​From Mike Burke on January 12:

Here is latest picture of Duchess Plots as of this morning.  There is deer damage to fencing that I was able to mend with twine, but there is a hole in need of 4'x4' patch.  Not sure who has any of this material left over from when we put it up?

Germination & Growth Tests

Winter is a good time to test some of the compost materials we made over the past year. We use small pots in a climate-controlled growth chamber. Each treatment has 5 replicates. We plant 10 cucumber seeds in each pot, water it, and add a humidity dome. We grow for 2 weeks without any additional watering. At the end of two weeks, we count the germinations and the number of secondary leaves. Then we harvest the plants and dry them in a food dehydrator for 24 hours. Finally, we weigh the biomass produced by each type of soil amendment. This gives us a way to compare the effects of different treatments on plants. Here is a collage of photos that illustrates the process:

A Visit to Siskiyou Alpaca

It was time to take some samples of compost at Siskiyou Alpaca. John and Christine Perala-Gardiner raise alpacas for their many values including fiber and the wonderful compost made from their droppings. We have two experimental compost piles with different amounts of added biochar, and control piles with no biochar.

Taking samples from the compost experiments.

Helper Nancy with Christine and John at Siskiyou Alpaca.

Current practice is to clean the barn and pile manure in windrows to compost.

These intelligent animals have the right idea about where to poop!

Making the Fungal Compost

Our gardens appreciate a good balance of helpful fungi. Good compost will help promote that balance. Don's biochar compost is looking pretty good.

Fungi (toadstools and mycelia) are growing on outside hay of my oldest pile that is currently 110-120 degrees F in the center. Mycelia in attached photo are on my recent pile started a couple of weeks ago.
-Don Morrison

NRCS CSP Program Biochar Enhancement

See the list of conservation enhancements supported by the NRCS CSP Program, here:
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/cspsearch/or/programs/financial/csp/?rc=allr&lu=alll#cspTable

Scroll down and look for:
CONSERVATION ENHANCEMENT ACTIVITY E384135Z Biochar production from woody residue

Report from the Field

Don Morrison reports: "The 55 gal reservoir is just the right volume for quenching the coals from the 5' kiln by raking and spraying. I also liked the ease of tipping the kiln and dumping by one person with cable attached to handle and 4-wheeler. Next I tried the dry snuff method using the lid sealed with dirt. I use a little bit of water to knock the flames down and then put the lid on. Came back the next day and there were still a few hot spots that need some water to put out. But the char was basically pretty dry. Dry char is lighter and easier to unload than wet, sticky char."

This is how we burn slash in the Oregon Kiln

55 gallon water tank was enough to fully quench this 200 gallon kiln if you dump, rake and spray

An alternative to water quench is the dry snuff. Add a little water to cool initally and then place the lid. Seal the lid with dirt and wait overnight. 

New Biochar Kiln with Turbulator is a Thing of Beauty

A new device from ace inventor Scott McKain:

I have added a turbulator to the exhaust to produce a cleaner burn. It is cut from a piece of stainless and mounted to the wok cowling. Visually it works well. Notice the feedstock is almost cordwood size. I plan to build a similar unit for radiant heat and hot water.

Here are the pics: