I've been getting it by the 50# bag at Sam's, but it's a huge, backbreaking chore to smash it all down and sift it. Yesterday, I got the bright idea to run it through my electric wood chipper. The result was pieces about 1/4" to 3/8" in size, which is perfect for my tastes. I learned three things: 1) Don't do this if you are sweating. 2) Do this BEFORE you shower. 3) Use clothes you plan on throwing away, or do it naked. I'm also going to have to hose the chipper down, but this only took me 45 minutes, as opposed to 5-8 hours.

@rodolforodriguez6377

Жыл бұрын

🤣

@josiahhockenberry9846

Жыл бұрын

Consider making a ball mill from a steel drum. You can make it relatively airtight and also add some water so you don't have to breathe in all that dust. If you or someone you know can weld, then you're in business.

@TheGremlin50cal

Жыл бұрын

@@josiahhockenberry9846 I second the ball mill idea, much better to throw charcoal into a big drum and let an electric motor do the work than to try and smash it by hand.

@bobb.6393

11 ай бұрын

The chipper might be dangerous if you're naked unless you wear a cup

@SCOTTBULGRIN

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for this info. I was reading the comments in hopes that some one would say they used a small wood chipper.👍

Dude, you are the Mr. Rogers of gardening...and I mean that in a good way! Keep on going, brother.

We used to live in Idaho and we used wood ashes from our wood stove on our garden with manure from a nearby farm. Our garden was stupendous!!!

@Figs4Life

3 жыл бұрын

If I put wood ash straight in my garden would I burn my plans?

@gfgf2417

2 жыл бұрын

@@Figs4Life no

@stewpendousgrowth4

2 жыл бұрын

A Stewpendous idea!

@ashleycampbell8799

2 жыл бұрын

@@Figs4Life you need to go easy on ash and don’t use it every year. It also doesn’t have the same long term benefits of biochar.

@Figs4Life

2 жыл бұрын

@@ashleycampbell8799 okay ty

Wow, what a coincidence!!! I spotted the same brand wood charcoal at my nearest Walmart just yesterday! Bought a 30# bag for only a little over $18 is all! Glad to know that I ain’t the only one that thought of this awesome idea! Have fun and happy gardening! 😊👍

I swear by biochar. I've had great results making my own version of Terra Preta. One thing; you definitely must wear a face mask if you need to pulverise. Even if you *THINK* the wind or air current is blowing the black charcoal dust cloud away from your face, an hour later when you sneeze or spit out you'll notice that the mucus will be jet black from the super fine airfloat charcoal. While charcoal is not as toxic to breathe in as, say, asbestos or silica dust, it is best to avoid inhalation of particulate matter into your lungs, no matter what. You can actually buy pre-pulverised horticultural-grade charcoal, depending on your location (you can find it online) and/or how much you are willing to spend (pre-pulverised might be more expensive due to the labour and energy costs involved in producing a charcoal granulate). Tip: wetting the charcoal chunks prior to pulverising will produce less dust.

@rdred8693

2 жыл бұрын

Tell you what: I had the same problem with perlite. They tell you to wear a mask, and I didn't. I was coughing up perlite dust for 5 minutes. Stuff is nasty.

@bdillon1011

11 ай бұрын

I have just been exposed to the idea of making biochar. The process reminds me of what I have read of Terra Preta, the super productive agricultural soil made long ago in the amazon area. Thanks for verifying that.

@garycard1456

5 ай бұрын

@MarkTrades__ I've tried that, but bizarrely enough, dust is still generated. You see, charcoal initially has a high degree of hydrophobicity/water-repellency. The surface of the charcoal chunks were wetted, but the water never soaked though into the interior of the chunks. Not even after soaking for a day. So, when I attempted to crush what I assumed was entirely wettened charcoal, the bone dry interior of the charcoal chunks generated a lot of dust.

@norikotakei9417

3 ай бұрын

You can drench them in water before breaking them down.

@CookswellCoKenya

Ай бұрын

Some people in Kenya just put charcoal dust in their livestock pens and let the cattle etc crush and charge it for them

A tip for making it easier to get into the bad is cut the string stitching on the top of the bag & pull them & it will open like a zipper (one way doesn’t work but the other does, so trial & error to find the correct side) than you could spray a light mist of water into the bag to try help with the dust. Keep up the great work!

I'm a newbie gardener and I honestly have just been absorbing and applying all that your videos have taught me, thanks for the awesome videos MIgardener!!

@Master_Yoda1990

3 жыл бұрын

I’ve gardened a few times and noticed some problems, now I’m learning all new techniques from this guy, I also watch Epic Gardener and Self Sufficient Me for great tips. Never would’ve thought of container gardening to save garden space, let alone what to plant in containers without the advice from these guys.

I only BBQ with hardwood lump charcoal, and all the crumbs and dust (usually the bottom 10% of the bag) just goes in the compost along with the ashes. I’ve always laughed at garden centre prices for “biochar.”

