Has any tried putting charcoal into their potting mix?

[adnewr]

I have charcoal for plant pots but I am new to growing peppers. Does it have any significant effects? supposedly it helps drainage and is better for the roots.

 

[Scovie]

Drainage is about all it is good for. Charcoal is an adsorbent which is the opposite of absorbent. It basically repels water and the like.

 

[Burning Colon]

whenever i bbq i use smoker chips and as they blacken i mash the burnt chips up with a hammer and add a layer when potting up. i have no idea if it helps or not! i would say not likely for immediate results. since i reuse my potting soil year after year, i like to believe it helps in the long term. if i look on my deck, i see a container with blackened wood chips that i should really crush but at -33C it will just have to wait.........for a very long time.
 
i still think a good quality fertilizer, the right amount of light, the right amount of humidity, the right amount of soil moisture and the right amount of air movement is probably all that is really required for peppers.
 
i also grind up egg shells and save coffee grounds as soil amendments but do they help immediately - not likely. long term i am sure they do.

 

[McGuiver]

I have charcoal for plant pots but I am new to growing peppers. Does it have any significant effects? supposedly it helps drainage and is better for the roots.

I have only put it in my soil after cooking with it. It is basically ash at this point. I think putting charcoal it in soil would also soak up the nutrients, similar to activated carbon.

 

[Scovie]

Activated carbon can and is used to clean pollutants from streams and ground water which holds the pollutants in it's pores. Wouldn't activated carbon just hold the nutrients and not release them to your plants?

 

[millworkman]

It is supposed to create surface area inside your soil for beneficial bacteria and fungi to grow.  

 

[ajijoe]

I have only put it in my soil after cooking with it. It is basically ash at this point. I think putting charcoal it in soil would also soak up the nutrients, similar to activated carbon.

i was going to say the same thing being an aquarist for many years i know carbon will absorb many things and especially when it is freshly added to the tank,in the same way in very sure it would be the same story in soil, it will eventually release those toxins/nutrients later upon loading up but thats a time issue and in know this i would not add it because of the fact that it grabs the nutrient in the first place
 
thanks your friend Joe

 

[McGuiver]

It is supposed to create surface area inside your soil for beneficial bacteria and fungi to grow.

I would be afraid it will trap nutrients, and then release them all at once when saturated.

The best activated carbon does come from coconut char.

 

[Weed]

It is supposed to create surface area inside your soil for beneficial bacteria and fungi to grow.  

 
Thats what I was going to say. I think the terra preta people did it to maintain a better bacteria to fungi ratio.

 

[Proud Marine Dad]

I see no purpose for it. Perlite, red lava rock and other things provide plenty of aeration and drainage.
Bio-char on the other hand is beneficial and rock dust is better yet if you are growing organically. If you are going to use chemical fertilizers then things like rock dust are a waste of time and money.

 

[ajijoe]

yes it will create surface area for bacteria it will do that in soil and water,however i was thinking you could prolly use crushed volcanic rock(used in the bottom gas grills), it would works in this way too without absorbing the neutriants.
volcanic rock is and excellant substrait for bacterial formation because it very porous
hope this helps
thanks your friend Joe

 

[Proud Marine Dad]

I agree Joe and that's why I am using 5/16" red lava rock as my aeration amendment this season instead of Perlite.
The red lava rock and the Gaia green glacial rock dust I am adding will be a great home for the microherd.