The Dirt on Dirt Blog
Building a foundation on which to grow
by Lil Green
gardening mentor told me about biochar . Recently , at Russell ’ s Garden Center , I grabbed some ARBORchar ( which is biochar with fertilizer ) and decided to do my own very non-scientific experiment . I took two heirloom tomato plants ( nearly identical in size ) and planted them in 10 gallon grow bags placed side to side in a sunny south facing spot . The plants had identical controls . The bags were filled with my own potting mix made with various composts , peat moss , vermiculite and sand . The mix in one container was amended with ARBORchar as per label instructions , and the other was not . The plant that grew in the amended bed produced about 20 % more green foliage and fruit than the one without the char . Not an insignificant amount for this productive plant . I am usually hesitant to buy packaged products to add to my raised beds as I know that much of what I need I can produce from my own waste .
Every spring , I roll up my sleeves intent on growing a drool worthy garden . My mind skips off to my autumn brag : arms laden with huge zucchini , tomatoes bursting at the skin , and beans falling out of my basket . Maybe I am serving a roasted vegetable dish later in the fall with my cool crop . I am up to my elbows in soil and ear to ear in smile .
With the images of snap peas dancing in my head I am off to the shed to forage for everything I need to amend my soil . As I learned long ago , as a rookie grower , I will need the foundation to be strong enough to hold these large buildings . Recently my
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I took a leap and am pleased with the results . ARBORchar combines biochar and fertilizers for superior moisture retention and exceptional root development . When I pulled the plant out for compost the root ball on the amended plant was huge ! This spring I will be adding ARBORchar to ALL of my beds and containers .
For more information on the history of biochar visit http :// biochar-us . org / biochar-then-now
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