Introduction to Biochar

Question from Frank:

I would like to introduce a 2000 year old organic soil conditioner called Biochar into the gardening consciousness. When people read about, study its properties just a little bit they are intrigued. They see it possibilities immediately. There is a wealth of biochar studies, mostly outside the US. The possibilities for carbon sequestration , soil fertility are a small part of what Biochar does.

• Enhances soil, holds carbon and for a more fertile soil
• It is Permanent
• 60% vegative growth every year, year after year. Biochar degrades very slowly.
• Fixates nitrogen in the soil.
• Increases Mycorrhyzal fungi more then 40%
• 18% more moisture retention
• Reduces fertilizers run off and improves water quality
• Decreases need for fertilization up to 50%
• Reduces nitrous oxide emissions 50 to 80%
• Biochar with fertilizers outperforms fertilizers alone up to 60% to 880%
• A few or one application lasts for a life time
• Biochar reduces soil acidy
• Biochar reduces soil leaching
• Increase methane uptake into soil
• Increases soil microbial Biomass
• Increases soil microbial respiration
• More then 40% fruit production and flower buds
• Improves over a 5 year period for soil maximization

I could go on, this is a small list of what it does. I urge you to study the wealth of information scientifically gathered throughout the world. What I would like to do, is have some of your Master gardener’s, students try it and test it. I want them to test it in several conditions, growing environments. I want people to learn about the wonders of an all natural and renewable biochar and what it can do for organic gardening and farming, turf and sustainable landscape design. What better source then a fountain of horticulture and Master gardeners and students looking to be ahead of the organic field.

That’s why I email you in hope that you can help me find individuals and or school programs who would like to test Biochar out. Here is what I offer. Several hundred pounds of free biochar. If you had a class project of twenty students I would donate each a 10# bag if they all promised to share any information whey gathered good or bad about my Biochar. I am running a Biochar challenge to any individual, group or organization who is interested. But what I really want is to raise the understanding of Biochar. If I have the backing of knowledgeable Master gardeners and horticultural experts it will help me introduce this all natural and ancient product into public awareness.

Answer from Pat:

First I hasten to tell you that whereas you have a good product, even an amazing product, adding it to garden soil here in Southern California might ruin that soil forever. Your list of properties of Biochar honestly states that Biochar “reduces soil acidity” and “reduces soil leaching”. These two characteristics might be very helpful in an area where rainfall is year-round and heavy but they make it unwise to add Biochar to western soils for fear of permanently increasing alkalinity and salts in soils, both of which are already too great in western soils. In the west rainfall is sparse and our irrigation water is alkaline and most gardeners have to work hard to maintain a garden soil that is even moderately acid or in the medium range between alkaline and acid conducive to the growth of most plants. Therefore, whereas I agree a test would be a good thing to do, I would never advocate home gardeners in the west take part in such a test since by adding Biochar to their soil they risk ruining their soil forever.

The problem with using Biochar in the west is that Biochar is not only alkaline but also as I understand it is a lasting source of alkalinity once added to soil. Additionally, as you have correctly pointed out it reduces leaching. These properties make it emphatically the wrong additive for use in most western soils. Most soils east of the Rocky Mountains where rainfall is year round, are acid but most soils west of the Rocky Mountains where the weather is dry and rainfall sparse, are alkaline. In the eastern parts of USA farmers and gardeners add lime to their soils in order to make them more alkaline. In the west where most soils are far too alkaline, farmers and gardeners add soil sulfur, peat moss, compost, and composted wood shavings in order to try to make their soil more acid. All this makes Biochar a very good additive for eastern soils but most likely not a good additive in western soils.

Like you, I am intensely interested in Biochar. I first learned of using charcoal as a soil additive and its almost magical properties—especially the sequestering of carbon— by reading about the ancient farming practices in the Amazon Valley, where charcoal was part of a soil mix that also included broken pottery in deep, man-made deposits of soil evidently used for farming in ancient times. But we should not lose sight of the fact that the problems of farming in the Amazon River Valley are different from ours. The Amazon has a wet climate and heavy rainfall that leaches nutrients out of the soil almost before plants can absorb them and also creates acid soil. Ancient people there had no source of lime, so adding charcoal was the perfect solution.

Additionally, here in the west we welcome rainfall when it happens because it can help leach out the build-up of salts from fertilizers that can harm plants. If you add something that reduces leaching then you will create a saltier soil. This is obviously not the right thing to do out here in the west.