Biochar - Permanent Compost for Your Garden

Biochar is better than compost. It is the best homemade fertilizer for vegetable gardens and luckily creating biochar isn't all that hard. We will show you an easy way to make biochar on a small scale. But do not put raw biochar directly in the garden, charging biochar is critical. We show you how to do that too both by putting biochar in compost and for a quicker turn around by inoculating the bio char which will create the best fertilizer for vegetable garden you can imagine. By the end of this video you will know how to make biochar at home.
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Chapters
00:00 how to make biochar at home
00:45 how does biochar work
01:24 what is biochar
03:15 material for biochar
06:12 making a biochar kiln
06:55 starting the fire for a biochar burn
07:59 adding material to a burn
09:44 3 stages of fire
10:58 extinguishing the fire
11:55 raw biochar
12:30 biochar in compost
13:25 charging biochar

[@philjulian2083]

I live in a long needle pine area, ( North Crolina) and collect bushels of needles in the fall from my yard and my neighbors. I pile 2 wheelbarrows (6 cu ft each) of the needles into a 10 ft long x 2 ft wide caterpillar and torch one end. As it gets glowing orange like a cigar, i rake out the glowing part, flip it to complete the burning, then douse it with a hose, this produces one 5 gal bucket of fine-rice grained carbon. (no crunching up necessary) (Process for one batch takes 10 minutes) I also have a worm bucket and collect the drippings, which is my "bio" microbe source, which I culture with sugar to increase the population, then pour the soup into the carbon and let sit for a few days. Then I spread it in the garden to simmer until spring. I produced about 36 cubic ft of carbon this way. ( six- 6 cuft contractor bags full)

[@user-ny7vr5mw4p]

not sure if anyone has mentioned this or not, but be careful burning bamboo, it has pockets in it due to the area where each section is connected, I have seen these in the fire service when on wildfire calls explode due to water content in those pockets, it throws pieces of bamboo like shrapnel and causes some pretty bad injuries if you are near.

[@stixglass8442]

Interesting observation! I noticed he split All his material lengthwise. I guarantee not everyone noticed that, so great safety tip!

[@williamgair3230]

Clumping bamboo is not that thick and does not present that problem. Additionally it is cut into small units that won't pose that problem.

[@nokianx400]

I have lived near bamboo my entire life, also burned them. Never seen what you describe 😂

[@michellehannen6724]

Not sure what the difference is with different types but in a wild fire this happened to myself and fellow firefighters.Can only speak of my own experience

[@johngrayson3846]

Sounds like youve watched too much of 1000 ways to die

[@ainabearfarm8075]

Great explanation! We make 35 gallons a week in a cone pit dug into the ground; soak it in diluted urine for 2 weeks and the results are incredible. Easy and 100% free! 🤙

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

We use it for compost toilets a lot too.

[@dwaynekendall]

Thank you. Very timely, just started learning about biochar. Will be making a burn pit.

[@davidvickers8425]

Is the urine enough? Have you looked at adding anaerobic bokashi or aerobic compost or even worm farm leachate?

[@bch5513]

Do you have a video?

[@ainabearfarm8075]

@@davidvickers8425 I’m sure there are all kinds of things you can add that would improve the quality and in the near future I will be adding the runoff from worm bins, but for people seeking a very easy and free recipe, the urine does a great job. It is of course full of nitrogen but also all Of the trace elements that your body couldn’t use so it’s also great to close that loop. 🤙

[@1Ggirl1959]

This is one of the best videos I have seen on biochar. I have tons of bamboo around my land. It's called "damboo" here in the south. 🤗

[@ricktarded5943]

This was the best and most informative biochar video ever! Thank you all sooooo much for getting to important points out without all the fluff. You all are the best. Thank you both Elise and Paul!

[@JamesThompson-ez4yu]

Better to use a large pot with a lid to fill with wood chunks, then place in the burn pit and stack waste wood around to light and let burn to incinerate the pot of wood. leave the lid sitting lose and when the pot no longer has smoke come out, your char is done.

[@cristobalv]

Best thing i've ever hear in a while, mix your fresh Biochard into your compost pile and wait.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

the less work the better!

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

One of the better videos here on YT. Thank You!

