bio-char

any comments on this

I do throw all the bits of leftover stove charcoal in my garden and into my compost, along with my ash. Work I've seen on terra preta from S.America indicates that it greatly improves soil. I don't think that I put in enough to reach the intensive levels that they have found there, of course, and heavy amounts of compost probably accomplish similar results. My garden is very high in organic matter as it is.

The "char" is the charcoal part I believe. When incorporated into soil with good compost levels it acts as a reservoir for certain nutrients. I would think you could put in a LOT of that. Archaeological evidence shows that large areas of rainforest in S America were cultivated using this method- it's startling to look at the scale of the effort!

People worry about applying too much ash- we know that it will kill plants in pure form in high doses (I dump mine on areas with poison ivy- takes a lot to kill it). I have dumped 3+ gallons into a 1 yard pile without issue. Compost naturally goes through swings in pH associated with microbial activity (there is a fairly acidic phase), but ends up with a pH near 7 no matter what you put in there. (pine needles, oak leaves- it all gets neutralized biologically), and I would guess that moderate amounts of ash will likewise be neutralized.

Potassium is one of the nutrients that ash provides, but it's very soluble and may wash out. Biochar and compost (high residual humus levels) may act to retain this and other soluble nutrients via ion-exchange mechanism.

I dunno- compost helps everything. Add compost.

Ya, that would be a problem with too much ash- the char is the charcoal- very different composition.

Jags- you know tomatoes are weeds. I have a hard time keeping them down. Peppers want a little love- you could check your pH or (this is what I do) put down some compost and load up the beds with shredded leaves this fall. I'd bet that would rectumfy your issues.

Peppers can end up with the too much nitrogen thing where you get a damn tree with no fruit on it. If you apply crap in the fall, it should mellow by the spring and not cause burn unless you put heapum poop. Too bad about leaves- they're a free garden fix.

That would be a good compost pile- normally they say you want a minimum of a yard of material to get good sustained heating. That stuff will get to 160F + if you get the right mix. If it stinks, then you need more low nitrogen materials

Didn't see it mentioned yet but biochar is a lot like activated charcoal. The surface area is immense and it does a great job of absorbing stuff, including nutrients that might be needed by plants.

My compost pile is practically a member of the family. If it once lived- I compost it. paper towels, pest critters, food scraps- everything. With a real hot pile, even the stuff they tell you not to compost (fats, meat, cheese, bones) is OK.

I am surrounded by woods and composted the remains of a deer carcass. Got to bury it in a hot pile, but it works. Then wait for more critters to show up to add into the pile, and so on.

We used to compost hogs at a farm I worked on by burying them in sawdust. Didn't take long to get rid of a 500 lb sow in a hot pile. Never had any 'yote trouble.

this is what comes out of the pellet water heater i am making

Bio Char is not just charcoal. Its charcoal that is mixed with compost. Fresh charcoal can be detriment to a garden as it actually absorbs available nutirents and fixes them in the charcoal. The tera preta excavations show that the ancient farmers mixed a lot of orgainics in with it. I ran into a bio char proponent last summer and I asked him how he added nurtients to his bio- char, his recomendation was to pee in it. As long as it didnt smell it was absorbing the urine. Once it started smelling he knew it was ready for the garden. I always thought that it might be a good idea to mix bio char with chicken litter or hog manure as both are too strong for most plants but the biochar would grab a lot of the nitrogen and amonia and fix it into the char so that it released slowly.

If the US ever gets into CO2 sequestration, there are some interesting potential scams where some one would partially gasifie wood and generate power with the volatiles, then buries the bio char to get credit for the carbon sequestration.

Right- that's why I said "with good compost levels". urine only adds N, so compost would be a better option I think than urine

I agree Adios, I just thought the urnine approach was a interesting method.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biochar

Humus does much the same thing as far as nutrient storing capacity, and is the natural long-lasting product of compost degradation. If you have a good sized garden,rather than tracts of rainforest and a ton of time and charcoal, there are cheapo ways to come up with lots of compost.

I am a big proponent of heavy mulching with 1/2 finished compost or just a variety of compostables that will break down in place enriching the soil, seriously reduce weeds, reduce watering needs, providing the perfect environment for rhizobia bacteria, prevent many diseases (proven for compost), and provide all the nutrients that your garden needs. Whew.

wasn't there a Hitchcock movie about some guy composting his wife in a hot pile?

seriously guys, this thread is blowing my mind.