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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