Primitive Techniques to Make Biochar Soil Amendment (episode 3.1)

A new era of Primal Tendencies is beginning. The lessons (failures) of the past will be used for success in the future. This year I am determined to do all I can to improve the odds for a successful garden and create an abundance of food. Healthy soil is key and biochar is said to be an excellent amendment to improve nutrient and water retention in soil. Let's see how it goes!
Biochar: Charcoal made by burning wood or other biomass in an oxygen-deprived environment until only carbon remains.
My social media links:
Instagram @chadzuberofficial
Facebook @chadzuber
Key moments:
00:00 Introduction
04:30 Bow drill friction fire
01:43 The first method: ground fire
08:14 The second method: pit fire
13:39 Making a big clay pot
16:43 The third method: kiln/pot fire
21:08 Conclusion
Drums of the Deep by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/...

[@user-js6cx2cz8b]

Hi Chad. I live in the wilderness myself. The best thing I use to grow vegetables is animal manure mixed with mine. Basically any animal manure is good for soil. Let yours dry in the sun and mix it with charcoal or animal manure if you can. Soil in arid lands usually lacks of nitrogen, potassium, and other minerals. But you also need to keep it moist which is perhaps the biggest challenge. Peeing is an option. Where you see a big tree, dead vegetation etc watch out for the rich soil around. Over time dead leaves turn into compost and form layers, again due to lack of rain it can be a challenge to dig it out. But once you obtain the compost, mix it with your less favourable soil and charcoal. Charcoal should help kill unwanted mold and parasitic eggs in the soil.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I have also been collecting animal waste and mixing it into the compost pile. The compost pile wasn't shown in this video but it has been shown in some previous videos. Keeping the soil moist is definitely the biggest challenge here. I'm going to work on that task soon. What you said about peeing is really interesting because there is a small area around the big dead juniper tree where I regularly have been peeing and since I started here there has been a significant increase in plant growth.

[@1123pawel]

@@ChadZuberAdventures Urine has a lot of nitrogen, it can be too much at times. Urine also promotes microbes.

[@Chr.U.Cas2216]

@@1123pawel You simply have to store it in a closed container/bucket and let it ripe until there is no more smell. Then it's okay and harmless to use as a fertilizer. Best regards, luck and health in particular.

[@1123pawel]

@@Chr.U.Cas2216 I believe aeration prevents unpleasant smells by promoting growth of aerobic microbes which are great for plants.

[@DDeden]

In both baking biochar and composting refuse, increase heat and reduce oxygenation and dehydration by covering loosely.

[@shawnfromportland]

Season 3 let's goooo Chad this year be sure to keep all your soil well-covered so the roots can be thermally regulated and the nutrients remain protected from the sun and wind. Use bark or the local underbrush and mulch all exposed soil like 6+inches. You will have success this year!!

[@WilliamScavengerFish]

Sounds like dry farming.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes! I am going to go really thick with the mulch. I only used about an inch of mulch the last time and the plants just got burned up. Thanks for the tip!

[@thehiddenyogi8557]

Yes, the dirt should not be naked.

[@Murphy-gu1sm]

It's so interesting more or less watching how early humans lived. Like all the challenges our species had to overcome is insane, simply putting dinner on the table was a quest in it's self.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

At the basic core, life is all about the food.

[@rickjames7391]

I really enjoyed the mouse nest tinder bundle. Little dude didn't even know he was gonna help out.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Hahhaha, the mice are my little helpers.

[@KampungMajesticLife]

Mr. Zuber i have to Say You're the Real Survival Content creator i watched for 5 years, your authentic tool is the Real deal Please keep Educate Us your Viewers with your primitive way of life Thank so Much for your Hardworking You're Deserve Master of Survival title 😊😊 Ora Et Labora... 🎉🎉🎉

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thank you so much! This content is all for you. Thanks for all your support.

[@KampungMajesticLife]

@@ChadZuberAdventures thanks my man, Keep Authentic n keep primitive just like Squidward said 🍻🍺😁✌

[@hotepshillbilly1860]

I use biochar all the time. I find it is best for me to make the char and then add it to the compost pile for it to develop. Adding the mix has much better results than fresh char or compost alone added to the soil. The good soil bacteria have time in the compost to inoculate the charcoal. Great video, and I'm glad to see you're back!

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thanks for this information. I don't have much time before planting so I'm going to add the compost on top of the biochar and then put the earth over it. Hoping for the best!

[@user-gf3ds8hc2t]

Every man s dream is living a life like this

[@kysbuver2668]

I have a small farm. We use food waste, leather excrement, fallen leaves, ashes, and seashells after finely grinding and maturing them. We make dark-colored soil as much as possible and grow crops in seedbeds. We water often and grow pumpkins and potatoes when the temperature is cool in the evening. I am watering on time. Cover the ground with fallen leaves.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I also have a compost pile where I throw food waste, leaves, ashes, and animal poop. I will be adding the compost to the soil.

[@madmo1922]

So happy to see season 3 kicking off!!

[@slimpwarrior]

Yay to more building! Thank you, Chad!

[@darriendastar3941]

I live in a clay-rich area. We use a variety of ways to break down and enrich the soil. We use compost, vegetable food scraps and layers of leaves. If you have a supply of sand nearby, that is also a blessing that cuts down on a lot of work later on. All of that has to be mixed into the soil. It's a *lot* of hard work and it takes several months before you see any benefits. We also find plants that break down the soil as they grow and plants that put nitrogen into the soil (rather than take it out). As most of those plants round here tend to be pernicous weeds, you still have do a lot of weeding when you're growing food crops. Obviously, it also takes a lot of blood, sweat, tears and swearing to recondition soil. So I wish you the very best of luck! Another great video, Chad - many thanks.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

There is plenty of sand in the wash. I'm planning to grow beans and they will put nitrogen in the soil. The biggest challenge is going to keep the soil moist enough during the hot dry months of April, May and June.