[@IowaKim]

Love the bluebird singing in the background at 3:14

[@NapoleonGARDENINGTV]

I also use biochar in my Garden. Very Effective and I love it!

[@jerry.williams9163]

Thank you for posting ! I really enjoyed your video .

[@ericbutterfield-zw3iu]

Your questions for PK were perfect and made for a very informative and useful exploration for something that until now wasn’t even on my radar.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Im so glad it was fluid for you!

[@madfishermanmadfisherman4299]

He was ok. I prefer David the good. He has a good video on biochar. And other gardening techniques. I strongly recommend his videos

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

hes a wealth of knowledge for sure.

[@vivianalonso9983]

Meh. I can't get past David's preachy attitude and annoying little songs. This guy (Paul) was concise and clearly knowledgeable without the filler nonsense 👍🏻

[@KHH595]

@@vivianalonso9983 Come on, the songs are fun! And his Faith is a huge part of who he is as a person. When one has that close of a relationship with God you can’t just separate David the Good the Gardner from David the Good the Christian. That would be like expecting a Muslim Gardner from removing their hijab or giving thanks to Allah in their videos. It’s who they are. And it’s super wholesome. A breath of fresh air from your typical modern KZbinr.

[@lisathiedeman4487]

​@@vivianalonso9983 I agree re David. I find him annoying. But each to their own.

[@maunaowakea777]

There are some really good studies that show how biochar works well when incorporated into biodigester processes. It increases methane production and the higher heat helps impregnate the biochar with nutrients, the entire post-digestion slurry is then poured out onto a compost situation, allowing the water slurry and shift from anaerobic to aerated microorganism, finally, the massive carbon feed once added to soils massively spurs mycorrhizae production.

[@jeromecalderone4526]

Great video Ill have to purchase some from Paul next time I visit family in Orlando thanks so much.

[@Trial-N-ErrorFarms-jk9iz]

I bought a steel 55 gallon drum. The seller cut the top AND bottom for me. I had some old elm firewood (elm stinks when it burns so its not worth spit for a woodstove)I can fill it up and place a rock under the bottom to allow air.. I then build a fire, and fill it with firewood logs. Trying to stack it as tightly as possible. Once its burning well, I place the steel lid on the top and shovel dirt around the bottom edge to cut off the oxygen. I come back the next day and half of my drum is charcoal. Some might still be hot. I hose it down before I put it in 5 gallon buckets for use as blacksmithing fuel or biochar.

[@goodvibebrooke]

Really great video guys. Thanks for explaining.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad you liked it!

[@lilyrose4191]

Thank you! An excellent video! Liked ! Subscribed! Shared ! 😀

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Awesome, thank you!

[@lilyrose4191]

You're welcome! 🙂@@TheUrbanHarvest

[@alaricomanju7280]

Very well explained. Thank you

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad it was helpful!

[@randalmoroski1184]

Good explanation.

[@prepper-coach-dad2510]

Awesome video!!!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@nickmihailovic]

Thank you for the explanation 😊

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

You're welcome 😊

[@Blackchain107]

Educative .thanks

[@shantibants3949]

100% right about picking the material. bamboo is good because it's a grass but in a reveg area in Australia I like to use the natural wood that drops in the area - acacias are common because they do die off quick. It's not permennat compost it's one of the main ingredients in my growing media because it stops leeching of nitrogen and accelerates nutrient cycling because the difference between of the activated oxygen. My seed raising mix is 1 part coir, 1 part sand, 1 part bio char.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Nice, finding a locally adapted resource is important for sure. I haven't used it for seed starting. ill have to give it a go.

[@barneyrubble4827]

I'd love to use coir it but it's expensive here in eastern US. Biochar, alpaca poo, leaves & grass clippings. Mulched beds ALWAYS

[@soniawoolley366]

Great video - I never knew some of the things that were mentioned ...

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

glad it was helpful!

[@604pmei]

After our BBQ, the left over ash is incorporated into the chicken coops deep layer mass and its left there for a week or two.

