Biochar on the cheap

Midwest Weedist · May 19, 2016

Just a quick post to help those looking for biochar save a buck or two. If you don't want to buy it online at a price or to invest the time effort to make it your self just go out and buy any hardwood lump charcoal that's free of any additives that normal briques have added in. I like this brand myself

Just crush it, screen, charge it like you would raw biochar as that's what this is.
I spent $20 on this giant bag compared to the almost double to triple amount you'd spend ordering an equal amount from someone like buildasoil.
I know this has been covered in icmag to a certain degree. Not quite sure if it's been touched on here at riu though.

MustangStudFarm · May 19, 2016

Midwest Weedist said:
Just a quick post to help those looking for biochar save a buck or two. If you don't want to buy it online at a price or to invest the time effort to make it your self just go out and buy any hardwood lump charcoal that's free of any additives that normal briques have added in. I like this brand myself View attachment 3685902 View attachment 3685903
Just crush it, screen, charge it like you would raw biochar as that's what this is.
I spent $20 on this giant bag compared to the almost double to triple amount you'd spend ordering an equal amount from someone like buildasoil.
I know this has been covered in icmag to a certain degree. Not quite sure if it's been touched on here at riu though.

That looks nice man! There are a couple of us on here that are into biochar. The interesting part is seeing how people charge it!!!

I have used a screen to separate it from my fireplace ashes after it has cooled. I charged about 5gal with fish emulsion, another batch with rabbit manure/urine mix, and then I saw @Greasemonkey talk about using your own urine, diluted. I also read another article that said to compost it.

Yodaweed · May 19, 2016

They sell bio-char at home depot in big huge bags around here for cheap, like 20$ for 1.5 cubic feet, check your local store they might have some.

Midwest Weedist · May 20, 2016

MustangStudFarm said:
That looks nice man! There are a couple of us on here that are into biochar. The interesting part is seeing how people charge it!!!

I have used a screen to separate it from my fireplace ashes after it has cooled. I charged about 5gal with fish emulsion, another batch with rabbit manure/urine mix, and then I saw @Greasemonkey talk about using your own urine, diluted. I also read another article that said to compost it.

Thank you! I've heard a few speak of using it, mainly greasemonkey and I think a member from Europe who makes his own.
I'm going to try a few ways since I'll have a lot of this stuff throughout the year (lots of grilling this year! Grill everything!). I have a couple of raised circular tomato bads, 4ft w x 3ft h, that I'm topping with this then covering in fresh green lawn clippings, alfalfa and kelp. I'm going to compost a lot of it over time. Next up though I'm using my urine on a small batch of a like a few gallons (gotta love having a clean diet).

Yodaweed said:
They sell bio-char at home depot in big huge bags around here for cheap, like 20$ for 1.5 cubic feet, check your local store they might have some.

I wish I could buy some straight from the big stores like that. To no avail though. Menards, Lowes, Home Depot, Tractor Supply, Farm and Fleet, etc. none sold just biochar.

Rrog · May 20, 2016

We make it here. In 55 gallon drums. Inoculate with chicken shit, mostly. Super high N so it works fast.

MustangStudFarm · May 20, 2016

Rrog said:
We make it here. In 55 gallon drums. Inoculate with chicken shit, mostly. Super high N so it works fast.

Like I said, the interesting part is how people charge it... I have mounds of chicken manure, but I have not use it like that. I have been putting all of it in the compost.

Rrog · May 20, 2016

The new char is really polar and will take the N right out of the soil if used raw. Great in compost, though. Chicken manure works well to bind up the char so you can use in garden soil right away

Midwest Weedist · May 20, 2016

Rrog said:
The new char is really polar and will take the N right out of the soil if used raw. Great in compost, though. Chicken manure works well to bind up the char so you can use in garden soil right away

What would you think about charging it with comfrey?
Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Rrog · May 20, 2016

Any green plant / grass would work, but take longer and likely go anaerobic soaking like that. My guess

Midwest Weedist · May 20, 2016

Rrog said:
Any green plant / grass would work, but take longer and likely go anaerobic soaking like that. My guess

Might trying composting it with solely comfrey for the green part of the bin.