[@jobo4756]

@@ChadZuberAdventures I have heard for hard or clay heavy soil Potatoes are really good for breaking the ground down and enriching it to make it more suitable for other crops/plants

[@obuw1]

@@ChadZuberAdventures please keep in mind that beans (and other legumes) only put nitrogen in the soil if they are inoculated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (or if the soil already contains such bacteria). I'd make sure to ask about this when buying seeds.

[@Templarium]

Glad to see you back!

[@1123pawel]

Apparently pouring water on hot charcoal activates it, giving it a much higher surface area. Industrially this can be done using steam at high temperatures.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

So, does this mean that simply burning wood until the flames get low and then throwing water on it would be the best method?

[@1123pawel]

@@ChadZuberAdventures I think so. It partially activates the charcoal and also causes it to shatter, making more surface area for microbes.

[@zinckensteel]

@@ChadZuberAdventures For biochar meant for soil improvement, YES! And the more filthy the water, the better, assuming no one has cholera...

[@HamkkeTogether]

I was waiting for a new season. Can't wait for the adventures and learnings of this Primal Tendendecies season.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

It will be a good season!

[@robertwilson5575]

High southwest desert is always my favorite place to spend time. I do look forward to this season. Best wishes on the soil building and the three sisters…

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I love it here. It's a harsh terrain but so mysterious and beautiful.

[@AmauriPoyntz]

Season 3 is off to a good start Tarzan can't wait to see some more fun vids from you keep it up and stay strong

[@booton31]

Excited for Season 3!

[@bushcraftskill]

Im so lucky to see your channel 🎉

[@Engulfing_Darkness]

Quite impressive, Chad. I cannot add much to the methods you've experimented with, but should work considering that people have been using the burn method for centuries. Back in my dad's village, in Armenia, people would collect and dry cow/horse/donkey manure in a collective pile . Once it was completely dry, it would be fired and allowed to smolder for some time. The fire would then be put out by starving the smoldering pile of the air (I don't remember what the method was used), and eventually it would be used as soil enrichment.

[@privato9238]

Quite fitting that i saw yesterday a new video of the Channel "Cody'sLab" in which he makes BioChar out of Cow Dung 😁👍

[@richardschneider4775]

it is a valid method for most to burn the manure to soil gardens or farms............BECAUSE...................Cow horse donkey manures. The later two more so, all have active weed seeds in the manure. The seeds are soften by the digestion and even dry manure can turn a garden to a weed patch in a single season. BUT BURNING kills most of the weed seeds and releases carbon loses water bulk but better for the soil and weed free

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thanks for sharing this knowledge. This is great!

[@1123pawel]

@@privato9238 Just what I was thinking.

[@user-js6cx2cz8b]

Hi, I don't think you need to burn the manure pile in hot and sunny climates. It is advisable to burn and smoke-choke the pile for any parasites and mold if there is no sun or you cannot be bothered to rake and turn the pile over to let the sun dry it thoroughly. Since it is done when the pile is still slightly moist, the burning process takes days and sometimes over a week depending on the methane levels. You just need to make sure there are no inflammables, dry grass, dead vegetation nearby.

[@Alex19-69]

Aquí en España tradicionalmente se ha utilizado una mezcla de las dos últimas técnicas. En el fondo de un agujero, se introduce la leña (preferiblemente madera dura) y a continuación se tapa todo (en forma de montículo) con una mezcla simple de barro o arcilla dejando un par de canales de ventilación para que la combustión se realice de manera adecuada. Una vez la madera haya alcanzado el estado óptimo de la carbonización se deberán tapar dichos canales para ahogar el fuego e impedir que el recién creado carbón acabe consumiéndose. I've tried this method myself a few times on my land with holm and cork oak and it yields epic results. Also thank you for the effort that's always put into your projects, I've been on your channel for years and it's always a pleasure to come and watch your videos, keep up the good work!

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thanks for sharing your experience with me. I recently watched a video that I believe used the same technique you described. I'm going to try and replicate that technique.

[@Alex19-69]

@@ChadZuberAdventures kzbin.info/www/bejne/goHdYYOVhLyVZpo Here is a documentary film by the great Eugenio Monesma which describes this method but on a larger scale, I hope it is useful for both your research and practice.

[@LinneaofBorealis]

This KZbin channel is perfect.

[@markgibsons_SWpottery]

We use the smothering method, but we smash the charcoal down and cover it with flat rocks before we bury it, because when we dig it back up, it takes a long time to get the soil separate from the bio-char. We just dig up the flat rocks and keep most of the soil from reaching the charcoal! It is the best all purpose fertilizer for food!

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

That makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing.

[@nikosup3820]

You sir. Are a freaking genius.

[@milja903]

So good to see you trying out gardening again! I look forward to see how things will turn out. - Out of the three methods, I would use the second, as quantity is perhaps more important than quality when you are building up a reasonable sized garden bed. Smaller quantities of high quality material can be reserved for potted plants perhaps.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

That's what I am thinking too.

[@Tabonaasmr]

Genial documental, didáctico, inspirador, te quedas lleno de sabiduría y aprendizaje para buscar soluciones, Gracias Chad👏👏👏

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Muchas gracias!

[@lindaseel9986]

Amazing techniques. We have been discussing biochar here. You always teach me something new.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I'm still learning too

[@PRINCESSDREAMYLYN]