I suggest you also show how to apply the bio-char compost-tea mix to the garden bed.

@notflanders4967

4 жыл бұрын

^

@coolsammichherohunter6248

4 жыл бұрын

I think he plans to pour it out of the bucket around the beds then mix in the bigger chunks

@johnscloud

4 жыл бұрын

I also was waiting for the final step, the application rate... Great learning video!

@kyrad6543

4 жыл бұрын

Agree..I was waiting for "next steps". How to apply.

@mysticwolf60

4 жыл бұрын

That’s what I was wondering as well

This is fantastic advice for those gardening on a budget! I love how your constantly thinking outside the box.

Hello, I really like your channel. But I just got to know what makes biochar biochar. It is made in a containet without oxygene and that makes the wood burn the way it only leaves the carbon. The biochar will absorb moisture and then release it when ground gets dry. It will also stay on the ground for over 300 years. Pretty cool!! This info is from the Finnish biochar-project, from MTT. The basic charcoal is also beneficial for the garden, but it will compost and cannot absorb the water and nutrients the way biochar will. (the biochar will have 5-400 m2 inner cavities and basic charcoal has close to none) Keep up the good work and happy gardening from Finland, where we are having the warmest autumn of all 😀

According to my research, you can also use ALL NATURAL HARDWOOD CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES because the only additive these briquettes have (which are made from lump charcoal dust) is a binder, such as cornstarch. If you soak them in a nitrogen rich solution (ie pee) they will dissolve into a slurry. you don't have to grind the lump charcoal down and risk ingesting the dust.

@joe1071

11 ай бұрын

So that was you peeing in the bucket of charcoal briquettes

@minhducnguyen9276

6 ай бұрын

They are too fine. Normally you'd want your biochar chips at the size of your fingernails.

@ugponics

6 ай бұрын

No, don't.

I have a ton of wood lying around! I just inherited my father in law's old house on some forested land away from the city. He left piles of logs and kindling all over the property. I want to make my own bio char now!

@peanutbutter7357

4 жыл бұрын

maybe look into hugelkultur as well

@pinestone406

4 жыл бұрын

That's actually exactly what I'm doing! Creating raised rows using Hugelkultur!

HIs enthusiasm is contagious and so refreshing. Luke always makes my day - and makes me a bit smarter with each video...

Here is a follow-up: I used your method last fall, to break it down and used it as-is. This time, I then ran it through my blender and turned it into dust and really small pieces. One bag of charcoal will make two gallons of powder/BB-sized pieces. Use one cup per square foot. Do the math to figure how many cups there are in a gallon, and you will know how many bags to buy. I charged my charcoal with straight urine and it worked out great! I produce 2-3 gallons of it a day (long story), so I use it for everything.

@markmcfarland5291

Жыл бұрын

What size bag?

@D.A.Hanks14

Жыл бұрын

@@markmcfarland5291 That was a 15# bag, but I now use the 50# bags at Sam's and run it through the wood chipper. It makes even-sized 1/4" pieces. You have to resharpen the blades afterwards though.

We've been heating our house off of oak we cut from our property. I've been collecting the charcoal left in the ashes everytime I clean out my fireplace.

@CrisAnderson27

9 күн бұрын

Not the same thing. Charcoal from a fireplace can still have toxic gasses and infused moisture inside it. Lump charcoal isn't made by burning it. It's made by burning all the volatile gasses out of it, leaving the carbon structure behind.

I put a 30gal barrel with lid inside a 50gal barrel to make charcoal. Hardwood inside the small barrel with a small hole in the cap. Make a fire inside the big barrel that the small one sits in. Super easy and contained. Great stuff. Good luck my friends ☮️

Do you know how many biochar videos I've watched that don't explain what biochar does? How to make and use, sure, but nothing compared to your explanation at 3:40 Thank you, Luke. Thank you very much.

@olympiabee

4 жыл бұрын

I wish I could love this comment like on FB. My sentiments exactly.

@BassSeduction

4 жыл бұрын

there is a channel called Skill cult hes going into some pretty in depth testing with this stuff

@MatanuskaHIGH

4 жыл бұрын

Mix biochar with your grass clippings to get your compost heating up and working well. The carbon will grab up that excess of nitrogen and slowly release it back into the soil. Usually grass clippings are to high in nitrogen and need a source of carbon to break down properly and promote good microbes.

