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Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I upgrade my one-off to a regular subscription?

    Yes, drop us an email at hello@carbontrap.org

  • I want to spend more than the set amounts of your subscriptions; can I do this?

    Yes, you can. You can buy multiples of the same subscriptions as and when you would like to lock more carbon

  • What is Elephant Grass?

    Elephant Grass is the common name for Miscanthus x Giganteus, which is a sterile hybrid of Miscanthus Sinensis and Miscanthus Sacchariflorus. It is a Spring planted non-invasive, perennial 2nd generation Bio-energy grass that grows up to 3 metres tall. For more detal please visit our Elephant Grass Page

  • When will my Elephant Grass be planted?

    Planting takes place in the Spring when conditions are optimum. For instance, the soil temperature should be at least 8 degrees C.

  • What happens following harvest?

    Carbon is sequestered into the soil at an average of 1 tonne per hectare. The cane is 48% carbon (4.8 tonnes to the hectare @ 10 tonne yield) and can be used for carbon neutral solutions or locked up in other products such as construction materials.

  • What is a hectare?

    This is an area of land 100 metres x 100 metres, about the size of an international football pitch.

  • Where is the land that is being used?

    We work in co-operation with landowners across the country who we can call upon for the use of more land as our membership grows.

  • Will I own the land covered by my subscription?

    You will not own nor rent the land covered by your subscription, but your subscription will cover the cost of planting & harvesting the land to lock in carbon.

  • Where can I buy Miscanthus Giganteus for my own garden?

    Rhizomes are available right here in our own store click here for further details

  • Carbon is important to everything. Why are you removing it?

    Yes, Carbon is essential to life on earth, but too much Carbon causes a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere, this is called Global Warming. We are looking to balance this by capturing carbon through the crop and locking/storing it in the ground for years to come together with the production of by-products that are good sustainable alternatives for plastics, textiles, packaging etc

  • What does Net Zero and Carbon Neutral mean?

    On December 12th 2015 the UK along with 195 other nations of the world signed up to something called the Paris agreement this was a ground-breaking agreement to ensure the current global climate temperature is not increased above 2.0 degrees Celsius by 2050.

    To help us achieve this we need to understand Carbon neutrality or having a net zero footprint, in simple terms it is about balancing how much carbon you take from the ground (carbon removal) and let escape into the atmosphere (carbon emissions) and how you then take that carbon back into the ground so completing the carbon neutral cycle.

    As part of the yearly cycle Miscanthus achieves this by using sunshine rain and carbon dioxide to grow and then storing the carbon it has taken in through its root system to store back under ground in the form of Carbon Sequestration.

  • What is Carbon Sequestration?

    Carbon sequestration is the natural process for the long-term removal or capture of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. During photosynthesis this CO2 is then taken down through the plant into the soil where it will remain locked up, preventing the build-up of greenhouse gasses in the earth’s atmosphere to mitigate or reverse global warming.

  • What is Photosynthesis?

    Plants need food to grow and reproduce. Unlike animals, plants can make their own nutrients by the process of photosynthesis. For Photosynthesis to take place, plants need to take in carbon dioxide from the air, water from the ground and light from the sun.

  • What is Global Warming?

    A gradual increase in the overall temperature of the earth’s atmosphere caused by gases such as carbon dioxide that are collecting in the air around the earth and stopping heat from escaping into space.

  • What is the Bioeconomy?

    The bioeconomy involves using renewable biological resources sustainably to produce food, energy, and commodities.

  • What is Marginal Land?

    Marginal Land is land that has little or no agricultural or industrial value, it often has poor soil or other undesirable characteristics

  • What is Biodiversity?

    Biodiversity is the existence of a wide variety of plant and animal species living in their natural environment.

  • What is Biocarbon?

    Biocarbon is the carbon that trees, plants, and healthy soils naturally absorb and store. Plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis. This helps to reduce CO2 pollution.

  • What is Lignin?

    Lignin is an organic substance that acts as a binder for the cellulose fibres in certain plants adding strength and stiffness to the cell walls. It is naturally produced in Miscanthus.

  • What is Cellulose?

    Cellulose is a molecule, consisting of hundreds – and sometimes even thousands – of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. Cellulose is the main substance in the walls of plant cells, helping plants to remain stiff and upright. It has many uses in textiles, packaging, and plastic products. It is naturally produced in Miscanthus.

  • What is a Carbon Sink?

    Carbon sinks are holding tanks for carbon or carbon compounds, like carbon dioxide (CO2), they absorb more carbon than they release back into the atmosphere. Forests, grassland, and perennial crops such as Miscanthus are all Carbon sinks.

  • What Wildflowers do you plant?

    We have various mixes of wildflowers that we plant as follows

    Bee and Butterfly mix

    Agrimony, Hemp (Eupatorium cannabinum ) 1%
    Birds Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) 2%
    Borage (Borago officinalis) 7%
    Clover, Red (Trifolium pratense) 3%
    Clover, White (Trifolium repens) 1%
    Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus) 6%
    Dwarf Sunflower (Helianthus gracilentus) 8%
    Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) 3%
    Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) 7%
    Knapweed, Common (Centaurea nigra) 6%
    Knapweed, Greater (Centaurea scabiosa) 5%
    Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) 1%
    Meadow Cranesbil (Geranium pratense) 1%
    Musk Mallow (Malva moschata) 5%
    Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) 5%
    Poppy, Field (Papaver rhoes) 5%
    Purple Loosetrife (Lythrum salicaria) 1%
    Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi) 2%
    Sainfoin (Onobrychis viccifolia) 7%
    Scabious, Field (Knautia arvensis) 7%
    Scabious, Small (Scabiosa columbaria) 3%
    Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) 1%
    Vetch, Kidney (Anthyllis vulneraria) 2%
    Vipers Bugloss (Echium vulgare) 2%
    Wild Clary (Salvia verbenaca) 4%
    Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) 5%


    Bird Mix

    Burnet, Salad Sanguisorba minor 2%
    Cornflower, Centaurea cyanus 5%
    Corncockle, Agrostemma githago 4%
    Dwarf Sunflower, Helianthus annus 15%
    Goats Beard, Trogopogon pratensis 1%
    Hawkbit, Rough Leontodon hispidus 2%
    Knapweed, Common Centaurea nigra 5%
    Knapweed, Greater Centaurea scabiosa 5%
    Linseed Linum usitatissimum 6%
    Marigold, Corn Chrysanthemum segetum 5%
    Marjoram Origanum vulgare 2%
    Millet, White Panicum miliaceum 5%
    Oxeye Daisy Leucanthemum vulgare 2%
    Phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia 5%
    Quinoa Chenopodium quinoa 5%
    Scabious, Field Knautia arvensis 2%
    Selfheal Prunella vulgaris 5%
    Sorrel, Common Rumex acetosa 5%
    Teasel Dipsacus fullonum 5%
    Trefoil, Birds-foot Lotus croniculatus 5%
    Vetch, Tufted Vicia cracca 2%
    Yarrow Achillea millefolium 2%
    Wild Carrot Daucus carota 5%

Please note, that Carbon and Carbon Dioxide (CO2), are not the same - 1 tonne of Carbon equals 3.67 tonnes of Carbon Dioxide.

Contact us

We love to hear from our users, whether you want to know what we can do for you personally or to provide constructive feedback.
No matter how trivial, please get in touch and we will endeavour to respond to you as quickly as we can.