This is the most comprehensive video on building a bio reactor that's out there. Thanks Diego.

Kudos, I never see the kind of thoughtful coverage of 'design requirements' that you give at the beginning of the video. Right up front, you covered where to put it, what does it look like, dispensing finished product, recurring maintenance etc. Most people just jump straight into 'watch me fabricate this thing' without any encouragement to think about what you're doing. Excellent video.

The sticking point for most will be the reinforcing mesh. There are not vendors set up to sell this of small scale use. And it is difficult to transport and work with (angle grinder). BUT here comes the Interweb to the rescue. I have been using SILT FENCE for my compost bins for years before I saw the Johnson-Su video. Look it up at Home Depot. ~$90 US gets you 100 LF. a roll will fit in the trunk of a car and you can cut it with hand snips. It is 3ft tall and has the fabric already woven on. I wire two pieces together with the top piece overlapping the bottom on the inside. I converted my bin to a Johnson-Su this spring. Waiting for the results before a become an acolyte for them.

Hey Diego, Built 1 last year and filled it with chopped leaves on bottom and Ramial wood chips for the remaining 3/4. Emptied it 9 months later... Results were good and progressive...Leaves composted beautifully. Rich dark compost at the bottom 1/4. Wood chips were definitely more composted than at time of filling, but still “chips”. Lots of worms through the reactor, moist material. I’d say to compost the wood chips to the point of use in a market garden, the total static compost time might need to be 18-24 months. I’m in Virginia so during the cold months of the year things slow down. For my purposes the 2 reactors I have I’ll be filling with shredded leaves

Thank you very much for Dr. Johnson's work to us. You need to review his work to see just how pertinent that work is. It is incredibly important on a very personal level.

Your videos help me learn English! I understand about 75% of the words you say. thank!👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I really hope the follow-up/results video is coming soon! 🤞🏼 I’m on the edge of my seat to see how it worked!

Diego, Thank you so much, my friend. Have built a S-U in mid Oct, 100 km north of Toronto Canada. Gonna try two runs of 120 foot of roofing ice cables (120 run just up and down inside the 6 vent shafts), and R22 Roxul to keep my red wigglers active during our 5a zone. Handwatering every second day, 8 litres.

Very cool. I think your modified one does look better though (that one video of just a larger center hole in the middle and no landscape fabric). I have always done fungal compost piles. I live in Thailand and have one going now from a fallen Jack fruit tree and just cover it with a garden tarp. Works wonders. KNF and Natural farming in general is all about the microbes and if you manage it from the Fungal level, everything else falls into place. Great stuff.

The leftover concrete reinforcing mesh can be used to make a high-tunnel greenhouse!

If you have a stump you want to get rid of, situate the reactor on top of it.

Very good instructional video. If you aren't a professional instructor...you should be! You explained location requirements clearly, and the functions of the components were easily understood. I'll never have accumulation enough for a bio-reactor of this size, but I can easily scale it down. Thanks!

Many thanks for this video Diego, finished my first reactor this week and will start the 2nd reactor today. A tree cutter gave me three loads of chips so my end goal is 4 reactors.

I've built about 100 of these at our farm in Ecuador. Beyond the construction, it would be useful to understand the why behind it. Would recommnd looking up David Johnsons's relevant publications. In this case, it's about promoting a stable, high lignan/fungal compost, rather than a high N/bacterial based system. We have isolated a population of white fungi from the local highland forest, capable of degrading fibrous and resistant eucalyptus bark -- a readily availabe source of C in the area. White fungi uniquely produce a series of enzymes capable of breaking down lignan. We seek about 400 parts carbon to one part N in the bioreactor to produce a very stable compost with a high F:B ratio. We primarily use the resulting material to innoculate the growth medium in our green houses.

Anxious to see the inevitable follow-up when you go to retrieve your compost. I suppose the easiest way to go about it would be to disassemble the wire frame but then you've got compost everywhere. Great work!