@crazysquirrel9425

4 жыл бұрын

To save you some time here is basically what Biochar does in the soil: 1) Adsorbs minerals and such (like a magnet attracts and holds iron filings). 2) Plants roots migrate to those minerals and can use them. 3) Makes a nice way to maintain moisture but lets excess moisture drain away - similar to using perlite in the soil but holds some moisture like a sponge does. 4) Makes a home for beneficial soil microbes and beneficial fungi. 5) Improves soil tilth (fluffiness). 6) Improves the nitrogen cycle and cation exchange. Biochar could deter some pests. Worms will consume very tiny particles as they eat other things, and their digestive tract will super inoculate the biochar in the castings. Double benefit. You can make biochar even in a city so long as you have access to a grill - just takes 2-3 hours to make a batch, longer sometimes. Spend a day at the park :-) I make mine in a wood burner stove since I need to heat with it anyway. It can be made in a fireplace (Biocharlie is made to do that). Gases burn and add heat just like it was a log but better. About the small particles being used up. This is not entirely true. Depends on the material and the pyrolysis temperature mostly. Powdery biochar can leech out of the soil up to 17% of the volume. But it has the greatest surface area for the greatest benefits. Powdery type biochar is a great way to add it into a lawn/exiting garden/pot without digging/tilling. Mix with water and water the lawn. Benefits can be in hours. Ideally you want it granule size (1mm or less). But various particle sizes are best because the different sizes have different reasons for the benefit. Larger ones are like Hotels, and small particle sizes are like single family home in a way. I make mine out of 100% oak wood pellets. I smash them in a bucket with a wooden pole to get the various sizes. My process is a bit labor intensive but I do make good biochar. I make the charcoal out of the pellets and while they are HOT from the fire, I quench them in a solution of sulphur free molasses, confrey tea, and a tad bit of apple cider vinegar with mother. After straining out the liquid, I smash small batches, then put those in another bucket. Once that bucket gets about 1/4 full, I sprinkle in a small handful of organic fertilizer granules and small handful of wheat flour then mix well. Takes me about 2-3 days to make a 5 gal bucket of it. And the wood pellets cost about $5/bag plus tax. If you do this buy heating wood pellets what have 100% oak on the bag! Don't use flavored wood pellets or pellets that do not say 100%. Don't use regular grill charcoal as it has petroleum and other things in it. The container used to char the pellets is stainless steel stock pot with stainless steel lid. Lasts a long time too. A new unlined paint can also can make small batches. Be sure to poke or drill at least a 1/4" hole in the lid to release the flammable gases. Paint cans usually last about 2-3 burns. Application rate for biochar is generally about 10% to 12%. But any is better than none. And exceeding 25% can be wasteful or detrimental. Start low. You can always add more later. But extremely hard to remove the biochar if you have too much. I put my biochar in the soil in the cold weather and let it do it's thing till spring planting. It can take biochar 3 months to 2 years to properly benefit the soil and plants. Greatest benefit for biochar is in nutrient poor and sandy type soils. Very rich soils it can help but not a whole lot. About the youtube author - to reduce the powder problem just dampen the charcoal a bit. Keeps dust down.

@503rpf

4 жыл бұрын

Watch Gardener Scott his video broke it down completely!!

this is also what they mean when they say forests are huge carbon sinks. All that carbon came from the air. Trees make the best fertilizer. The reason being is all tress are nutrient dense containing a lot of nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, and oxygen, loads of sugar in the form of cellulose which bacteria love to break down into even more basic chemicals for plants.

@jeffcampbell479

4 жыл бұрын

Alex Quaesar - now that is something I didn’t know - thanks for that information! 😉👍

@jeffcampbell479

4 жыл бұрын

Alex Quaesar - I have filled multiple raised beds of mine with the forest black topsoil - my vegetable plants flourished in this stuff!

@darkquaesar2460

4 жыл бұрын

@@jeffcampbell479 No problem, truth is you can get the same effect by using regular topsoil, biochar, and wood ash. The caveat is wood ash has a lot of unique nutrients and compounds that are extremely beneficial to plants, however to release those compounds for plant use they require specific mycorrhizal species, Suillus granulatus, and Paxillus involutus. These species can extract various toxic elements like lead and titanium from your soil and produce fairly edible mushrooms, but only if you're not sensitive to the antibodies they produce. Paxillus Involutus if you're hyper sensitive can kill you if you eat one raw. They only grow in acidic soils, such as those around pine trees. Unfortunately the calcium carbonate in wood ash neutralizes soil and makes it hard for micorrhizal to grow. so it's important to keep in mind balance, there isn't a one size fits all so you'd have to experiment.

@PaulStevensBootStrapper

4 ай бұрын

Explains the hugelkultur method that buries tree limbs in raised beds. The decaying wood acts as a nutrient source and water-absorbing sponge that gives up it's moisture on dry sunny days. Do a Google search.

Awesome video! Really loved that one, lots of great information. Biochar is cool too because you can use diseased wood which you can't normally compost, and it actually reduces pests and pathogens in your soil

Important to note that an N95 mask like the one Luke wore (or N99/N100) is best, not your average surgical face mask that you usually see people wearing in clinics, hospitals, TV shows, etc. Surgical masks only keep droplets from entering/exiting your nose/mouth, whereas the N95, N99/N100 will filter particles such as smoke, dirt, and dust. Thanks for another fun and educational video!

@carolparrish194

4 ай бұрын

where can I get this mask? What is the price ?

Thanks for the informative video. When I made it, I put a tarp over the bucket to keep the small particulates inside while I smashed it. I also pre-smashed it by driving on the charcoal between two tarps.

