I’ve noticed “biochar“ mentioned on this form, and I looked it up. Sounds good, but I have questions.

My soil is alkaline clay. Should I add biochar when I plant a rose, either in soil or in a pot?

Compost is a must in this climate. How do biochar and compost compare as far as preserving moisture?

in a more general sense, what ”job” does biochar do in the garden, and how is it different from what compost, fertilizer, rose food, do?

is there any information about biochar and insects? I have a chili thrips problem every summer. Does it inhibit harmful insects, encourage them (God forbid!), or have no effect?

Before i plump for this latest magic bullet, i need to know whether it’ll do my roses any significant good.

btw, when I say ”this climate” and ”every summer,” that doesn’t apply to this year! Record rainfall in the winter, and now a — what — a hurricane? Are you kidding me? I’m up in WA state right now, escaping from the heat … which followed us for a few days … and I’m going to miss this once-every-thousand-years occurrence. My luck :(