Wakefield BioChar

Welcome to the Wakefield BioChar Learning Center! Whether you’re new to gardening or an experienced grower, our resources will guide you through the benefits and uses of biochar. Explore practical articles, expert insights, and step-by-step guides to enhance your gardening. Join us and discover how biochar can transform your soil and support a sustainable future.

Biochar Basics
What Is Biochar
What Is Biochar?
Discover Wakefield BioChar, a sustainable, plant-based soil conditioner made from recycled wood. Improve soil health, boost biodiversity, and reduce carbon emissions.
Understanding Soil Health
Enhance your garden's soil health with biochar tips for better fertility and sustainability. Perfect for all gardeners.
How to Use Biochar
Learn how to use Wakefield BioChar to improve your soil, garden beds, compost, and more. Enhance soil health, boost plant growth, and reduce waste with biochar.
How to use Biochar for Organic Plants
Elevate your organic garden into a lush paradise with biochar, the ultimate soil booster that fuels vibrant, sustainable growth!
How to use Biochar for Treesย 
Use biochar for healthier, stronger trees. Learn application methods for improved soil health and growth.
What Is the Difference Between Biochar and Compost?ย 
Biochar turbocharges soil health and locks in carbon, while compost floods it with vital nutrients and beneficial microbes.
How to use Biochar for Landscaping
Revolutionize your landscape overnight with biocharโ€”the secret to a vibrant paradise you won't believe!
How to use Biochar in Your Garden
Step up your garden game with premium biochar, creating vibrant, thriving plants from even the poorest soil.
How to use Biochar with Houseplants
Our premium biochar supercharges houseplant health by enriching soil, conserving water, and promoting beneficial microorganisms.
How to use Biochar for Shrubs
Our biochar supercharges shrub growth by increasing pest resistance and boosting water retention.
The Science of Biochar
Biochar is a highly porous, carbon-rich substance produced by heating organic matter in a low-oxygen environment โ€“ a process called pyrolysis.
Biochar Video Gallery – Learn About Biochar
The rich history of biochar,ย how it is made, its benefits to our agriculture, how it is made and how it also benefits our environment have been shared many times through TEDTalks and other presentations.
What is Pyrolysis?
Pyrolysis involves heating organic materials without oxygen, decomposing them through heat alone, unlike burning which requires oxygen.
Gardening Tips
Summer Gardening with Biochar
Supercharge your summer garden with biochar, helping your plants flourish under the sun and yield an abundant harvest!
Nature-Friendly Festivities: Enjoy a Safe and Fun Eco-Friendly Outdoor Holiday
How to make this Memorial Day unforgettable with eco-friendly tips that honor nature and ensure a greener future for all!
The Fall Growing Season Is Over. What Do You Do Now?
As the fall growing season wraps up, discover essential tips to prepare your garden for a thriving and fruitful spring!
Creating a Pollinator Garden with Wakefield BioChar
Transform your garden into a pollinator paradise with Wakefield BioChar, which enriches soil, supports pollinators, and promotes a greener, sustainable planet.
Midsummer Garden Tips: Rejuvenate Your Garden with Biochar
Rejuvenate your midsummer garden with biochar, improving soil health, conserving water, boosting nutrients, and promoting sustainable gardening for a lush and resilient garden all season long.
The Secret to Thriving Poinsettias: Biochar!
Boost your poinsettias with biochar! Improve soil health, retain nutrients, and keep your plants vibrant all season long. A greener way to grow stunning holiday blooms!
Biochar Applications
How to Use Biochar for Lawn Careย 
Transform your lawn with biochar for healthier soil, lush growth, and sustainable gardening. Learn the benefits and steps for a greener lawn today!
How to use Biochar with Animal Manure
Boost crop health with Wakefield BioChar by adding it to animal manure. Improve soil, reduce nutrient pollution, and sequester carbon for a sustainable farm.
How to use Biochar for Turf Management
Transform your lawn with biochar, the key to thicker, greener, and stronger grass!
How Biochar Absorbs Odors
Say goodbye to bad smells with biochar, the natural solution that traps and eliminates odors effectively!
Biochar Applications in the Coffee Industry
Biochar supercharges coffee plants, energizing the soil for a robust and bountiful harvest!
How Biochar Aids in Municipal Wastewater Remediation
Achieve cleaner water with biochar, the powerful solution transforming municipal wastewater into a safer, eco-friendly resource!
Benefits of Biochar In Agriculture
Unleash the power of biochar in agriculture and watch your crops thrive, soil flourish, and sustainability soar!
Biochar Applications in the Construction Industry
Transform your construction projects with biochar โ€“ the game-changing material for stronger, greener, and more sustainable building solutions.
Biochar Benefits
How Biochar Fixes Poor Plant Growth
Boost your plant growth with Wakefield BioChar. Improve soil structure, nutrient availability, water retention, and promote healthy microbial communities. Better soil, better world!
