• Post Reply Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic
permaculture forums growies critters building homesteading energy monies kitchen purity ungarbage community wilderness fiber arts art permaculture artisans regional education skip experiences global resources cider press projects digital market permies.com pie forums private forums all forums
this forum made possible by our volunteer staff, including ...
master stewards:
  • Carla Burke
  • Nancy Reading
  • r ranson
  • John F Dean
  • Timothy Norton
  • paul wheaton
  • Jay Angler
stewards:
  • Pearl Sutton
  • Anne Miller
  • Tereza Okava
master gardeners:
  • Christopher Weeks
gardeners:
  • M Ljin
  • Matt McSpadden
  • Megan Palmer

alkaline Biochar?

 
pollinator
Posts: 195
Location: Spain
17
forest garden fungi urban
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Hi,
I am new to biochar and I am looking into biochar providers. One that I have found nearby where I live sells a product that has a quite high pH (8.92 in water) and high conductivity (994 microS/cm) is this normal within good biochar products? (the material from where it was produced was dry pine wood).
Also I'd like to use it in the tree holes when planting them and the soil's pH is already somewhat alkaline 7.9 to 8.1 and I wonder if putting a dose of biochar there can have the (negative) effect  of raising the overall pH of the area just around where the trees are planted.
 
author & steward
Posts: 7380
Location: Cache Valley, zone 4b, Irrigated, 9" rain in badlands.
3587
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator

As a chemist, I would say that high pH is completely typical for bio-char. The effects could be minimized somewhat by washing the charcoal before application. (And properly disposing of the waste water).
 
gardener
Posts: 4448
696
7
forest garden fungi trees food preservation bike medical herbs
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
One of the reasons that I use biochar is that our soils are naturally very acidic due to high rainfall.  For most plants, biochar improves nutrient availability, but I keep it away from blueberries and huckleberries.
johN S
PDX OR
 
steward
Posts: 3502
Location: Maine, zone 5
2081
8
hugelkultur dog forest garden trees foraging food preservation cooking solar seed wood heat homestead
  • Likes 1
  • Mark post as helpful
  • send pies
    Number of slices to send:
    Optional 'thank-you' note:
  • Quote
  • Report post to moderator
Yup, that's a very normal pH for fresh biochar, but after you put it through a composting cycle you should be all set.  Good luck!
 
Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened. And waving this tiny ad:
montana community seeking 20 people who are gardeners or want to be gardeners
https://permies.com/t/359868/montana-community-seeking-people-gardeners
reply
    Bookmark Topic Watch Topic
  • New Topic