Text Only Home News
Events
Biochar Charcoal Purchase Feedback Donkey Sanctuary Contact
Image of spade
PLOTS.
Best results from your soil come when the charcoal content reaches at least 10%. Performance improves up to a maximum of 50% charcoal content. It is always important to ensure that there is plenty of organic matter added to your soil in the usual way, and a high charcoal content will retain both nutrients and moisture.
Our large bags are 33% charcoal. A fairly normal sized bed, 8’ X 4’ for example, will require a prohibitively expensive amount of Carbon Compost to bring up to 10% charcoal in one season even if we assume a topsoil depth of just 8”. Our own experiments have shown that best initial use is to mix up your compost and place it directly under the plants you wish to benefit from it. By doing this you get immediate results without the cost and can then build up the charcoal content by adding a bit more Carbon Compost each year.
Please note that Carbon Compost is nitrogen rich and may not be suitable for all plants.

SOIL IMPROVER.
Carbon Compost will aid very sandy and dry soils by adding organic matter and the charcoal content will assist in retaining moisture and nutrients. It will also aid clay soils but should be used in conjunction with plenty of organic matter. If your soil is very heavy clay it is important to add lots of organic matter with the Carbon Compost. As previously mentioned, the benefits become really apparent from a 10% charcoal concentration so it’s possible to add another 80L of other compost or well rotted manure to each bag of Carbon Compost and still achieve this.
The Carbon Compost Company will supply the correct concentration for such soils on request.
If you’re lucky (or very hard working) and have nice friable dark soil, Carbon Compost will improve it still further. The charcoal will provide a reservoir for nutrients, reducing the need to feed each year.

POTS.
Carbon Compost can be mixed and used in pots. It should be diluted with another compost. As long as you maintain at least a 10% concentration of charcoal to growing media this will not greatly reduce it’s benefits. As long as there is at least 20% charcoal you do not need to throw it away—simply remove the plant, aerate the compost and use again with some liquid feed. The charcoal will retain the nutrients from the feed for the next plant.
If you are growing perennials Carbon Compost will remove the need for constant re-potting (except where growing on is required).

PESTS AND DISEASES.
Carbon Compost is wonderful stuff, but it is NOT immune from soil borne pests and diseases. Please take the normal precautions against such problems.

Copyright Carbon Compost Co. 2010