Biochar - back to the future.

This month we have started to experiment with Biochar.. To anyone and I’m guessing that’s most people that don’t know what this is, 

Biochar is organic material that, like charcoal, is heated to extreme temperatures with little oxygen present. This leaves solid matter that is around 80% pure carbon. So what you might say. Firstly, this is an efficient method to capture carbon that has been taken out of the air by the plant growth that otherwise would be released as they decomposed. It releases oil and gases that can be used as fuel and also, it’s been found to give a boost to microbial life in the soil. This has been practiced in many cultures and is said to have contributed to the spread of farming across the world. It’s thought that the way it works is that the material is very porous and these pores function as conduits for air, water, nutrients and biology hence a healthier soil. On its own I don’t think it would have a huge effect but we are charging it up with microbes by mixing it in with compost for a few weeks to “charge” it up. Great thanks go to Carolyn Dare from Blackdown Hills Eco Hub who supplied us with two bags to get us going. One has gone to gardening expert Lou Norman who does a lot of work in South Somerset and we will add the second to alternate vines to see if there are any measurable effects. Watch this space. 

This is part of a whole process within English Wine to work towards being carbon neutral. Growing grapes and making wine overall is neutral and possibly slightly beneficial but packaging isn’t even if glass is recycled as a lot of energy is involved. I’m not sure that we could ever replace glass for our sparkling wines but it will be interesting to see what comes up for still wines.