This is amazing. I can say from experience here in very dry northern Utah, that it can take three or more years for a huge pile of wood chips to break down enough (without any work or interference on our part) to even start incorporating them into our regular compost piles.

Chico state University has a registry of people using the Johnson Su Bioreactor FYI

This is going to be my winter time project. Thanks for all the info!!! Very encouraging!

Super easy and functional! Just what I was looking for to up my compost game! Thanks so much for making this video!!!

Excellent video man. Clear, specific and to the point!

An extra thumbs up for your article in Acres this month. Hope to see more written material from you on it in the future. Looking forward to updates on the bioreactor as well.

looking forward to the irrigation set up video. Thanks for sharing.

Hi Diego. Have you seen or considered using GEO-BIN as an alternative to building the cage? There's a height and build time advantage to the GEO-BIN, unless there's an better advantage to the height of the bio-reactor. GEO-BINS sell on Amazon for $40 on Amazon. Thanks.

Great video, thanks. And thanks even more for the hard work the two researchers put into developing this technology. As for some in the comment section: Regenerative farming relies on our ever growing understanding of some very complex processes. And when I say 'ever growing", I mean that we understand maybe 5% of them, which is more than the 0.5% where we were a few decades ago. And by "we", I mean the top few researchers and innovators in the field. And then there's the know-it-alls who go around saying that it's simple stuff, and all you need to do [insert simplistic, ineffectual nonsense, usually involving zero thinking and almost zero effort, here]. No, it's not simple stuff. Nor is it easy to do. If it was, farmers wouldn't have started looking for shortcuts, and spending massive amounts on machinery and chemicals, to begin with. Everyone would just be farming naturally. The reason why they're not is because it takes a massive amount of knowledge, thinking and effort to be able to mimic natural processes in an efficient, productive manner, on a farm. Three generations ago we didn't have that level of knowledge. Now we're starting to have it, and, if we make the required intellectual effort, we'll be able to dig ourselves out of the hole (aka the environmental disaster) the previous three generations dug. But every a-hole confidently declaring that this is as simple as "letting nature do its thing" without a clue of what's actually going on, is deep in the hole, shoveling dirt out of it. Guess what, a-hole: on average, nature has people dying at age 35 or so. Raw capitalism, the industrial revolution, the chemical-mechanical agro system, etc., more than doubled that. It's gonna take a lot more than just "nature knows best" like memes to progress beyond that. So, if you don't know what you're talking about, just shut up and let the people who do make that progress happen.

Great video! Sounds like a future project for myself. Grow on!

Outstanding. I'll have to accumulate more material to fill one but when I do I'll be building at least one maybe more. Thank you for the sharing.

I have 4 compost bins 4x7x 3 ‘ cost me 0$. After watching your video I’m thinking of putting 4” pipes in them for air flow. Let me know what u think

I so want to make one of these. Johnson introduces worms too.

Thank you so much for making this video! David Johnson recommended adding earthworms, did you add them too? Also, can this bioreactor survive over winter (snow/ice, below 0 degrees temperature conditions)? Will the fungi, microbes, bio-mass survive outside during the cold winter months? How can we supply water/moisture to it during winter? Thanks!

Now it seems that the "NEXT BEST THING" would be to use ALFALFA HAY as the main source of materials in a bioreactor so that you can reap the benefits of both methods to make the very best compost/ compost tea/ seed innoculant. Guess I just need to build one and see.......looking forward to spring of 2022...lol

I am glad to see that Freddy Mercury's brother is getting into organic gardening so much.

you can get that build time down to a couple of hours.. and the materials can be collected from scraps.. great vid tho...your good at this bro. respect.

Thank you diego! This is great work and you are very good at explaining things. I have some questions. If this compost serves mainly to restore soil funghi and innoculating seeds and plants. What other kinds of compost generating method do you use or recommend as an alternative to this one in therms of more nitrogen rich compost, or other important properties plants need. And, if this reactor serves to create a medium for funghi breeding or attracting would it be a good idea to find a forrest, or some place that is all year damp and full of life, maybe somewhere where mushrooms sprout and extract a piece of that soil to add to the bioreactor?

