Denver, CO. — Denver Botanic Gardens partnered with Cool Planet, an agricultural technology company that develops soil health products. Denver Botanic Gardens will conduct trials of Cool Planet’s soil enhancement product, Cool Terra, in a variety of gardens at the York Street location. The goal is to evaluate the degree to which Cool Terra can help the gardens reduce their overall water use. The partnership is part of Denver Botanic Gardens’ efforts to advance water-efficient gardening and agriculture principles through educational programs and partnerships.
“This year, we are testing Cool Terra in various types of gardens such as annuals in sun and shade, annuals in containers, vegetables, perennials in challenging locations and new plantings,” said Sarada Krishnan, director of horticulture at Denver Botanic Gardens. “From these experiments, we will be measuring the growth rates to compare plots treated with Cool Terra and those without. This will provide us baseline information about the product’s soil enhancing capabilities, resulting in better growth and soil water conservation.”
Cool Planet is an agriculture technology company that develops and markets Engineered Biocarbon technology products for soil health. The company’s first commercial product is Cool Terra, a carbon negative soil amendment, which works to improve key soil performance characteristics for greater plant growth and quality. The company has conducted over 100 independent, third-party field trials which have shown the product delivers, on average, a greater than 12 percent increase in yield. The company is developing carbon solutions for various agriculture and turf, nursery, and ornamental sectors to address the global concerns of soil health, sustainability and food security.
“Cool Planet is proud to be partnering with Denver Botanic Gardens to help advance their research and understanding of soil health technologies and water-efficient gardening,” said Jim Loar, CEO of Cool Planet. “Colorado’s semi-arid climate has prompted growers across the state to adopt natural, innovative practices that help reduce water use and carbon footprints, while also improving soil health and plant growth. Cool Terra provides an additional way for growers to improve sustainability and profitability simultaneously.”
Denver Botanic Gardens has long been committed to advancing water-efficient gardening and agricultural principals. In 2011, the gardens became the first public garden member of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, an organization dedicated to the efficient and sustainable use of water. They also partnered with Zero Mass Water to incorporate solar-powered atmospheric water harvesting devices into urban farming plots. Also, they have partnered with Metro State University to co-manage the One World One Water Center as a way to expand joint initiatives on water issues.
The Cool Terra trials will be displayed at Denver Botanic Gardens’ main campus, located at 1007 York St. The Gardens are open daily, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the summer and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the late fall and winter. General admission tickets are available through the website and members receive free entry. For more information, call 720-865-3500.