I'm going to make several suggestions... bare with me there's a motive to my madness lol it may help in several ways. From what I've watched others do making bio char and the best method I've seen to date is using 2 cans crimped in the middle to form a tight seal when shoved tightly together with a small hole in one end of one of the cans. being you're using a clay pot I'm going to suggest you make a new pot. with a very small hole in the bottom of it. stuff the pot with wood or manure what ever you find you want to burn even bark stuff it full. then turn it upside down, using mud to seal the top of the pot to the ground, bottom up with the tiny hole at the top and build a fire around it and let it burn until nothing comes out of the tiny hole. that is were the gasses will escape. you can scrape all the coal away from it and let it cool down before turning it right side up, that mud around the bottom should keep the fire out yet get hot enough to turn the wood to char. maybe keep the lid under it so the crack around the lid doesn't let air in when the mud is packed around it and seal to the ground. David the Good showed using tin cans on his channel recently your pot method i think could work the same way. key is to seal it except the small hole in the bottom that becomes the top when turned up side down and sealed to the ground with the mud. now for the watering issues prepare your soil and compost to feed the plants. Then you can make clay oyas (look them up so you get idea how they are made). You bury them in the ground next to the plants you want to grow in the soil you prepare for the seed. fill the pot with water and it will seep out and water goes right to the roots. leave the top of the oyas sticking up enough to refill as needed. this is said to save up to 70 percent of the water and goes to the plants rooted near by. Prickly Pair cactus could be a good friend planting near it. it pulls water up to the surface as well so planting near a patch may help in dry weather. just an idea. I've never tried it how ever I've heard it seems to help plants near it grow in the desert even at the driest times. Also rocks can shade the ground and prevent some of the evaporation of water used as a mulch. Dry grasses and weeds (best to shake them well to keep as much seed out of the garden as possible) wood chips, bark, leaves and any vegetation you can pile around the plants like a heavy mulch. bark could be layered on top to slow evaporation and cover the mulch under it from drying up to fast as well kind of like how your roof keeps water out and in this case keep water down where you want it. dig shallow canals so when it rains water is diverted into the garden area to sink in. Also as the mulch breaks down it becomes food for the garden plants. hope this gives you ideas. I've used 2 liter plastic bottles long before i heard about oyas in my large pots with smalls holes to water and it worked well. so i know that works well in hot dry climates.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. Yeah, I see your point on using the pot turned upside down with a small hole on the bottom, just like when making char cloth. Regarding ollas, I have a few small ones that I made two years ago. I'm also making bigger ollas to place in the garden this year. And like you mentioned, I will be diverting water down the slope right to the garden as well. There was a prickly pear cactus growing next to my garden area but it died. The prickly pears don't grow well on the north facing slopes here. They grow excellent on the south facing slopes. And I will also be mulching heavily, as so many people have suggested. Thanks again!

[@PRINCESSDREAMYLYN]

@@ChadZuberAdventures no problem. I think you will do better with the garden this year. I did a search on veggies that grow well in the desert. seems there's lots of good ones out there. things i would have never guessed. Best of Luck ♥

[@Daniel_Plastiak_Crazy_Adventur]

Hi Chad. Great dynamic video. Educational and useful. Good job. Thanks for this video. 😀🖖👍

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thank you so much!

[@sushilxalxo6471]

this types of principle to how to make the bio charcoal process in between timelines. So good & I👍it. This natural things are easily available in surrounding areas.

[@ekotalo]

Can't wait to see you apply it on soil

[@leonisantos5776]

🩷✨️🩷gosto muito de ver CHAD fazendo fogo. Parece mágica. Abraços 🇧🇷

[@nils-peterwihlney8732]

As some people have mentioned. IT would be more efficient to use the kiln itself as your container. Simply by making a lid for the kiln, you could make a larger amount of charcoal. I live by the coast so my knowledge is not very fitting but I think you should try to burn whatever unusable bone parts you can find. Even whole rotten animals or fish can be gathered. Either let them rot in a compost pile or burn the bones and rotten animals into ash. Bone ash is very nutritious for plants, and bone meal as well but it is much more difficult to make. You could travel along the river or just the areas around the trees in search of more bones or dead animals to burn. There is also the option of making a fire pit by the river and simply making a small watering stream which you can just block off until you need the water in the pit. Burn wood and other such materials in the pit, open the waterway, and let the fire get doused. Let it dry out enough for you to get the ashy mud in some container and carry it back home. Not ideal but it would make it easier to make. Though the distance is probably going to be an issue. Sorry but that's all my brainstorming came up with.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes, I'm going to try to make a large clay lid to cover the kiln. That would work well. It is a long way to carry heavy containers from the river so I will be making everything here. But bones could be burned here too and ground into meal. Thanks for the tips.

[@spidey885]

Yes, i want more of gardening

[@420mutilation]

enriching the soil with ash and biochar will surely help, however keep in mind that biochar is rich in potassium and phosphorus that are needed more at flowering, in the initial vegetational stages nitrogen is crucial, so natural compost is the way to go, awesome content!

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Both will complement each other well then.

[@Arruda230]

Ola Chand, já estava sentindo falta dos seus vídeos. Valeu por postar esse vídeo

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Obrigado !

[@suitichoserdomaier4675]

Por isto que eu gosto do seus vídeos, estamos sempre aprendendo alguma coisa de utilidade

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Obrigado!

[@bartbounds563]

Enjoy your authenticity and approach. My 8 year old son looks up to you as well. Be it known, his digital life is very restricted. Thus that he even knows you exist is a miracle. On biochar, as a long time grower and soil freak. It is great stuff. Even better, bone char. Same idea but with bones. From the Yukon.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Bone char.... I never heard of that. That's awesome. What is the difference in composition?

[@Tabinda_khan4232]

I am watching your all videos i love it

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thank you

[@user-fk4kg1hg9f]

ฉันชอบวิธีการ เอาชีวิตรอดของคุณ ในท่ามกลางป่าใหญ่ คุณเก่งมาก คุณยอดเยี่ยมมากจริงๆค่ะ❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊 ฉันส่งกำลังใจ ไปช่วยคุณอีกแรงนึงนะคะ ด้วยความหวังดีค่ะ ขอบคุณค่ะ❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

ขอบคุณ

[@KampungMajesticLife]

Sawasdeekap .. KrapKun Thailand 🎉🎊🙏🇹🇭🇹🇭🇹🇭☸️

[@maruserrano5418]

Vaya excelente esa tecnica , mis abuelos practicaban eso nunca entendi porque, solo decia pirque si.Gracias por la informacion saludos desde Peru.