[@oonaamookhao]

OMG I have 1.5 hectare of bamboo!!! I’ll be making biochar asap. Thank you!!!🙏🙏🙏

[@paulkroll7616]

Here in the US, I just picked up a used plug-in Milwaukee Sawsall for $30 on marketplace. Add a saw like that to 200ft of extension cords and some 9in long, 5-6 teeth per inch pruning blades and you are in business harvesting your acre of bamboo. I cut the long culms to fit into the kiln with an old table saw or an old chop saw. GO MAKE BIOCHAR!!!

[@Truologye]

Thank you😊

[@thomasvirta7904]

biochar = good for your flowers and good for the climate (long-term C storage). Very popular here in Finland as well, they just started producing biochar in my municipality, using wood from the local saw mill. Willow would be great as well, we are trying to find out where we can grow it. All the best to you and thanks for the video!

[@anzac90vap]

Great video. Thank you for the informative content

[@johnliberty3647]

I have a biochar urinal. I add other thinks to it such as kelp, azomite crushed clay pots and what ever else I have around that helps. Run off liquids are bottled up and used as liquid fertilizer and the charged char and clay is added to my sandy Florida soil

[@billwilson3665]

Terra preta.

[@johnliberty3647]

A version of it. I think I would need to add dead animals or bone/blood meal as well as other things. If I break a clay pot I crush it up with charcoal much like the Amazonian did when making terra preta.

[@HippyCheez11]

High desert grower here, I use Pine trees and Arizona Cypresses + pyracantha wood for my burns. Best thing ever for your permaculture!!! Pine needles + cypress best mulch & fire wood ❤

[@lmclrain]

Thanks for the video, would love to use it at my garden. The video was really well explained.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

glad it was helpful!

[@j.jacobson]

We use our cherry and hickory wood chips and various other fruit woods for cooking our food on the barbecue

[@gardeningbytheseatofyourplants]

Very pretty! I appreciate your channel. Keep it up! My channel doesn't have near the viewership yet , only 219 subs, but all we can do is keep grinding and putting out videos!! Well make it someday. Don't give up on your dreams!

[@joebobjenkins7837]

Another great source material, old heat treated pallets.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Yes indeed!

[@davidwallace9975]

Great video. I’m in Pinellas county and have a lot of bamboo. I will be doing this for sure. Thanks for sharing his trade secrets. Most people don’t share this type of information.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

glad it was helpful!

[@williamgair3230]

GREAT video but for small scale to complicated re inoculation. Pee on it, dump Grey water on it put in your garden. Don't sweat the small stuff. Re: Clumping Bamboo.... Great! MANY uses and NO it will not imvade.

[@paulkroll7616]

Best inoculation, just dump the biochar in your compost pile. Makes the compost last 300% longer. I present the inoculation because it gives me an opportunity to introduce gardeners to rock dust, worm castings and the soil food web. All great solutions. Thanks for the comment.

[@ajitthomas3543]

Fantastic Explanation and Good Presenter and Good Anchor. Thank you 🙏🏽

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Our pleasure!

[@JohnDoe-jn4ex]

Yup 👍

[@andyakomagaling8695]

This is good

[@DJ-uk5mm]

Spot on ! Perfect presentation…. Got yourself a new sub ! !

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Canuckistanian]

Cool video but a lot of the audio was quite quiet and muffled, have you considered using lav mics to pick up each individual's voice?

[@JohnDoe-jn4ex]

Yup 👍

[@cannabinerd9665]

Until it's charged Biochar is an empty bucket. Compost can be used to fill the bucket. They aren't the same thing and thus shouldn't be compared against each other like they are.

[@davidmurley1863]

I enjoyed your video. I’m in the process of building a house & moving to a small piece of land in the Withlacoochee Forest, in S. Sumter County. Most of the lot was cleared of trees by the previous owner. My soil is only about 1’ deep then fine sand. I’m looking forward to putting lots of Bio Char, Tilapia poop, sawdust, wood chips & compost into my soil then growing lots of native food plants. I’ve only made some “rough” charcoal on the ground by burning fallen trees then smothering the fire after a while with dirt then water. Then covering it with a tarp to keep the rain off it. I sift it then mix the char with all sorts of organic stuff. The ash I mix with a soil acidifier & the sand in the fire pit to be used later. I’m also filtering the pond water with chunks of Char which should be a perfect filter then adding that filter material back to the soil. 😊

[@paulkroll7616]

David, How is the project going? Come on out to our local Lake County Permaculture meetings, 7PM first Tuesdays at Fort Jeppsen Ranch in Howey-In-The Hills. We have a great group of homesteaders sharing information every month. I'd enjoy meeting you and we can chat biochar.