Hi Diego. I love what you are doing. Do you thingthat I could use olive tree leaves for this. If yes would it be better to have a mixture of different types if tree leaves to have diversity. Thanks and looking forward to your videos!

Is there a reason why there are so less holes in the pipes? Why not adding more holes or even a wired construction.

Beast mode switch 'on' lol

Any chance you checked the temp the bioreactor was putting off? I’m trying to build something to have inside a greenhouse to boost the temp 10 or so degrees

I make these and other composting bins. I found that using the wire stitching method to be to tedious and left the fabric too loose. MY technique is to use *hog rings and the hog ring pliers to cinch the fabric to the wire cage. I also use the hog rings when I make shade cloth bed covers over cattle panels. Also attaching ends of chicken wire fencing. and for patching those mysterious holes that randomly appear in the hen house. I typically use 3/4 inch rings with the spring open handle ( straight or right angle pliers ). Don't use the Dewault ones that have the hog rings on a strip because the nose and design of these wont allow for the correct angle to attach the ring and cinch tightly. The spring loaded handle just makes it easier on the hands and wrist to load the rings. One less step of inserting a ring.

Great detailed video. Glad I have gardens growing and ahead of the curve...as the presidente said food shortages are coming. The sheeple are going to panic buy veggie seeds, plant and find mediocre yields that takes years to figure out what works.

Should put caps on top of pipes so u can chuck in your material

Rylock stock fence instead of reinforcing mesh- huge savings.

Good to see you’re still doing permaculture stuff, Diego!

Thanks for the great video. I am busy building a bioreactor and am wondering if anybody has some results on inoculating the bioreactor with mycorrhizal fungi and trichoderma? I want to use the compost to create an extract or tea to use in my commercial vineyards.

Solid state fermentation or solid substrate fermentation. Awesome 👌

Great video, thank you.

hey there, a voice from Ukraine's village, thanks to your vids I've re-thought the word agri-culture, especially the last part of it. btw, what is the reddish pile of compost to your right hand at 12:55 ?

Great vid! A few questions that I can't seem to find the answer to in all the other vids. What amount of worms to add? Also will the worms die if you have a cold winter and the bioreactor stays outside? How will a cold winter affect the reactor (snow falls on it). What about watering during winter months. Thanks for any help.

At 21:36 I thought you were going to whisper lol really dont want that hole collapsing! Thanks for a great video! I've had a bioreactor on my project list for a while and I plan on making one with my chicken coop bedding...

Enjoying your bioreactor videos. Can you put grass clipping in a modified Johnson Su? I've not seen any comment on this . Thanks

Awesome work Diego! Great to see the Bioreactor getting built.

Now add a copper or lex or landscape tubbi.ng in a coil in the reactor and you have y,our self a water heat source. Compost hot tub or other water heat use. Its basically a ultra slow burn of the material and you can get some crazy heat off it. That's why they had barn fires sometimes in the old days if they stored hay in the barn when it was too wet it would actually spontaneously combust.

According to your instructions, a 40"×48" pallet is required but a 12.5 circumference makes a 4 foot circle which means it won't fit on a 40"×48" pallet. Why am I the only one noticing this? Am I misunderstanding something? I'm in the middle of the build and need help as quickly as possible to continue. Thanks!

Looking forward to seeing the results. You think this will be ready for spring? You used wood chips. Would this work as well with grass clippings? Would grass clippings decompose faster?

Great video!

At end of year how will you access compost? Undo wire and fabric?

The whole point is it's passive so no turning and watching the originators (Johnson and Sou) they explained how you leave it for 12 months to mature. Sounds good and am building one today

I think Geotextile fabric would work great for this project.

Would you suggest making a cover for in in case of heavy rains?

Wonder if one could do wide and low BR with the center one larger center tube? Tall is not OG friendly.

I live in Sandy Utah, Salt lake Valley. We have cold winters, snow, frost, temps during the day can be as low as 10 degrees or as high as the 40's and night temps as low as single digits. Do these reactors need any care during the winter? I'm sure for the most part they just freeze and sit there until the temps warm up.