If you crimp two cans together and punch a tiny hole on one end, you can fill it with wood, sticks, even bones, and let it sit on a grill or fireplace. It'll spew the wood gas out the hole in a flame jet and once that stops (roll it around with a poker to be thorough) you can wait for it to cool and youll be left with a little bit of charcoal.

Thanks for sharing less expensive tip. Used biochar last year. Plants loved it.

Wow! I've been wanting to try Biochar for awhile now. Making it seems much cheaper. Thank you Luke.

Real biochar doesn't break down. Biochar is an extremely stable solid carbon compound that lasts for centuries if not millenials. That is, if it was gasified in excess of 500°C in an inert atmosphere (no oxygen). Biochar is most beneficial if made from garden/farm residues (straw, branches etc), as it turns biodegradable carbon (biomass) into non-biodegradable carbon (biochar) and usable heat energy, all the while eliminating pests and diseases that can grow on these residues. To put it into perspective, if all agricultural residue were to be gasified at 600°C without oxygen, we could substitute 7-8% of human's total (primary), annual energy consumption, all while sequestering 9Gt CO2 per year.

@bradsuarez2683

4 жыл бұрын

Yes I thought it was odd that he said it broke down after 3 years. The first time I heard about biochar was when I watched the "terra preta" documentary and scientists had estimated the Amazonian biochar was hundreds of years old.

@JoLe1991

4 жыл бұрын

@@dontjustbeanotherbrickinthewal then it seems you don't know a whole lot about science. And probably you haven't read any scientific article about biochar, otherwise you would know.

@JoLe1991

4 жыл бұрын

@@dontjustbeanotherbrickinthewal i don't see the connection between your video and the whole biochar topic. Biochar is a technology that has a tremendous potential in improving various parameters that matter to human kind

@crazysquirrel9425

4 жыл бұрын

Well said! The question is how did the ancient Amazonians determine what 600C was? About straw and such - soft materials retain more minerals. Hard materials allow for more occupation of soil organisms.

@TheTrock121

4 жыл бұрын

Yes! This is the only real solution to Global Warming. Big Agriculture is not sustainable and will eventually lead to severe famines.

Great job I watched till end! Lots of great information 👍 I was learning about Biochar 🌱🌱🌱

I am learning so much from your channel. Thank you!! Walmart has 30lb bags for $17. Will be whipping this up ASAP.

Brother thanks 🙏🏼 so much for sharing this I was looking for a video with this info man thanks for everything you do 👍🏼👏🏼!!!

Gosh, my husband uses that to grill. I have heard of biochar but again didn't know what it did except it was "good". Awesome video!

Thank you for all your excellent tips and training!! I really appreciate all you teach.

At the end of last year I picked up extra bags of compost. I'll be able to use that for doing this. Telling us how to do this ourselves in the pit is appreciated. I do have a pit, and last year I cleaned out the ash and have that in a bucket. But now I know I can't use that ash. However, I do have maple tree branches I can do with what you've said.....for free. Thank you.

I was pleased you also said charcoal, because this is what you call biochar appears to be. Charcoal burners were a traditional profession in Britain until very recent times and were an important part of forest management. They would build big domes of wood covered by turf and periodically watered on top during the process. It was a skill to make sure that the wood completely became charcoal but also that it didn’t burn.

@ugponics

6 ай бұрын

Makes for low to medium quality biochar, grilling charcoal.

@TH-wp7ye

4 ай бұрын

@@ugponicsnah the difference is negligible using hardwood lump charcoal vs charcoal made for the purpose of biochar, guess what its practically the same process. If you don't think so, look up how hardwood lump charcoal is made.

@ugponics

4 ай бұрын

The difference is not negligible, it has been quantified with experiments. Grilling charcoal and biochar are both made through pyrolysis, heating organic material with limited oxygen. But biochar production typically uses higher temperatures, ranging from 600-1000°C, compared to charcoal's 400°C process. This higher heat creates a more activated biochar with a larger internal surface area. This increased surface area gives biochar unique properties like improved water retention and the ability to adsorb contaminants, unlike standard grilling charcoal.

@TH-wp7ye

4 ай бұрын

@@ugponics they both will have water ratention and ability to absorb ions. Like I said, the difference is *negligible* .

@TH-wp7ye

4 ай бұрын

@@ugponicslol stop saying standard grilling charcoal, you're misleading people. Standard grilling charcoal can be briquettes. Don't go there guy. It's lump hardwood charcoal, and check out how it's made. Stay mad buddy.

I like that you brought something good about forest fires (they aren’t good, but knowing there is a good thing about it is cool).

I've never heard of bio-char, but you looked so gosh darn excited about it that I had to click the video

@dr.froghopper6711

3 жыл бұрын

Look into terra preta! Biochar is a component.

