{"id":1671,"date":"2010-10-11T02:43:00","date_gmt":"2010-10-11T02:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/?p=1671"},"modified":"2023-06-07T15:04:05","modified_gmt":"2023-06-07T19:04:05","slug":"biochar-revisiting-something-old-introducing-it-in-a-new-form-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/2010\/10\/biochar-revisiting-something-old-introducing-it-in-a-new-form-2\/","title":{"rendered":"BioChar… something old, it in a new form"},"content":{"rendered":"

BioChar… something old, it in a new form<\/h3>\n
\"BioChar

BioChar Someone old is now new<\/p><\/div>\n

One of my monthly magazines had a very interesting article on BioChar, a charcoal made by burning plant material in absence of oxygen, the resulting residue is high in nitrogen.\u00a0 The article in Ode Magazine detailed how Danny Day “discovered” plants growing wildly in the stacks of charcoal being stored outside.\u00a0 The interesting thing about BioChar is that is starts out in the same fashion as wood ash and is made similarly except ash is made by burning plant sources using oxygen and BioChar is made by burning plant sources without oxygen.<\/div>\n

Using ash as fertilizer isn’t anything new or unheard of as many older farm gardeners have used ash for years, I recall my 90 year old neighbor burning leaves each fall in her garden as a way to improve her soil.\u00a0 My mother emptied her wood burning stove and spread the ash in her garden each year, this is an old school practice and the explanation is a simple one.<\/p>\n


\nWood ash<\/a>, created by burning plant materials using oxygen, has levels of potassium, calcium and magnesium carbonate\/oxide <\/strong>that are available in large quantities, wood ash is very alkaline and neutralizes acid soils. Wood ash contains the elements of wood except nitrogen and sulfer <\/strong>as they are burned off during the fire process.\u00a0 It is best to have your soil tested to determine its alkalinity or acidity before application. \u00a0 The most common application of wood ash is 5- 10 pounds per 100 sq ft (done only once per year) which is raked in or scattered on freshly tilled soil approximately 3-5 weeks before planting.\u00a0 Ash can also be used as a side dressing or a deterrent to slugs and snails, you must be careful not to get ash on foliage as it can burn.\u00a0 Wood ash has very little nitrogen<\/strong>, you would need to supplement your fertilizing plan with nitrogen if using wood ash.\u00a0\u00a0 When using ash you want your source to be free of chemical additives, you wouldn’t use ash from painted wood, pressure treated lumber or from chemically treated yards.\u00a0 To recap, ash is a product of burning plant material in open fires using oxygen, ash is high in many macronutrients and yet void of nitrogen and sulfur.<\/p>\n

BioChar<\/a> starts out from burning plant sources without oxygen<\/strong>, the result is a residue high in nitrogen<\/strong>.\u00a0To use BioChar<\/a> it has to be buried in the garden soil to be effective, you can add it to your planting medium or directly into the garden at a rate of 1 cup to 2 gallons of planting soil.\u00a0 BioChar<\/a> has many advantages when used in the garden one of which being its ability to retain moisture, making it available to the plant when needed.\u00a0 Microbes in the earth like the oils in the charcoal, this stimulates microbe growth and stabilizes nutrients. Once buried, the BioChar also helps to neutralize soils, make the soil resistant to nematode, fungus and insects.\u00a0 BioChar replaces nitrogen oxide as a fertilizer, nitrogen oxide has many downfalls and has a greenhouse effect 300 times worse than carbon dioxide. To read a bit more on BioChar see this article in Mother Earth News. \u00a0 There is evidence of BioChar being used in ancient times to create the deep nutrient dense soils<\/a> found deep in the Amazon.\u00a0 These soils pockets of rich soil called terra preta or “dark earth” were not just a creation of nature but instead an ancient practice using BioChar.<\/p>\n

If I were to try this as a source of nitrogen I would use a local source, I have found Vermont BioChar,<\/a> stay tuned to my gardening adventures in 2011 to see if this will be used in a trial plot.\u00a0 Making charcoal at home is a fairly technical process as you want to do it in such a way that you burn off the greenhouse gases before they can become harmful to the environment, this is something best left to the professionals.\u00a0 This is a piece of information I wanted to share with you hoping that you can see the two different fertilizers derived from the same source created in the same fashion, one with and one without oxygen. The concern with BioChar is that if its use becomes to prolific that the worlds forest would be pillaged even further to create more and more Biochar.<\/p>\n

(okay this bit is off track but I wanted to include it for those who don’t understand the basis of fertilizer.)
\nWhy is this so interesting, most commercial fertilizer has three numbers on the label indicating the level of the three primary macronutrients: nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium that the fertilizer contains.\u00a0 There are also secondary macronutrients as well in the form of calcium, sulfur and magnesium and trace minerals like boron, chlorine, manganese , iron , zinc , copper , molybdenum\u00a0 and selenium.\u00a0 Synthetic nitrogen, ammonium nitrate, is a regulated product due to its alternate use as an oxidizing agent in bombs.\u00a0 Ammonium nitrate is also used in cold packs, one cell holds water and the other hold ammonium nitrate.\u00a0 When the water is added the ammonium nitrate crystals dissolve and create a hypothermic effect and draws heat from the surround area which creates a cooling effect.\u00a0 Ammonium nitrate has been used in improvised explosive devices, was the main ingredient in the Oklahoma City bombing and has been involved in many catastrophic industrial accidents due to its volatility, yet it is used to grow bigger veggies for human consumption, doesn’t that sound yummy, NOT!<\/p>\n

