Effect of biochar on plant growth

Abstract

This paper describes a small experiment involving the growth of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) seedlings in nine different growing media, four of which included “biochar”. In a growing medium with very few nutrients or organic matter, the addition of biochar had no apparent effect on plant growth. However, in combination with added organic matter and inorganic fertiliser, the addition of biochar resulted in a noticeable increase in growth.