Why You Should Mix BioChar With Your Soil

Do you struggle with nutrient-deficient soil? Maybe your crops don’t grow large enough, or lack flavor, or disease takes them down...another sign of poor nutrition.

Or maybe you feel like your soil dries out too quickly and you are always watering.

And while everyone wants to sell you their specific fertilizer or microbes, often what your soil actually needs is more STORAGE for nutrients and water.

How do you accomplish that? Biochar.

Biochar contains a football field of surface area in every tablespoon, expanding the capacity of your soil and allowing you to fit more of the good stuff in your soil.

What is BioChar?

BioChar is an extremely porous form of charcoal formed by the pyrolysis of plant materials. (Pyrolysis involves heating to extreme temperatures, but without oxygen, so the plant material doesn’t actually burn.)

Think of it this way...BioChar is so porous that it basically creates hotels for soil microbes, next to storage lockers for the nutrients that those microbes have the keys to.

Because BioChar has a ton of surface area, it increases the soil’s capacity for storing water, bacteria, fungi, and nutrients that are vital for your crops.

Why would you use BioChar?

Mixing BioChar with your soil will...

• Increase soil water retention

• Increase soil biodiversity

• Bind and neutralize contaminants

• Hold nutrients longer and more effectively 

Because BioChar’s storage capacity increases soil retention, it helps reduce water and nutrient runoff–meaning you can cut down on watering and fertilizing.

It also means that your plants will be able to absorb more nutrients from the soil, boosting your yields and crop quality.

Obviously, the amount of Biochar you'll need will vary depending on soil type, pH, and other factors. As a general rule of thumb you can stick to a 10:1 soil to BioChar ratio, or mix the BioChar with your compost.

Where to buy BioChar

We carry 100% hardwood BioChar in the online Farm on Central store, including instructions on how to use it on your farm or garden. Because BioChar is sterile after the pyrolysis, it will soak up a lot of nutrients and water like a sponge. To prevent it from pulling nutrients and water out of your soil, you have to ‘charge’ it first (soak it with water and prebiotics) before mixing it with your soil. Full instructions are included!

Click here to shop BioChar!