Biochar for home gardens

1. Target root zones

Mix into soil, potting mix and planting holes, or top-dress annually

2. Apply with your favourite compost or nutrient mix

Biochar is a soil improver, not a fertiliser, so add a nutrient-rich mix like compost, worm castings, frass, seaweed solution, or fish emulsion.
Even better, supercharge your biochar before you use it!

3. Aim for biochar to make up 1 to 10% of soil volume

As a general guide:
• 1 to 5 litres per square metre
• 1 to 10% of soil volume for pots or new garden beds
• 0.5 to 1 litre per planting hole.

↓ Read on for specific use advice ↓

Drawing of biochar being added to a tree planting hole Drawing of a compost pile Drawing of biochar being applied as a top-dressing

Vegetable beds, ornamental beds, planter boxes	Apply 1 to 5 litres per square metre. Incorporate into the topsoil, or top dress and cover with mulch. When establishing new beds, mix biochar at 1 to 10% total soil volume. Use Blended Biochar, Biochar or Biochar + Frass. For top-dressing, use Ultra-Fine.
Soil amendment	Heavy clay soils - incorporate Biochar at 1-10% soil volume to improve aeration Sandy soils - incorporate Ultra-Fine Biochar at 1-10% soil volume to increase water and nutrient-holding capacity. The Ultra-Fine particles will disperse more evenly in the soil than other, coarser grades.
Potting mix - indoor and outdoor pots	Add biochar as part of your putting mix at approx 10% of mix volume. Use Blended Biochar, Biochar or Biochar + Frass for regular potting mixes, or Horticultural Charcoal for orchids, epiphytes and other species where excellent drainage is needed.
Compost	Add biochar to your compost to speed up composting and boost microbial action. Add biochar to make up 5-10% of compost volume at any stage of the composting process, at least two weeks prior to using the compost. Use any grade of biochar, particularly Blended Biochar.
Planting trees and shrubs	Add biochar to the planting hole along with compost/fertiliser and mix with backfill material, 1-5L of biochar per planting hole or around 10% of soil volume. Use Blended Biochar, Biochar or Biochar + Frass.
Existing trees, shrubs and garden beds	Top dress 1 to 5 litres per square metre, along with compost. Alternatively, dig a trench around the tree at the edge of the root zone, apply biochar and compost/fertiliser in the trench and backfill to cover. Use Ultra-Fine (particularly for top-dressing), Biochar or Biochar + Frass.
Lawns	For existing lawns, top-dress by broadcasting 1-5 litres of Ultra-Fine biochar per square metre Water in with a liquid fertiliser Best applied after aerating your lawn (but not essential) For new lawns, apply to the soil before sowing seed Can also be applied as a slurry, mixed 1:3 with water and/or dilute liquid fertiliser
Chickens	Spread handfuls of Biochar or Blended Biochar in poultry bedding, approx 1 litre per square metre in areas where manure accumulates (i.e. under roosts) to reduce smell. When cleaning out, add bedding + biochar to compost. You can also feed biochar to chickens at 1-10% of feed mix, for improved digestive health and enriched manure.

A note on Biochar + Nutrients

Most of our products are pure biochar, which is adaptable to many uses. For soil and garden use, ideally supercharge your biochar with nutrients prior to application, or apply along with compost or other nutrient-rich fertiliser (frass, worm castings, seaweed solution, fish emulsion, synthetic NPK etc). Adjust the nutrient type and amount to suit your plants and soil.

If you’re looking for an enriched biochar, our Biochar + Frass mix is ready to apply and contains nutrient-rich, probiotic frass from black soldier fly larvae.