Getting your seeds off to the best start this year

[WendyC]

Nice clear question and one I'd be interested in hearing the answer to.

[Bigmallly]

Thanks CG, you've also answered my question.

[Carbon Gold]

Forgive me if I have missundertood but are you here to give advice to members with poor soil condition or merely to promote your product?

Hello BigMallly, as one of the moderators said earlier we're here to do a bit of both.

[VirginVegGrower]

Hello Snadger. You're right in thinking that we use waste woody biomass to make our biochar which otherwise would have rotted or been burnt and CO2 released back into the atmosphere. Biochar is essentially a form of charcoal that can be used as a soil conditioner. It is is made at lower temperatures than charcoal, which results in a higher carbon content. It doesn’t need to be made from hardwoods, as barbeque charcoal does, and can be used in much smaller pieces or powder – known as ‘fines’ - rather than lumps.

It does indeed have the potential of creating work for small woodland enterprises, as does traditional charcoal making. We've got one of our kilns going into a National Trust woodland in March which we're really excited about - Nymans Estate.

The soil improver is not a fertiliser as you say it doesn't have a stated NPK, it is 90% biochar (typically 70-90% carbon content) activated with seaweed, mycorrhizal and wormcasts. We do make a fertiliser with biochar in it.

Another question I have (I know I said I wouldn't) is that it is my understanding that plants do not take up carbon through their roots but from their leaves, so what benefit does the carbon have in the soil? Back to my earlier statement that if it's not nutrient value is it water retentive quality, eg. structural? So becomes an equivalent use of peat for example?! Maybe then it could be used by some to improve their peat free seed and potting composts?

So your long/slow burn charcoal has seaweed, mycorrhizal and wormcasts added to it? Just help me understand what the charcoal benefits are please! Does it add structure? The other additions being the feed and fertility raisers? I looked at your product a few years ago as I was intrigued by the science behind it. I currently trial a product called Seer Rockdust as after visiting the lower slopes of both Etna and Vesuvius I was amazed by the verdant growing plots and fruit orchards there. It beggars belief! Is in such contrast to the land outlying it.
Do you have photographs of the soil beds where charcoal is used in the Amazon?

[Bigmallly]

I'd like to ask a question that the Soil Expert will be able to answer!
What would be the application rate and cost of using Grochar on a 10 Rod allotment?

£10.99 per 20lts from this company....Sorry VC, I don't know how to convert lts to rods.

Organic and Peat Free Grochar Multi Purpose Compost 20ltr

[veggiechicken]

Thanks BM That's one of the things I'm unclear about - how much do you need to improve an allotment's soil - or would the cost of it restrict its use to seed trays and pots - unless we have a lottery win

[Carbon Gold]

So your long/slow burn charcoal has seaweed, mycorrhizal and wormcasts added to it? Just help me understand what the charcoal benefits are please! Does it add structure? The other additions being the feed and fertility raisers? I looked at your product a few years ago as I was intrigued by the science behind it. I currently trial a product called Seer Rockdust as after visiting the lower slopes of both Etna and Vesuvius I was amazed by the verdant growing plots and fruit orchards there. It beggars belief! Is in such contrast to the land outlying it.
Do you have photographs of the soil beds where charcoal is used in the Amazon?

Hello VirginVegGrower. Seer Rockdust sounds really interesting. A few of the benefits of biochar listed below:

Biochar provides a perfect habitat for mycorrhizal fungi (which we also add to our products) to grow and flourish. These fungi colonise the pores of biochar particles, which protects them from predators - tiny nematodes, mites and protozoa. This leaves the fungi able to feed nutrients to ‘their’ plant and protect it from disease.

Fewer nutrients are lost from the upper levels of biochar-enriched soils. Biochar has a mild cation exchange capacity which enables it to stop minerals from leaching out but still keeps them available to the mycorrhizal fungi and therefore to the plants.

Biochar increases the waterholding capacity of soil at the same time as helping with drainage. Paradoxical but true. The porosity of biochar means it is like millions of tiny sponges in the soil, retaining moisture. This also helps keep fungi and bacteria alive during dry spells.

