Biochar | Soil Conditioners | Soil Amendment | Soil Fertilizers
A soil conditioner, also called a soil amendment, is a material added to soil to improve plant growth and health. Biochar is An emerging soil amendment.
Proper use of biochar can improve soil fertility and health.
What’s in Soil Conditioner?
Soil conditioners are soil amendments that improve the soil structure by increasing aeration, water holding capacity, and nutrients. They loosen up compacted, hardpan, and clay soils and release locked up nutrients. Soil conditioners can also raise or lower pH levels depending on what they are made of.
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How to Use Soil Conditioner in Gardens
You may be wondering what’s the difference between soil conditioner vs. fertilizer. After all, fertilizer also adds nutrients.
It is true that fertilizer can add nutrients to soil and plants, but in clay, compacted or hard pan soils, these nutrients can become locked up and unavailable to the plants. Fertilizer does not change the soil structure, so in poor quality soil they may help treat the symptoms but they may also be a total waste of money when the plants can’t use the nutrients they add. The best course of action is to amend the soil first, then start a fertilizing regime.
Before using soil conditioner in the garden, it is recommended that you get a soil test so that you know what conditions you are trying to correct. Different soil conditioners do different things for different soil types.
Organic soil conditioners improve soil structure, drainage, water retention, add nutrients and supply food for microorganisms, but some organic soil conditioners can be high in nitrogen or use up a lot of nitrogen.