[@davidmurley1863]

I’m still building the house. Foundations poured. Tilapia are eating about twice as much as they did on August 27th when I got them. About 3 weeks ago. No dead fish! I’m harvesting the sludge from the bottom of the pond and pouring it right on the few plants I’ve started in the ground. I’ll probably show up at your meeting in a few months after the house is finished. I’m using a big paint stirrer to break up the char in 5 gallon buckets in a solution of pond sludge, powdered egg shells, leaf litter, fish emulsion & washed, decomposed seaweed. I dilute it about 10-1 immediately after stirring to get the tiniest particles in solution then immediately pour it on the plants. I ain’t killed nothing yet 😊🤞🙏

[@paulkroll7616]

@@davidmurley1863 October 3rd, 7PM, Lake Permaculture has Mr. Ko Chang, a local from Groveland presenting on dragon fruit. Should be a good meeting.

[@havenonearth1049]

EXCELLENT video!! Wonderful job!!

[@BlackCameleer]

Entrusting the entirety of one's hot composting endeavours merely to the carbon ensconced within biochar might, at first blush, appear to be a matter of unassailable logic, given its carboniferous essence. Yet, it behoves us to consider that the process of pyrolysis-this transformative alchemy-radically metamorphoses the very fabric of the organic carbon, such as that found in sundry 'brown' materials, transfiguring it into an incarnation of carbon profoundly more steadfast and impervious to the voracious appetites of microbial denizens. Augment your vintage vessel of decomposition with biochar, but not as a wholesale replacement of the browns. Whilst marvelously stable, this pyrolysed carbon confounds the microbes' usual digestion.

[@paulkroll7616]

Great advice. Labile carbon is important in your compost pile to power it's transformative biological processes.

[@BlackCameleer]

@@paulkroll7616 Splendid observation, indeed! Labile carbon is the elixir that animates those tireless microbial alchemists. Without it, their transformative work would undoubtedly continue, yet at a pace so glacial that it would test the patience of even the most venerable oak!

[@sgtrickards5683]

If you don't like using chainsaws to cut the bamboo, get you a battery reciprocating saw. I bought one and it changed my pruning game. Might help you also. Using that handsaw is a good workout but it's slow.

[@sandiamartin585]

Good job guys!! ❤

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

glad it was helpful

[@skitzochik]

compost is so much easier, food scraps is something we already throw away...no searching for stuff to burn. Some people live in areas where doing a burn is a huge fire hazard. He said its taxing on your body. Its just much easier to compost

[@paulkroll7616]

Adding only 10% biochar into your compost pile makes your compost last 300% longer in the soil. Biochar and compost work very well together.

[@kimzgunplauniverse4950]

I recommend sir the video about uling making in Philippines

[@johnbell891]

Amazing!!!

[@j.b.4340]

I’m in a prolonged drought. The lawn is gold, like straw. There’s a 30 foot ring of green grass. It’s an old burn pile.

[@paulkroll7616]

Older cultures were far more observant. The historic documents about char all describe the same observation as yours. Things grew best where there were concentrated fires. Thanks for sharing.

[@vipinbaliga7760]

Very helpful video. Thank you!

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kimzgunplauniverse4950]

In Philippines we used it..

[@rayjil7435]

You conducted your interview in such a superb way he would have glossed over thus full understanding is not achieved.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

glad the prompts made it more cohesive : )

[@CARODSLINK]

Ty

[@Karenperry-jc2dj]

I love hearing others opinion on different topics, bamboo originated from china, havent seen where they burn bamboo to add to their garden, but have always heard how great grandparents used wood ashes, literally burn wood to ashes, adding no other product, in there gardens, ashes contain iron aluminum manganese zinc boron potassium phosphorus and i think other minerals that plants need. Forgive me if i misunderstood the content of the video, but old ways are less complicated and more effective, (did he say to add sugar). This is just my opinion, have a great day.

[@paulkroll7616]

Japan has a long history of bamboo, bamboo construction and biochar. Bamboo and rice husk biochar were staple input for most rice farmers. And sugar and molasses are biostimulants for microbial activity, they replicate the natural plant root exudates.