[@dolphinamoon]

I used to use it every fall on my garden. Living in the desert, all we had was Kaleachy. Horrible for growing plants. We had a lot of big trees in the yard. We would wait for them all to fall. Then place them ontop of the garden. And add twigs and a few arm sized logs. Set it all on fire. Let it burn for about a hour or two. Use the hose and water it until we saw no more flames. Lit coals yes, but no flames. Then we barried it. Usually did this in October and in November we added in horse manure. By March it was ready to plant. I also added blood meal in under each seedling, when I split them up later on. I grew from seed, directly in the soil. I had great success with this for many years. My garden was about 40x40 foot. And it provided most of the vegetables for my family through the year. Family of 5. I found that squash, tuck the best. But we had onions, beans, carrots, beats, peppers, and tomatoes to spare every year. I never tried corn, however I saw others struggle with it. After dealing with it as a child on my grandparents farm, I didn't want to mess with the bugs, and pests from it. We were poor and I didn't think I could afford to buy all that stuff. I'd suggest a compost, and mix it with the soil it really makes a difference. Good luck.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thanks for sharing all this great information! I have a compost pile but I think I need more of it. I'm collecting animal dung from all over this place and will be adding that to the soil as well. I'm starting this garden earlier this time, hopefully it will be established enough before the intense heat begins in May.

[@hugendubel17]

Really cool to see you exploring biochar! I teach farmers in subsaharan africa how to produce great amounts of high quality biochar as part of my job using the second method you have demonstrated. For a better result I suggest you start with a small fire in the pit and to constantly feed it material, so that there are always flames present. When you want to end the process, wait for the flames to die down and then pour water down the sides of your hole. Flames are a sign of unburned oils, which could be unhealthy in a soil amendment. The water poured down the sides is not for quenching, it will evaporate and the steam will flow through the biochar, cracking open its pores, wich increases the surface. Then cover or quench. Easy way to test for quality is to rub some biochar between your hands and then rinsing them with water. High quality biochar should be able to be rinsed of completely just using water. Wishing you great success!

[@iOANHRISTOSSTEF]

Primordial!

[@zinckensteel]

When converting an old hard-packed lawn into a garden I found my best results with digging a long, narrow trench, and building a fire in it, burning brush and branches with old cooking oil drizzled on to help get things started. Once I have a nice coal bed going and very little uncharred wood, I quench it with pond water and compost tea, then place the sod upside down, grass toward the steaming coals, and top off with the remaining dug soil and/or other basic amendments. Everything I've planted in such a space has done very well. I think of it like a biochar/hugelkulture hybrid. Note: you show how to make good charcoal, but that's not necessarily the first step in making good biochar. I know water is a precious resource for you, but without steam cracking none of the charcoal becomes activated, whereupon it can act as a molecular filter and biofilm scaffold, holding on to water to keep your symbiotic microorganisms alive and ready for your crops when you are. You could adapt the one-pot method by using a long-necked funnel of some sort to add a pint of urine to the still-hot charcoal batch, hopefully the vessel will take the shock.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Someone else mentioned adding steam. When researching this I found many inconsistencies. Does the charcoal have to be hot when water is added? I suppose then I would do the trench method like you describe and throw water and compost tea on it. I could also do the same with the pot. It should be able to take the thermal shock. Pottery from this land is really strong. Thanks for your advice.

[@zinckensteel]

@@ChadZuberAdventures Adding water when the charcoal is still glowing hot will convert some of it into activated charcoal, which makes better biochar, and (I think) the hot water vapor helps wet the charcoal overall, which can be quite hydrophobic. If you do a small test batch and compare its ability to remove dye/odor from water to that of slowly cooled charcoal, the results should speak for themselves. When it comes to biochar, may as well combine the steam cracking with the bio-inoculation.

[@petepeterson4540]

yes I have tried this not much success but I will watch you your fish in the stream and other organics play a vital role in growing.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes, in the spring I will catch more fish and mix the remains in the compost pile.

[@user-bl8ik9xm9e]

Great to see a new season. Have you thought about using your clay and making olla's? That will slow release the water through the terracotta. also plant in a oyramid so the water runs down into lower plants and keeps the shade but less space. plant the olla's in there. Have a great season.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes, I made a few small ollas two years ago and I'm making bigger ones this year. You will see soon.

[@Ralf-pi6zq]

Gracias por los subtitulos en español❤saludos desde Sonora,Mexico 🤠.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

De nada. Saludos!

[@ladyofthemasque]

Just a reminder, folks, when it comes to igniting fires on--or in--the ground, know your local conditions & any related prohibitions. I live in western Washington, which has a LOT of plants with roots that are rich in pitch. We aren't allowed to build ground fires or dig and set fires in pits because of the risk of causing those roots to ignite, smolder, and potentially flare up into a forest fire days--or even weeks--later...and you'd be surprised how far those root systems can get a smoldering ember to travel! (If we want to have an in-ground fire pit, we can, but it has to be built in such a way as to insulate the roots in the ground from the fire's heat (steel drum ring, cement ring, thick layers of sand & gravel lined with firebricks, etc), as well as the ground for some distance around the open edges of the pit will need treatment to prevent sparks from catching on surface plants. Not every region has these restrictions, of course, but it's wisest to look up what they are. Not just to avoid getting a hefty fine, but to understand what the hazards are.)

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes, always be super careful and respectful of local laws and conditions. Here I am very aware of all that. The ground was still moist and the weather cool. Soon I won't be doing fires like this because of the dry hot weather.

[@ladyofthemasque]

@@ChadZuberAdventures I'm actually glad you're able to do stuff like that in your area. I just...can't. Which sucks, because one of the things I want to do is primitive pottery firing. That's best done outdoors in a backyard...but no ground fires, no pits, and I cannot afford an electric kiln, alas. Oh! This is a YT short video by Millison explaining where water sits on the land, and can help your other viewers understand where the water for that spring comes from: kzbin.info1UIn5aJBqFc?si=FPrpv1VMKJKSVBEa Millison's really good at explaining these things (he does teach it, lol), so it might be something to look into for your own area. I don't know what you can do locally (only you know what restrictions there may be on land use in that region), but even small things like little single-layer-deep lines of half-buried stones to help slow runoff can actually do quite a lot to keep water on the upper slopes. (Half-buried means the water won't "drop" off the far side of the stones, so it won't cause erosion on the lower side, which obviously is something that needs to be prevented.) It doesn't even have to be a huge deep trench for a swale-on-contour. Just something to slow the water down with a little bit of stone placement. Water is your most important resource after all, so I'm always thinking of ways you can conserve it in the land locally. The ollas certainly will help, too. Here's hoping you get a really good soil going for your second garden!

