What is BIOCHAR?

Elevate your gardening game with biochar – a remarkable, all-natural material crafted from recycled wood waste. Made through a process called pyrolysis, extreme temperatures in a low-oxygen environment remove harmful compounds and leave a pure-carbon composition. Biochar's highly porous structure supercharges water retention, amplifies nutrient levels, and ignites vibrant microbial activity. Not only will you nurture your plants to flourish, but you'll also champion the environment by capturing carbon and contributing to a greener planet (carbon-negative product). From bountiful harvests to eco-conscious choices, biochar beckons as your essential partner in sustainable growth and lasting impact.

Learn about all the wonderful ways biochar will be making your plants happy and healthy.

The benefits are bountiful!

Absorbs toxic soil pollutants

Biochar can help decontaminate unhealthy soil by clinging onto and reducing the impact of damaging plant-toxic heavy metals and other unhealthy pollutants.

Jagadeesh, N., & Sundaram, B. (2023). Adsorption of Pollutants from Wastewater by Biochar: A Review. Journal of Hazardous Materials Advances, 9, 100226–. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hazadv.2022.100226
Park, J. H., Choppala, G. K., Bolan, N. S., Chung, J. W., & Chuasavathi, T. (2011). Biochar reduces the bioavailability and phytotoxicity of heavy metals. Plant and Soil, 348(1/2), 439–451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0948-y

Increases plant resistance to disease

Biochar has been proven to be effective in enhancing plant disease resistance. New studies also suggest that using biochar helps plants fight off unwanted microbes.

Cai, K., Gao, Y., & Tian, J. (2020). Effects and mechanisms of biochar-mediated plant disease resistance. Shengtai Xuebao = Acta Ecologica Sinica, 22, 8364–.

Helps fight climate change

Carbon (CO2) that would normally end up in the atmosphere is instead readily trapped and helping grow your plants.

"Biochar has a larger climate-change mitigation potential than combustion of
the same sustainably procured biomass for bioenergy."

Amonette, J. E., Woolf, D., Street-Perrott, F. A., Lehmann, J., & Joseph, S. (2010). Sustainable biochar to mitigate global climate change. Nature Communications, 1(5), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms1053
Nair, V. D., Nair, P. K. R., Dari, B., Freitas, A. M., Chatterjee, N., & Pinheiro, F. M. (2017). Biochar in the agroecosystem-climate-change-sustainability Nexus. Frontiers in Plant Science, 8, 2051–2051. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2017.02051

Improves soil fertility

Biochars porous structure is the ideal habitat for healthy microbial life to flourish. Positive soil conditioning through the use of biochar enhances retention and steady release of nutrients.

Phares, C. A., Amoakwah, E., Danquah, A., Akaba, S., Frimpong, K. A., & Mensah, T. A. (2022). Improved soil physicochemical, biological properties and net income following the application of inorganic NPK fertilizer and biochar for maize production. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 42(4), 289–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2021.12.002

Increases crop yields

Plants get to feed off the nutrients attracted and retained by the biochar. Nutrient rich soil, provided by biochar, has been shown to lead to higher plant density.

Phares, C. A., Amoakwah, E., Danquah, A., Akaba, S., Frimpong, K. A., & Mensah, T. A. (2022). Improved soil physicochemical, biological properties and net income following the application of inorganic NPK fertilizer and biochar for maize production. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 42(4), 289–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2021.12.002

Increases water retention and quality

Biochars porous structure helps maintain soil moisture levels, especially in excessive heat.

Wang, D., Li, C., Parikh, S. J., & Scow, K. M. (2019). Impact of biochar on water retention of two agricultural soils – A multi-scale analysis. Geoderma, 340, 185–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.01.012

Reduces watering needs.

Your plants have access to stored water in the biochar when they begin to dry out.

Wang, D., Li, C., Parikh, S. J., & Scow, K. M. (2019). Impact of biochar on water retention of two agricultural soils – A multi-scale analysis. Geoderma, 340, 185–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2019.01.012
Islam, M. S., Chen, Y., Weng, L., Ma, J., Khan, Z. H., Liao, Z., Magid, A. S. I. A., & Li, Y. (2021). Watering techniques and zero-valent iron biochar pH effects on As and Cd concentrations in rice rhizosphere soils, tissues and yield. Journal of Environmental Sciences (China), 100, 144–157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jes.2020.07.002

Reduces soil acidity

Biochar has been shown to de-acidify soils and help resist soil re-acidification. Plants tend not to do well in acidic conditions, which may severely limited crop productivity.

SHI, R., LI, J., NI, N., & XU, R. (2019). Understanding the biochar’s role in ameliorating soil acidity. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 18(7), 1508–1517. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2095-3119(18)62148-3

Biochar: A Short Film

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