Biochar: prolonging the benefits of organic matter

Whether you incorporate the charcoal remains of last night’s campfire or last season’s rampant weed growth (smoldered in a pit with little oxygen), biochar has the ability to tuck more carbon into the soil for longer, slowing microbial action and the turnover of organic matter. This technique is particularly useful in warmer climates, where soil carbon breaks down quickly. Low-temperature controlled burning also releases 50 percent less carbon dioxide than an open fire.
 
“As long as it is done correctly, controlled charring of weeds, pruned limbs and other hard-to-compost forms of organic matter, and then using the biochar as a soil or compost amendment, can result in a zero emission carbon cycling system,” says author Barbara Pleasant. Full story: Mother Earth News