BIOCHAR

Biochar is any kind of biomass (wood, seed/grain hulls, manures, etc.) burned in a low oxygen environment. Biochar is a "force multiplier", as it contains many different properties to help improve soil health in a variety of ways, and I make it here on the Big Little Farm.   We use mainly hackberry, a "trash tree" found here in Texas.  This helps keep trees out of landfills, and sequesters a huge amount of carbon.  Our biochar is infused with Aerated Compost Tea, which facilitates and promotes microbiological growth and activity within the biochar, and reduces the hydrophilic nature of the biochar.  

Biochar contains a vast amount of microscopic tubes within its structure.  These tubes greatly increase the surface area of the biochar.  It also has a very high cation exchange capacity (it acts like a magnet of sorts).  These two factors help to attract and harbor microbes within the walls of the tubes, and  from this, symbiotic relations are formed within the soil structure.  Plant roots migrate into the biochar, which harbors the microbes that break down soil matter into plant nutrients.  The plants uptake these nutrients more efficiently, and in return provide those microbes plant exudates in the form of simple sugars.  These sugars provide the food source for the microbes.  It's a crazy, kooky, wonderful cycle that biochar helps develop. 

Biochar, due to it's electrochemical makeup, is great at absorbing and binding toxins, so anywhere you have animals and odor control problems, biochar could be your answer.  This is why biochar holds up to 5 timer it's weight in water.  Also, this binding effect biochar has on soil  increases soil aggregation, which helps improve water retention and oxygen infiltration into the soil.  Here are a few more uses . . .

In the Yard and Garden . . .

• When replacing sod, sprinkle biochar at 10lbs./1000 sq, ft. on the bare soil BEFORE placing new square on, and water liberally, as you would with any new sod;
• When planting trees, line the hole the tree will be going into with a small amount of biochar, as well as mixing some in with the backfill.  This  encourages and promotes small root growth around the root ball, where plants get their nutrition early in the life of the tree;
• When tilling beds, broadcast 10 lbs./1000 ft. on to the soil before tilling.  It's best to get the biochar into the soil, rather than on, for it to be really effective.
• When installing new plants, sprinkle a small handful around in the hole where the plant goes;
• When using potting soil, add 5% biochar to the weight of the potting soil, i.e. for 10 lbs of soil, 8 oz. of biochar, and mix thoroughly.

Working with Chickens . . .

• Sprinkle biochar on the chicken coop litter at the above rates of 1 lb/100 sq. ft. of coop.  This helps to:   1) reduce the noxious odors from chicken coops, 2) reduces flies, and 3) helps keep the litter drier, which in turn reduces respiratory problems in your flock.  
• If you recycle your litter into compost, the biochar serves as an important ingredient and catalyst in that compost;
• Mix in 5% biochar by weight in with your chicken's rations.  They spread that biochar around the yard in their poop, adding an extra dimension to the fertility of the chicken manure, and placing more carbon in the soil.

The Ithaka Institute, from where I copied the design of my biochar kiln, has identified 55 uses of biochar, and you can find them here:

 http://www.ithaka-institut.org/en/home 

You can order your biochar directly from us.