This year's biochar results

While this is not a blind, placebo-controlled laboratory experiment, it gives nervous potential biochar enthusiasts some tangible results that may give them an idea of what could happen.
John S
PDX OR

Biochar results
The changes are listed after each variety by year. Updated for 2020 gardening year.

There is more than 1 year since  I have started using inoculated biochar.  I have decided to tabulate the results so others could visualize them as well.  I started with pie cherries, American persimmons, and lilacs, because they seemed to be three types of plants that liked more alkaline soil, and like most in Portland,  I have naturally acidic clay soil. The ash remnant in biochar makes it more alkaline.

American persimmons:
The ones that had been biocharred:
1 Garretson: 2019 By far more production than ever before.  I had to tie the tree to another one so it wouldn’t fall over.  Interestingly, the fruit was largely unseeded for the first time.  Could be due to rain during the pollination time, but I don’t know. 2020 ag lime added afterwards. Rice flour added right afterwards for 2020.
2020: equal to 2019-Great production. Fewer with seeds-pollination?
2.  Szukis: 2019 About 10 times more fruit than ever before.  This is the first time that it was ever good tasting. Ag lime added afterwards. Rice flour added right after for 2020.
2020: Great production-delicious just like 2019
3. Young seedling S of NSpy:: 2019 Grew a lot more, but still hasn’t fruited. Biocharred for 2019.. .Added oat flour afterwards 1/20 2020: Pruned heavily for grafting.
4. Early Golden: 2019 Fruited, about the same as the previous years.Biocharred for 2019. Added ag lime afterwards 2020. Wheat flour added right after for 2020.For 2020: still no noticeable gain. Now it is more in the shade of the much larger pie cherry tree. Also some wind and smoke damage.
5. SeedlingWestofcanoe: 2020 Biochar added ag lime afterwards. 2020: Pruned heavily for grafting.
6. SeedlingWofRaised bed:Biocharred with added ag lime2020 first time.2020: Failed graft
7.NC-10: Fruited for the first time in 2019 before biochar..  Supposedly the earliest variety.  Fruited very late or never ripened. Fruit quality very poor. Non-edible.  2020: Biocharred, then mineralized with ag lime after.2020: Good tasting fruit! Much more production.
8. H-118:Biocharred for 2020. Ag lime added after. First time fruiting-Delicious. Many fruit.
9. Seedling S of Canoe: Biocharred for 2019 for first time.  Ag lime and millet flour added for 2020.2020: Pruned heavily.


The ones that weren’t biocharred:
3. Seedlings:
Seedling E of raised bed. 2020 :Pruned heavily for grafting.
Seedling N of Garretson: About the same. Moved. Still small.

Pie cherries:
Biocharred:
1.Montmorency1Shed: Biocharred 2019. Very healthy and productive.  About twice the production of the previous year. Added oat flour afterwards. 2020 about 25% yet more productive. Tree got bigger.  Very healthy.
2. Montmorency2byTrampoline: Biocharred 2019.The same. About twice as productive as the previous year.1/2020 Added ag lime after. 2020 Also bigger tree about 25% more productive, very healthy.
3. BalatonBackShed:Biocharred for 2020.Added ag lime after. 2020: About twice as productive as last year. Very healthy and taller.
4. Mixed seedling/Montmorency by Topaz apple: 2020 biocharred. Added ag lime and wheat flour after. 2020 Results: about 35% more productive.
5. FencelineSurefire: Biocharred for 2020.Added ag lime after.Added rye flour too. About the same production, but much larger and tastier cherries.. Healthier tree than before.
6. Fenceline Balaton: Biocharred for 2020-About three times as productive as ever before.





Non-biocharred:
2. North Star: About the same as previous year. Again. CHopped for grafting.
5. MontmorencybySunflowerPawpaw: About the same.Again.Biocharred for 2021

Lilac:Only one that was biocharred for 2019:
1. About twice the size of last year’s lilac bush. Added ag lime afterwards for 2020. For 2020: Doubled again in size.  Will need to move or chop the currant that is near it.

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Love reading the results. Could you explain more about what you did to the ones "biocharred"? I would love to hear more about the amount of biochar, how it was inoculated, if you worked it in to the soil or just top dressed. Any extra details would be much appreciated.

Sure. I followed some of Redhawk's ideas and borrowed some ideas I knew from having an orchard.

I am mostly making a circle around the trees at the dripline.  With a younger tree, I often aim for in between the current dripline and where it will be when mature.   I dig the spade in as far as it can go, so say nine inches or so, move it back and forth to not disrupt the mycelium too much, then fill that mini-canyon with crushed, nutrified biochar.  

I've talked about this on other threads, but since I am a suburban home based gardener, I use the following; 1 cup whole wheat flour, 9 oyster shells, crushed, two heaping handfuls of worm "castings", two heaping handfuls of regular leaf/organic material compost, rotten fruit, and rotten wood.  I drench it once a day for about a week.
John S
PDX OR