Research summary · Study source: Biochar Now golf & turf program summary
Golf & turf biochar study: results summary
The study summary shows biochar helping golf turf on several levels at once. Top-dressed into the root zone, it holds up to 5.6 times its weight in root-available water, delivering up to 50% water savings, and it holds nutrients that would otherwise wash away, so turf grows denser on less fertilizer. Source: Biochar Now golf and turf program summary.
Up to 50% water savings
p. 1, 3Water held, by weight, root-available
p. 2, 5Phosphorus removed from water in independent tests
p. 5Biomass increase 90 days after application (lab)
p. 3Key findings
What the report says, step by step
Each finding is taken from the document, with page references. Charts are rebuilt from the report’s own figures.
Water stays where roots can reach it
Biochar holds up to 5.6 times its weight in water that is root available, with almost no evaporation, so each irrigation cycle and rainfall goes further.
p. 2, 5One course: three waterings a week became one
At one California course the untreated area needed 3 waterings per week while the biochar test section needed 1. The document headlines up to 50% water savings overall.
p. 3Nutrients held instead of washed away
Independent lab tests measured how much of each nutrient the biochar pulled out of nutrient-rich water. The same holding power keeps fertilizer in the root zone instead of washing it away.
p. 5Denser turf in lab tests
Lab tests from a very large lawn and landscape company showed a 110% biomass increase 90 days after applying the biochar. The document also reports nutrient reductions of over 50% in some cases.
p. 3Applied with the normal top-dress routine
Particles are top-dressed on the turf and then watered in so they migrate into the root zone, where their craggy surfaces hold water and nutrient molecules.
p. 4
[Biochar] stores water that’s root available to lengthen the time between watering cycles.Biochar Now Golf & Turf Program Summary, p. 3
About this report
Authors, date and method
- Authors
- Biochar Now, LLC (Berthoud, Colorado), licensor of the kiln technology Georgia Wood Char uses.
- Date
- No publication date is stated in the document.
- Method
- A six-page product program summary (converted from a presentation deck). It compiles Biochar Now’s own statements, one course example, and a table of independent lab results for nutrient removal from water. It is a vendor summary, not a peer-reviewed study.
Study source: Biochar Now, the licensor of Georgia Wood Char’s kiln technology. This is a program summary, not a peer-reviewed study. Figures are shown as the document states them.