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Ways to use biochar

Biochar is a powerful soil amendment you can use in lots of different ways around your garden, allotment, or containers. This guide showsΒ where and how to use biocharΒ for the best results.

You can use biochar almost anywhere you grow plants:

  • Vegetable beds and borders
  • Allotments and raised beds
  • Pots, containers, and planters
  • Compost bins and heaps

Always useΒ charged (activated) biocharΒ and aim for aroundΒ 10% by volumeΒ in mixes as a good starting point.

Planting out in beds and borders

When planting into the garden or allotment, put biochar where it matters most: in the root zone.

  • MixΒ 1 part biochar to 9 parts compost or soilΒ (about 10% biochar by volume).
  • Make sure your biochar is activated with nutrients and microbes before use.
  • Blend this mix into the planting hole or row before setting in your plants.

You can also use biochar as aΒ top dressing. Spread a thin layer over the soil surface; over time, worms and other soil life will carry it deeper into the soil.

Pricking out and growing on

When you prick out seedlings into individual pots or trays, adding a little biochar can help them develop a strong, healthy root system.

  • Use the sameΒ 10% biochar by volumeΒ mix in your potting compost.
  • Reduce fertiliser strength slightly when charging the biochar so you don’t burn young roots.

This gives seedlings a gentler, more supportive environment as they grow on.

Sowing seeds

You don’t need biochar in your seed‑sowing mix.

Very young seedlings are sensitive to high nutrient levels around their roots, so it’s best to use a simple, low‑nutrient seed compost for germination. Once plants are big enough to prick out, you can introduce biochar in their new compost.

Using biochar in compost (co‑composting)

Adding biochar to your composting process from the start is calledΒ co‑composting, and it can dramatically improve your finished compost.

Benefits include:

  • Hotter compost that reaches high temperatures more quickly
  • Faster breakdown of organic matter as microbes shelter inside the biochar pores
  • Lower methane and other greenhouse gas emissions during composting

How to use it:

  • AddΒ 5–10% biochar by volumeΒ when building a new compost heap.
  • Mix it through layers of kitchen scraps, garden waste, and browns.

Biochar also helps at theΒ kitchen caddyΒ stage. Sprinkle a handful of biochar into your food waste caddy each time you add scraps to:

  • Absorb smells
  • Soak up excess liquid
  • Pre‑load biochar with nutrients before it even reaches the compost heap

You can read more about how biochar composting helps tackle climate change in our blog (link from the page remains perfect here).

Follow our biochar in action on Instagram

If you’d like to seeΒ how we actually make and use biochar in real gardens, follow us on Instagram.

We share:

  • Behind‑the‑scenes biochar production
  • Before‑and‑after soil and plant results
  • Real‑life tips for using biochar in beds, pots, and compost

Add a simple line and link on your page, for example:

β€œFollow us on Instagram for real‑life biochar tips, experiments and results:Β @earthly.biochar”