The benefits of Biochar
“Biochar is a very pure, high-carbon type of charcoal that gives a brilliant boost to the health of your soil (and therefore your plants),” says Simon Manley, CEO of Carbon Gold, which makes biochar products.
“It retains water and nutrients in the soil and improves its structure, giving your plants exactly what they need to flourish - whether you’re after beautiful blooms, luscious lawns, thriving trees, or an abundance of fruit and veg.”
It’s made using a process called pyrolysis, he says, “where plant matter is baked at a high temperature in a low-oxygen environment”. This means that, unlike the conventional burning of wood or plant matter, the carbon stored up through photosynthesis is not released back into the atmosphere, so it’s great for the environment, as well as your garden.
Simon reveals biochar fans include gardening experts Monty Don and James Wong, and says it’s used by the UK tomato growers who supply M&S, Morrisons and Asda, as well as the teams at Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Royal Ascot and top football clubs. It holds water: “Because of the way biochar is made, it’s extremely porous, and acts a bit like a sponge in the soil, helping to retain water,” says Simon.
“This means plants need watering less and don’t get dehydrated as easily - great for when you’re on holiday, for example.” It improves aeration: “When dug into the soil, the porous structure allows for better aeration of soil”, states Simon, which is essential to healthy plant growth. Roots need oxygen for a plant to flourish.
It retains nutrients in the soil: Biochar attracts and holds onto nutrients in the soil, improving soil fertility and growth of plants.
“The miniscule nooks and crannies you’ll find on pieces of biochar make the perfect home for billions of soil-beneficial microbes, which are important for healthy plant growth, meaning they won’t be easily washed away by rain or watering,” notes Simon.
And because biochar is so high in carbon, it doesn’t break down or decompose, so you only have to apply it once to make a permanent improvement to your soil. What’s more, due to the fact it’s almost 100% carbon, every tonne of it in the soil equates to nearly three tonnes of CO2 sequestered, or locked away, from the atmosphere. You can make your own biochar, though Simon stresses the extremely high temperatures make it quite dangerous.
Biochar is available to buy online at sites such as Waitrose or eBay as well as selected garden centres.
5Just use it once! You only need one applicato tion make a permanent difference. Ancient Amazonian civilisations made their own version of biochar thousands of years ago, and the soil there is still incredibly fertile