What Is Biochar?
Biochar is a powerful soil amendment that helps your plants thrive. It’s made by heating natural materials like wood waste in a low-oxygen environment through a process called pyrolysis. This locks carbon into a stable form that can stay in your soil for hundreds of years.
The result? A lightweight, porous material that boosts soil performance while giving your garden, lawn, or farm a serious advantage.
How Biochar Helps Your Soil
Once added to soil, biochar doesn’t just sit there—it gets to work.
- It holds onto water like a sponge, keeping moisture close to your plant roots
- It traps nutrients and keeps them from washing away during watering or rain
- It creates tiny pockets that become homes for beneficial microbes
- It helps balance soil pH, making nutrients more available to your plants
- It captures and stores carbon, making it a smart choice for the environment
This makes biochar incredibly useful for anyone looking to improve soil structure, reduce water waste, and grow stronger, healthier plants.
Where Does Biochar Come From?
Biochar starts with organic waste—things like wood chips, sawdust, or crop leftovers. Instead of sending that waste to landfills or letting it decompose into greenhouse gases, it goes through pyrolysis. This is a super-efficient, low-oxygen heating process that transforms the waste into something much more valuable: biochar.
Unlike compost or mulch, biochar doesn’t break down quickly. It stays active in your soil, working season after season.
Why Use Biochar?
Because the benefits are real—and they last.
Gardeners use biochar to reduce watering and improve raised bed soil.
Farmers apply it to their fields to build long-term soil fertility.
Composters love it for speeding up decomposition and reducing odor.
Even lawn care pros mix it in to improve turf and strengthen roots.
When you use biochar, you’re not just feeding your plants—you’re building healthier soil and helping the planet at the same time.
Where to Get Biochar That Works
At Wakefield, we’ve developed Premium Biochar with CarbonBoost™ to give your soil everything it needs—right out of the bag. Whether you’re growing tomatoes on your patio or prepping a few acres of pasture, we’ve got a blend that fits your goals.
Shop Wakefield Biochar Products
Want to Dig Deeper?
We’ve got more resources to help you succeed with biochar:
