I remember when scientists first discovered the amazing Amazon soil that the ancients had made so fertile, even after hundreds of years. It was such a mystery as to how they had accomplished this. Thank you for your interesting and informative video.

@teamgay

9 ай бұрын

I heard about that... what did they find?

Black Soil Amendment sounds like a sweet metal band name.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Yeah, but what would their hit song be called?

@salazarpayne3784

5 жыл бұрын

This side of the dirt

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

@@salazarpayne3784 Nice one!

@g4nked

5 жыл бұрын

six inches below

@gutenman7112

5 жыл бұрын

@@REDGardens Diamonds in the dirt or in this case , Nutrients in the dirt .

This is the BEST presentation I've seen on making biochar. Most other videos have you making a kiln of one kind or another, which is simply not practical for many of us. He shows that all you need is the fuel and a pit in the ground -- the rest is just a matter of how you feed the fire.

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

@nguyenai1337

3 ай бұрын

But still too many Oxygen for this method.

I watched this a year ago, and forgot about it until now... Rewatched, and got me doing my own. Thanks Bruce.

This man is my gardening spirit animal.

@timobreumelhof88

2 жыл бұрын

:-)

Nice description here. I've been enjoying making biochar in cone pit for 5+ years and this method truly is ideal for diverse feed stock... One trick to offer up, in regard to getting a finer texture in your charcoal AND increasing efficiency... If you use the long stick you have for moving material around to really poke and agitate as the charcoal is being produced, you can pre-crush a lot of charcoal in the pit, help reduce ash formation, and speed up the whole process. Over time I've found I spend quite a bit of time poking/crushing/shifting material in the fire and at the end, the quenched material is often already a texture I'm happy with for inoculating and garden use.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the suggestion about using the stick. I'll definitely give it a try on my next burn.

@kdogg040

5 жыл бұрын

Dude! ^2 of my favorite youtubers! Thanks for the videos RED Gardens! I love your thoroughness.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

@@kdogg040 Hey, thanks! Glad you value my work.

@zazugee

5 жыл бұрын

i use a spade to crush the char while its still burning, to event out the surface before adding the next batch i think this way, there layer of crushed char will prevent oxygene from reaching underneath as easily i avoid the extra step of crushing it

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

@@zazugee Sounds like a good process, thanks.

Extremely informative with a bit of wisdom and a perfect touch of passion. Thank you for creating this.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Great work. I like that you're using a simple, low-tech method. I will have to try it myself.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I figure it is better to start simple, rather than jump straight into more equipment.

Man I love these gardening experiments. Great channel I really appreciate your work.

You could use a cement mixer and some rocks to crush the charcoal up. It should beat it to a powder fairly quickly.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

That would work. I have read mixed advice about how fine is best, and it seems that a variation between the size of pea and coarse sand is thought to be best.

@thegeneralist7527

5 жыл бұрын

@@REDGardens Great video! My recommendation would be a good little wood chipper. I used to have a chipper and it would made processing garden refuse much easier. The wood chips would be perfect for suffocating the fire during the charcoal making process. I am interested in the scientific reason why biochar is such an effective agricultural method. It would require some research, but many forests like the amazon exist in areas with nutrient poor soils. All the nutrients and carbon are sequestered in the vegetation, and once that is removed the soil has little residual productivity. Slash and burn agriculture in these areas rapidly depletes the soil because of nutrient runoff. Biochar captures these nutrients and locks them in place where roots systems can still access them. Just like nanotechnology surface area to volume ratio is of critical importance. Smaller particles have a much higher surface area and thus activity. The charcoal itself is fairly inert and long lasting, it does not break down quickly like wood, but can act as a PH buffer as well as a nutrient reservoir. It may also provide some protection against soil pathogens and promote a healthy soil microbiome. Have to go but you get the just of what I am saying.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

@@thegeneralist7527 That is an interesting comparison between biochar surface area and nanotechnology.

@danielrose1392

5 жыл бұрын

You can use a concrete mixer to crush to a defined size. Fill it, mount a fitting fitting screen across the opening and then run it with the opening facing slightly down. The particles will stay in as long as they are larger than the screen width. A little work upfront, but you can screen and crush a lot of material this way.

@nipchamonkey

5 жыл бұрын

@@REDGardens The Generalist is spot on. High surface area hard carbon made from pyrolyzed cellulose nanofibers is currently being researched for use in improving sodium ion batteries. Your backyard biochar should contain a fraction of these high surface area pyrolyzed cellulose nanofibers as well. If you are interested in the battery research, these sodium ion batteries have the potential to replace lithium ion batteries in certain applications such as stationary renewable energy storage. This is important due to the environmental issues caused by lithium extraction and the global shortage of lithium driving up battery prices. Sodium ion batteries have the potential to make renewable energy storage much more feasible and affordable and pyrolyzed cellulose nanofibers could become a critical component in these batteries.

Yaye, I'm gonna try the cone pit today! That makes sense!!! Thank you 💗

Very keen to see how this goes! I'm so grateful you're testing this out.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Cool. I hope to have the first initial trials done by late spring.

Can't wait for the results.

Thanks to this video, the burn pile will now be made into biochar. Thank you.

I'm really glad I found your channel! It is very educational. This is just the second video I've watched, but I can already tell that I'm going to end up starting from the beginning of your catalogue and viewing every one while taking lots of notes.

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

Very cool! Hope you enjoy(d) my other videos!

interesting the way you explain this made it so much cooler!

Solid video, thanks. Thorough and well researched, yet still open and skeptical.

Nicely informative with a bit of wisdom and a perfect touch of passion. Thank you for creating this.

@REDGardens

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

I appreciate the concentration of knowledge. Well done

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EXPLAINING IT VERY EASY! Congrats on your successful experiment! Hoping to hear more updates soon!

Great experiment, looking forward to seeing what results you get.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

You need to watch gardening like a Viking. He’ll show you how to make biochar. Thanks for your video. God bless you and yours.

Excellent video, simply explained Great to see you back.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

I just love watching this guys’ videos. Well said well made and shows what he is talking about with results,

@REDGardens

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

What a great video!!! Gonna try it in my backyard

Thank you for this very informative video!

Pleasing voice and intelligent research, thank you.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

:-)

very enjoyable and informative video - thanks for sharing your experiences with us!

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Glad you like it.

I’ve watched so many guarding videos before this and I never understood the point of bio char or a practical way to make it until I watch this. Thank you so much!

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Glad you found my video useful!

Such a straight forward and informative video. Thank you.

@REDGardens

3 жыл бұрын

:)

Great video. You make great instructional and informative videos. Thanks alot.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks. Glad you like them.

I'm so glad I just found your channel. I'm going to join your patreon.

You are a man with a lot of energy! Just like the Energizer Bunny. Excellent video, thank You!

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

:)

I'd love an update on how you think biochar has affected the parts of the garden you've used it on

@Katydidit

3 жыл бұрын

As would I... and what changes you may have contemplated along the way. THANKS!!

@KB-2222

2 жыл бұрын

Update please?

@foress89

Жыл бұрын

Yes please I have found no other video on the subject in your channel

Yeeeah! New season! Glad to see you back!

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Good to be back into the production of videos, and work in the gardens.

This is so great. Thank you for sharing.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Glad you appreciate my efforts.

Great use for Willow especially in areas where not many other trees grow well due to the waterlogged conditions.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Yes. We have a lot of them growing around, and I have gotten into the routine of coppicing them (cutting them back knowing that they will regrow.)

Love it. That's my winter weekends booked in then

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

Have fun!

Thank you! Looking forward to watching more of your informative videos. 👍

@REDGardens

Жыл бұрын

🙂

Really cool idea thank you

Great idea Sir

Really interesting and informative, thanks for showing

@REDGardens

Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it.

Thank you so much , it is very helpful for me as a beginner 🙏🤝

@REDGardens

3 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for posting this vid! I have been looking for efficient ways to produce charcoal!

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Great - I was also really glad when I discovered this method.

always interested in your low tech approach to gardening methods.....keeping it simple is usually the best way......

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

I really like the lower tech options, at least to start.

@DovidM

5 жыл бұрын

A retort can produce biochar more efficiently than the method shown, and with fewer emissions. There are also questions of economy of scale. Can enough biochar be generated from waste cellulose for a small site doing what is shown in this video? I don’t argue with small scale efforts that are less efficient. There is value in doing what is currently possible rather than waiting for large scale production of biochar using a retort. I believe, however, that a retort designed for the needs of multiple gardens is the end goal.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

@@DovidM Good questions and ideas. I think that this pit method is suitable for people with small scale gardens or explorations. And it also fills that gap that you mentioned about waiting for the large or more sophisticated equipment to be developed or become affordable. That was a big benefit for me. It also allows people like me to produce some char without any upfront costs, so that I can do some explorations about how useful the biochar could be within my context before I start to upscale. I imagine if things go well I will transition to using a retort of some kind, just as you mentioned.

Thanks for the helpful video!

YES!!!!!!!been waiting for this.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Yay!

@eb282

5 жыл бұрын

Me tooooo! Yessss

@andrewyek

5 жыл бұрын

@@REDGardens Hii Red, try a good effective way to make biochar while making wood vinegar.. wood vinegar is very good, it can dischourage pest thinking fire (get away) and i found out plant sprayed with very diluted wood vinegar (after filtering tar away), make healthier plant.. very obvious. as i believe these wood vinegar has got la lot of plant "essence" in it.. or even hormone (guessing)..

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

andrew ysk It would be interesting to explore the possibilities of using wood vinegar.

Thanks for sharing!

Very informative really like how you explain 👌

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

:)

you made it seem so simple ... definitely gonna give it a try..

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

It is pretty simple, once you get the hang of it.

So informative. I have a conical fire pit my sons built for me from stone that will work perfectly for this. Thank you for sharing I will try this soon.

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

Hope it works for you.

FOR ONCE,i enjoyed this video....the man talked ,but precise and clear with much démonstration Contrats.

@REDGardens

9 ай бұрын

Yay!

Thanks for the good information breakdown.

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

:)

I like the way you present your data. I hope you’ll follow up with a review of biochar. So far, there doesn’t seem to be anyone else willing to provide a comprehensive analysis of their experiences. I’ll remain open to the possibility of using biochar until that happens but not convinced.

@superresistant8041

2 жыл бұрын

Same

@gobigandgohomeschool4882

Жыл бұрын

David the Good did an experiment and was very happy with the results.

Well...it sure looks beautiful!

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Yep, I love watching the fire transform during the whole process.

Subscribed immediately. Thanks for the detailed information. I am starting my own biochar right away.

@REDGardens

Жыл бұрын

Awesome! Thank you!

@inubaye2030

Жыл бұрын

@@REDGardens Please very quickly, I have already 5ft by 7ft space dug for refuse by the fence side in my farm garden. Can I use same to burn my biochar as it's also 5ft deep and plastered round. Hope the fire won't have effect on the fence? Thanks

Great trials...I´ll wait and see the results of your testing....it sounds good...

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

Good stuff! Here in indonesia we have lots of clay and volcanic sandy soil so finding good amendments are always a plus!

@_g7085

3 жыл бұрын

With other people's research and experiments, it seems like biochar may not be worth the effort if your garden soil is already rich in organic matter and fertility. But it totally makes sense that if you have poor soil, it could greatly improve it over time. That is exactly what it did to the poor Amazonian soil.

This is they second video of yours that i have watched. You are incredible!! You do full research prior, then you show all aspects of what u did. You are one of the best youtubers!!! New sub over here!! :)

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Ah, thanks. That kind of comment means a lot. Glad you like my work.

@Katydidit

3 жыл бұрын

I agree!!

You're a madman! I'm so happy I stumbled across your channel!

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

LOL - glad you found it!

I like this technic because it is very simple and eco friendly

@REDGardens

Жыл бұрын

🙂

Great video.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks.

Exilent video, really well explained 👍

@REDGardens

Жыл бұрын

Thanks. glad you liked it.

Good idea.

Thank you for a very informative vid 👍

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Best video on biochar

@REDGardens

9 ай бұрын

Thanks@

great job, man

@REDGardens

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

great video, thanks for sharing

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it.

Good job on the video. I’m learning about it too.

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

mantab ,ini simple banget

very interesting video.

Thank you! Gonna do it the same way!

@REDGardens

2 жыл бұрын

Hope it works well for you.

I have a similar fire pit in my yard that after summers use in enjoyment with family I utilize the it as my compost pit throughout the winter. Throughout the season.. turn.. turn.🎵🎶 Cold winter mornings find it steaming.😁 Undoubtedly it is imperfect and I use the contents sparingly with other compost and potting soil to coax my hard pan clay into better production. I could probably produce some lye from the pit for soap making as it is at times way past biochar. It's Amazoningly incredible what we learn when observing nature! Thank you!!

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

Nice multi-purpose pit. I was thinking of setting up a pit like this with a few chairs for sitting around the fire when I just want to relax/cook, and tools use it for biochar at other times. Hadn't thought of it as a compost pit, but might also work, especially with a cover to keep the rain off.

Here in SE Michigan, I take as much finished compost from my pile as I need for all of my spring plantings. Then I spend the rest of the growing season rebuilding the pile, mainly with alternating layers of fresh grass clippings, and leaves that I had stockpiled the previous fall. I also make charcoal during the growing season, adding it to the compost pile. I run my small Mantis tiller through the pile several times during the season, mixing the accumulated materials. I let the decomposing compost inoculate(activate) the charcoal. Your pit method seems to be working well for you. I like the particle size you end up with, and your method of activation. I've collected some small cookie (biscuits in UK) tins to use as retort chambers in making charcoal. I load them with sticks & twigs, wood chips, pine cones, make sure the lids are tightly in place, then set them atop a hot fire. Three small holes are drilled in the lids to allow escaping gases to burn off. When no more gases are seen venting from the holes, the tins are removed from the fire and allowed to cool completely. Like you, I crush the charcoal into smaller particles.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

I think your method of adding charcoal to the compost pile as you build it up is probably the best way to get it into your soil. The cookie tin method is a cool one as well, especially if you regularly have fires for other reasons.

@milenatodorova6664

3 жыл бұрын

Great info, i just saw in another video that you can pee on the charcoal and its collect the nitrogen ;)

Yes...YES!!!!!!! Keep us informed on the trials please!

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

I will!

Make sure and build yourself a johnson su bioreactor. The fungal based composting system really seems to help build alot of biology in the soil and is another fun experiment. Great videos!

It’s a huge effort - it’ll be interesting to see its effects on your crops..

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Yes, it will be interesting!

looking forward to seeing the results from the trials!

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

Yeah, so am I ... haven't been able to start them yet, though hopefully soon.

@watermelonlalala

3 жыл бұрын

@@REDGardens LOL

Thanks for the video!

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it.

The best video!

@REDGardens

9 ай бұрын

🙂

Skillcult has a good video series on biochar. Worth a watch

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Skillcult is great!

Thanks for the video. Great stuff. One thing I've found is inoculation with half n half good compost and worm bin castings. The worms seem to love char. I've also used moringa tea and worm casting tea. Seems inoculations can be achieved but the follow up study I've never really kept track of. I do know stuff works very well.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks! The use of worm castings makes sense.

@Katydidit

3 жыл бұрын

Good ideas here, thanks for sharing!

awesome, good content thanks

@REDGardens

3 жыл бұрын

:)

Brilliant

Amazing

I'm looking forward to your trials and updates on using this biochar in the garden.

@REDGardens

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah, sorry, I didn't get to those last year. Hopefully this season.

Very interesting video! I’ve never actually heard of biochar before. I’ll be looking forward to see how it affects the crops in your trial runs.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I'm looking forward to it as well.

@andykadir-buxton3294

4 жыл бұрын

A great TV program on biochar can be seen at: kzread.info/dash/bejne/YoOnj9ejlc_Rl9o.html

Love your vids

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

cool

I have just recently found you and have really enjoyed your videos! However, I quite like THIS one, especially 😊 I have used an old roaster in our fireplace to make biochar following the method EdibleAcres used in his videos. But I have never tried his method of the cone pit. After watching this though, I might re-watch this one a few times and his videos again and give it a try! I like the amount of charcoal y'all are producing!

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Glad you found my channel. The method that EdibleAcres uses is great, especially if you already regularly use a wood stove. This cone pit method is great for bulk material and lighter stuff.

Thanks for sharing this video. You are a very hard worker Bruce. It seems like you need a lot of wood to make biochar.

@REDGardens

3 жыл бұрын

It takes a fair amount of wood, and I don't think it is really useful unless you have access to a lot of wood.

So interesting!

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

:-)

Fantastic

@REDGardens

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Thumbs up. Thanks.

Power Biochar!!

This is it! :) Made some trials myself following the instructions of the Ithaka Institute. If anyone experiments with urine try to inoculate the full bottle/can whith some drops of buttermilk against the ghoulish smell that develops. It takes just some weeks to ferment to a sour and sweet smell.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Interesting point about the buttermilk and the smell. Thanks.

thank you,

You provide an excellent overview of your video's content, good or bad!

@REDGardens

5 күн бұрын

Glad you like them!

wow!good creative. like your video. nice to know you. i am from Cambodia

@REDGardens

4 жыл бұрын

Hi there in Cambodia!

some good ideas. I have tried making it my myself like you say its a pain to put out. I did make a load from wood chips no need to brak it up. I just add it to the compost heap then its read with the compost to go on garden.

@REDGardens

5 жыл бұрын

Thanks. I was thinking that it would be interesting to try to make biochar with wood chip using this cone method.

Brilliant dude! I was wondering how and what i needed to make this. I was pretty certain the amazonians didn't go through the fancy systems i see people making. Great explanation

@REDGardens

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Yeah, they probably used a simple method, but not sure it would have been this method.

@brianalt3912

2 жыл бұрын

@@REDGardens how has it been working for you? Is there a follow up video?

@REDGardens

2 жыл бұрын

@@brianalt3912 Sorry, no follow up video yet. Hopefully this year.