Getting your seeds off to the best start this year

[VirginVegGrower]

I only have five rods so my bill would be £500?
Ham hock and new potato salad in case anybody else was wondering...

[SarzWix]

It's possible that the highest application rate is for very depleted farmland? I only had a small bag of it and used half mixed into compost for potting on of toms, chillis, squashes etc, and the other half dug into part of my potato bed. I reckon for the casual user, who's already been adding organic matter to the soil and attempting to maintain fertility, you wouldn't need anything like that much. I'm thinking of adding it to my rotation, so one bed gets a bit every year. If it stays in the soil for centuries, then a gradual build-up should be good enough?

[SarzWix]

Incidentally, the application rate for ten rods presumably is to cover the whole plot, and doesn't allow for paths, sheds, compost bins, water butts...

[VirginVegGrower]

It's possible that the highest application rate is for very depleted farmland? I only had a small bag of it and used half mixed into compost for potting on of toms, chillis, squashes etc, and the other half dug into part of my potato bed. I reckon for the casual user, who's already been adding organic matter to the soil and attempting to maintain fertility, you wouldn't need anything like that much. I'm thinking of adding it to my rotation, so one bed gets a bit every year. If it stays in the soil for centuries, then a gradual build-up should be good enough?

That's what I do with my Rockdust - two beds each year at £10. Then I do two more the following year and so on. Doesn't need it every year but I don't know about this stuff.

[Bigmallly]

Sorry for being a sceptic but £ for £ Carbon Gold doesn't hold a torch to good quality well rotted Black Gold.

[Sheneval]

I have decided to buy a bag of this stuff and put it on part of my plot when planting at the recommended rate of 5g per plant.

Up till now, my entire plot has been treated exactly the same with compost, seaweed etc. so if the plants treated with this stuff are better than the rest, it should show up quite clearly.

I will let you know the results later in the year.

[VirginVegGrower]

Well I'm still waiting for an answer on my previous question because if its just a peat alternative I would need to cost it with New Horizon say and put that against my regular Verve. If it has got MF built in, they should market that aspect more because I use that as a starter for all my planting purposes as its really good stuff. It's also very expensive, which could explain the price and the excellent results. I still want to know if the carbon is merely water retentive and a structure thing or something more. You can't sell a product and just refer to Wiki when prospective buyers want to know the science behind it. Slightly frustrated here!

[Carbon Gold]

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?

Hello veggiechicken. We recommend an application rate of our soil improver (90% biochar) of 1kg per square metre (or 10 tonnes per hectare) but this is neither a practical or cost effective way to treat your whole allotment. Otherwise you would need 250kg for your 10 rods (250 square metres).

Much better to use as a base dressing for seed drills and planting holes, rather then apply liberally across your plot, so that the biochar connects with the root system of the plant where it is most effective.

In response to some of the price guestimates (!!) a bulk order of 250kg would be £300 total (this includes delivery cost to your allotment / house and VAT). It’s completely misleading to multiply up the cost of our smaller retail packs as these are obviously more expensive. The more you buy the cheaper it gets – classic economy of scale This suits our core customer base of organic growers.

[Carbon Gold]

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.

Hello VirginVegGrower. Soil carbon improves soil structure and quality and plays a big part in overall soil health. It is one of the key elements within soil organic matter, which holds a great proportion of the nutrients and trace elements that promote plant growth. Soil carbon is generally high in organic soils, and lower in mineral soils.

As I mentioned in the list of biochar benefits above, soil carbon improves the physical properties of soil in a number of ways including increasing cation exchange and water-holding capacity and preventing nutrient leaching – thereby making them more available to plants. The particle size of the biochar in different shapes and sizes helps break up the platey structure of clay and improves aeration of the soil. Adding lots of organic matter, leaf mulch and sand are also great at improving clay soils but biochar adds a more permanent solution.

For free draining, sandy soils biochar can help retain moisture and nutrients at the surface / plant root level. This is in part due to biochar acting as a ‘refugia’ for mycorrhizal fungi to thrive – mycorrhizal fungi is in all our products.

As you say, our soil improver (90% biochar) is perfect for those wanting to add to their seed and potting on compost. Well-respected gardener, Fergus Garret at Great Dixter recommends it as an "excellent peat substitute, better than green waste. Would not hesitate to use as part of a John Innes mix."

A Soil Association report on soil carbon states: “raising soil carbon levels can make a vital contribution to climate adaptation, by improving soil structure and quality. This will reduce the impacts of flooding, droughts, water shortages and desertification, thereby also improving global food and water security.”

Rob Jarman, National Trust Head of Sustainability, says: “Carbon is the building block of life, we must value and steward it with care.”

[veggiechicken]

Thank you for your reply. I'm confident that £300 a plot would be more than most plot holders would want to pay, but by ordering smaller quantities that may be within their budget, they would lose out on the economies of scale that you mention. Very few of us grow commercially so are unable to set off the costs by sales. Whilst I may try a bag to mix with my own compost, I am unlikely to ever be a bulk buyer - can't afford it, Sorry!

[VirginVegGrower]

OK thanks for that. I may get some to trial in the bottom of planting out holes and to try alongside a peat free compost. I will post results here later.

[Nicos]

The more you buy the cheaper it gets – classic economy of scale

Perhaps allotment societies could bulk purchase for their members?

[veggiechicken]

I don't have an allotment though Just a large garden

[veg man]

Got a free bag last year wont be buying it, did not see any differance tried it on corn and cabbages,the one planted without it just the same as the ones with in the planting hole.New things come and go horse muck here to stay

[SarzWix]

Whilst I wouldn't argue with your trials, I just wanted to point out that biochar for soil improvement probably pre-dates the use of horses in agriculture...