Can we see the resulting compost?

Good work Diego. I need to make 2-4 of these bad boys. Maybe put them in a high tunnel or something?

I have a quick question, How is the best whay to use the compost after the process. do you have to desamble the hole thing? you have to go inside with a shovel? Thank you!

Can I modify the height to 4’, I’m very short.

Livestock fencing might be cheaper. Thinner but I'm sure it'd stand the pressure.

Good work man

Hi Diego, nice video. Please can I use black plastic or jute bag instead of landscape fabric as it is not not readily available in my locality

Nice video! Just in time as I scale up my compost system.

I do not use PVC piles, too expensive. I used a bundles of tree branches. It is common in countryside, farmers insert bundles of tree branches to help air going through. This design is not easy to load and unload compost. I use jumbo bags which soil providers use to package compost.

Can this be done in a smaller scale for urban backyard ?

Could I use 8 pallets stacked vertically and screwed together to create a box instead of using the wire concrete mesh and then duplicate everything else and get the same results?

Wish I had access to free plastic pallets.

Can tris be done in a bucket?

can i use 2x4 wire fencing instead of the concrete mesh?

Have you tested ,examined under a microscope the difference in compost between a mound dropped versus this bio reactor after 1 year ? It is a pretty expensive alternative to normal compost mounds so the returns should reflect that.

Why do you drill holes in the pipe if it's going to be removed after a couple of days?

Is there a way to make this but on a smaller scale?

What kind of water do you use? Is it tap water with chlorine?

I'm wondering if anyone has experimented with a different base than a pallet. It seems like a lot of work to drill holes into the pallet and cover them with fabric and all that. If there were a base that has large enough holes in it already, or could you put more and smaller pipes into the setup that could fit between the slats of the pallet? Also, has anyone tried the silt fencing that someone else mentioned? I'm also wondering if jute netting would work or if it would decompose too quickly?

Is there a follow-up video to this showing the results?

Do I need to do a certain combo of nitrogen to carbon for bioreactors?

what are the benefots of landscape fabric as opposed to just using a finer mesh cage?

beautiful man

How can I do this in Wisconsin without a dedicated greenhouse in the winter? I'm sure it would freeze in the winter here. Help?

Damn...A WHOLE YEAR?!? 😅 "Ain' nobody got time for that!"

Could you theoretically use a compost pile as a heat/energy source?🤔

I'd love to see a follow up video

I've got a surplus of woodchips, and this is a brilliant idea... I was going to make biochar but if this can create compost in half the time, well... I thikn it just might be worth the invest.

How much water is too much?? Thinking that installing it at the back of the house and use the downspout to keep it watered, could save water and it's automatic. Warmer water too in the summer. Thoughts?

Could you make a shorter version of this reactor? Or does the height play a factor in the way the bio reactor works? Also I am wondering if you could inoculate the bio reactor with a few techniques from Korean natural farming or some bokashi?

Update us acordingly to se the results!

What's the difference between this & building a compost tumbler? The tumbler looks like it'll be far easier to build & manage.

I’m not convinced. Does this compost faster than simple compost pile and turning ? Seems a lot of extra work and expense.

I've been using a wire mesh cylinder - without pallet, pipe, or landscape fabric - for years. The mesh contains everything just fine, anything that does leak out just gets shoveled back in the top. As long as the mix is good its pretty much finished compost in a few months. How is the bioreactor better?

There are only wood chips in the bioreactor?

Why pull the pipes out? Why not just leave them in when they have holes for aeration?

Where is the video revealing the final product?

Wouldn't it be possible to just fill it as you accumulate the material and then pull pipes after its full , possibly giving a more complete cycle then switching to the second bin?

So you have about 5 inches from the outside of the ring of pipes, to the outside surface, to fit on the pallet. So if you had a bigger pallet you could go for up to a foot? What's the maximum distance to air for good composting again?

This is badass but one question: Does it leak or does it shed any form of water or juices?