Biochar neutralises or maintains the pH of soil, reducing the tendency to acidification that vegetable growers seek to avoid.

Biochar helps fix carbon from compost in soil, building humus and organic matter.

Biochar is long-lasting. It is a stable form of carbon that can stay put in the soil for many years. In Brazil, where it was used by great Amazonian civilisations, biochar-rich soils have been carbon-dated to 4000 years ago.

There are some great terra preta pics via Google Images (with a few random additions!) - terra preta photos - Google Search

Also via wikipedia - Terra preta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[VirginVegGrower]

Hello VirginVegGrower. Seer Rockdust sounds really interesting. A few of the benefits of biochar listed below:

Biochar provides a perfect habitat for mycorrhizal fungi (which we also add to our products) to grow and flourish. These fungi colonise the pores of biochar particles, which protects them from predators - tiny nematodes, mites and protozoa. This leaves the fungi able to feed nutrients to ‘their’ plant and protect it from disease.

Fewer nutrients are lost from the upper levels of biochar-enriched soils. Biochar has a mild cation exchange capacity which enables it to stop minerals from leaching out but still keeps them available to the mycorrhizal fungi and therefore to the plants.

Biochar increases the waterholding capacity of soil at the same time as helping with drainage. Paradoxical but true. The porosity of biochar means it is like millions of tiny sponges in the soil, retaining moisture. This also helps keep fungi and bacteria alive during dry spells.

Biochar neutralises or maintains the pH of soil, reducing the tendency to acidification that vegetable growers seek to avoid.

Biochar helps fix carbon from compost in soil, building humus and organic matter.

Biochar is long-lasting. It is a stable form of carbon that can stay put in the soil for many years. In Brazil, where it was used by great Amazonian civilisations, biochar-rich soils have been carbon-dated to 4000 years ago.

There are some great terra preta pics via Google Images (with a few random additions!) - terra preta photos - Google Search

Also via wikipedia - Terra preta - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thanks for your response and yes I've seen the photos - sorry it was me that put that link up earlier. As I said I looked at this new old idea a few years ago when trials were taking place.
So it helps fix the carbon in the soil but that's not where the plant takes it from, so I'm at a loss to know the benefit of having it stored in the soil other than as a moisture retentive alternative to peat - is that correct? I am not a hugely scientific person
If so then it would benefit poor thin free draining soils rather than clay soils? Which after a season would need additional servings of Biochar?
I could see this being used in smaller quantities for seed sowing and potting on as a "mixer" to those who like the water retention of peat but who want their green credentials back but I think as a soil improver ordinary gardeners will look to cheaper ways of bulking/body conditioning their soil. Although I never say never. Appreciate some further answers - thank you.

[WendyC]

From the Carbon Gold website faq application rate is up to 10 tonnes per hectare. Did a bit of maths I reckon you need 300kg for 10 rods. On website 1kg is £6.99, but there is a 3 for 2 offer so would only need to buy 200kg, at £1400. As it is "up to" perhaps get away with less, say £1000 worth.

[VirginVegGrower]

From the Carbon Gold website faq application rate is up to 10 tonnes per hectare. Did a bit of maths I reckon you need 300kg for 10 rods. On website 1kg is £6.99, but there is a 3 for 2 offer so would only need to buy 200kg, at £1400. As it is "up to" perhaps get away with less, say £1000 worth.

[WendyC]

Mmm, that's what I thought. Expensive vegetables. I had 25 barrowloads of manure from a local farmer for £10. Didn't weigh it though for fair comparison.

[veggiechicken]

Thanks Wendy! I'll be even more interested to read CarbonGold's reply to my questions now

[VirginVegGrower]

Me too - is it lunchtime? Yes it is! I suppose I should go eat...

[veggiechicken]

I am eating Beans and jacket potato in case you're wondering

[Alison]

From the Carbon Gold website faq application rate is up to 10 tonnes per hectare. Did a bit of maths I reckon you need 300kg for 10 rods. On website 1kg is £6.99, but there is a 3 for 2 offer so would only need to buy 200kg, at £1400. As it is "up to" perhaps get away with less, say £1000 worth.

Surely that can't be what's being recommended, nobody in the right mind would go for that!