DonBrennon · May 22, 2016

I made my own and while it was fun doing all the research, building a retort and experimenting with feedstocks to get a good char, unless you need to make shit loads of it and have a ready supply of feedstock and firewood, it's not worth the effort. Being a bit of a pyromaniac helps too.

I've not tried it out yet, but I've found a local supply of real hardwood charcoal really cheap, I think I'll charge some up and try it out with some tomato plants or something.

Another thing I'd add is to check the ph of your charged char before adding it to your soil, it's ph can vary wildly and if you add really acidic char to already acidic soil it will cause you lockout problems and vice versa with alkaline.

Rrog · May 22, 2016

We need a shit ton. We have farmers

hyroot · May 22, 2016

You can get bio char pretty cheap from rock dust local. I bought 35 lbs of basalt rock dust from them for $35 including shipping. They have a variety of bio char and rock dusts too.

iHearAll · May 23, 2016

Making small amounts is easy. It can be done with very dry sawdust and grain hulls. Build a stove out of a coffee can. Punch holes in it. Fill it completely with hot coals and either just smother it and or add a route for direct air flow. Like, turn the can on it's side and put a tunnel of bricks or more steel cans. Or even a chimney.

Pretty much anythinng carbon rich can be biochar with some help. Dry leaves can be mixed in if theres a small particle size material as well. 100% leaves and it'll burst in flames too fast.

iHearAll · May 23, 2016

That's a good project for today.
Smoke a j and make some char.
Cheers!

Midwest Weedist · May 23, 2016

DonBrennon said:
I made my own and while it was fun doing all the research, building a retort and experimenting with feedstocks to get a good char, unless you need to make shit loads of it and have a ready supply of feedstock and firewood, it's not worth the effort. Being a bit of a pyromaniac helps too.

I've not tried it out yet, but I've found a local supply of real hardwood charcoal really cheap, I think I'll charge some up and try it out with some tomato plants or something.

Another thing I'd add is to check the ph of your charged char before adding it to your soil, it's ph can vary wildly and if you add really acidic char to already acidic soil it will cause you lockout problems and vice versa with alkaline.

I think this is why most suggest only adding 10% to your total soil mass. What I'm curious about is what the ph difference is between different sources of biochar (hardwood vs woodchips/leaves/etc) and then the difference in ph between charged and not. I would imagine the uncharged biochar is what's the most alkaline, but I dunno.

Your tomatoes will love it! Mine and my grandfathers do at least. He makes his out of his brown garden scraps every fall. Just presses them into a 55 gallon rusted out drum (ironically rusted out perfectly for this haha) and lets them smolder until it's 3/4 char. Little crude and a bit ashy but his garden soil is black as night a foot and a half down in our heavy clay soils.

Midwest Weedist · May 23, 2016

iHearAll said:
That's a good project for today.
Smoke a j and make some char.
Cheers!

Sounds like a good plan to me! Might do that tonight myself

Rrog · May 23, 2016

Ash that might remain on char is quite high in pH. That's a factor.

The temp you cook the wood to is another factor. Lower temp pyrolysis is better and retains much of the volatile oil that microbes eat. This type of Char has a + charge initially. Older char, or higher temp char has more of a - charge initially.

greasemonkeymann · May 23, 2016

Midwest Weedist said:
What would you think about charging it with comfrey?
Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

ironically I used comfrey on my first batch of biochar, a comfrey/dandelion FPE works GREAT for that.
buuuut easier is ANYTHING high in nitrogen that is soluble.
bloodmeal, bat guano (the nitrogen one), urine, comfrey tea, alfalfa tea, all those will work.
and you want to rinse the ashes off first, it's rather alkaline if not

iHearAll · May 23, 2016

Iv only ever just used it in equal parts with sand, compost, vermicastings, and a bit of bokashi.

Catch me up on charging biochar. Is it just soaking the carbons in a teas?

Biochar on the cheap

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