What are your thoughts on BioChar?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BioChar… something old, it in a new form One of my monthly magazines had a very interesting article on BioChar, a charcoal made by burning plant material in absence of oxygen, the resulting residue is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[649],"tags":[28,81,177,244],"class_list":["post-1671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-biochar","tag-fertilizer","tag-organic-gardening","tag-terra-preta"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1qEFP-qX","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5530,"url":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/biochar-benefits-garden\/","url_meta":{"origin":1671,"position":0},"title":"BioChar Benefits Your Garden","author":"Bodynsoil","date":"March 6, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"BioChar Benefits Your Garden I just opened an issue of Organic Gardening, the first article I stumble upon is about BioChar titled \"What is Biochar.\" When I first saw the piece, it seemed like I was looking at a popular advertising campaign's \"most interesting guy in the world,\" that got\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "garden"","block_context":{"text":"garden","link":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/category\/soil\/garden\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Craig Sams Carbon Champ via Organic Gardening BioChar Benefits Your Garden","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rodalesorganiclife.com\/sites\/rodalesorganiclife.com\/files\/images\/carbon-champ-780_0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10536,"url":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/2016\/11\/eggshells-plant-care-and-cure\/","url_meta":{"origin":1671,"position":1},"title":"Eggshells Plant Care and Cure","author":"Bodynsoil","date":"November 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Eggs aren\u2019t just for Sunday breakfast and egg shells don't belong in the trash! Eggshells are rich in calcium carbonate (CaCO3 aka Lime1) helps feed soil and birds; shells also deter pests. Don\u2019t toss fiber egg crate use a plant starter with or without the shells. Crushed egg shells, mixed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Daily Prompts"","block_context":{"text":"Daily Prompts","link":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/category\/social-media\/daily-prompts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"eggshells","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/eggshells.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/eggshells.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/eggshells.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/eggshells.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/eggshells.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3752,"url":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/2011\/09\/nutrition-series-carbohydrates-for-energy\/","url_meta":{"origin":1671,"position":2},"title":"Nutrition Series: Carbohydrate Energy","author":"Bodynsoil","date":"September 7, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Nutrition Series: Carbohydrate Energy Of all three macro-nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats; carbohydrates are the most misunderstood, and easily confused. \u00a0 via: Choose my plate There are many reasons for the confusion, just comparing: The Government's\u00a0 ChooseMyplate lists: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, dairy, and oils; to Known macro nutrients: Carbohydrates,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Learning"","block_context":{"text":"Learning","link":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/category\/learning\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Choose my plate carbohydrate energy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/choosemyplate-1024x407.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10694,"url":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/birch-changa-health-and-harvest\/","url_meta":{"origin":1671,"position":3},"title":"Birch Changa Health and Harvest","author":"Bodynsoil","date":"December 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I first heard about Changa, a mushroom found on birch trees, from a friend who harvests it for its health benefits. I'd seen the black blob growing in the forest many times before, I didn't realize it's importance until that point. While Changa is seen in our region quite often,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Body"","block_context":{"text":"Body","link":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/category\/body\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"changa via chagahq.com","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chagahq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/inonotus-obliquus.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1567,"url":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/2009\/10\/a-sad-day-spent-pulling-up-the-garden-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":1671,"position":4},"title":"A sad day spent pulling up the garden","author":"Bodynsoil","date":"October 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"A sad day spent pulling up the garden My sad day pulling up the garden started with cutting down the asparagus then starting a new heap style compost pile.\u00a0 Our bunnies will love me this winter as they have a twigs pile beside the compost pile to play in.\u00a0 They\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "garden"","block_context":{"text":"garden","link":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/category\/soil\/garden\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"pulling up garden","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_sVKcBs4vE78\/SsaTCl0byMI\/AAAAAAAAAeo\/qXWpVYsr8Qo\/s200\/asparagus.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3780,"url":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/2013\/09\/nutrition-series-simple-vs-complex-carbohydrates\/","url_meta":{"origin":1671,"position":5},"title":"Nutrition Series: Simple vs. Complex Carbohydrates","author":"Bodynsoil","date":"September 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Nutrition Series: Simple vs. Complex Carbohydrates There is a lot confusion regarding the term: simple and complex carbohydrates. How do you know which is which as the terms aren't indicative how quickly they are digested, metabolized, and absorbed or even the nutritional value of carbohydrates. The confusion lies in how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Nutrition"","block_context":{"text":"Nutrition","link":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/category\/body\/nutrition\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Understanding Carbs Via http:\/\/www.diabetes.org\/","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/understandingcarbs-365x285.jpg?fit=365%2C234&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1671"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43408,"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671\/revisions\/43408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1671"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1671"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bodynsoil.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1671"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}