[@anxiousbeachbums]

Might head out into one of many California burn area and pick up partially burned pine/fir/oak briquettes

[@Kokomo-tj9er]

How do you find there burn areas? Is there a list somewhere? Thanks,

[@anxiousbeachbums]

@@Kokomo-tj9er Honestly, just general knowledge of where fires have burned through the hills (40 miles east of here) in the last few years. Google Maps satellite images might help a bit. Don't know of any formal "burn area" maps, though they probably exist.

[@oreopaksun2512]

'Permanent compost'....mind blown! So, would we apply the charged biochar the same ways as we would use compost in the garden and containers? What would be the recommended first application ratio to "average" garden soil at the beginning of the growing season? And then....no more compost or worm castings? LOL. I thought I was just starting to get the hang of this composting cycle, and I have to go back to GO. But the bonfire looks like a fun activity, not so much in a Florida summer, tho. Thanks for all the info and material for thought.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

I would add what you can as your able but you would never go straight char or anything. Maybe up to 1/4 max but you don't have to get there over night. Especially if your incorporating into your normal composting efforts. Its definitely hot but can easily be combined efforts with a hang out fire in the fall/winter. Composting and worm castings are both still fantastic amendments. And as you continue to add them to the garden the biochar will recharge of sorts. No need to stop your standard operating procedures.

[@fenrirgg]

Nah, you still need the compost and mulch to charge and feed the biochar and the soil, because we can't take from the soil indifinetly, something has to go back.

[@oreopaksun2512]

@@fenrirgg Since the biochar will provide lovely crannies for more micro residents, I guess the growing population has to be fed so they can in turn feed the plants. Makes sense.

[@paulkroll7616]

@@fenrirgg What is wild is biochar makes the other labile carbon (leaves, branches, roots, compost, leaf mold, woodchips) resist decomposition. The garden may make sufficient carbon in place with a no till setup to maintain a 1.5% char, 1.5% labile carbon goal without ever adding more compost. Permanent compost is pretty accurate.

[@albertbell7120]

We can’t light fires in our allotments … it’s environmental against the policy 😂😂😂 iv burnt wood and added it to my garden for over 25 yrs … can’t beat it 🇬🇧

[@joebobjenkins7837]

12:00, thats only for a year. If you put it down over a garden area you can use it to kill off the weeds. Then plant next year and youre good to go.

[@janonthemtn]

It's also is reported to be great for chickens(in a fine grain form)

[@williamgair3230]

Yep it is

[@kristinatollefson3373]

Do you not have to crush it or chop it up into tiny pieces? Do you leave it in the chunks as it comes out of the fire?

[@paulkroll7616]

I do crush it up with the shovel some, but chunky is fine. There are pros and cons to crushing the biochar down to a small uniform size. Smaller pieces have higher surface area giving you extra holding capacity for nutrients with it's adsorptive properties. Larger pieces have higher water retention. I leave it the way it comes out of the kiln to maximize the water holding capacity. Our local soils are very sandy and could use the extra water. The char is very brittle, so running it over a 1/2" hardware cloth compost sieve will break it down quickly and leave you with a uniform size. Plus, I don't want to breathe the coal dust and I haven't seen any significant differences in plant growth trials. Thanks for your question.

[@sappir26]

When, how much and how often would you add this to your soil?

[@paulkroll7616]

Don't focus on how much, focus on designing an easy system to turn waste woody biomass from onsite or nearby into biochar and use all that you make. More is better. Be sure to run the biochar through a compost system before using it in the soil. There are biochar cookstoves or you can make it all winter long in a wood stove.

[@theteenagegardner]

Oh thats so great you have paul on your channel. But i have a question, i am writing a book and i am look for central fl gardens and homesteads and ect. And if i can interview you i would greatly appreciate it so much. I have been a big fan for like 2. And and a half years. I was not sure if i could contact you in any way like an email.

[@paulkroll7616]

@TheUrbanHarvest Do you have time to give this gardening youtuber from Lake County Florida an interview and tour of your urban homestead?

[@Cyclonut96]

@@paulkroll7616 this teenager will have to learn how to spell and properly write sentences and capitalization of letters first, before writing of book is attempted.

