Biochar: What Is It and How Does It Work? Should Vermicomposters Use It?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 มิ.ย. 2024
- Video Summary: I go over the basics of biochar and its benefits to soil and plants. I also get into how vermicomposters can incorporate it into your worm bins.
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Video Timeline:
0:00 Start of Video
0:21 What is biochar and how is it made?
0:44 Surface area and negative charge: Biochar's 2 main characteristics
1:28 Cation Exchange Capacity and Adsorption
2:38 Biochar's benefit in a worm bin
3:48 How biochar can assist in hot composting
4:14 How raw biochar can actually harm your garden's success for a couple of growing seasons
5:11 How I would use biochar in my worm bin
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Love using biochar. Much easier than eggshells in my experience. Loved that you give a solid ratio here.
1 QUART FOOD WASTE
2 QUARTS OF BEDDING
1/2 CUP BIOCHAR
👍
I've used biochar in my compost and fed it to my worms it was Oak, rose bush, Cedar, and fruit tree nectarine. Two of the things I like about biochar is how it improves and helps with your soil fertility and also holds the soil nutrients in it with the porous surface it has. There is one worm farm that actually uses it amongst other things mixed together to feed their worms it was in one of the growing your greens John Kohler videos. One of their products they make is called ambrosia I think they're in California
Absolutely the best under-7-minute biochar discussion available! Biochar in the worm bin is a twofer (two for the price of one because it will be charged by the vermicompost itself). Can’t wait to see the results in my container vegetable garden. I have been reluctant to try it in the worm bin without an endorsement from a worm guy. And, as you said, adding it to the garden, without it being charged, redirects nutrients away from plant roots.
That means a lot coming from you Karl! Thanks so much for the kind words.
That was frigging amazing! Perfect way to pop in the science via a way most people can understand it without getting all *yawn*.
Thanks BH! Making the science fun and simple was definitely my goal here. Lots of weird rabbit holes to go down when it comes to biochar!
I’ve only had worm bins starting in Jan. I just harvested my first batches of worm castings. I used biochar from the beginning in the bins. Now I expect to see a good difference in my plants and flowers this year.
Awesome video! I’ve been trying to understand cat-ion exchange for my master gardener class!
You got it Barbara! This was a fun video to make. Glad it was helpful!
Really good stuff. It's crazy how everything in regenerative agriculture, or whatever you want to call it, fits together like a perfect, secret recipe you wish everyone knew. The trouble is in how to get people to listen.
Just bought 4 of your bins and some bio char. It’s complimenting my 50 gallon unit. Super excited!
Want you to come to my desert garden for a field trip. Lol I keep my worms alive in the summer somehow. I use ice packs on top of my worm bin in my raided bed. Enjoy your info! Thanks
Steve, You hit the ball out of the ballpark! You always do so it doesn't surprise me. Over here in Japan I have just gotten heavily into biochar and am collecting tons of videos on making it, charging it with microbes and then using it in the soil making process. Your presentation nails many critical points! I particularly liked the CEC explanation. I have 12 UWBs and want to be more professsional and committed in my management of them.
Hey thanks so much Vern! Glad you liked it,. Thanks for checking in!
Where did you find the best information on charging biochar? I love to tinker with things like this but so far all the info I've found is all over the map, and not much of it is what I'd consider accurate.
This was what Was looking for .Great information, thanks.
Good idea
Appreciate the science you include!
Thank you Bethann!
Hey Steve! I was wondering, since I have left over worm tea after feeding and foliar spraying all my plants, could I use the rest of the worm tea to speed up my COLD composting process?
Having a BLAST making Homemade BioChar for Vermicomposting ;)
😂
Yeah dude keep the videos coming
I'm trying Daniel. Thanks for watching!
Is it OK to put wood ash in worn bin. Is the charged wood ok for worm bin.? Tim
Excellent information. Should the biochar be ground to a fine powder like with egg shells?
I want to amend my crop ground but I’m also a little fearful of adding too many microbes. I’m not sure a crop and enough organic matter to feed that many microbes can be achieved. There may be a sweet spot for microbes biomass to organic matter in the soils or dormancy might occur. Will the bio-char favor bacteria for a bacterial dominant soil and prevent my fungal dominant crops from thriving? Is it something that I would only want to add to specific area which might be problem areas? I do like the idea of a light weight bedding for my deep bed loving euros and Afros ❤🎉 at any rate I am up to almost half a 55gal drum of bio-char so far this winter. 🔥 keeping the house warm and adding long term carbon in the soil, win, win, 😊
I have more questions than I got answers. Foremost, how long should the biochar need to be in the worm bed before it is charged enough for use....
What about the pH of the charcoal? is it ok or will it effect the pH of the worm bin?
I really like this video. I do use biochar in my bin. I have a few questions that still haven't been answered to my satisfaction. 1. Is biochar, to the worm acts as a grit? 2. Grind or not to grind? (as far as a grit or char in general).3. Adding uncharged biochar to a bin would have what type of in effect on a worm itself? ML if this can be addressed in a future video.
Hi Sgransar,
Check at about 3:30 in the video....yes, it can be a grit and I would make the particle size as small as possible to make using it as grit to be more feasible.
Unsure about how uncharged/raw biochar would effect the inside of a worm, but I don't think it would be detrimental.
I missed it! thnx@@UrbanWormCompany
Can I make biochar from lumpwood charcoal?
I don't know what lumpwood is but if it's charcoal, I would imagine it's likely past the point of being turned into biochar.
Yes, basically. My research leads me to believe that it is fine, but the quality of the char may be a concern. Moreover, it may not be completely free of lignin and such; maybe better said as completely pyrolyzed.
I also believe whenever introducing a new product or process, it's better to test small batches and notice benefits/detriments.
How long do opened bags of worm castings store for and remain good? For indoor growing when mixing with sterile peat moss?
If kept in a dark, moist environment, they should be good for 6 months or more
It's been 3 weeks since the initial setup of my urban worm bag with just moist bedding (shredded paper and coco coir) and a little alfalfa and kashi. Today, I just fed for the first time some coffee grounds, cannabis leaves, banana peels and malted barley meal mixed heavily in dry coco coir, and then added another layer of coco coir on top to cover it all. I then lightly sprayed the top. Should I only refeed when the top coco coir layer starts to be processed into castings?
You should refeed as soon as you can. Just make sure when you do you feed a balanced feed, similar to what you described above. I would add more browns based upon what you said. Carboard, leaves, straw etc.
Coco coir can be salty which is not great for your final product. Make sure it is well rinsed at least.
Thanks for the video!
What do you think of using biochar instead or in addition to bedding material in an overfeeding situation?
Hi Klaus,
I don’t think biochar would be helpful for that problem specifically. I’d stick with adding bedding to overcome the overfeeding.
Thanks @@UrbanWormCompany!
Hi. When sifting castings that had biochar as a bedding, will a good amount of biochar also be sifted with the castings thus making your castings a biochar/castings mixture and if so when selling the castings, do you say it's worm castings or do you have to say it's a mixture of both even if the biochar content in the bedding is about 5% of the bedding before sifting?
I think you’re fine to just call them worm castings but you may want to call them something like enriched worm castings or biochar-infused worm castings.
Nice shirt. SSFM
Thanks brother! Nice to see another plumber on here.
Semi-committed relationship 🤣🤣🤣 Great description.
Ha! I didn't know how else to describe it. :)
So I believe you are incorrect on the surface area. This might be true. If it is a truly activated charcoal. Versus charcoal created in ones back yard.
True activated charcoal. Is medical grade. And requires an additional step . To activate it.
What I believe you are referring to charcoal that has been enriched by putting in urine or manure to get it store nutrients vs absorbing nitrogen. When it is applied.
I just think it is important. To state the differences.
Truly activated, is usually used for medical. For an overdose patient.
To absorb the toxins.
Biochar is one of my main ingredients I feed my worms for nice castings 🪱🇳🇿
Awesome science lesson!! I about spit out my coffee when you compared biochar's relationship to Leonardo DiCaprio's girlfriends, but now I won't forget it!! I too subscribe to the lazy man's vermicomposting but I may give this a try after this video!! Hilarious and informative...the best kind of training day brief!!🪱🪱🪱
Glad you enjoyed it, VLD! That one was fun. I appreciate you watching.