Can You Use Woodstove Charcoal as Biochar + Going From Compacted Dirt to Thriving Soil
By life on asteroid
PermaNews Brief
Key Takeaways
Exploring woodstove charcoal's benefits, soil revitalization techniques, and sulfur's disappearance in agriculture.
- Woodstove charcoal can mimic biochar effects.
- Compacted soil can be transformed into fertile ground.
- Sulfur levels are declining in agricultural soils.
Why It Matters
Understanding these concepts can enhance soil health and agricultural productivity. Effective use of charcoal and soil practices can improve sustainability in farming systems.
What to Do Next
Listen to the episode for detailed insights and practical tips.
Permaculture Context
For permaculture practitioners working at the homestead scale, this episode of Growers Daily quietly validates something many of us have been doing intuitively for years — and gives us permission to stop overthinking it. The idea that woodstove charcoal can function similarly to commercially produced biochar matters because it closes a practical loop: you heat your home, you generate a byproduct, and that byproduct feeds your soil system. Nothing wasted. But the sulfur conversation is arguably the more urgent signal here. As clean air regulations have reduced atmospheric sulfur deposition — once an invisible, free fertilizer delivered by acid rain — regenerative growers relying on closed-loop systems need to consciously reintroduce this nutrient, particularly in high-biomass and legume-heavy designs. Meanwhile, the compacted soil segment speaks directly to anyone inheriting degraded land: the path from hardpan to living soil is not a miracle, it is a sequence of deliberate interventions. Taken together, these three topics form a coherent design challenge — how do we build genuinely self-sustaining systems when the background conditions we inherited are quietly shifting beneath our feet?
Recommended for: Anyone interested in enhancing soil health and productivity.
Welcome to episode 399 of Growers Daily! We cover: the stuff in the woodstove acting like biochar, converting compacted ground into productive soil, and where has all the sulfur gone? We are a Non-Profit! 👇 🙌 DONATE 🙌 https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hostedbuttonid=ALF4MZX26SVSQ https://app.candid.org/profile/16047666 Links for today: Tom's Article from Seg 3: https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/soybeans/solving-sulfur-shortage-high-yield-soybean-systems MUSIC from this episode: Step Into the Rising Sun by Roy Williams Power by Kylie Dailey via www.epidemicsound.com Support our work (👊) at https://www.notillgrowers.com/support or https://www.Patreon.com/notillgrowers Show Sponsors: BCS Tractors: https://www.bcsamerica.com/ GrownBy: coop.grownby.com/notill Good Agriculture: https://goodagriculture.com/ Tilth Soil!: https://www.tilthsoil.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorYMGkYzMqYdJ8KDqTdMFUg5tw3lxOSMBZPP6phSXpFhBIyUkT MY BOOK! The Living Soil Handbook 📕 👉 https://www.notillgrowers.com/livingsoilhandbook French copy of The Living Soil Handbook: https://amzn.to/4h2bYot Italian Copy https://www.terranuovalibri.it/libro/dettaglio/jesse-frost/il-manuale-del-suolo-vivente-9788866819967-236828.html German Copy: https://www.oekom.de/buch/das-grosse-boden-handbuch-9783987261374 Other stuff and ways to support stuff like this 👇 5% off Neptune's Harvest Fish Fertilizers and More (offer Code: NOTILL) 👀: https://store.turbify.com/cgi-bin/clink?yhst-20803342241356+tt4W2F+shop.html+NOTILL🚨 ORDER Dan Brisebois' Seed Book! 👉 https://www.notillgrowers.com/livingsoilhandbook The Living Soil Handbook 📕 👉 https://www.notillgrowers.com/livingsoilhandbook Hats 🧢 👉 https://www.notillgrowers.com/livingsoilhandbook Forum 💬 👉 https://notillgrowers.community.chat Music 🎵 👉 via www.empidemicsound.com 👕 MERCH 👉 https://www.notillgrowers.com/livingsoilhandbook Support our work (👊) at www.notillgrowers.com/support or www.Patreon.com/notillgr
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