soil
Overview
Over 70% of worldwide average calorie consumption comes from crops grown directly in soil, and another nearly 20% comes from poultry, livestock and other animals that rely indirectly on soil.
The living soil is the earth's most valuable ecosystem and a vital contributor to human wellbeing. However, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization considers soil degradation one of the central threats to human health in the coming decades.
Archeological exploration has found black colored soil, called Terra Preta (dark earth), in the Amazon basin of Brazil where Amazonian indigenous peoples used charcoal (early “biochar”) to enrich their soil well over 1,000 years ago. Intensive study of biochar-rich dark earths in the Amazon has led to a wider appreciation of biochar’s unique properties as a soil enhancer. This 2,000 year-old practice converts biomass into a soil enhancer that holds carbon, helps soils retain nutrients and water, increases soil biodiversity and microbial activity and boosts food security.
The use of charcoal, or biochar, as a soil amendment is not limited to ancient civilizations. Research has shown that biochar is more efficient at increasing soil fertility and nutrient retention than un-charred organic matter. Biochar improves structural stability and water infiltration and increases water holding capacity, holds nutrients longer thus reducing nutrient leaching, increases cation exchange capacity and soil microbial activity as well as acting as a CO2 sink.
Other benefits of using biochar as a soil enhancer include its ability to adsorb soil-damaging pesticides and neutralize natural toxins in decomposing organic materials. Biochar is an important tool to enhance soils and increase food security and cropland soil diversity in areas with severely depleted soils, scarce organic resources, and inadequate water and chemical fertilizer supplies. Healthy soils mean healthy crops and nutrient dense food.
agriculture
Our health begins in the soil.
Biochar is applicable to all soils, no matter the geography, environment, soil or plant type. In comprehensive trials, GCS biochar has been shown to improve soil quality, enhance root structure, increase leaf nutrient levels, and increase crop yield. It has applicability to row crops, orchards, greenhouse plantings and more.
GCS’ consistent, high-quality, hardwood biochar can help improve the performance and yield of your crops and enhancing key soil characteristics by:
- Increasing nutrient retention
- Increasing water-holding capacity
- Improving soil structure
- Enhancing microbial activity
In addition, the biochar permanently and directly increasing the soil carbon content. If biochar was added to 10% of global cropland, the effect would be to sequester 29 billion tons of CO2, roughly equal to humanities annual greenhouse gas emissions (Johannes Lehmann, Cornell University and biochar expert).
forestry
Forestry of the future and natures CO2 sink.
In recent years forest operators and tree growers have used biochar in forestry trials, orchard operations and in urban and suburban tree plantings. The City of Stockholm has been pursuing a multi-year strategy to improve its city trees—with significant positive results—by using biochar to improve soil quality (Planting Urban Trees with Biochar – The Stockholm Project).
Given the importance of tree growth, health and resilience to forest productivity, anything that can be done to improve these metrics is essential to forest development. Biochar has a unique role to play in improving these metrics and GCS has partnered with the University of Florida in developing the forest of the future through the amendment of soils with biochar.
landscaping
Reducing water and fertilizer usage.
Whether its trees, shrubs or flowering plants, high-quality biochar helps improve soil vitality, speed up root development and accelerate plant establishment resulting in increased quality, beauty and resilience of their plants and projects. In addition, biochar helps plants resist drought, disease and pests.
Landscapers can have both an immediate and long-term impact on the success of their projects using GCS biochar to: (i) improve soil structure and increase the soil’s water-holding capacity, (ii) increasing the nutrient retention and availability to support plant growth, and (iii) improve the environment and habitat for microbial activity leading to an enhanced, healthier and more diverse soil microbiome which drives improved root structure and plant development
Using biochar ultimately results in less water and nutrient consumption, leading to happier customers with less repeat work and fewer warranty claims.
turf
Thicker and healthier turf.
Leading turf growers, big and small, use biochar to enhance and optimize soil characteristics to improve their turf growth rate, root systems and health as well as to maximize the beauty. Biochar helps lawns thrive by retaining nutrients and protecting grass from disease and pests. This means less fertilizers and lawns hold more water for longer. Turf growers vary in their approaches, but all can benefit from using biochar to increase soil porosity, enhance root growth and increase turf vigor.