I have fibromyalgia and my gardening efforts have often suffered from my having flareups. My intention of what I think I should do is always on a scale of being a dreamer and what I can actually do does not necessarily match up. So I keep looking for the ideas that pay off long term like perennials and fruit trees and a ton of what I can learn about permaculture. Thanks for this idea! I went out and bought a bag of the hardwood charcoal today, same brand and everything as it turned out. I am about to go outside this evening and inoculate some of it. I am also going to put out some cardboard and some of the free "mulch" I picked up 7 bags worth of at the side of the road.

Feb 2020: I really like these N95 masks... Well, so much for that. :P

@D.A.Hanks14

3 жыл бұрын

I'm a prepper and my cat dumped my tub of medical supplies over the other day. When I went to put everything back in, I discovered a whole box of them, LOL. Didn't even know I had them. Not that I need one anyway. I had the virus back in March. Still, good to know they're there, in case something serious presents itself in the future.

@sgibau

3 жыл бұрын

@@D.A.Hanks14 you still need those masks more than ever. People are getting reinfected with the virus after 3 - 5 months. You're not out of the woods yet!

@D.A.Hanks14

3 жыл бұрын

@@sgibau They may be getting re-infected but they aren't dying. Second time around is also a lot better than the first because the antibodies are already present. What most people are catching the second time is actually SARS; same family, different vintage.

@Valchrist1313

3 жыл бұрын

@@sgibau We'll never be out of the woods. That's what "new normal" means.

@DawnaRo

3 жыл бұрын

@@sgibau Can we at least do ONE thing (gardening please) without the COVID nonsense taking over the conversation?

I’m a beginning gardener thanks so much for the informative videos enjoy very much

Wow, I never knew that. I'm going to have to try it this year.. Thanks for this video!

OMG this is crazy. I watched so many videos on BioChar and kept thinking is this just charcoal! thanks so much for this video. so grateful.

@Grateful_Grannie

3 ай бұрын

It’s not just charcoal…

@themobcastpodcast4138

2 ай бұрын

@@Grateful_Grannieso does this method actually work or is this just charcoal

About six months from the time you made that video, I decided to try mixing biochar into my potting soil., so I did what you did. there's a dollar general in my neighborhood. I needed to break the charcoal into bits that would go through a 7mm sieve... in my apartment. What I did was to lay an old brick in the bottom of a cardboard box, cut a small hole to fit the end of my shop vac hose, cut a larger hole to fit my hand through and went to work with a 2 lb. short-handled sledgehammer. The vac pulled out the dust from crushing, but sifting made more, and my hands were filthy up to the elbow. Ugh. I used the charcoal that was left in the bag for the barbecue, then went online. When I looked for horticultural charcoal, it cost way too much. I also saw aquarium filter carbon. Still way too expensive. What I finally found, still expensive, but not so bad, was coconut shell charcoal sold for filling air filters. That's what I've been using ever since. I only need a little bit, (about a pint to a bushel of soil mix) so a ten-pound bag lasts me over a year.

That’s an amazing trick!!!! Thank you so much for this tip and all other information you always share on your channel!

@cherylcook1942

2 жыл бұрын

Not a trick. Science.

I've been making charcoal in my woodstove and getting 3 to 5 gallons a week this Winter. Getting the stove hot enough to micro fracture the bio char would turn it to ash, so I keep the stove down around 200 or 250 degrees. When I get enough charcoal, I clean out the stove and put it in a steel bucket. I hit it briefly w/ air from a shop vac to micro fracture the char before quenching it. I'm charging it w/ horse and chicken manure.

I love your explanation of Biochar. Will you do a video of how you apply it to your garden bed, how much, should it be watered in , etc? Once it’s applied in your garden bed, can you plant immediately? Can it also be used in potted plants or veggies?

A couple of points: 1) biochar doesn’t break down in anywhere near 3 to 5 years. There are deposits in the Amazon that are hundreds, if not thousands, of years old. It may take 3 to 5 years for the biochar to become fully charged up if one doesn’t put it full of nutrients before dumping it into the ground. That may be where there is some confusion. 2) I have read on a few websites that hardwood charcoal is somewhat less effective than true bio char carbon produced in a stove specifically meant for producing bio char. However, it is for easier and probably for cheaper to simply buy the hardwood charcoal and use a bit more of it (say 15% -20%, vs. 10% “true” biochar) to obtain the same degree of effectiveness. FWIW, I think that the idea presented in this video is fantastic, as it will encourage many more people to start using bio char. I have purchased three bags of hardwood charcoal over the last week or two, and I definitely plan on grinding it up and mixing it with compost for my upcoming garden. I am also going to be using worm castings as part of my compost, and I am seriously considering growing my compost pile completely through the use of worms. Apparently, if the biochar bits are small enough, the worms swallow it along with food waste and other decaying biological material, and charge up the tiny bits of biochar from inside their digestive system. This is a way to combine the benefits of both bio char and worm castings.

