What is Biochar?
Biochar is a form of charcoal used to improve soil functions. Charcoal is used as a carbon sequestration agent to reduce emissions from biomass that would otherwise naturally degrade to greenhouse gases. Biochar is non-biodegradable for hundreds of years. Raw biochar is highly porous, highly absorptive. Charging adds nutrients to biochar. Nutrients stick to the walls of biochar encouraging microbes to move in. Inoculating adds microbes to biochar.
Application
Blend with compost because biochar has the potential to hold a LOT of nutrients. Mix 1-10 percent. One part biochar with 100 parts growing soil. Repeat next year. Apply biochar to the root zone. Consider crushing biochar into powder for increased bio-availability. Consider additional mycorrhizae inoculant after mixing with soil. Conditioning prevents raw biochar from sucking in the soil’s nutrients and competing with plant’s root zones.
Our Process
Red & white oak are pyrolyzed in a retort kiln converting wood into pure carbon. Crushed & screened to ¼ inch or less. Raw biochar is conditioned by charging and inoculating. Charging is done with fish emulsion and sea kelp from Maine. Inoculation is done with EM-1, a commercial microbial mix. Versailles Farm’s biochar is pure carbon, not diluted with compost or potting soil.
