INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE USE OF BIOCHAR

COMPOST SOIL WITH BIOCHAR

Compost soil with biochar can be added directly to flowerbeds and potted plants. To do this, the soil with biochar can be added to the existing soil and then worked into the surface. A maximum of 1-3 litres of biochar soil should be worked in per square metre per year.

Heavy soil, which already has a high water retention capacity, requires less biochar to achieve good results. Light, sandy soils require more biochar and the effect is greater. For plants that require a lot of nutrients (heavy feeders), more soil with biochar can be added, while for plants with low nutrient requirements (light feeders), less is needed.

Biochar as a nutrient battery

Biochar stores nutrients and water in the soil. It releases these to plants when they need them. This helps plants grow better and be healthier. Biochar can be thought of as a battery that enriches the soil and gradually releases nutrients. In compost, this battery has already been charged with nutrients, which is why this soil can be applied directly to the garden or flower pots.

If soil containing uncharged biochar or pure, uncharged biochar were added to the soil, the battery would not be full. The biochar would absorb nutrients from the environment and take them away from the plants. Therefore, charging the biochar – also referred to as activation – is very important.

CO₂ storage

Biochar is very stable. It hardly decomposes and can remain in the soil for decades or even millennia. The carbon it contains, which originally came from the atmosphere, thus remains stored for the long term. By repeatedly adding biochar to the soil over many years, you can store more and more CO₂ in your own soil or pots.

PURE BIOCHAR

1. Charging with nutrients

Pure plant charcoal can be charged with nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and then mixed with soil. The mixed soil can then be used in flower pots, garden beds or on farmland.

The activated charcoal gradually releases the nutrients into the soil and thus to the plants growing on it – like a kind of nutrient battery. This provides the plants with the nutrients they need, whenever they need them. As a result, they grow better and are healthier. If pure biochar without nutrient enrichment were added to the soil, it would absorb nutrients from the environment and take them away from the plants. Enrichment (or activation) can be achieved using one of the following methods:

a) fertiliser

Mix liquid fertiliser with biochar according to the mixing ratio specified for the fertiliser. As a general rule, 1 ml of liquid can be absorbed per 1 g of biochar. Leave the mixture to rest overnight or for a few days.

b) compost

Mix compost with biochar. As a general rule, use 1 litre of biochar per 10 litres of compost. Add the compost with biochar directly to the soil/potting soil.

c) Urine

Soak plant carbon with urine. A few hundred millilitres of urine per kilogram of plant carbon is sufficient. Advantages of this method: it is inexpensive, quick and the carbon absorbs the liquid directly and also stores it.

2. Adding to the soil

After activation, the biochar can be mixed with soil and added to the ground. As a general rule:

• As a general rule: approx. 500 g of biochar per 1 m² of bed area. This corresponds to:
1 kg of biochar for 2 m² of bed area;
50 g of biochar for 2.5 kg of potting soil (approx. 5 litre pot)

• Heavy soil, which already has a high water retention capacity, requires less biochar to achieve good results. Light, sandy soils need more biochar and the effect is greater.

• For plants that require a lot of nutrients (heavy feeders), more biochar (approx. 800 g/m²) can be added, while for plants with low nutrient requirements (light feeders), less (approx. 300 g/m²) is needed.

3. CO₂ storage