@IAMSatisfied

Жыл бұрын

You are certainly correct about charcoal's longevity, but I've got to ask you what the difference is between the carbon in this charcoal as compared to the carbon in what you're calling "true bio-char"? What is the definition of "true bio-char"? 😉

@ancesthntr

Жыл бұрын

@@IAMSatisfied I think that the main difference is that when you’re buying mass produced bags of hardwood charcoal, some of the wood has not been fully combusted. So you’re really not buying 100% charcoal. Compare and contrast to charcoal that you make yourself with a top down burning technique. Chances are that it will be 100% charcoal. That difference, if it truly exists, is why I suggested in my original post that one simply put a bit more of the store-bought, charcoal, properly charged with nutrients, into the soil to obtain the same effect.

Goes to the dollar store and buys a bag of charcoal "So that was a HUGE success!" Man I really love your optimism. Great video again! As usual I learned a lot.

@danniellaboling3890

4 жыл бұрын

Me too. ♥ 😂 I love the excitement

@SimonHaestoe

4 жыл бұрын

HAHAHA, best comment ever! LMAO. indescribable. SNL need to do fcking sketches...

@christygrantham6057

4 жыл бұрын

Love that idea

@MsSunstoned

4 жыл бұрын

Just wanted to let everyone know that it's not 'charcoal' ~ did you notice that he walked past the charcoal & was looking for a specific form which is 'hardwood lump'

@Sorrento_Ben

4 жыл бұрын

@@MsSunstoned Yeah, it is just charcoal. Natural charcoal. What it is not is charcoal briquettes. He walked past the charcoal briquettes. Hair = split.

This isn't real biochar. That's why it breaks down after 3 years. It still has wood and related compounds in it. This method is convenient, but much less effective. You could buy this stuff, then burn it more until the volatile compounds that give the meat flavor are gone. Then it could be real biochar. But you're still buying something that you still have to burn more. Real biochar doesn't have that volatile flavor stuff. I like what you're doing with the compost tea and crushing it though. For my garden, I"m making the real stuff. I agree with Jonas Lecholt.

I bought some Bio char in a bag from Lowe’s a few years ago. I put a hand full of it in each plant as I planted them. Everything seemed to do real well that year. I’ve been looking ever since locally, haven’t found it. I seen a bag on Burpees site but the price was ridiculous. Thanks for the video.

Biochar doesn't break down. Terra petra is amazonian soil that has biochar from 1000yrs ago. One of the other benefits of using biochar is that you're basically locking carbon permanently away.

buy it before winter. let buckets sit with water so it can freeze. the next summer it breaks up nice. add it to your fertilizer for best results. this has been the best way i found to make your own over the years. of course a fire is great to make large amounts.

2:13 Can't quit laughing how you tossed the bag out of the scene.

@theoneandonly1158

4 жыл бұрын

🤣🤣🤣 so subtle

@soniamarshall9293

3 жыл бұрын

But, a good way to break up into smaller pieces.

Great content Luke! Nice diversity with the "buy or make it" concept.👍

VERY IMPORTANT: USE ONLY PLAIN HARDWOOD CHARCOAL WITH NO CHEMICALS!!!! I know he said it but it deserves repeating. Just plain, hardwood charcoal with no chemicals added. I plan to make a slurry of rain water, worm castings, manure, silica, liquid kelp, azomite and other organic fertilizers, ph it down to 6.3 and then mix in the charcoal.

@unafilliatedx2310

4 жыл бұрын

How many chemicals would be added to "hardwood charcoal"?

@alarcon99

4 жыл бұрын

@@unafilliatedx2310 you would be surprised. there are videos by bbq masters comparing different types of hardwood charcoal and some brands give off chemical off gassing

@davesterchele2679

4 жыл бұрын

@@unafilliatedx2310 Hopefully none. But if someone were to think just any charcoal will do, they could be adding unwanted flammable chemicals to their garden.

@EarlyMusicDiva

4 жыл бұрын

Dave, what do you plan to use to ph it down? We have alkaline soil and this has been a concern of mine.

@davesterchele2679

4 жыл бұрын

@@EarlyMusicDiva I don't think a relatively small amount of biochar is going to make any changes in soil Ph, especially here in Michigan. For alkaline soil (which we do not have), my understanding is that the long-term solution is compost, compost compost. Add leaves, organic matter, straw, etc.. and over time the soil should become more neutral. If your soil is so alkaline that you have problems growing, you might want to consider straw bale gardening which is part of my overall strategy. Every year I get about 10 straw bales, get the centers "cooking" with water and high nitrogen fertilizer, and then when the centers are broken down enough so you can dig holes into them, I plant straight in to the bales. Tomatoes seem to do best, but I've also grown potatoes, carrots, peas, parsnips, beans, flowers, etc.. straight in to bales. By the end of the season they start falling apart so I combine them into my raised beds where all the organic matter very quickly breaks down into rich composted material.