[@noonenowhere6920]

Halfway to Terra Preta. I would use the pit method. I'd add all of my waste also. Broken pots, Bones and feces.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes, I want Terra Preta.

[@doanminh8792]

According to Vietnam's ancient agricultural experience, we use fertilizers discharged by humans as well as animal feces to irrigate and fertilize plants and vegetables. So you should dig a hole and burn wood, dry leaves, take kitchen ash, pour it into the hole and when you go to defecate, you also pick up animal feces, compost it well for a while and then fertilize the trees and vegetables very well. You urinate in a piece of soil, then you dilute that urine to make it spicy and vegetable, it's great.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes, I've read about using human waste as fertilizer too. That's a very good idea.

[@TheMikuma]

I've made some charcoal myself and I think you can improve the water techique a lot. Use thicker branches only for that and dig a bit of a hole down. Make sure to stack the branches well and as soon as all of the branches have ignited you pour some water on top. This will use quite less water and will give high quality yields. Keep in mind my harvests were done to use in experimenting with metals so you might not need that high quality charcoal for gardening. In general the soil covering method is the most straightforward but takes a lot of manual labour and you have some losses when retrieving the charcoal but this can be solved by just using the whole soil that you used to cover with as you're gardening anyway.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thanks for your insight. Yeah, the pit where I burned the branches is actually where I will be planting. I plan to dig a trench, burn the wood, throw compost tea on it, then cover it with organic matter mixed in the existing soil. Does that sound good?

[@renate2109]

we love you!

[@bensabelhaus7288]

I actually just did this myself a few weeks ago in preparation for my second season of experimental archaeology on potatoes. I have Ozette potatoes that I'm growing more inland where river trade was common anyway. So I'm growing them using available materials with known techniques but modified slightly. Instead of seaweed which would be a resource to trade for, I'm using various mosses and fern duff for mounding with soil I'm improving with burnt Douglas fir bark and other natural waste such as bones and such and composting other yard waste and mixing it in. This year I'll be doing a mix of three sisters with some peppers (all adapted to the region, nothing ancestral) in addition to some of the potatoes and tobacco. All plants from a similar region and accessible through the same trade networks (in theory no evidence)

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

That's really awesome! I wish you a lot of success with your crops. I hope you'll share your experience with me later on.

[@bensabelhaus7288]

@@ChadZuberAdventures Thank you :) I learned a lot from last year both in how to do it as well as how and what to record for data. Took too much at some points and nothing at fairly important points like flowering. I got too excited and was more concerned about pollination and trying to get seeds. Totally blanked, did not record dates, temperature, pictures or anything lol This year I intend to keep the data on a blog as I record it in my notebook and upload pics and such before they get lost. Minor important stuff for experimental archaeology lol Data and notes has always been an issue for me (Autistic among other stuff) Good luck and stay safe out there Chad, Ben

[@dwaynewladyka577]

This was very interesting. I would use the clay pot method to make the bio char. Cheers, Chad!

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thanks

[@user-fg4cp8ud2z]

Hello Chad, I am writing to you from Russia in one of the old episodes you went to the pine forest if you remove the upper dry soil layer, a more fertile soil will open, it will help you 100% it is nutritious and holds moisture longer because you do not have water reserves for watering and the river is far away. Follow the advice and you won't regret it

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I'm not in the pine forest now. It is far away.

[@novasinger1624]

Before I dug a pit, I would have used the kiln. for which I would have made two covers out of clay to control the temperature and oxygen. It would be less work and tested in heat resistance.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

That is a great idea! So you're saying to pack the wood in the kiln, light it on fire, then at some point during the burn cover the top and bottom so that the flames burn out but the heat remains.

[@AaronC.]

@@ChadZuberAdventures basically yeah: the point is reducing the oxygen intake. Even easier method: improving on the hole method, stack wood tightly (less oxygen), place a large slab on top of the hole (or cover it with mud; the clay slab would work to save water in the process), light a fire inside and then put mud around wherever smoke comes out.

[@novasinger1624]

My thought was a sealed kiln would act as the clay pot and improve the amount of biochar. In Germany, traditional charcoal makers seal their wood with grass and soil. Over hours, they allow embers to smolder the wood in the hill from top to bottom. In the desert, the wood is drier and I think it will require significantly less heat.

[@nevillesavage2012]

Like making Char cloth on a large scale. Oxygen should not get to the material. You seal the material in one container then cook it from the outside to "char" not burn the goods :)

[@adelheidsnel5171]

I go for the third method 🔥

[@MarcosAlucena]

Meu chaaaaaad. 🎉🎉🎉🎉 Como está? Desejo que esteja melhor do que nunca. Felicidades, abraço meu querido.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Tudo bem, obrigado!

[@dyvimslorm6224]

Bonjour... Tout d'abord merci et félicitations pour ces vidéos je m'en lasse pas... Attention tout de même avec les résidus de bois brûlés et de cendres... Il ne faut pas en abuser... En effet, ceux-ci vont acidifier le sol et du coup de ne pas avoir l'effet escompté... Cordiaux messages 😊

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Merci. D'après ma compréhension, les cendres rendent le sol plus alcalin. Il y a beaucoup d'argile dans ce sol. On dit que les sols riches en argile sont acides. Les cendres devraient aider à équilibrer le pH.

