This YouTube video focuses on the benefits and uses of biochar. Various speakers share their experiences and expertise regarding using biochar in agriculture, from the history of its use by Native Americans in the Amazon to the benefits of using it in different types of soil. The speakers highlight how biochar can help increase soil fertility, hold water and nutrients for plant growth, and even filter water for reuse. Biochar made from natural sources like pinecones and organic materials such as Christmas trees is preferred over using painted or construction waste. Overall, using biochar can have a positive impact on both agriculture and the environment.
00:00:00 In this section, the speaker shares his personal story of how he discovered biochar. He found out about it in a book called 1491, which talked about how Native Americans in the Amazon made their soil incredibly fertile by using charcoal and other waste products. Even though their area was previously solid clay, they spent generations adding these products and compost to enhance their crops. The speaker mentioned that he visited the Amazon jungle and saw terra preta, an anthropogenic soil that is black, rich, and obviously created on purpose by people. This soil is incredible, which can grow crops better than other fertile soils in that region that are surrounded by rainforests.
00:05:00 In this section, a farmer shares his experience with making biochar by burning little charcoal in his yard, which he uses on his turnips. By putting a strip of biochar into the turnips, he noticed a significant growth difference with the plants that have biochar being twice the size of the ones that didn’t. This discovery enabled him to harvest turnips that weighed around 32 pounds and were worth $100 each. He defended the effectiveness of biochar by saying that he had grown everything in his farm and that biochar helped pretty much everything except when it caused problems in the short-term.
00:10:00 In this section, John Nilsson from Chargrow explains how he first got interested in biochar and the history of its use by native people in North and South America. He talks about how these native communities were able to sustain large populations without the use of steel or domesticated animals, and how they were able to achieve this through superior soil fertility methods. John also recounts how he was initially skeptical about the benefits of biochar until he learned about making power while making char from a company called Aprita. He also briefly touches on his background in the compost industry and his attempts to efficiently get biology into growing mediums through the use of compost.
00:15:00 In this section, a man discussed his journey to creating a biochar product that could deliver biology to soil in a lighter way. He explains that while he had success with a concentrate made of biochar carbon, microbes, substrates, and foods, he also realized that just adding char to soil does not automatically create terra preta. Char by itself acts as a charcoal filter, which can suck up water, nutrients, and organisms. However, the man explains that blending with compost and loading the char with desired biology can lead to better results, as the internal pore structure of the char can hold nutrients and organisms that aid in the nutrient cycling process. The man also explains the importance of feeding organisms in the soil using simple sugars and carbohydrates from plant roots, and how char can provide a safe harbor for these organisms to hatch and thrive.
00:20:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the benefits of biochar, which lies in its interaction with organisms. Biochar interacts with waste and manure to produce nutrients, resulting in better soil amendments and terra preta—a type of fertile soil. He also mentions how biochar finds its application in agricultural R&D, silage, cow feed, feed additives, slurry, water treatment, and fish farming. The speaker explains how biochar helps in bioremediation, serves as an alternative to expensive activated carbon, and removes toxins from contaminated soil. Finally, he talks about how biochar can filter water and be used to grow crops effectively and cheaper.
00:25:00 In this section, the presenter discusses how Native Americans used to maintain grasslands with presettlement fires, burning the prairies to maintain grazing landscapes and kill woody species. The scientists that studied these lands found biochar accounted for 40 to 50% of the organic carbon of grassland soils, with the entire contribution of organic matter to the soil’s cation exchange capacity attributed to the char. Essentially, most of the cation exchange capacity of these soils comes from biochar, which helps build and increase soil fertility. The presenter notes that the fertility of the US breadbasket comes from charcoal added prior to colonization and is the real wealth of the country.
00:30:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the implications of biochar residues in soil for soil fertility and carbon sequestration. Biochar can increase the exchange capacity of sandy soils and improve the yield of crops by making fertility permanent. The speaker recommends using low-salt fertilizers and organic potting soil with biochar concentrations of up to 3% by volume to maximize its benefits. Although it requires a change in mindset, biochar has the potential to improve agriculture and reduce the need for excessive fertilizers, ultimately making a positive impact on the environment.
00:35:00 In this section of the video, the speaker discusses the benefits of using biochar in agriculture and why it is important to make efficient and high-quality biochar. He talks about the importance of the CEC (cation exchange capacity) of soil and how biochar can help boost the energy and yield of crops. The speaker then goes on to explain his journey to finding a good biochar machine and how he met Bob, a person who had a small box that could produce high-quality biochar using multiple functions. He emphasizes the fact that biochar can be made from waste materials instead of cutting down trees and suggests that there is a lot of waste that can be used for biochar production.
00:40:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the benefits of using the biochar unit they have developed, explaining that it can be used with different materials and is cost-effective, unlike traditional units that require expensive equipment. They also highlight the usefulness of the biochar product as an amendment, which can be applied right where the plants are, which creates better yield at less cost. They further explain that the chart is not beneficial on its own, but its effectiveness lies in using it with other components, such as biology and food, to create a synergistic effect that helps to build soil fertility. Additionally, they propose various uses for biochar, like using it for water collection to gather nutrients and to manufacture fertilizers from human urine or other waste products.
00:45:00 In this section, experts discuss different types of soil and the benefits of using biochar. They explain that biochar can be helpful for all types of soil and is especially useful for loose soil. It is recommended to make biochar from natural sources like pinecones or organic materials like Christmas tree farms instead of using painted or construction waste. They also discuss how biochar can help to get rid of chemicals and microcells in the soil, and the importance of thanking biochar makers for their contribution to soil health.
00:50:00 In this section, the speaker explains the benefits of using biochar in agriculture. He mentions that farmers and gardeners can grow bigger, healthier, and more nutrient-dense plants with more drought resistance by using biochar in the soil around the roots of plants. Although there is a lot of scientific research and experimentation behind the process, the speaker believes that his gift is being able to see that biochar does a whole bunch of things at once and that it makes a huge difference. Biochar can hold biology, water, and nutrients, providing housing and food for the welfare system of plants. Overall, using biochar can benefit farmers economically while also promoting healthier and sustainable plant growth.
00:55:00 In this section, the speaker talks about how adding biochar to sandy soil can help it retain water and nutrients, reducing the amount of fertilizer that needs to be used. They conducted their own experiment and found that soil mixed with biochar retained moisture better than a control. Additionally, the use of biochar can help filter water and prevent algae blooms. The speaker proposes the idea of using a boat filled with biochar to filter water in a pond and then using the nutrient-rich biochar in their fields.