Hey Luke, watching this video for the umtinth time, had to really laugh this time listening to your comment on not being able to find small wood lying around, not true this spring after the big ice storm that took out our power here south of Jackson. We're still picking up sticks and twigs, lol. Thank you for so many informative videos and your positive attitude 😊

Lord knows there’s not shortage of dollar generals in small towns! I swear we have 12 in my county

@jennwatson74

4 жыл бұрын

I live outside of town, and that towns population is less than a thousand people, but there’s a Dollar General. We call it the mall. 😂

@MrZesty-zu4xj

4 жыл бұрын

@@jennwatson74 😂😂😂

@val-xo7ud

4 жыл бұрын

I used to live in a small town and there were so many. It's Walmart on a small version.

@rosemariewatkins1478

4 жыл бұрын

I hadn't heard of them until this year, now one's being built half a mile away!

@createartmarxs7705

3 жыл бұрын

@@jennwatson74 DEAD! I’m legit dead! 😂🤣😂 same girl, SAME 🙋‍♀️🤣

I've done tons of research into biochar, and used those exact charcoal briquets for terrarium soil maintenance but somehow NEVER made the connection to just use that charcoal to make biochar!! I always figured I would have to make charcoal! Thanks so much for this video!

@uptownscenery9175

3 жыл бұрын

You have to use lump charcoal not charcoal briquettes

@Z4RQUON

Жыл бұрын

Briquettes have fuel added to them, you would not want to put them in your garden.

Great Video! Also, Menards (midwest) sells lump charcoal for $5.31, for an even cheaper value.

I was looking at building something to make biochar but now I know I don't need to- thanks!!!

I made my own charcoal last year from my tree pruning. Ended up with 150+ gallons of charcoal I mixed into the garden.

@christophergruenwald5054

4 жыл бұрын

I designed a double stacked steel drum system that doubles as an incinerator. It’s 2 55gallon drums stacked end to end and welded together open between. There is a hole in the very top that makes up about a 1/3 in the back. And the upper barrel has a hole in the front in the middle around 12x12 ish. The bottom has 4 holes for oxygen to get it started and hot. Once it’s hot you bury those holes with dirt. You just keep feeding in wood. It burns extremely hot with very little smoke. This is because the wood is burning in a low oxygen environment near the bottom but as the smoke rises up, at the top of the barrel it’s mixed with oxygen and burns off inside of the barrel, which adds more heat to the system and makes for nearly no smoke out the chimney. Unlike every single other method of producing charcoal. It was such a hot process I was able to do this with green wood too, but I don’t recommend it as it slows the process and creates a lot of steam smoke.

Love ALL your videos Luke!

I have a small pack stove in my shop for heating. It works great for making biochar. Just get a good fire going for 1/2 hour and then load it up with wood and close the air intake and exhaust. The exhaust valve has a small hole so it doesn't completely close off, allowing gasses to escape and not smoke up the shop.

Awesome! We’ve started adding charcoal in to our chicken bedding, it keeps smells down, soaks up any liquids, and makes the compost even better.

I love that you used a store we all have.

You should see PrimitiveTechnology's video on making wood charcoal at home, it's really really cool!

@samuelvine

4 жыл бұрын

kzread.info/dash/bejne/ea6A2NN8hNm1gbw.html Note you need a lot of mud doing it the ancient way haha

@MrSeney1

4 жыл бұрын

Only take a baril whit cap and burn a wood chunk in it in fire

@cathywilliamson8153

4 жыл бұрын

🙄

Thank you for this video Luke!!!!!

The video I didn't know I was waiting for you to make!

Loven this, so affordable and oh so easy!! Thanks Luck!!!

Great idea, thanks for all your tips

I've been thinking about using store biochar for a while and was thinking the price would be to high, but you made some great points

I have learned so much from you...thank you

Thanks for the tag-along! MI is just like i remember it; in Royal Oak, as a matter o fact!

Nice Content Man :) Looking forward to buying some Trifecta + This month...

Great stuff, Luke!

I'm leaning away from the screen as you pour out the char!!! 😃

@wncwaterfalls

4 жыл бұрын

Roxanna Weaver looked like the smoke monster from Lost!

@goldierocks.

4 жыл бұрын

I held my breath for a second. LOl

Thank you Luke excellent explanation!

Sir, you did not purchase Biochar, you purchased lump charcoal. It is not biochar until it's inoculated. I've been doing this inoculation for years. I buy two huge bags, maybe three times what he has, put them into plastic "burlap" bags, then into a 45 gallon barrel with lots of manure as a nutrient source, cover with a board and place enough rocks on top to submerge the charcoal... for at least a month. When it comes out I can scarcely lift it - very heavy. To break it into the tiniest bits I can (it doesn't break down in the soil, at least not in our short lifespan - google Tera Preta) I put it through my shredder (not a chipper). To do that, I roll it onto a large old tarp that I tie up around the shredder to keep the bits from flying far and wide. No need for a dust mask - but protect your eyes from the bits. It took me some years to come up with this process. I usually put it throgh the shredder twice to really break it up. To use, there are no real guidelines. When I have lots, I broadcast it over the garden, when supply is limited, I put a handful in each planting hole or lightly sprinkle along the planting row. You can see a few videos on my channel about my travails of getting to this method... and I also created a control experiment to see if it actually works... yes it does - check out the video. Since I practice "no till gardening", it only gets incorpoarated by overmulching and earthworm activity.

