Biochar Basics

Peat moss has desirable properties as a container substrate component, but harvesting it from peatland for greenhouse/nursery production use has disturbed peatland and caused numerous environmental concerns. Thus, it is urgent to find a peat moss replacement as a container substrate component for greenhouse/nursery production. Biochar, a carbon-rich material with porous structure produced by the thermochemical decomposition of biomass in an oxygen depleted or oxygen-limited atmosphere, has drawn researchers’ attention for the past two decades. Using biochar to replace peat moss as a container substrate component for greenhouse/nursery production could provide environmental and economic benefits. However, biochar has not been widely used. One of the reasons is that the end users don’t know what biochar is, what it can do, or how to use it. This series of extension publications provides introductory information to answer these questions and help growers learn more about biochar. This series is produced in collaboration with the Colorado State University Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.