How Biochar Prevents Chlorosis
Discover how biochar prevents yellow leaves on your plants by enhancing nutrient retention, water holding, and soil structure. Learn more at Wakefield BioChar.
Biochar for Water Conservation
By retaining water, maintaining soil health, and reducing environmental harm, biochar is essential for efficient water use and conservation, offering a tangible solution to water shortages and environmental concerns, ultimately securing a better future.
Reduced Biodiversity in Soil Is A Problem
Biochar fuels biodiversity, transforming soil into a thriving habitat for a wide variety of plant and animal species!
How Biochar Can Help Waterlogged Plants Thrive
Say goodbye to waterlogged troubles โ€“ biochar improves soil drainage and gives your plants the healthy environment they need to flourish!
Silty Soil Conditions
Silty soil, known for its smooth texture and fertility, can greatly benefit from the addition of biochar, which enhances its ability to retain moisture and nutrients, thereby providing even better support for plant growth.
Sandy Soil Conditions
Transform your sandy soil into a garden oasis with biochar โ€“ the natural way to lock in moisture and nutrients for unparalleled plant growth!
Loamy Soil Conditionsย 
Loamy soil, already celebrated for its ideal balance of sand, silt, and clay, can see significant improvements with the incorporation of biochar.
Clay Soil Conditionsย 
Adding biochar to clay soil can utterly transform it, turning a barren wasteland into a lush, thriving garden almost overnight!
Chalky Soil Conditionsย 
Infusing biochar into chalky soil can work miracles, transforming it from a dry, unproductive landscape into a lush, fertile haven almost instantly!
How Biochar Improves Organic Matter
Adding biochar to soil with low organic matter can create a dramatic change, turning it from a depleted, barren patch into a rich, nutrient-dense powerhouse ready to support robust plant growth!
Soil Nutrient Depletion
Applying biochar to dead soil can ignite a dramatic transformation, breathing life back into the barren ground and making it fertile and productive once again!
How Biochar Fixes Contaminated Soilย 
Using biochar in contaminated soil can perform an astonishing detox, rapidly neutralizing toxins and restoring the land to a safe, fertile state.
How Biochar Can Help Counter Pests
Incorporating biochar into soil can deliver an incredible defense, helping to ward off pests and promote healthier, more resilient plants.
Composting With BioChar in Your Garden
Turn kitchen scraps into garden gold with compost and biochar โ€“ natureโ€™s ultimate recycling miracle.
How Biochar Fixes Poor Plant Growthย 
Revitalize your struggling plants with our premium biochar, transforming poor soil into a whole new plant.
Peaty Soil Conditions
Discover the dynamic duo: peaty soil meets biochar.
Can Biochar Be Reused?
We push for biochar reuse across industries, from agriculture to construction, to maximize the materialโ€™s potential.
Sustainability
Sustainability in the workplace using biochar
Learn how implementing sustainability programs, including using biochar, reduces waste, enhances soil health, and supports social, economic, and environmental benefits.
Biochar, Carbon Credits, and Climate Mitigation
The carbon market reduces greenhouse gases by promoting efficient energy use, renewable energy, and tree planting, earning tradable carbon credits to fund carbon capture projects.
Understanding Biochar Carbon Credits
Earning carbon credits can turn a simple agricultural practice into a shocking, profitable venture in the fight against climate change!
A TED Talk presented by Bob Lerner – How Biochar Is Helping
Bob Lerner perfectly presents the unique position biochar has in the soil to support a balanced, natural structure that allows plant life to flourish.
NRCS Program And Biochar Overview
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is now accepting 2024 applications for Soil Amendment 336.
Global Change Can Start From Your Backyard
Change can start right in your backyard by enriching your soil, leading to a healthier garden and contributing to a more sustainable environment.
Cloud 9 Rooftop Farm Uses Biochar For A Healthy Soil Ecosystem
Few people realize that biochar can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from soil, acting as a powerful carbon sink and helping to mitigate climate change while enhancing soil health.
Carbon Sequestration with Biochar
Biochar, created from biomass, traps carbon, improves soil by retaining nutrients and water, supports helpful microbes, increases crop yields, and removes about two tons of CO2 per dry ton.
Creating a Pollinator Garden with Wakefield BioChar
Transform your garden into a pollinator paradise with Wakefield BioChar, which enriches soil, supports pollinators, and promotes a greener, sustainable planet.
Joining Forces with the United States Biochar Coalition
Join Wakefield BioChar and the US Biochar Coalition in revolutionizing the environmental landscape!
Sustainability
Join the sustainable gardening revolution with biochar, a green ally that enriches your garden while preserving the planet for future blooms.
Beneficial Reuse
What are the benefits of beneficial reuse?
