This is a valuable episode. Many valuable things I learn and share. Be sure to watch the whole episode, including the interview at the end. Learn more about Blue Sky Biochar at www.blueskybiochar.com/ Be sure to use coupon code GYG for a 20% off discount and Get a free wood vinegar sample if you spend over $100
Fantastic episode, John. I hope you'll return and do a more in-depth visit to this fascinating garden/business. And thanks for getting us a good discount from Michael! Peace
Learn Organic Gardening at GrowingYourGreens Yes, it is! I was thinking, all these years and all those hundreds or thousands of videos, and you're still discovering new, interesting things!
I use bio char in the bottom of my compost bucket. I've found it helps keep any smells down and absorbs the liquids that may drain from certain food scraps. I fill the bucket with ~1/2"+ of char then mix it with a small handful of rock dust, crabshell meal (to further promote fungal growth) and coco coir (because I have extra from another project and it's an absorbent material). If I add moist scraps (e.g. steaming fresh brewed coffee grounds), the char layer will have a nice thick layer of mycellium that's creeping well up into the food layer by the time it's full and ready to pitch in the compost bin outside. I used to just put the food scraps in the empty bucket and almost stopped due to the gnarly smell, flying insects (put a lid on it!) and having to wash that putrid liquid layer that would often form on the bottom (depending on what went in the bucket). I added char straight to the garden when I built it and this is my slow addition of more char, when I spread and turn in the finished compost.
I over bought bio char. I took the excess to my yard and hand sprinkled it across the back yard. My lawn is now extremely fertile.That was more than 15 years ago. my lawn feels like walking on a sponge now. not soggy, but very soft.
Well when they discovered biochar in garden beds that probably in excess of 2000 years. That was how it all started because luckily the explorer that made the discovery was an avid gardener.
My chipper isn't for chipping wood or the corn stalks, or the canes from sugar cane, it's in the compost pile, chipper is to run the burnt char thru, wet it thoughly, run it thru, perfect grit size and fast.
activated charcoal is a treatment for an overdose if it is caught early enough. It ties up and binds the substance in the stomach and doesn't allow for the absorption. a french chemist discovered it in the 1800s and took arsenic and the charcoal at the same time.
Hi, I live in Pahrump, NV. I wanted to say thanks for all the great desert gardening videos. This Biochar video reminded me of something I saw about 10 years ago. TERRA PRETA - it’s a magical black soil created by pre Colombian people of the Amazon. It is said it can boost crop yields up to 700%. It also can regenerate its self when dug up and added to plain soil. The rain forest has heavy clay soil with very little nutrients similar our desert soils. I believe the black soil was found to contain charcoal, pot shards, fish & animal bones etc... I would love to hear your thoughts on this.
I have the recipe.. you need.. 1 ton of rotted vegetable matter such as in the rain forest.. and water, Plus, millions of insects working it for about a thousand years.. Got that? now go do it in NV... This is nothing new..
Late comment, but this video explained TERRA PRETA, along with everything else you mentioned about it. So your ending sentence, "I would love to hear your thoughts on this", tells us you didn't watch too far into this video, if at all. Shame on you, lol! I'm just kidding around. I often check the comments before watching a video, and I'm thinking you did that here, noticed no mention of Terra Preta, or it's history and great properties it has, so you made that great comment that describes much of what they're speaking about in the video..? Because I've done the same thing, lol. Great video, but you seem to know plenty about Bio-char already! I know it's been 4 years since making the comment, but that's enough time to make some beautiful, dark soil, that'll only getting better with time. Please, let me know about your success with Bio-char, and if you've been able to use it in outdoor soil, like clay, and turn it into a dark, living soil with plenty of Carbon and beneficial microbes? I've only used it in potting mixes, and have had positive results, but I haven't reused the soil in the pots, mostly because of lack of space where we grew inside. I need to find a way to reuse this, for better soil over time, and because the price of a good soil/soil-ess medium is getting quite a bit more expensive than 4 years ago, when you could get 2CU/ft of compressed Coconut Coir for under $15. At least $30 now, Same with Pro Mix HP/Sunshine Mix #4(I haven't been able to get to the hydro store lately, but medium is usually cheaper there), which were much less expensive when living near the Canadian border. Canada has an incredible amount of Peat. I'm in Texas now, a little further from Canada, lol, and the prices are 2X higher, easily. Definitely time to find a way to reuse our Soil in our small place..? May not be simple, but we'll figure out a routine. Have too..!👍💯✌️
@@aberdonianwanger You forgot about the Bio-char and pieces of broken clay pottery pieces that acted as an aggregate. And Worms! They're not insects? Other than that you're pretty much Spot On!👍😂😂💯✌️
