Check this, it has some useful tips... http://help.edublogs.org/embedding-videos-from-video-sharing-websites-into-your-posts/ Not totally sure it applies specifically, but it will give ya a run down of common tips. Hope it helps. Lu
Weird, must be some glitch with your computer or something lol On my laptop it shows nothing for your post, but where i quoted you it shows the video. You ever get it figured out? otherwise i can just follow you around on GC and quote you everytime you post a video Ohp nevermined you got it figured out lol I didnt scroll to the last page. ahahaha
Good stuff on biochar. Basically three levels of material. Ordinary briquettes, cooked off at a much lower temp; biochar, which goes through pyrolysis at the upper 400s C. (470-480 C. is the sweet-spot IMO); and activated charcoal which goes through the process in the 700-800 C. range. Briquettes have a high % of residual organic compounds (ROCs) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Activated charcoal is actually 'too good' to add the soil because it binds onto nutrients and makes them no longer bio-available to the plant. In it's shortest definition, biochar is a thermally altered woody biomass conditioned for agricultural and horticultural use. Pyrolysis (basically) burns off the hydrocarbons and turns the material into graphitic carbon (making it very stable). Don't overlook the ROC/VOC angle. Ive seen some funky (high ROC/VOC) material made from lumber tailings/scraps that had been treated with a preservative. Coconut shell char can be very high in salts (usually from potassium). Etc,etc. Most reputable BC companies should have data to share. 'Conditioned' vs raw char in important to. Raw char added to the soil will bind-up nutrients for ~18 months. There is some material on the market that has the fines (ash) removed, and the pH is brought down to a neutral state. The process of washing the ash out of the pores helps turn the material from a hydrophobic to hydrophilic state. Think of biochar as adding a coral reef to the soil. One gram of BC is equal to 300-400 cubic meters of surface area, which is equal to the surface of a basketball court. It facilitate reactions beneficial to soil dynamics without being consumed in the process (like compost). Also, it creates a strong fixation pool for soil organic molecules, which will slow down the leaching of valuable nutrients and encourage the formation of complexes with high microbial activity. A significant water savings (currently a big deal in Mendocino/Humboldt), and a reduction of fertilizer inputs.
Found a simple paint can/BBQ biochar reactor to turn my sticks into some biochar. So anxious to hop into my second grow. Went and got my self some VOC free paint, because I noticed mutations in one of my plants(surprisingly on of the most resilient) don't know if it had any correlation, but the paint under my Mylar was probably horrible. Ditched the Mylar and went with some bright VOC few white paint BioCharlie what's the difference between the VOCs in paint and the VOCs in Biochar. To my understanding I heard it is a bad thing for the air, as VOCs include carcinogenic compounds that release into the air. Is there good VOCs? Or are they good for plants/microbes? P.s. Will update with paint can biochar reactor after my stocks are nice and charred. Will be a few days though, out of town this weekend!
So I tilled in biochar to a corner of my garden last year and really forgot about it. Now i'm noticing plant size increases as they get closer and closer to that area, and ultimately the most fertile patch is planted directly into it. Long-term benefits.
Just finished using every last but of that expensive ass paint. BBQ a little, had a few beers, and attempting to use the paint can as biochar reactor. Will update with results/pics if my escape holes are big enough and my can doesn't become a bomb. Ahahahah
And here's a link for the method I'm using and where I found it. Instructables is a great site, full of a lot of brilliant people/creations. http://m.instructables.com/id/Capture-CO2-with-Lawn-Trimmings/?ALLSTEPS
First attempt at biochar. Some of the larger pieces of char which were the stocks have a bluefish pearlescent tint to them? Could this be from the paint or the metal used?
I cleaned it pretty thoroughly but eventually just gave up on the rim/under the rim, and there was a very small amount of paint. If anybody else tries this I suggest using one of those empty paint cans from OSH. I only produced maybe 4-6 cups and will attempt this with later yard trimmings/magic garden trimmings
I need some help with calculations. I recently semi-built a 12 cubit foot garden bed and i had a 5L bag of Horticulture Charcoal https://www.masters.com.au/product/100900031/debco... i know for 1 cubit foot of soil is recommend to add about 5% - 10% So 6 - 12 cups? Correct me if im wrong. That bag seemed no where near enough for 72- 144 cups i was wondering howmany of them would i need? I forgot how many cups the bag was but seemed like 8 - 10 so i just threw the whole thing in. Is there a way to calculate how many cups in 5L bag?
10% of 12 ft³ is 1.2ft³, or 1 ft³ for simplicity. That's 7.5 G, or 120 C, or 28.4 L, or a little under 6 of your bags. HTH