Soil and Growing Media
Biochar for Soil and Growing Media Manufacturers
Improve water retention, nutrient retention, and soil structure in the soil products you make.
Wakefield supplies biochar to established soil and growing-media manufacturers. From potting soils to compost blends, we help you select a carbon-rich ingredient that fits your formulation, handling equipment, and production needs.
How Biochar Helps
Build Better Soil Blends
Biochar adds a porous, long-lasting component to soil mixes and growing media. The benefits depend on the biochar, blend rate, other ingredients, and growing conditions.
Water Retention
Biochar helps retain moisture in the finished blend, supporting water availability between irrigations and potentially reducing watering frequency.
Nutrient Retention
Biochar helps hold nutrients in the root zone where plants can use them, complementing the fertilizer, compost, and other ingredients in your blend.
Soil Structure
Biochar supports aeration and drainage while its pore structure provides habitat for beneficial soil microbes.
Made from wood residuals, biochar also brings stable, plant-derived carbon into your products. This renewable ingredient can support sustainability goals alongside the practical benefits of the finished soil blend.
Premium Biochar for Soil and Growing Media
- Organic Carbon: 85–95%
- Particle Size: ≥ 95% below 2 mm
- Moisture: 50–60%
Premium Biochar
Our primary starting point for potting soils, growing media, and tightly controlled blends. Premium Biochar offers higher carbon content and lower ash, giving manufacturers closer control over ingredient composition.
OMRI listed. Available in 2-cubic-yard super sacks or loose truckloads.
Product values reflect typical material properties and may vary by lot. See each specification sheet for the full particle-size distribution and measurement details.
Biochar AG™ is an economical alternative for broader soil, compost, and amendment blends that accommodate its higher ash content.
Premium Biochar LM™ provides a lower-moisture option when your blending process or finished-product requirements call for less incoming water.
Common Manufacturing Uses
Biochar Across Your Product Lines
Plan the Rate From the Finished Soil Mix
Start with approximately 5–10% biochar by volume of the finished soil mix. For a ready-to-use soil product, this is the biochar percentage in your blend.
For a concentrated amendment, calculate backward from its share of the finished soil. If your amendment makes up 20% of the finished mix and the target is 5% biochar, the amendment should contain 25% biochar: 20% × 25% = 5%. All percentages are by volume.
Use this established guidance as a starting point, then confirm the formulation for your intended plants, other ingredients, and growing conditions. Wakefield can help translate the finished-soil target into a manufacturing blend rate.
Facility Handling and Supply
Plan Delivery Around Your Facility
Super sacks suit long-distance shipping and production facilities equipped to lift and unload them. Lifting straps and bottom discharge spouts support handling and feeding material into blending equipment.
Premium Biochar and Biochar AG™ are also available in loose truckloads. Loose delivery suits facilities with equipment to move, screen, or blend the material and space for a stockpile clear of roads and access routes.
For supply planning, share the details you have available:
Related Resources
Related Resources
FAQ
Which biochar should we use in our soil blend?
Start with Premium Biochar for most potting soils, growing media, and controlled formulations. AG is an economical alternative where higher ash content fits the blend. Choose LM when incoming moisture needs to be limited.
How much biochar should the finished soil mix contain?
Start with approximately 5–10% biochar by volume of the finished soil mix. Adjust the formulation around your other ingredients and intended growing conditions.
How do we calculate the rate for a concentrated amendment?
Calculate backward from the amendment’s share of the finished soil mix. If your amendment makes up 20% of the finished mix and the target is 5% biochar, the amendment should contain 25% biochar: 20% × 25% = 5%. All percentages are by volume.
Can we request a sample?
Yes. Tell us about your soil product and any material requirements, and we’ll help identify a suitable sample for blend testing.
What packaging and order sizes are available?
Standard super-sack orders typically start at one sack. Ordering several sacks or a full truckload generally lowers freight cost per sack. Premium Biochar and Biochar AG™ are also available in loose truckloads. We can plan ongoing deliveries around your production needs.
What product documentation is available?
Product specifications and safety data sheets (SDS) are linked from each product page. For larger-volume supply arrangements, contact Wakefield to discuss Certificates of Analysis (COAs) and specific testing requirements.
Land and Commercial Inquiry
Get Biochar Blend Guidance
Tell us about your soil product and production needs. We can help with product selection, starting blend rates, samples, and ongoing supply.