Bomenbank launches Lifechar – the next generation of Amsterdam tree soil

Nationale Bomenbank BV partnership for Biochar-based tree soil product

The world leader in tree planting, Nationale Bombenbank BV has launched an enriched biochar-based tree soil product at the urban tree trade show, Vakbeurs Openbare Ruimte.

Bomenbank has partnered with Carbon Gold for the further development of biochar in the Dutch and European markets.

Bomenbank’s Amsterdam tree soil, which has been used in the Netherlands since the 1980s, is considered standard practice in arboriculture. However, despite its benefits in establishing trees by allowing easy rooting, it has a low feed capacity and minimal soil life and therefore offers little long-term benefit for tree health and longevity.

Following years of research, conducted by Terra Nostra BV, into the benefits of incorporating biology-enriched biochar into standard tree soil, Bomenbank has developed the next generation of Tree Soil: Lifechar Boomgarantzand®.

Lifechar is a biochar-based tree soil product from UK B-Corp, and Royal Warrant holder Carbon Gold. Biochar is a high carbon form of charcoal which has a porous structure that improves soil structure, aeration and water holding capacity. It also provides permanent housing for beneficial microbiology that normally gets leached away over time.

Carbon Gold’s FSC approved biochar is enriched with mycorrhizal fungi, Trichoderma, seaweed and wormcasts and is supported with years’ worth of scientific trials conducted by trusted third parties.

When incorporated with standard Amsterdam tree soil, the nutrient loss was significantly decreased when compared to tree soil that did not include enriched biochar, and trees needed only a single treatment at planting to permanently improve their health and vitality.

Wendy Batenburg, a scientific researcher at Terra Nostra, presented at the Vakbeurs Openbare Ruimte trade fair for the launch of Lifechar Tree Soil and will detail the research in her lecture ‘Results of research into the application of enriched biochar in tree soil ‘.

For more information, visit www.nationalebomenbank.nl.