John Suavecito

That's a great site, Scott.  So much information!

John S
PDX OR

I agree with you in general, Mark Beard, but I would say that char is made in a limited oxygen environment.

John S
PDX OR

Amy Gardener wrote:While Tim specifically asks about sifting, would you consider minimizing ash by burning then dousing the biochar in a burn pit?
By making a small fire in a pit, then covering it with layers of sticks to partially smother the burn, I am able to carefully douse the fire from the bottom up while the new layers of char continue to burn on top. There is little to no ash in this process.
I mostly follow this excellent video by Manuel Angerer with this small modification: instead of dousing the fire completely, just add water to the bottom of the pit while keeping the upper layers burning. When finished with the burn, douse the entire pit as shown in the video.
After years of avoiding biochar due to concerns of adding alkalinity to my highly alkaline sandy soil, I am very pleased with this minimal ash method.

I don't even consider burning in a pit in my yard because I can't. I live in a suburb. They've already called the fire department on me.  There are no open spaces that are far from other people's properties.  It would be illegal and the fire department would cite me.
John S
PDX OR

There are many reasons why I try to maximize biocjar and minimize ash. Ash helps but it doesn't last as long as biochar. Biochar has more volume. Biochar helps mycelium more. Biochar doesn't shift ph as much. Biochar helps retain moisture and improve drainage.
John S
PDX OR

I make my biochar in the driveway, so access to the hose is easy. Quenching it activates it.  The biochar is close to sterile at that point. If you let the water sit for 4 hours, the chlorine will waft off. If you add a small amount of compost or similar, it will break down the chloramine. Enough to turn it light brown. Chloramine kills the biological activity in the water. They put it in the pipes because sometimes the water takes a week to get to you.

John S
PDX OR

I try to make as little ash as possible for that reason. We have acidic soils, so some ash is good.

As I've said earlier, I've grown both American and Asian persimmons. I prefer the Americans, because IMHO, they have a more complex, wild flavor.  They're so good that i eat them all up. None to process.
John S
PDX OR

I would put some mulch or even dirt over that. It would keep the dust down.  In addition, you want the biochar to be kept moist, so all of the microbes can stay alive in side it.  That's my two cents.
John S
PDX OR

I have dug in places where I put biochar 3-4 years ago and I couldn't find it. The soil was darker, but there were no chunks of biochar.  I think it becomes incorporated into the soil.  It still does its job, though.  I agree with Tony, though. First priority for me would be around the plants.
JohN S
PDX OR