Dons' Dirt
- Thread starter DonTesla
- Start date
calliandra
Well-Known Member
Here's the prices from Soilfoodweb.ca (mainly do microbioal analyses, but I just saw they also do chemistry)Hi folks!
Got some quotes today for soil / compost tests
PCB's $130 cad / 100usd
Pesticides $420
Metals $114
N-P-K $79 / 60usd
CAD not USD
any other good places in Canada yall?
Paying this much in the states, my American friends?
Gonna shop are a few more places
https://web.archive.org/web/20130215094115/http://soilfoodweb.ca/SFW_submissionform.pdf
Also, there's this amazing woman, Vivian Kaloxilos, near Quebec, she does living soil remediations -- looked for her website, but on the fly only found her company on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pg/agriculturesolvivant/about/
She's on LinkedIn too
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
Thanks @calliandra!!!! You rock! Seriously!Here's the prices from Soilfoodweb.ca (mainly do microbioal analyses, but I just saw they also do chemistry)
https://web.archive.org/web/20130215094115/http://soilfoodweb.ca/SFW_submissionform.pdf
Also, there's this amazing woman, Vivian Kaloxilos, near Quebec, she does living soil remediations -- looked for her website, but on the fly only found her company on FB: https://www.facebook.com/pg/agriculturesolvivant/about/
She's on LinkedIn too
calliandra
Well-Known Member
Oh awesome! good quality biochar is definitely something that is needed!!!
You're making them in Kontiki's? Haven't seen one in action, must be an amazing moment, the quencccchhhhhh haha!
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
Actually no KonTiki's yet @calliandra but yes to the quenching times, indeed lol! At the moment, we're building 45 gallon retorts with some help from Bob Wells, our generous biochar consultant- We did our first batch but our secondary holes were not quite big enough and we had some smoke, as well as a bit of natural residue to clean off, so now were are making adjustments for round 2. We have welded stacks for shimmying the smoke out and are set to reload it! Just got another 4 barrels from a rocket plant, and some numbers on the system.. a 45gal contort can hold 2000 lb or hardwood pieces, and turns into about 5-600 lbs of biochar, whereas if using corn, you can pack 300 lbs in and get a little under 100 lbs each run. Also got some designs for larger contorts thanks to a couple other companies abroad, also in the biochar game. And thanks to my buddy @SSGrower as well who is also our eyes and ears down in the states..
I will load a pic of the designs we're contemplating.. so you all can post your thoughts, and opinions, something I really appreciate. Really, thanks for the chiming in @ ALL
I will load a pic of the designs we're contemplating.. so you all can post your thoughts, and opinions, something I really appreciate. Really, thanks for the chiming in @ ALL
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
this is what we're using now.. note the chimney in the background, the lower primary holes down low, and smaller secondary holes up top on the outer barrel.
This is what I'm thinking is a bit more ideal for the volume we have to play with; the 12 and 20 yard designs, the smaller of which is wheeled.
Hand drafting of the plans for the 20 yard contort:
This is what I'm thinking is a bit more ideal for the volume we have to play with; the 12 and 20 yard designs, the smaller of which is wheeled.
Hand drafting of the plans for the 20 yard contort:
calliandra
Well-Known Member
And thanks for the sharing of your process!
I had a really good "essentials" conversation with a knowledgeable guy on biochar a while back, and it seems one of the crucial aspects of those holes they originally dug in the ground to make the biochar was that the side walls were slanted at 60° - this being the best inclination to ensure good circulation of air and gases - to get those very high temps needed to burn everything but that carbon.
So that may be an aspect to look for when sourcing containers, especially if you're going to do the quench from above?
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
Good day, Herbalists!
Any one ever hear about a type of Pumice called Dacite pumice? Or has anyone seed red pumice?? @greasemonkeymann @Rasta Roy @ShLUbY @fumble @DonBrennon
We have a large source of both here .. the Dacite, its a type of pumice rich in basalt type minerals made when seafloor gets pushed up through the crust in a volcano, (very) basically, from what I gathered.
@calliandra yes you have a great memory! It's roughly 62.5-63.5 degrees that we are looking for, so the smoke gets ushered into a vortex cyclone and gets recycled and reburnt so there are no smoke clouds coming out.. I also noticed that the one design I posted above had an angle of about 78 and one looks like a 90, the one on wheels, although I'm sure its angled inside.. my biz partner and friend was saying the same thing, good sharp eye!
Wow, though, so they were making it right IN the ground?? Must have been using some type of gravel as sides? Happen to remember who you were talking to?! I would love to chat with them!
Any one ever hear about a type of Pumice called Dacite pumice? Or has anyone seed red pumice?? @greasemonkeymann @Rasta Roy @ShLUbY @fumble @DonBrennon
We have a large source of both here .. the Dacite, its a type of pumice rich in basalt type minerals made when seafloor gets pushed up through the crust in a volcano, (very) basically, from what I gathered.