[@dilrukgeethika66]

I made some bio char with pit method.. first dig a pit size of a 10 L paint bucket.. add some tinder to bottom and fire it.. fill the pit with 2 or 3 inch size wood cuttings (not so big or too small 3/4inch diameter size)after burning to the top(before wood become ash)close the pit with mud plaster.. after few minutes remove the top cover and pour some water to it. Then collect your charcoal and place it to dry somewhere.. after drying your charcoal mix them, you can hear nice glass sound.. then you can activate it mixing with cow/chicken /goat manure and water.. keep the mix few days to absorb fertilizers to charcoal. Newer mix anything that contaminated with your charcoal. Finally you can grind or make small pieces to use with your plants..

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience with biochar. I am learning so much from you and others. I really appreciate it.

[@glennwilck5459]

Ive made biochar a couple times now for large quantities the best thing is the pit method! Load it up and let it burn down and just keep loading wood ontop of it. The only layer that will burn is the top because no oxygen can make it deeper into the coal bed. Like a camp fire that you burn so much wood on it that you have a huge bed of charcoal that just wont burn! When the pit is full then you can cover with dirt to smother it.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Okay, I like that idea. Thank you very much!

[@denishrovat3464]

Hello. Nice video

[@soner818]

What you need to do in your area is to improve the soil food web, the microbiome (micro-organisms) in the soil. And not just add compost and mulch to the soil but to have a cover crop (plants) around your vegetables even if they are grass and weeds. You probably don't understand why, but simply put plants help one another. So plants that are suited the the arid conditions will help your vegetables that aren't suited to the desert. But importantly is to increase the microbiome with horse manure or other herbivore manure or earthworm tea. Also key thing to remember is diversity of plants, plant different plants together.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

There isn't a lot of plant diversity here due to the harsh climate. I have been adding manure that I find scattered on the landscape. The biochar is something that will help cultivate the microbiome. Earthworms probably don't even exist here.

[@chaiilu]

1. Dig a Hole 2. Add Wood BRanches 3. Let it burn 4. Cover the hole with a Large piece of clay lid. Then Close the gaps on the borders of the clay to level with the ground. This way the air will suffocate, and turn off the fire. And you dont waste water, nor waste time digging dirt in and out.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I need to make a big clay lid. Great idea!

[@bearnaff9387]

To be honest, during these water-rich months where you can shape the soil into a near-airtight form, building a pyramidal pile of stacked wood , covering it with soil, and then lighting the top seems like it should produce the most charcoal for each ounce of wood. The Primitive Technology guy built a small pile kiln like that with some air-holes at the bottom. He lit the fire, watched the lower holes, and sealed each hole when he could see the glow of the fire through it. When all the base holes were sealed, he sealed the top and left it for 24 hours or so. The biggest problem is that your scrub-oak brush will need a lot of breaking down to pack it tightly enough to make charcoal out of it. The quenched pile method does kinda work if you can pack your wood tightly enough. It may be worth making a whammer/hatchet to break branches if you want to preserve your better woods for cooking while making charcoal.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yeah, I need to smash those branches up into a tighter pile. Great tips. Thanks for sharing.

[@thehiddenyogi8557]

I have done the second and third methods. The first method is not burning wood in the absence of oxygen. It is putting out the fire with water. For the second method, I would burn more wood, bigger logs if you have them, and wait till you have a bed of glowing coals, lit from inside like glowing jewels, perfect for cooking.... and only then will I cover the coals with dirt. The third method I have done but using closed oil drum inside a kiln. Third way is the best. But second way is easy, and it happens naturally as well, for example, you can have a fire to cook with and when you are done cooking you can bury the coals. One method is to spread dirt out on a sheet or towel and then when it is time you can simply lift up the whole sheet and throw it on top at once. Biochar is rich in carbon, but that is about it. As you know, it works because it has so many microscopic holes to hold water, nutrients, and microorganisms. It does absorb nutrients, which is good, but can be bad if you don't have many nutrients already, because it will suck them up. What I did was mix biochar with nitrogen rich compost, like manure, food scraps or green plants composting. After it composts enough (so it doesn't get hot anymore) I add compost worms. They eat the compost along with the biochar and inoculate them with beneficial microbes during digestion. Then the castings are amazing after that. Inocculated. You can then add other things to your soil. Amend it with ashes to make it more alkaline and to add potassium (potash). Add eggshells or seashells for calcium. Grow nitrogen-fixing plants first, and in between other crops to replenish the soil. Such as beans, peanuts, etc..... Grow some comfrey and make a green manure with that. Recycle your nutrients. Use your humanure. Compost worms will eat any pathogens and make clean soil. Classically you would wait three months before using humanure, or any other compost/manure. One good way is to throw in some biochar over your shit after you shit in a hole. You can bury your old toilet hole when it is full enough and dig a new one nearby. Use the old toilet-hole as a garden bed. Biochar can be a vector in fighting climate change, if we made enough biochar and put it in the ground where the carbon belongs. It will stay there forever in the form of biochar.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Wow! Thanks for all this great information! I'm learning so much here. You clearly have a lot of experience in this matter. I really appreciate that you took the time to share with me.

[@shottiekingsw]

Watching this reminded me of a video i watched years ago about how, anglo saxons maybe? Used to make charcoal here in the uk. Seems similar to me.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yeah many different cultures developed ways of doing it.

[@flamingdragon4815]

Again nice video. I'd really be interested if your familliar with Ollas. Could be a gamechanger for this dry environment and a cool pottery project 🙂

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I already have some small ollas. I'm making bigger ones now.

[@joaquindufour5799]

Hi! I'd think there are 2 main things you need to do to enrich the soil. Lowering the PH level (in arid climates tends to be basic, and farm plants like it slightly acidic) and adding nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, the 3 basic nutrients that any plant needs. Always taking into account materials you may have there I think dired pine tree leaves from uphill will do it for PH. Then adding palo verde and mesquite (lots of them!) may contribute with some of the nutrients, but I don't know for certain. Love your content! Greeting from Argentina

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Palo verde is a legume so are you saying that adding the dried leaves and seed pods of palo verde would increase the nitrogen? Mesquite too? And pine needles to lower the pH?

[@joaquindufour5799]

@@ChadZuberAdventures yes! Palo Verde will be perfect for nitrogen then. Pine tree leaves for lowering PH. I'm not quite sure what mesquite can do, though.

