Using biochar that is wet in the ground

"I have a question please. A friend of mine has a a lot of wet biochar on the ground. How should I go about harvesting it for a later time? Should I dry it or bucket & start activating. I'm in reedsport, so I wouldn't be able to dry it outside very well. I've just started learning and any help in this process would be amazing! "

That is an interesting question. Is it just char, or is it biochar? I mean, is it just the burned carbon, or has it been crushed and inoculated?  

If it hasn't been crushed, it may be harder to crush if it is mixed with soil.

If it hasn't been inoculated/charged/nutrified, I would add something nutritious to it.  

If it is really deep, I would try to keep it within about a foot of the surface, because that's where the action is.  

I like to put it at the drip line of my trees or shrubs.  My goal is to keep some within a couple of feet of all my plants, so that they all have access to this "Bank of nutrient storage".  

I am looking forward to seeing others' responses as well.

John S
PDX OR

Once char is saturated, it is quite difficult to dry out. I would just break it down as much as possible and add it to my slow compost pile.  Or I would partially dry it and put it in a bucket with a lid, as a "gentleman's convenience" in the shop.

The only inoculation that has taken place would have been natural. Truly kind for your help.

I quench my biochar with water at the end of a burn, so it's wet from the beginning. Drenching it with high-microbial liquids is my preferred inoculation method and even though the material does not absorb all the effluent, it sits in contact for long enough that I'm confident the colonisation takes place. Biochar spread on the ground will actively take in soil bacteria and I think this is a valid means of charging it as well, especially if it's in an area that you're not currently growing crops (mostly because this phase can temporarily deplete the soil biota, but I think this risk is way overstated).

Another thing to keep in mind is that any inoculation we do intentionally will just be a "pioneer" effort. Once the stuff is in the soil, a whole new set of species may end up taking residence in there and they might consume the initial inhabitants in doing so. These are complex dynamic systems we're dealing with, after all...time, temperature, moisture levels, environmental conditions like different root exudates from varying types of plants, all will have effects.

I don't think a little dirt will harm anything since it's destined for the soil anyway. The only negative effect would be if you were trying to crush the biochar with a implement that could be damaged by rocks. How big are the pieces?

Some are quite large. Foot by 4 inches.  Probably a space that's 10x5, not sure the depth.
Thank you so much for all this information.  I'll probably cush all the best i can, put some in a leaf compost & the rest, mix with a fertilizer using Paul Morris method.  Truly kind words! I will also add a fertilizer to the burnt area.
I'm honestly just starting. I'm going to be a caretaker for a lady's property & this is the first project.
Wish a beautiful day all.

Paul,
If they are 10" by 5", you definitely want to crush them.  There is so much surface area that is unused at that size.  Remember, the biochar is hotels for microbes. The more crushed, the more hotel "rooms".  The more biochemical interaction can take place, like moving nutrients, water and mycelium to where and when they can be used efficiently.  When nutrients or water flow through the biochar, it can hold onto them and use them.  With sand, the water and nutrients just flow through into the water table. Not good. The soil can be like a well stocked cupboard in a great kitchen, bringing in a pinch of this and a dash of that, to make great recipes for the plants and tiny other life in the soil.

JohN S
PDX OR

Will do! Thank you for your help. Much  respect  🙏

I crush it by driving over it in between panels of plywood when I come home or leave, but there are many methods listed in this forum.

John S
PDX OR