BIOCHAR? What is THAT???
Biochar is a fine-grained, highly porous charcoal substance that is distinguished from other charcoals in it’s intended use as a soil amendment. Biochar is charcoal that has been produced under conditions that optimize certain characteristics deemed useful in agriculture, such as high surface area per unit of volume and low amounts of residual resins. The particular heat treatment of organic biomass used to produce biochar contributes to its large surface area and its characteristic ability to persist in soils with very little biological decay (Lehmann and Rondon 2006).
Now in English?
Biochar is the best amendment for your garden soil. It is a permanent and natural carbon that holds onto the 3 things that plants require from the soil,
WATER – NUTRIENTS – MICROORGANISMS.
By making or purchasing biochar you are permanently improving your garden and farm soil with inert carbon and it’s 100,000,000 year half-life.
Perfect for the Small Farm or Homestead
Biochar has so many functions to help improve your farm that you need to implement a small scale production system to turn your woody waste into this valuable material. Water Filtration. Animal feed supplement. Air filtration. Composting additive and effectiveness extender. Lightener & aeration for potting soils. Fertilizer & trace element carrier. Carbon soil amendment for drought prevention. Humidity regulation and building insulation for natural structures. Pesticide absorber in water runoff. Detoxification medication. Food conservation agent. Sanitizer for fecal and kitchen wastes. Farm animal manure management and disease vector reduction.
Turn Your Burn Pile from Biology into Geology
By simply changing the way you manage a fire pit you can permanently (one hundred million years permanent) improve your land, it’s mechanics, structure, chemical exchange capacity, water holding ability, beneficial microbiome and the plants growing there. We permanently pull the carbon molecules photosynthesized on your land out of the short carbon cycle and upcycle them into the permanent geology of our planet, benefiting all life forms inhabiting and that will ever inhabit your land. Biochar is a silent legacy of life.
Biochar Workshops & Demonstrations
BAMBOO BIOCHAR WEEKEND, in coordination with Mr. Andy Firk and his native plant walks.
Saturday November 23rd 10:00am – Sunday November 24th 1:30pm, 2024 Bamboo Biochar Demonstration and Bamboo Grove Cleanup Day. Join us for a full day of bamboo harvesting at Bamboo Grove (2460 SW Mixon St. Arcadia, Florida.) The plan is to clean up Andy Firk’s 40 different bamboo clumps, then take the dry harvested bamboo and run it in the big hexagon kiln in multiple fires over the day to make 100 plus gallons of biochar. This will be a clean up work day experience. We will run the demonstration burn, talk biochar, food forests, bamboo, permaculture and medicinal plants. Our group will camp overnight in the grove using the open kitchen porch to feed us all. Bring food to cook, snacks and a water bottle. All day Saturday and a half day Sunday. Bamboo root divisions will be available (U-dig $30 per root division).
Tools and Equipment: Leather Gloves, cotton clothes, pants, long sleeves, protective glasses. Rechargeable recip saws and 12inch long blades (for root divisions), 9inch pruning blades (for cutting bamboo culms), a long prybar and wheelbarrow. We could use a few chop saws, table saws and saw horses for cutting the long culms down to size to fit in the kiln.
Sunday morning Andy will lead a plant walk through his garden 10:00am-12:00noon.
TO REGISTER: Register “Going” on the Facebook Event at PKBiochar’s Facebook Page.
Ready to learn, but can’t make a public workshop? Host a Biochar Workshop at your garden. ($600 USD) Biochar Burn Ring, Educational Presentation, Hands-On Workshop for 14+ participants, Seasoned Bamboo Firewood and 55 Gallons of Bamboo Biochar. See contact form at bottom of page.
Bamboo Biochar
Flame Cap Kilns can burn any brushy wood waste, but Florida’s clumping bamboos are our favorite. Bamboo makes the best biochar, 80% carbon content, high silica and diverse pore sizes, perfect for beneficial microorganisms. Harvesting bamboo is safer than felling trees, lighter and the wood dries quickly. Bamboo grows 6 times faster than trees and a newly planted clump is harvested at year 5 and every year after. Plant clumping bamboos. Bambusa Oldhamii, Bambusa Malingensis and Bambusa Ventricosa are our favorite Florida Friendly bamboos to plant for biochar production systems on homesteads and farms, they are inexpensive, edible, provide great windbreaks, drop significant mulch and are readily available at every bamboo plant nursery across Florida. Please visit ThisBambooLife.com for bamboo starts, advice and large installations in Florida, USA.
Biochar Sales
Biochar
13 gallon nursery pots (75USD)
Pickup by appointment in Groveland, Florida or at Lake Permaculture monthly meetings. Purchases help fund continued biochar educational outreach. Discounted for BTC and open to barter.
Biochar Flame Cap Kilns or Burn Rings
Pyramid Kilns ($380) make 55 gallons, burn hot with no cold corners and looks great in your backyard. They are built from 12gauge steel, open bottom and finished with linseed oil.
35-inch Burn Ring included with Workshop ($600) makes 60 gallons, made from salvaged culvert pipe, 1/2″ to 3/8″ steel, 35inches across, 20inches tall, wire brushed and coated with linseed oil. (only 1 left)
Oregon Forestry Kiln ($1250) makes 260 Gallons, made from 12gauge steel, water tight with 1-1/2″ drain plug, 60inches x 60inches x 24inches deep, finished with linseed oil. We also rent our production kiln to local farms.
For a faster response send a message on PKBiochar’s Facebook Messenger.