[@DDeden]

Acorns are acidic, might help.

[@shipwreckjohn7427]

Where I live water would be easily accessible so the first method would work well here. The third method also works well and could be used to make char for helping start fires with a sparking method such as a flint and steel., or just a way to help as a fast-igniting coal extender like the punk wood you used to help with the bow drill fire. i have never been successful with the bow drill so kudos to you for that. i don't know if you follow Primitive Technology, but he uses the first method to make charcoal for a primitive furnace. i have really enjoyed your content and i have watched just about all your play lists. i also like that you respond to your viewers. even if it's just a like or thank you weather it is on this platform or the other forms of social media. thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Well thank you for following along. I learn so much from all of you. I've seen almost all of the Primitive Technology videos, as well as videos from other channels and social media platforms. That's how I first learned of biochar. I've been researching a lot and am ready to plant the garden.

[@Imsamhill]

Look up a documentary called “Greening the Desert” by Geoff Lawton. He using swales to catch and infiltration water into the ground and plants trees around the berms. This helps desalinate the sand and also recharge the groundwater. Not sure how you could do this primitively but it would be interesting to try.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I've seen some of that documentary. I'm learning and implementing little by little. I am committed to only using materials I find in nature, so no plastic, no metal containers, etc.

[@SnyperMK2000JclL]

From what I understand about making charcoal, which is basically what you're doing just with smaller pieces. The key with pit methods is to pack it tight with as few air gaps as possible then bury it. Leave a spot to start the fire and once it's burnt down to coals bury it fully. Let it go for a few days and check back later. So I'd assume that when using smaller fuel for charcoal you would want to apply the same principle. So that means lots of cracking and cruching to really pack the wood down. This will help produce more coals and less waste ash. The pieces can be crushed if you want them finer but the small chunks help with aeration, filtration and mold/fungal protection. While not necessary it's still a good idea to think about maximizing yields for such labor intensive jobs.

[@zinckensteel]

Bear in mind that superheated steam is needed to convert charcoal into activated charcoal, but you don't need a tube furnace or anything fancy if what you want in the end is biochar. Building a fire in a conical pit or narrow trench until the coal bed is glowing hot and quenching it with pond water or compost tea will convert a portion of the charcoal into the activated form, and impregnate it with water, nutrients, and all the beneficial microorganisms our plants rely upon. That moist, living material is biochar, not the dry glassy stuff that makes excellent fuel. The unburnt wood will host other fungi and insects, and keep the soil fluffy as they break down over time, leaving tiny voids.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Awesome tips here! Okay, I will use water or compost tea. I need to make more clay containers to hold water for this. This is awesome! Thank you!

[@bjoernkraft4483]

Whenever you fire a clay pot make biochar as an combination use the porous irrigation clay pot method more build a sunschade for the plants You can sink down the garden bed below ground level and build walls with the stones and extra earth against wind blows the moisture away Use mulch twigs dead grass as sun heat insulation and water retention protection blocks wind too (don't put it over your seed poits) 😉 my method of choice for a low irrigation garden sand and rivergravel ground in Germany

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Okay, that sounds perfect! I will make a sunshade and drop the garden a few inches and build low stone walls around it.

[@bjoernkraft4483]

@@ChadZuberAdventures I use the garden clippings twigs grass leaves ect. For mulch it lowers the water consumption

[@kekipark77]

ok, first, the new hairdo: i thought you were MacGyver. nice. second, lovin the time lapses! and third, i would go with the burying in the dirt method. seems the most efficient.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thanks and yes, the pit burn method seems to be most efficient.

[@henrydaubresse9652]

From what I've been able to read and the admittedly limited research I've done the pit method seems best, but I'd suggest you try the Brazilian technique of lighting the biomass from the top and letting it burn downwards into embers before burying them. This reduces smoke, therefore reduces CO2 and NO2 emissions, retaining those nutrients in the resulting biochar.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Thanks for that tip. I will do that.

[@user-dk6zn8zy1p]

Thanks new video

[@JustaKobold]

I would create a double walled furnace like the pottery kiln you have there, fill the interier with wood and seal off with mud then fill the outer wall with wood and light, its similar to the pot method but at a bigger scale and more permeant than a pot that may break.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I want to avoid making another big kiln for now but that does sound like a great idea.

[@gridinnozmu4358]

Me encantó este nuevo.capítulo amigo,por la.nueva huerta que harás,yo usaría el método de quemar ramas en el hoyo así puedes hacer más carbón para agregarlo en la Tierra,aparte de eso creó que es muy importante construir un techo que dé sombra al huerto ya que el calor es implacable en ese lugar.Además poner un riego de goteo.¡Felicitaciones!,se estrañaban tus vídeos.🔥🔥💪

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Gracias amiga! Sí, planeo poner un poco de sombra también. Todo es un proceso aquí y tomará tiempo para listar todo. Ando con la hacha a la talacha.

[@madmo_1148]

I'm going with the pit method

[@Wisald]

With pit method you can keep adding wood as it burns down to charcoal, it'll starve layers below from oxygen keeping charcoal below intact.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Okay, that's a good observation. I didn't think of that. Thanks for the tip.

[@MaianhPhungthi-lk2bn]

Video hay lắm bạn❤

[@cervic-mm8ri]

Maybe you could make a lid and a cover for the air intake of your big furnace and kind of use it as a big pot. Key would be to seal it very good and just leave some minor hohles at the air intake to keep it from buring but just so they convert nicely.. would be once a little hustle but over all you could make big quantitaties easily and have probaly less work than any other methods.. reaction would be nice.. love the grind, keep it up

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes, I need to make a big lid for it the kiln.

[@hammbone82]

i saw a video where large amounts of wood where put in a pile and covered with dirt leaving an opening slowing the wood to burn whole of the mound is covered with dirt and allowed to smolder with one small airway in and out the other side. once the whole of the pile had reduced in size and the form of ash appears around the whole of the burn it is completely covered entirely until the fire is completely out then uncovered to reveal all the bio char.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I saw a similar video. I'm going to try doing the same thing.