[@paulkroll7616]

@@Cyclonut96 Piss on biochar, not the ambitions of a 13 year old.

[@emylytle7149]

Do you use untreated woods, or any kind of woods will do? Thanks for the tips 👍😊👩‍🌾

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Yes cedar or cypress are the best untreated. This client didn’t care about organics so went with pressure treated.

[@paulkroll7616]

Yes, untreated wood only. I have even made biochar from heat treated pallets for a friend's garden. My favorite is clumping bamboo.

[@marcoloretto1185]

Terra Prieto!

[@benjaminbio5834]

Biochar is not a fertilizer but a conditioner of soil, it stores nutrients.

[@Auguur]

Looks like he had a better chance of cutting that rusty old saw with the bamboo. Time for an upgrade.

[@BeautifulEarthJa]

🤣🤣🤣

[@joebobjenkins7837]

Whered you get that ring?

[@federicomachon8841]

I use charcoal as a filter for my fish pond would that work? I don't use Facebook is their another way to contact Paul?

[@klauskarpfen9039]

11:55 and the raw material will still contain creosote-like compounds from charring, which act as antibiotic disinfection agents. It will take some months of exposure to oxygen and soaking with biodegradable fluids to populate it with fungi and bacteria before it becomes a habitable place for plant roots.

[@paulkroll7616]

The Carbon Offset Zone Series II/III is for the serious biochar maker. It will char all of your biomass completely. It might be be a better fit for you. Good Luck with your biochar!!! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqu7kIF5qLOWhtk

[@joelwatkins4377]

You can also buy lump charcoal that is free of any contaminates and crush it up to the correct size. Then add your nutrients and let it all soak OR add it to your mulch pile.

[@irmasanchez5274]

Lump charcoal? Do you recommend a particular brand? Thank you. B

[@joelwatkins4377]

Royal Oak is probably the most inexpensive that meets the criteria.

[@roncatlin7271]

i recently shopped for royal oak pellets. everyone had such differing prices but i ended up getting it from home depot. $35 for 2 20# bags & free shipping.

[@DakilangAtsoy]

I think you can do it more productively when you use the fire to for cooking.

[@paulkroll7616]

When we build the ecovillage we will use a heat exchanger to capture the heat in water and store it for space heating tiny homes during winter.

[@Thorny_Misanthrope]

Heavy metals are in wood and the substrate they grow in. There are heavy metals in regular woods ash.

[@franzwaltenspuhl8892]

So we use a wood stove for heat. I’ve been using the biochar from the ashes. I simply sift it. I hope that is the beneficial biochar that you are discussing.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Its close depending on the stage you catch it at, I've done that myself for years. When burned that way it may not have released all the water yet but its still a wonderful product for the garden (after inoculation of course).

[@TheEmbrio]

Check Edible acres on how they use a normal woodstove and get more biochar than just what could be found in ashes

[@Gabi-lt4mx]

​@@TheEmbrio I agree I'm using that way for 3-4 years. Using nutshells and all the small thing I normally through on my compost. Great and easy way to produce boichar.

[@MK-ti2oo]

We heat 100% with a wood stove and I use all the char from it the same way, I sift it, then it goes into our 5 gallon outside urinal (just my husband and I here, we don't take any meds and eat a whole foods, home grown diet) where it gets peed on for a few weeks, then it gets layered in to the compost piles. It's like rocket fuel for my gardens and greenhouses.

[@shelbidurham]

Awesome video!! I have an issue with grazon on the property we just bought. I’ve heard boo hat can help pull the herbicide from the soil? Any advice on that?

[@chiptom6461]

Lapel microphones are cheap. Best if sun is in your face (to camera's back). You should consider closeups which you can add (i.e., edit-in) at post production.

[@bonnieblenders4606]

I have so much pepper tree that has to be cut down. It's not good for firewood in general but how about for this? I'd surely love to see some benefit from it

[@paulkroll7616]

Yes, char all the brushy material less than 3inches in diameter. Be careful to keep the smoke away from your eyes.

[@CriticalThinking101]

So if I have a weed tree I want to get rid of, I can just pour charcoal around the tree as mulch.