Thank you this is a simple safe way. Especially in Southern California with the burn 🔥 ban, active. This is safe. Thanks 🙏 Jane

Was that compost tea, or compost soup? Maybe consider adding an airstone and airpump, with molasses to feed the bacteria and let it breed. No oxygen and bacteria and fungus may die or not thrive. Make tea, not soup. 😊

@mrbinary71

4 жыл бұрын

Exactly

Wow, so full of great information. I'm going to Dollar General now. Thanks

I have been using hardwood lump charcoal for my grills/smoker for 15+yrs, and adding the leftover bits to my soil and compost for 12+yrs. That Royal Oak you used is very good stuff. It is my second favorite behind Wisconsin-made "Grove" brand lump charcoal. Many other brands are not very good.

Do you have a follow up video of how the biochar affected your plants? And was it sufficiently changed before using? Thanks

I really like your shoes! (And great vid btw)

There's a big circle of cinder blocks where a local tree removal company burned all their chipped wood, I collect the charred lumps and ashes and use them as drainage in my planters. I pound them down to smaller size with an old brick too, and mix the resulting powder and grit into my soil.

I have made my own biochar. And have used charcoal instead - If the charcoal is light and sounds like glass... its biochar! But the key here is the glassy sound. Great video!

This is a great idea. I'm going to try it with my aquaponic fish tank. Biochar tends to absorb nutrients for about 3 months. If you put biochar directly in the soil it'll have a negative impact as it absorbs plant available nutrients. You want to compost it first. If you're looking for Terra Preta then follow that recipe before applying it to soil.

As a kid I learned gardening from my grandmother sh was born in 1901

Hunny! He's talking to that camera again.. making mush with a log?? - I always think, what are his neighbors thinking?? Hahaha 🤣❤️

Could you please explain what you mean by "breaking down" in a few years? Sorry I have to ask, but all the scientific literature I've been reading indicates the benefits last for several hundred years. I'm also curious about why you're not using an air pump to inoculate the slurry and feeding it with flour or molasses. Seems like that's the way most people do it. My understanding is that oxygen is required to keep if from going anaerobic and populating the char with "bad" bacteria.

Spring is in the air! You can tell, Luke has more pep in his step 😅

Where was this vlog last year when I was Buying biochar? Thank you for making this informative vlog

can you show how you actually add it to your beds?

@crazysquirrel9425

4 жыл бұрын

A few methods put a 1 inch layer in the surface and till it in to 5-6 inches deep. Dig down 5-6 inches and place a 1 inch layer down then cover with soil. Top Dress with biochar and water it in. This is the least recommended way. When I make my biochar I have 3 grades made at the same time. Pellets (obviously) Biochar sludge (thick and small small particles that resemble sludge) And a black liquid with biochar floating around in it. I can just water with that black liquid if I don't want to disturb an existing plant. finger tilling 1/2 inch or so with the sludge will get some in there. Or just tilling it into empty soil for regular biochar.

@BretttSucks

4 жыл бұрын

crazy squirrel just throw her down

When I 1st started my container garden, I just tossed chunks of charcoal midway in the container. This will be year 3 for a garden and I still have pieces in them. I also bbq and use natural lump charcoal. Once the ashes cool down in the grill, I put it in the containers

@emmitstewart1921

2 жыл бұрын

Once you have finished cooking on the barbecue, extinguish the fire with water then let it cool down. That will prevent too much of the charcoal from burning away, but if you let it burn down naturally, you will have more ash, which is also beneficial.

So, wood stove ash actually has a double plus, not only do you get ash, but you do get chunks of charcoal that make it through.

@clairesides3559

4 жыл бұрын

I’ve a fireplace insert that I harvest the ash and the char also, and worm castings to mix with the char.

Wow great video! Thanks Luke!

Because of extreme arthritis, I have used a portable concrete mixer. It pulverizes everything great. You might want to try it.

@KevinSmith-dq9tz

Жыл бұрын

👍 I mix my soils that way. What a back saver. Lol. Works great.

Thank you for posting . Just bought Royal Oak lumps. Thanks again !🇺🇸😎🇺🇸

Great idea! Thank you!

Really good to know. Little pots and trays are OK with pellets and perlite, but biochar is great for the bigger jobs like beds and planters. Thanks!

Luke...Bio Char IS an amazing Garden amendment....but please let me caution you against using anything made by Royal oak....I worked (very briefly) at the Royal Oak charcoal company in East TN back around 2007....and the reason I say briefly (2 days)....I'd get home after 8 hrs beathing air that constantly smelled like gasoline...and contantly cughing and sneezing black. all of the different types of briquettes are made in the same building on different production lines.....you might be putting contaminants into your soil you're not aware of, my friend

Field trip! Great info thanks 😀