Charcoal: a valuable and unexpected mulching resource for gardens and veggie patches
In the garden and/or the veggie patch, you may often find yourself having to deal with weed infestations and nutritional deficits that compromise the well-being of your plants, forcing you to act.
One corrective action you can take is mulching, which not only protects your plants from the cold in winter season and keeps weeds at bay, but can also be a useful way of adding nutrients to the soil.
Perhaps surprisingly, charcoal can, in fact, be used for mulching - let's find out more about this:
Benefits of charcoal mulching
The advantages of mulching with charcoal are detailed below:
- Nutrient boost: charcoal promotes the proliferation of beneficial bacteria which, in turn, will increase the availability of helpful nutrients in the soil as it is slowly processed by earthworms;
- It reduces the acidity of the soil: charcoal has an alkaline pH, which will reduce any excessive acidity in the soil, helping plants that prefer a less acidic soil;
- Improves soil structure: charcoal helps improve soil aeration by preventing compaction and promoting water retention, improving root growth and their ability to absorb nutrients;
- Prevents disease: charcoal helps prevent the development and spread of fungal diseases, as well as detering the presence of parasites such as snails;
- As a herbicide: the use of charcoal will increase the amount of carbon present in the soil, reducing the ability of weeds to infest your green areas.
How to mulch with charcoal
First of all, you must be clear on the type of charcoal to be used for mulching: commercially available charcoal briquettes for barbecues and grilling are not suitable for mulching, as they contain chemical additives that facilitate combustion; it is best to choose wood-only charcoal (which is commercially available as a product know as biochar).
Prepare the charcoal by cutting it into small pieces or pulverising it and simply sprinkling it on the soil if you want it to act as a herbicide to prevent mold, fungi and parasite infestations.
If, however, you wish to improve the quality of the soil or use the charcoal as a fertilizer, mix it into the soil: use 100-150 grams for each square meter.
Using charcoal, your plants will be healthier and more bountiful!