The true benefits of a beneficial reuse partnership with Wakefield BioChar is the understanding that the environmental and societal benefits go hand-in-hand with operational improvements.
What Is Beneficial Reuse?
Discover how biochar transforms waste into valuable resources, enhancing soil health and sustainability.
Minneapolis and Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community Garden
Learn how biochar is being tested to improve urban and community soil health in Minneapolis and Shakopee.
Turning Paper Mill Waste into Useful Biochar
Explore how DS Smith and Wakefield are converting paper mill waste into useful biochar for sustainability.
Mill Services Division
Uncover the innovative ways Wakefield's Beneficial Reuse Division turns waste into valuable biochar for soil improvement.
Partner with Wakefield Mill Services in Beneficial Reuse of Biomass Waste
Partnering with Wakefield BioChar promises not just a step towards sustainability, but a leap into a future where environmental stewardship meets cutting-edge innovation, transforming waste into wonder for a greener tomorrow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What IS a USDA Certified Biobased Product?
Understand what USDA Certified Biobased Product means and its significance for sustainable agriculture and eco-friendly practices.
What Is Soil Conditioner?
Find out what soil conditioner is and how it can enhance your gardenโ€™s health and productivity.
Making Biochar is a Dirty Job,ย What Happens Next?
Discover the process and challenges of making biochar and what happens immediately after its creation.
Is Biochar Just Burnt Wood?ย 
Learn why biochar is much more than just burnt wood and its benefits for soil health.
Is Biochar Good for Tomatoes?
Discover how biochar can boost your tomato plantsโ€™ growth, improve soil health, and increase yield for a more bountiful harvest.
Is Biochar Easy To Clean Off Your Hands?
Learn how easy it is to clean biochar off your hands and why itโ€™s a gardener-friendly addition to your routine.
Is Biochar a Fertilizer?
Find out why biochar is not a fertilizer, but an essential soil enhancer that boosts plant growth and soil health.
Does Biochar Raise Soil pH?
Explore how biochar affects soil pH levels and why it's beneficial for balancing your gardenโ€™s soil health.
Does Biochar Help Your Grass Grow?
Discover how biochar can enhance your lawn, promoting healthier and more robust grass growth for a greener yard.
Does Biochar Add Nitrogen to the Soil?
Learn whether biochar adds nitrogen to the soil and how it interacts with other nutrients to improve soil fertility.
Can Worms Live In Biochar?
Find out if worms can thrive in biochar and how it benefits their role in enriching the soil.
Can I Use Regular Charcoal as Biochar?ย 
Discover why regular charcoal cannot replace biochar and the specific benefits biochar offers for soil improvement.
Can Biochar Burn Plants?
Learn whether biochar can burn plants and how to use it safely to benefit your garden.
Is Wakefield Biochar OMRI-Listed?
Explore what it means for Wakefield BioChar to be OMRI-listed and its significance for organic gardening practices.
What Is Terra Preta?
Learn about Terra Preta, the ancient Amazonian dark earth, and how biochar plays a role in its fertility.
Is Biochar Environmentally Friendly?
Biochar, the eco-warrior of the soil, not only locks away carbon but also enriches the earth's fertility, all while curbing harmful greenhouse gases.
How Often Should You Use Biochar?
How often should I apply biochar?
How to Improve Garden Soil with Amendments
Incorporating biochar into garden soil amendments offers a simple yet effective way to boost plant health and vitality.
How Much Biochar Should You Add to Soil?
Don't want to over do it? Check out how much biochar you should really add!
How Long Does Biochar Last in Soil?ย 
In one study, researchers estimated that biochar lasts about 4,000 years.
How to Make the Most of Your Soil
No matter the type of soil, the application of biochar can have a positive impact.
How to Activate Biochar
When biochar is placed in the soil, it absorbs water and nutrients until it soaks up a sufficient amount!
Use Biochar To Minimize Salt Damage Over The Winter
Revive salt-damaged soil effortlessly by applying biochar evenly. It absorbs excess salts while rejuvenating the soil, paving the way for healthier plants to flourish.
FSC Certification
FSC certification ensures that our biochar products are supplied from responsibly managed forests.
The Science of Biochar
Soil Remediation
Learn how soil remediation with Wakefield BioChar removes harmful contaminants, protects health, and improves soil for better plant growth and sustainability.
Biochar Amendment and Nitrogen Fertilizer Contribute to the Changes in Soil Properties and Microbial Communities in a Paddy Field
Combining biochar and nitrogen fertilizer improved soil quality, boosted rice yield, and increased beneficial microbes in paddy fields, enhancing crop growth.
Biochar – Water Retention Capacity Demo
See a demonstration of how biochar improves water retention in soil, enhancing plant growth and reducing water usage.
Biosolid-based biochar with soybean yield
Learn about the benefits of biosolid-based biochar and its positive impact on soybean yield and soil health.
Research confirms biochar benefits
Discover the latest research that confirms the numerous benefits of biochar for soil health and agricultural productivity.
Using Biochar To Remove E Coli From Stormwater
Explore how biochar can be used to effectively remove E. coli from stormwater, improving water quality and safety.
Poultry and biochar
Find out how biochar can benefit poultry farming by improving waste management and enhancing soil quality.
The Impact Of Particle Size On Biochar Porosity
Learn how the particle size of biochar affects its porosity and its effectiveness in soil enhancement.
Biochar impact on crop yields.
Discover how biochar can significantly improve crop yields by enhancing soil quality and nutrient retention.
Summary of the Effect of Biochar on the Growth of Tall Fescue Grass
Explore how biochar positively impacts the growth of tall fescue grass, promoting healthier and more robust lawns.
Biochar Beats Citrus Greening Disease And Improves Productivity
Learn how biochar combats citrus greening disease and boosts citrus tree productivity and health.
Role of Biochar in Alleviating Microplastic Toxicity
Discover how biochar helps alleviate microplastic toxicity in soil, promoting a healthier environment.
Biochar Summary of Benefits
Get a comprehensive overview of biocharโ€™s benefits for soil health, plant growth, and environmental sustainability.
Impact of biochar on water retention of two agricultural soils
This study revealed that high-surface-area biochar, such as walnut shell, enhanced water retention in sandy soils, particularly at higher application rates, but showed limited effects in fine-textured soils.
The Effect of Water and Biochar on the Growth of Cherry Belle Radishes
In a groundbreaking experiment, Cherry Belle radishes were cultivated alongside biochar, unveiling a promising alliance that intrigued researchers with its potential to revolutionize agricultural practices.
My tomatoes are bigger than your tomatoes.
It does seem a bit boastful to say my tomatoes are actually bigger than yours. I don't even know you.
Compost + Biochar
Combining compost with biochar enhances soil fertility, creating a powerhouse blend that nourishes plants and promotes sustainable gardening.
Biosolids and phosphate remediation with biochar
Biosolids, when treated with biochar, become a potent tool for phosphate remediation, harnessing the power of nature to mitigate water pollution and restore ecological balance.
ForesTrust Announces Leadership Council with Wakefield Biochar to Pioneer Transparency in Forest Supply Chain
The newly formed Leadership Council of ForesTrust includes Domtar, Wakefield Biochar, Thompson Appalachian Hardwoods, Enviva, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, with technology support from Chainparency.
Biochar’s Role in Boosting Water Retention
Biochar improves soil water retention, boosts ecosystem resilience, and mitigates climate change by sequestering carbon and reducing nutrient leaching, ensuring more reliable agricultural production amidst extreme weather events.
Using less chemical fertilizer with biochar improves soil and boosts yields
Researchers found that moderate biochar use in rice farming improves soil quality and yields, while excessive amounts are less effective, highlighting the need for balanced biochar application to reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers.
Wakefield BioChar Joins the GoChain Blockchain Network as a Signing Node
Wakefield and the GoChain Foundation (GoChain), the developer of the GoChain blockchain protocol, today announced the signing of a Node Operating Agreement whereas Wakefield is now operating a signing node in support of the global GoChain blockchain network.
Amendment of biochar reduces the release of toxic elements underdynamic redox conditions in a contaminated floodplain soil
Biochar can transform contaminated soils by reducing harmful elements, improving soil health, and protecting water quality, all while helping to fight climate change.
Biochar’s Role in Boosting Water Retention
High-interporosity biochar significantly boosts water retention in coarse soils, especially when combined with compost and cover cropping.
Biochars Reduce Mine Land Soil Bioavailable Metals
Scientists investigated the potential of using biochar made from local feedstocks, pine beetleโ€“killed lodgepole pine and tamarisk, to remediate soils affected by mine lands.
Biochar as a Sustainable Product for the Removal of OdorEmissions
Biochar is a sustainable product that can be effectively used in various systems to remove odors.
OutStanding with Wakefield
Ep 1 – Urban Ag
On this episode of OutStanding with Wakefield, we explore how the Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture in Missouri, led by Park Director Tony Minnick, uses biochar to improve soil health and combat food insecurity.
Ep 2 – Hydrospraying with Biochar
On OutStanding with Wakefield, discover Hydrograss Technologies in Sarasota, Florida, and owner Bob Arello, who use industrial hydrosprayers to apply a biochar-infused seeding mixture that guarantees grass growth.
Ep 3 – Lawncare with Biochar
On this OutStanding with Wakefield, you will learn about residential lawncare (Atlanta, GA) with Scott Schuman. Scott is taking back valuable time on his weekend by applying biochar to his lawn. It keeps the soil healthy and his grass lush and beautiful.