@calliandra yes you have a great memory! It's roughly 62.5-63.5 degrees that we are looking for, so the smoke gets ushered into a vortex cyclone and gets recycled and reburnt so there are no smoke clouds coming out.. I also noticed that the one design I posted above had an angle of about 78 and one looks like a 90, the one on wheels, although I'm sure its angled inside.. my biz partner and friend was saying the same thing, good sharp eye!
Wow, though, so they were making it right IN the ground?? Must have been using some type of gravel as sides? Happen to remember who you were talking to?! I would love to chat with them!
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fumble
Well-Known Member
Oh DonT...i am honored to be tagged in on this. I must confess tho, I know like about a grain of salt worth about this stuff. I am learning a lot from you all tho. Thank yvm!
calliandra
Well-Known Member
Ah cool you're in the loop then, moreso than myself!
And thank you, yes sometimes I surprise myself, in a good way
No the soil there is very clay-heavy (why they thought of amending the soil in the first place), so the heat itself created the container
There are cross-section photographs (I saw in some book) of how far down the terra preta went, and there are these deeper parts, where it was also misinterpreted broken pottery was added as aeration. But no, those were the shards from the firepits.
It makes sense: they made their biochar exactly where they were going to use it, why bother lugging it around like we do nowadays
It's a friend of mine I got this from, he has an encyclopedic mind - but I can ask back for his sources!
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
You be too kind my friend, I'd really appreciate you picking his brain for us, worth a shot!Ah cool you're in the loop then, moreso than myself!
And thank you, yes sometimes I surprise myself, in a good way
No the soil there is very clay-heavy (why they thought of amending the soil in the first place), so the heat itself created the container
There are cross-section photographs (I saw in some book) of how far down the terra preta went, and there are these deeper parts, where it was also misinterpreted broken pottery was added as aeration. But no, those were the shards from the firepits.
It makes sense: they made their biochar exactly where they were going to use it, why bother lugging it around like we do nowadays
It's a friend of mine I got this from, he has an encyclopedic mind - but I can ask back for his sources!
I'm gonna present this clay pit idea to my buddy too. Thanks again ey!
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
Tis an honour as well amigo
Mother Nature sure is a diverse classroom hey, we are just diving in and enjoying the waves..
we saw your greenhouse, by the way, amazing work over there you guys, holy cow what a garden now..
did you happen to start corn?
Cheers,
to the whole crew furthering their organic knowledge this year more then ever..
DonTesla
Well-Known Member
High grade Herbalists following along to the sneak peaks!
here is a little chart showing the new base
.. happy to say we are working towards clearing a few acreages of its deadfall and slash, and have access to the countries hardest and cleanest burning softwoods. Our biochar batches will be ramped up soon.
We are also venturing out into native grasslands, and forests, to collect microbes to make a BIM.
looks like we have a good organic source of native grassland grass, don't even have to clear highway shoulders for the provinces anymore.
Meanwhile, I have located about 75 coffee shops around me, so thats another option to look into next week more.
I think my bro may have found a large source of limestone as well as the red and calcite pumice. Plus shale, many many colours, thanks to our buddy in the mining industry. I think black shale may have heavy metals as well as unoxidized carbon but nonetheless, its the pumice I'm after, and limestone and gypsum.
So definitely some things falling into place.
..the new Meal Recipe, & Mineral Recipe, are not included here. But they will be paramagnetic and volcanic based. and we will be testing several recipe tweaks in several side by sides.. many non vegetarian recipes as well.. this will be a lot of fun..
gonna test some different ratios of limestone to gypsum as well and see what kind of results we get.
Lotta work to do this year, lol. Gonna be good though.
here is a little chart showing the new base
.. happy to say we are working towards clearing a few acreages of its deadfall and slash, and have access to the countries hardest and cleanest burning softwoods. Our biochar batches will be ramped up soon.
We are also venturing out into native grasslands, and forests, to collect microbes to make a BIM.
looks like we have a good organic source of native grassland grass, don't even have to clear highway shoulders for the provinces anymore.
Meanwhile, I have located about 75 coffee shops around me, so thats another option to look into next week more.
I think my bro may have found a large source of limestone as well as the red and calcite pumice. Plus shale, many many colours, thanks to our buddy in the mining industry. I think black shale may have heavy metals as well as unoxidized carbon but nonetheless, its the pumice I'm after, and limestone and gypsum.
So definitely some things falling into place.
..the new Meal Recipe, & Mineral Recipe, are not included here. But they will be paramagnetic and volcanic based. and we will be testing several recipe tweaks in several side by sides.. many non vegetarian recipes as well.. this will be a lot of fun..
gonna test some different ratios of limestone to gypsum as well and see what kind of results we get.
Lotta work to do this year, lol. Gonna be good though.
fumble
Well-Known Member
Mother nature is the best teacher for sure.
Thank you...greenhouse coming along nice so far.
I did get my corn planted! Yay!
