Biochar for soil and plant health

The health of your plants is intrinsically linked to the quality of your soil. Biochar is a type of high carbon charcoal that is created by heating biomass in the absence of oxygen in a process called pyrolysis. Unlike compost or fertilizer that must be re-added from time to time, the benefit of adding biochar to the soil is permanent. The biochar makes a structural improvement to the soil due to the extremely high surface area and provides a cocoon like habitat for microbes. Soil will retain more water, more nutrients and enjoy improved aeration. The results for your plants include benefits such as improved growth and yield as well as drought and pest resistance.

Making your own biochar

DIY biochar can by made by digging a conical hole in the ground and filling it with biomass and burning it. The cone shape means that the bottom of the hole is an anaerobic environment. There are also biochar kilns available for purchase. Before adding homemade biochar to your soil, it is advisable to activate it. If you skip this step, in the short term the biochar will absorb nutrients from the soil. There are various ways to activate biochar. One way is simply to add it to your composter.

Buying ready to use biochar

There are different options available on the market. Some biochar is sold already activated and ready to use with likely proprietary formulations of microbes, fungi and minerals. This is fantastic for ease of use and means you benefit from the expertise of biochar specialists how many tweaked and tested different recipes. Another option is to buy pure biochar (that you would then activate yourself) - this gives you the flexibility to customise for your own unique soil conditions.