NovoTerra stands for soil improvers made from high-quality biochar and is produced from natural biomass (including wood chips). NovoTerra is approved throughout Europe as a soil additive under fertilizer law and can be used in many different ways.
Soil fertility can be increased by building up higher soil biochar reserves. Plant biochar contributes to the improvement of soil quality, as the combination of humus and biochar provides the bacteria with optimal “working conditions” and gives nutrients “a home”. In addition, acid soils are upgraded by a high pH value.
Due to the fact that conventional soils have a poor capacity to retain nitrates and other fertilizers, nutrients are washed out. At the same time, the groundwater is polluted by the release of fertilizer. With its high adsorption and storage capacity, biochar acts like a sponge in the soil. Water and nutrients are stored and slowly released to the plants.
In addition to applications in agriculture, in particular in ecological agriculture and in special crop cultivation, biochar is also used in substrate and soil production – for example in terra preta soils and as a peat substitute to protect bogs. Widespread applications include targeted use as a fertilizer carrier or as additive in composting.
The use of biochar as a soil conditioner has a long tradition and was already used by Indians in the Amazon region thousands of years ago. It is also known as “terra preta” (black earth). Thanks to its high biochar content and unique pore structure, biochar offers the opportunity to increase soil fertility and make nutrient cycles more efficient in agriculture.