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It's my understanding that biochar is a type of charcoal (carbon) that when added to the soil will improve the quality of the soil and increase it's water retention capability. Biochar is a porous material that has a massive surface area that serves as a home for beneficial soil microbes and fungi.
Is anyone using Biochar and if so where did you get it and what is your experience?
I've never heard it called "biochar" before, but I've often used charcoal (the same process you would use to make charcoal for black powder) as a soil remediation in my raised beds. A hippy told me it was great for improving mineral uptake in tomatoes to prevent blossom-end rot and, anecdotally, it seems that she was right. Don't overdo it because it will raise the pH of the soil, but if you have low-pH rain it can act as a passive buffer.
EDIT: It's super easy to make and you have complete control over what goes in it. Don't buy. If you have local deadfall oak, that's great. Birch or willow... Even better.
In my area of Hawai'i Island, a lot of people are using biochar, both to amend their soil but also to reduce the amount of brush and agricultural waste they have to dispose of.
Basically they pile up combustible waste, such as trimmed branches and dried grasses, set it on fire, then once it is roaring, smother the fire with dirt so it smolders without air, burning out all but the carbon matrix.
The key advantage to working biochar into your soil is that it makes the soil much more porous, so that air gets down to the roots, and it becomes more water retentive.
The key advantage to working biochar into your soil is that it makes the soil much more porous, so that air gets down to the roots, and it becomes more water retentive.
In addition to retaining water and improving porosity, the carbon forms weak bonds with many nutrients. This keeps the nutrients from getting washed out in heavy rains and leaves them in a form readily available to plants. One gram of charcoal can have up to 2000 sq. meters of surface area for various compounds to bind to.
I tried bio-char in one out of my four raised beds this year and have been very pleased with the results. Plants in that bed have been healthier, more productive and vigorous. I have also been using it for potted fig tree cuttings and have seen big improvements in the vigor of the trees. I will be adding bio-char to the other raised beds this fall and winter (probably by incorporating in into my compost).
You should also note that concerns about raising the pH are overblown. Just wash away as much ash as possible before adding it to your garden. It is the ash that raises pH, not the nearly pure carbon in charcoal.
In addition to retaining water and improving porosity, the carbon forms weak bonds with many nutrients. This keeps the nutrients from getting washed out in heavy rains and leaves them in a form readily available to plants. One gram of charcoal can have up to 2000 sq. meters of surface area for various compounds to bind to.
I tried bio-char in one out of my four raised beds this year and have been very pleased with the results. Plants in that bed have been healthier, more productive and vigorous. I have also been using it for potted fig tree cuttings and have seen big improvements in the vigor of the trees. I will be adding bio-char to the other raised beds this fall and winter (probably by incorporating in into my compost).
You should also note that concerns about raising the pH are overblown. Just wash away as much ash as possible before adding it to your garden. It is the ash that raises pH, not the nearly pure carbon in charcoal.
I should have clarified that the alkalizing effects of ASH are also a little overblown, IMO, (10 pounds of ash - which may not sound like a lot but is - for a 10x10 square to raise the pH by about .5) but if you're growing something like blueberries or potatoes that can be a little sensitive to pH and the soil in your area is already above 7, then I would consider nixing charcoal.
You should also note that concerns about raising the pH are overblown. Just wash away as much ash as possible before adding it to your garden. It is the ash that raises pH, not the nearly pure carbon in charcoal.
You won't be able to wash it all away. The calcium carbonate component is insoluble in water and will buffer at a pH of 8.5. The ultimate pH will depend on the soil's pH, buffering capacity, and amount of char added.
One way to counter the alkaline effect of biochar is to use lots of ammonium-based nitrogen fertilizers, or any organic amendment high in nitrogen, on a regular basis.
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