Even with the discount there is no way I can afford things there. Anyway, I am making biochar out of used coffee grounds. Ranges from a powder to granules. I plan to use apple cider vinegar to fix the pH issue and compost tea made from comfrey leaves (when I get an air pump). 5 pounds of coffee grounds only makes about 1/2 pound of biochar. I used to use twigs and break them into small pieces but that takes a LONG time to do for each small batch. Once I get it together, I will put it in the wife's fire ring garden we made last year. (just used a fire ring and made a little raised bed garden for her - was never a fire there) Then let it do it's thing all winter and 1/2 of spring. 4 1/2 months of sitting there should give it a good go I would think. I may water in some Mykos but it says it needs a living root to survive to have to wait on that. For my hugelgarden, I merely soaked the plain biochar in water (quenched it immediately after pulling it from the wood stove). Popped like rice crispies! I then watered the hugelgarden with 2 handfuls of plain sugar in 2 gal of water (repeatedly to do the top part) just to provide some initial food for the bacteria (which I think is dormant right now) due to the cold weather). Hugelgarden has a LOT of fall oak leaves mixed in (A LOT). We used a wheelbarrow, put in dome dirt, then leaves, then 6-double handfuls of used coffee grounds, and 1 gal of sugar water (one handful of sugar to 1 gal water). Used a hoe and mixed well. Rather sloppy too. Dumped THAT on top of the hugelgarden. Took nearly 15 - 5gal buckets full of the stuff to coat the very topmost part of it. We did not chop the leaves. I wanted them to slowly break down. I need them for water retention more than anything. Then covered the top of it all with used coffee grounds and watered in again with double strength sugar water. Snow/rain should work int down into the soil the rest of the way. I was wondering how effective biochar coffee grounds would be vs other kinds of biochar. And would sprinkling some of those biochar granules on top be of any benefit (thinking it might work itself down into the soil)? Worms should be so happy they might just chant my name every night! Sooo tired of watering constantly, even with a hugelgarden. Any problems with my setup or plan?
Amazing content.One of your finest videos.Lol what was the temp about 105° you looked like you were ready for a swimming pool.wood gasification to run a motor vehicle became common when gasoline was scarce.Is the liquid from the wood gasifier the same as the wood vinegar you refer to in this episode?
If you get Royal Oak charcoal. It is 100% charcoal. Although it isn’t broke down as well what he makes but will work as a poor mans biochar. You don’t have to do things like these people. I find that a lot of the people that tout their methods for this don’t seem to want to help the average Joe do things simple and easy. I know the guys smart and has the funds and expertise to do it his way. I, on the other hand am no dummy but I don’t have anyway to emulate him so I’m going to find away to do this my way.
Charcoal has been used since ancient types, even before that ever since fire has existed. It's black gold for the soil and has an ability to filter toxins out of water...but I agree with you that fungal dominant soil is much better if you can get leaf mould or composted wood chips/carbon sources that is also black gold
In actuality, you can achieve greater numbers of nutrients with just straight grasses and assorted materials. The addition of manure just helps get rid of those products.
A lot of people look at gardening with organic and they think that their vegetables will get a taste of one or two products and their vegetables will beat them to the table. It doesn’t work that way no matter what you use. You have to put in the work, the time and the grocery list of different products. The people that developed the original bio bar crops were the Incas who are no longer around. They got away with just adding bio char but they also used their massive native plants in a way to make the biochar work great 👍.
You can use a lawn to be useful. My parents have an acre of fruit trees with lawn. The we just put like four sheep on it and move their pen around. If you have fruit trees lawn ain’t bad and you can raise sheep or ducks or geese on grass.
I've heard you say many times how you like eating your flowers. Have you done a video on edible flowers & their benefit? Eating flowers is a foriegn concept to many people.
It’s not just nutrients. If your town cuts back water so you only can irritate twice a month you need biochar or something to help retain water. Otherwise you’ll be using chlorine city water and you might as well not garden.
The term biochar seems to be used quite loosely in this video. Curious why charcoal is called biochar when it has not yet been inoculated with any 'bio'. My charcoal gets microbes and food for them before being set aside to grow for a week or two. When my charcoal turns into biochar it is covered with a white beard over everything. Am I missing something here?
Biochar is not the magic bullet so to speak. Those microbes still need something to eat (aka organic matter). It can help using it but you still have to do other things.
I liked the video. The biocharlie looks interesting and would like to try it. I am having issues with his website giving the GYG discount. It says, "Customer information does not meet the requirements for the GYG discount code." I have no idea what I am doing wrong. I noticed utube is being ornery. I have had a hard time leaving a comment on your utube video.
I noticed that too since he is in california seems a little weird. I know Cali has laws about importing certain 'things' like plants from other states.
Burning fuel for the sole purpose of a soil amendment is such a waste and a pollutant. If you are going to burn, at least use the heat for something. Same with the raising fish just to be used as fertilizer. How does a vegan justify that!
If you have good soil to begin with . You probably will not see results, or benefit. It works great for taking bad soil like sand and turning it into great soil .
Bro I like some of your videos, but you think people have access to anything you are talking about. How are you helping people in the city that can't walk around their neighborhood and find dried dung. LOL You look over alot of your viewers.
You talk too much. Go to the point!! My god. You never stop. I thought that I liked you and subscribed and now I am going to "unsubscribe". You are just so unauthentic which you think you are.
i think this is hilarious he thinks he invented something.. Like "aerating"... Like when you turn a heap..? yea.. same thing.. some guys are just so conceited!