[@marcioeduardo6608]

Very well

[@user-js6cx2cz8b]

I always use the pit method. It is less cumbersome and you are guaranteed to not lose any charcoal during the process. I don't dig it too deep but work on a small square area usually 2m x 2m and half a ft deep. I grow eggplants, potatoes, chickpeas, beans and onions. Eggplants are very easy to grow and cook. I use tree barks to keep the soil moist. I bury the ones with fibres since they tend to suck in the moisture and help maintain cooler soil temperatures which plants like. I cover the surface with the bark shells, this also helps with moisture and temperature levels. I grow my peppers, basal, parsley, nettles and tomatoes in my terracotta pots. I started growing an igde tree (Elaeagnus) in my garden. This tree grows in central Anatolia (Turkiye) and it needs very little watering. The roots of this tree can store nitrogen and use it when nitrogen levels get lower. They look like jujube trees. The flowers of this tree smell truly amazing. I make igde tea in April and enjoy the fruits in June.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing your tips. I have never heard of that tree. I'm going to focus on making a thick layer of mulch. What do you think about using broken pieces of pottery like mulch on top of the soil too?

[@user-js6cx2cz8b]

@@ChadZuberAdventures Hi Chad. Using a thick layer of mulch is a very good idea but watch out for mold, fungi and parasitic bugs. Mold and fungi are not always a bad thing for plants but they may affect the roots of your plants and slow down their growth. If you notice any surface mold or fungi, you can replace the mulch from time to time. Ash should upset mold, fungi and parasitic bugs if you sprinkle on them. Insects hate smoke for a reason so if you regularly burn your firewood nearby, the smoke should discourage them. You can of course use broken pieces of pottery. Wood chips, barks and even straw, dead bushes and brushwood can also bring down temperature levels and help the soil stay moist. If you are growing zucchini, desert cucumber, beans etc you can actually throw small tree branches or bushes on top of them even before they begin to sprout. Such plants love climbing on top of things to reach the sun and this also allows their vegetables to grow off the ground. Bushes can also form a barrier and make it difficult for your unwanted guests to reach your (young and juicy) plants. (You can also make chimes from broken pieces of pottery and hang them here and there. The sound of them may scare off small rodents and birds)

[@user-js6cx2cz8b]

@@ChadZuberAdventures One more thing, if you have spare terracotta pots, fill them with water, close the lids and bury them in soil. If you are planning to make new terracotta pots, do not polish them. Unpolished terracotta pots are more suitable in this case. They will gradually release the water content in them.

[@kamdonworld2020]

Hi bro super video❤❤❤❤❤

[@dannave7816]

I'd use the traditional method to make charcoal. Stack the wood generally vertically to make a rounded topped cone structure. Plaster over with clay and earth, or a layer of vegetation covered with earth or mud. Leave holes spaced around the bottom and sides. Light the fire and once it is going well, regulate the air so it is oxygen starved as it smokes. Later close up all the holes till it cools. One would have to read up or experiment to perfect the air flow issues... This is how they did it in the mountains of north India when I was there as a child.

[@TaraSalgado]

PRIMITIVE MACGIVER 💞💞💞💞💞💞 BEAUTIFUL JOB

[@lorraineannheron3515]

Pit method, the soil incorporated already creating perfect growing medium

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I agree

[@alejandrotumbeiro4016]

Hello Chad, my name is Alex, and I'm from Argentina. I did an agro ecological curse I few years ago... and... watching your videos something popped up in my mind. Maybe is silly, but you can try... put a simple roof, not closed enough, so the sunlight can pass, but, the plants can have shadow as well. In cold places we use that to prevent ice on the plants... maybe here is the other way around, you can prevent sun burning... hope this can help, cheers!

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes, I did that before to reduce damage caused from heat and the sun. It works. Thanks.

[@greenterraindonesia6557]

Great...It will be better if You create cone shape at the soil pit... It will create vortex airflow to minimize oxygen and increase the Biochar production and quality...👍🙏

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yes, you are right

[@shawnfromportland]

You should do a compost tea as well this year, fermented local weeds and brush in a big pot of water

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

I will do that! I'm making a big pot now. I'm going to need a few of them.

[@arthursimard1312]

3rd technic is def the best one but you can do it on a larger scale for bigger batch

[@lorddiablo8575]

To my experience, the lighter the color of the soil, the less nutrients within. Whereas the darker color of soil contains more nutrients for plantation. Animal remains, burnt down trees or plants ashes, left-over food contain lot of nutrients. Human waste ( pee & poo ) diluted with water are also a kind of excellent natural fertilizer too .....

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yeah, they call that 'terra preta', black earth. My compost pile is quite dark.

[@Nathan-bh1nr]

ቪዲዮዎችህን እወዳቸዋለሁ ዙቤር ቀጥይበት

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

አመሰግናለሁ

[@sirtumasyan]

Сэр отличный горшочек для варки бульона😋

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Да, для этого тоже хорошо.

[@OfficialRamZ]

Well I don't get to do bushcraft type of stuff, I do garden though. Personally I'd be inclined to do the pit method, but doing so where I'd be planting my crops. This is so I wouldn't need to move the biochar from the other methods to the garden. In my opinion, the best farming is lazy farming. As in growing things where already successful food plants are successful, and plants near the needed resources (such as water), and in general just not needing to do more labor than needed. If you look around the topography, I'm sure you've noticed some spots that are a bit lusher than others.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Yeah, the area around my hut is actually lusher because I pee all over the place. I'm not kidding either. When I first came here it was more barren. Now that I've been working here it is lusher. Other than that I'd have to go down by the stream or to a spring that is about two miles away to find lusher vegetation with more accessible water.

[@Ang85323]

Id burn it in the pit with the garden. I always put wood ash on my gardens.. it really helps improve the soil

[@user-mq7hr6bc9q]

Привет, спасибо за видео🎉.

[@ChadZuberAdventures]

Спасибо за просмотр.

[@hatemfatahi1437]

❤❤