Biochar and worm compost: A power duo

Do you want to strengthen your trees, improve the soil, and do something for the climate at the same time? Then the combination of biochar and worm compost is just what you need. In this article, you'll learn why this duo is so effective and how you can easily use it yourself. Please also note the basic information on the topic. Fertilizing trees.  

Let’s now take a closer look at the two materials:

Worm compost: Living fertilizer

Worm compost, also known as worm humus or vermicompost, is produced by the digestion of organic waste by compost worms.

Strengths of worm compost:

• supplies the soil with valuable, humic-bound nutrients
• introduces microorganisms into the soil
• promotes a stable, crumbly soil structure
  

Its weakness is that its effect is not permanent. Nutrients can be leached out, and the microbes need a suitable habitat to remain permanently active. This is precisely where biochar can help.

Biochar: Sponge for nutrients and microbes

biochar is made from plant material such as wood or straw and has a porous structure with an enormous surface area.

Strengths of biochar:

• increases water retention capacity, especially in sandy and dry soils
• improves soil structure, especially in compacted soils
• It can bind nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, thus reducing leaching.
  
• reduces the availability of heavy metals in the soil
• promotes root growth
• supports humus formation

By itself, biochar is inert, like an empty house without inhabitants. Only when combined with microorganisms and nutrients does it come to life. And worm compost is ideal for this. 

What makes the combination of worm compost and biochar so valuable?

When worm compost and biochar are combined, a highly effective combination is created: 

• Worm compost provides microorganisms, plant-available nutrients, organic acids, enzymes and humic substances.
• And biochar can store these valuable components through its enormous internal surface area and make them available to plants in the long term.
• Microbes settle in the coal and form long-term ecosystems.
• Nutrients are buffered instead of being washed out, thus creating the conditions for a long-term fertilizing effect
• Soil life stabilizes at a higher level

How to use the power duo:

1. Obtain high-quality, organic biochar and live worm compost (ideally homemade or microbially active, such as the one from...) tree bath worm compost). 
   
2. Pour liquid worm compost over the biochar and add water until the mixture is completely moistened.
3. Let the mixture soak for at least 48 hours so that microbes can colonize and charge the charcoal.
4. Bring the power duo to the tree. For newly planted trees, you can add the mixture directly to the planting hole. For established trees, you can apply it to the root area or around the base of the tree (not directly on the trunk).

Tree bath, worm compost, liquid fertilizer 

If you don't want to activate biochar with homemade worm compost, you can also use a high-quality product. tree bath worm compost Contains living microorganisms, humic acid, and plant-available nutrients. 

This makes it suitable for "charging" biochar, thus gently and sustainably supporting your trees. The liquid fertilizer can also be applied directly to the root area and can be combined with baumbad tree watering bags.