[@jum5238]

I have some leftover oak. Can I use it for biochar, or is it too acidic? And what about pallet wood?

[@paulkroll7616]

Hardwoods are great for biochar. Heat treated pallets work well, just be prepared to spend all the time you saved by using pallets on getting the nails out of the char.

[@joylee7493]

Awesome video! I like all the detailed explanations of why certain things are done. I hacked my kettle grill and stuffed mulched the bottom to close the vents and made a little bit of biochar with branches. I don’t think husband or I want to burn our ground 😂

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

Fair enough. Perhaps on some pavers or something would work. He mentioned teaching classes to boy scouts were he would make it in a standard kitchen pot...

[@daviddroescher]

Joy Lee One of the things that pit burn dose is that it heats the native soil changing the paramagnetism( electric conductivity is improved) of the soil. Magnetic fields do not exist without electricity being present. They are opposite sides of the same coin therefore can not be discussed separately.

[@patriciamayhew6321]

What can I use that grows in Wisconsin? It gets very cold here and I have never seen bamboo growing here. What other types of wood can be used to make bio char?

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

any wood will make biochar. just try to look for an abundant or fast growing resource that is locally available. what do the farmers in your area cringe at as it grows up in their fields? that would probably be a start...

[@paulkroll7616]

If I were to plant 10 trees specifically to make biochar in Michigan, I'd probably go with the Black Locust. But I have no experience in Michigan, there might be something faster that pollards well for you up there. Chat up a local permaculture designer and ask them. Local experience is so valuable.

[@t.dig.2040]

I personally like using the weeds from my garden. dry weeds break up so nicely in my compost.

[@Howtofarmandgarden]

If you do not want to make your own, you can get FDA organic certified biochar or compost biochar mix from Genesis Biochar.

[@user-io3hy4zb4s]

I've usually heard that the carbon in biochar will eventually breakdown if the microbial life is healthy enough and there is enough nitrogen. It's not permanent but rather stable. Its structure doesn't change easily. The carbon structure is very stable but will eventually combine with other elements and convert into something like carbon dioxide. It is far better than compost alone, of course.

[@paulkroll7616]

The higher the temperature the longer the biochar will last in the soil. 1000 to 50,000 years.

[@johnepright56]

I'm in central Florida and would like a way to contact you and ask questions.

[@paulkroll7616]

How can I help?

[@thematrix3663]

I would have also added urine and manure. Good video.

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

We use it for composting toilets as well!

[@daviddelprince1059]

i am trying it first year in my potted tomatoes charging it with bat guano tea

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

nice, do a side by side so you can compare the results!

[@daviddelprince1059]

@@TheUrbanHarvest ok

[@jamohney]

Can I soak the biochar in worm tea?, if so, how long would you soak?

[@paulkroll7616]

You can soak the char 24 hours in water. Or soak the biochar in worm tea for 45 minutes, I don't want to let it sit in an anaerobic tea.

[@modernwelfare4053]

Can you use compost tea for inoculation?

[@JohnDoe-jn4ex]

Yup 👍

[@affinitybee8441]

Can ash from a pellet stove burning somehow be used to create biochar? I layer my pellet stove ash in the compost pile currently.

[@paulkroll7616]

No. The wood has burned the carbon in the wood pellets into carbon dioxide already. The ash will have potassium and some other minerals, but no carbon.

[@paulkroll7616]

Google: FabStove TLUD Clean Cook Stove

[@lindavan5330]

Great video. How is it applied to the soil once it is finished? For example how much do you play does it need to be dug into the soil or can it just be laid on top like a mulch? Thank you in advance for your reply

[@paulkroll7616]

Biochar will only improve plant growth when it is in contact with the plant roots. Crush it small if you are going to surface spread the char so that worms and water infiltration can easily bring the biochar down into the soil. The best use is in potted plant starts. A one time tilling of the soil could get biochar mixed into native soil well. Shoot for 2% in large scale farm soils and 20% in amended garden soils. A little at a time.

[@t.dig.2040]

I just mix it into my compost, then use it like compost.

[@tinytree100]

Have you considered using ground up coal as your wide range mineral source? The JAPANESE coal as a mineral source in bonsai.

[@paulkroll7616]

I wouldn't add extra hydrocarbons to my soil.

