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@BackyardBoogie420
Just received my Pridelands and now just setting up my Blumat to make everything easier in my world. Took a bit to get here but looking forward to applying what you were suggesting
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funny you mentioned, i was just thinking about doing a side by side with biocharā¦
i added some to my soil long time ago when mixed it, but cant really tell you if it made the difference or not. I saw at the store today a 20l bag of āterra pretaā for around 20 bucks, i almost got itā¦ i might go back and get me a sack, just to do a side by side, and see if it makes any differenceā¦ since I am making a batch of soil tomorrow and I have 2 clones of same genetic ready to goā¦
i wonder if the ones you get at the store come preloaded upā¦ maybe a soak with some JADAM nutes full of bacteria to inoculate it, or maybe mix in a bucket with worm castingsā¦ idk, any suggestions are welcome.
i also had the idea of using old carbon filters and re-using the charcoal from them and turning into biocharā¦
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I make my own bio-char. Backyard fire pit, small clean metal paint can with lid, fill paint can with bio-mass (I use giant American Cane, grows wild here in Oklahoma) and out the lid on. Punch a small hole in the lid for steam to escape Build a fire in the pit around the can. Keep the fire burning for a couple hours then let it burn out and cool down. Boom! Bio-char, for the cost of a few bucks and a good night by the fire. Hit it with your preferred inoculant and youāve just made it āactiveā bio-char.
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Jadam would be the way to go!!
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Isnt biochar just charcoal preloaded?
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Charcoal still has biomass intact, itās just charred, when making bio-char your looking to competely burn away the bio mass in an oxygen starved environment leaving behind basically a cellular skeleton of the material for the microbes to colonize. I canāt recall the name of the process
Edit: Pyrolysis
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Pyrolization? Might have made that up lol
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Sounds like the same way you make char-cloth.
(used to ember a spark from flint and steel)
Cut up pieces of a cotton T-shirt in a soup can with the lid cracked. In the hot coals/flames for a bit, and it comes out as pieces that you can barely hold without them turning to dust.
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Biochar is basically carbon ( charcoal ). It functions exactly like any other carbon ( compost) except that it can last in your soil for decades or even thousands of years. Its benefits are seen mostly in wet enviroments where there is a lot of rain because it does not wash away. I think it is a great investment of time to make it and add it to your soil. You only have to do it once but if you cant make your own just buy cheap charcoal.
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Bio char is essentially just āhotelsā for microbes, right?
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Any1 know whats a good ratio to use?
I am going to mix 2x5 gal bags with fresh mix, and add biochar to 1 of themā¦ same clone, so we can get down to the end of this
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I wonder if youāll see much, if anything in small containers. I feel you would really want to add to beds or more ideally, to the earth and inoculate with some teas to get jump started. Over time they will house microbes so they can keep reproducing and have a place to live for generations to come. Thus having a vibrant and living soil.
But I have no experience so take what I said with a grain of salt. @Magu is the person Iād personally listen to if he has experience. The man is a treasure trove of information
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Just got 2kg of biochar at the store for 10 bucksā¦ should i dump the whole thing in a 5gal container?
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Sooo nobody is gonna address the rumor that you gotta piss on charcoal to make it ābio-charā
Because ive got a debate with a growmie who belligerently swears āit isnt ābiocharā if it hasnt been pissed onā
Has anybody else heard this or have evidence to support or disprove the theory
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I have read that 10 % biochar to soil is a good ratio.
Thank you @CaptainRon. 
I learn from my mistakes. And I make a LOT of mistakes. 
I have not heard this. 
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The dude from GreenGro did an interview where he went a little into his biochar process, and he talked a good bit about how to properly burn it, not pee on it, or use any fire ash. Or any silly things like that. Ive used fire ash from oak, and it didnt work nearly as well as a proper biochar. I can never get my head around how folks make bold statements without ever actually trying the things theyāre talking about.
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I do not see any company selling real terra preta,
Bio char yes , bio char enriched soil and various related productās but not real terra preta.
Iām not aware that anybody has successfully made terra preta and many are trying. It would have to be dug up and exported.
You canāt make thousands of years of organic biological processes just happen.
Biochar is great though I spend all winter making and adding it to my compost.
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