[@thatguychris5654]

Coal and charcoal and biochar are all different things. Coal I would avoid. Charcoal you don't add raw to soil. Biochar is added, but is a stable carbon structure. Unless exposed and burned, it with stay in the soil for 1000+ years as an inert "sponge" for the soil. Check out Terra Preta for this concept in action.

[@longleafdesign]

Do you need to add water when you mix the biochar with compost?

[@paulkroll7616]

Make sure the compost is saturated like any compost pile. A hard hand squeeze produces 2-3 drops of water.

[@fungdark8270]

So I can make charcoal and take morning wee’s on it for a couple weeks?

[@paulkroll7616]

Yes. Stop flushing that nitrogen into the rivers.

[@sebyjoseph3075]

Can we use coconut shells for making biochar?

[@paulkroll7616]

yes, you would want a retort type kiln for making biochar from coconut shells.

[@johnradcliffe8115]

I collect charcoal left over from camping fires and burn offs (mainly eucalypts, acacias etc), then wash off any ash and add to my compost. Is this good or not? Any comments gratefully received.

[@paulkroll7616]

I would continue to do it. Just be sure to compost it well.

[@StanOwden]

instead of an open flame oven, can this be done in a pyrolysis chamber?

[@t.dig.2040]

Yes, though the pit and quench approach allows for huge batches. And the quench helps break up the Char. The retorts give the best quality char, but it's for the soil so perfection doesn't matter.

[@paulkroll7616]

Yes, The barrel in barrel retort chamber is popular but difficult to run. And you only make around 10 gallons per burn. Bigger retort kilns get expensive quick, but allow you co capture the wood vinegar as a byproduct. For the backyard the flame cap kiln is the best process.

[@danbergdoll6800]

Do you know if you burn clean mulch if you would get the same results?

[@TheUrbanHarvest]

You can technically but it is much more challenging to maintain the temps and add enough fuel for it to not ash.

[@t.dig.2040]

I use my seedy weeds, but dried cheat grass would be impossible to cook in a pit. So I use improvised retorts. I like being able to take a cool cooked can and just dump it into the compost and be done with it. No crushing or sifting.

[@paulkroll7616]

Moisture content is the big problem with burning woodchips. I will throw in a few buckets of chips during dry the end of the dry season, but if the chips are wet, the fire cools down and smokes. Bamboo is ideal and most homeowners are happy to give it away in exchange for maintaining the clump.

[@dmitriy2221]

What to do for those who live far from the rock mountains and do not have access to rock dust, where to get rock dust?

[@paulkroll7616]

Ask at a local stone yard. Decomposed granite is a material used for paver base and found across the US. A few 5 gallon buckets is enough for an entire garden.

[@broken10100]

For the 5 bucket ratio… It said 1 cup sugar, 1 cup castings, 2 cup oats, 1 handful of rock dusts. How much of the actual biochar? The entire 5 gar bucket minus the room for the added ingredients or ?

[@paulkroll7616]

Correct. And the recipe is not exact, but it is a great start. We are looking for nutrient and microbial diversity. Also add in what you have on hand, homemade compost, animal manures, blood & bone meal, alfalfa pellets, grass clippings, bagged leaves. The more diversity the better. Don't hold back.

[@cher-amirose7109]

thank you. @@paulkroll7616

[@cher-amirose7109]

That was my only question. Thank you for asking.

[@jemmafassett7926]

1- 5 gallon bucket of biochar

[@MartinGoblet-be]

Many thanks for this very instructive video. There is just a point I don't understand : what's the difference between goed charcoal I put in my compost and the bio-char ?

[@barneyrubble4827]

No difference if you're burning it correctly. Biochar implies a soil application, charcoal is a universal term.

[@MartinGoblet-be]

@@barneyrubble4827 Many thanks.

[@t.dig.2040]

Char is char, but once saturated with microbes, I am comfortable calling it biochar.

[@paulkroll7616]

Charcoal is made at a lower temp and will have residual hydrocarbons in the pores, (that give a charred flavor to your food). Biochar is heated to a higher temperature to remove all the hydrocarbons from the carbon structure.

[@klauskarpfen9039]

@@paulkroll7616 and you really believe that there are no unburnt or half-burnt pieces in a kiln?