|
Find An Earth-Friendly & Water-Wise Garden Supply Retailer Unique Product Showcase At Bottom Of Page! |
| Are We Really What We Eat? Did you know that healthy, living plants contain virtually all of the same elements, vitamins, and even hormones, that are necessary for healthy human growth, development, and well-being? And when you think about it for a moment, it just makes sense. We get our nutrients from our food, which is considerably composed of grains, vegetables, herbs... PLANTS! Even most of the meat we consume was fed a diet heavy in plant materials. If the plants we consume, either directly or indirectly, are being fed a proper diet composed of these same vital elemental nutrients and supplements, it stands to reason that our food will be rich in these same components and as a result, much more beneficial for our bodies and health care. |
PREMIUM GOURMET, PLANT FOODS FERTILIZERS, & SUPPLEMENTS  |
| Poorly fed plants, including plants that receive only a portion of their complete nutritional requirements, will likely have less of those elements that we share in life with the plant kingdom, and of an inferior quality. In fact, many of the latest plant foods, fertilizers and supplements are now derived from well-fed and cared for plants, truly illustrating in the simplest of terms the concept of "the circle of life". Much has been learned about the nutritional needs of growing plants over the past several years and that research has resulted in the introduction of many new superior plant food and fertilizer products for the backyard gardener and hobby grower. Like people, the nutritional requirements of plants varies by age, species, environment, health, and other considerations. Accordingly, in most cases, an "all-purpose", "10-10-10" or "20-20-20" fertilizer may not be the best choice for the healthy growth of your valuable plants. |
| As a result of renewed interest in sustainable farming and gardening practices, all-natural fertilizers incorporating rich organic manures, nutrients, and beneficial microbiologicals are now widely available again in both granular mixes and liquid blends. Organic fertilizers work by feeding the soil, which in turn feeds the plant roots. Granular organics are mixed in with the soil or potting mix and provide a long-term release of plant nutrients while enriching the soil. |
 |
| Liquid organics provide a convenient way to feed plants naturally while watering, with a can, hose-end sprayer, or through a drip irrigation system. |
| New, custom-blended inorganic fertilzers have proven to provide the precise control in the application of nutrients that many growers and plant enthusiasts seek and are manufactured using only the purest of elemental mineral salts. They are particularly suited for almost all soilless and peat-based growing media, since their concentration and formulation can be continously monitored and instantly adjusted for changes in the many variables that affect plant growth, including weather conditions and the stage of growth a plant is in. |  |
| Eating A Fast Food Diet Might Keep You Alive... But would your health be at it's best? Probably not. Most of us wouldn't think of feeding our children or pets anything less than a well-balanced diet. But what about all the plants in our lives? Prized houseplants, vegetable gardens, bonsai trees, orchids, landscaping, lawns? |
 |
| Your plants are living organisms as well, and like people and pets, they have specific nutritional requirements that must be satisfied for them to achieve their optimum state of health and therefore, productivity. Most gardeners are familiar with the term N-P-K, which are abbreviations for the three primary, or macro, nutritional elements that plants need to grow. Nitrogen (N), is the element that is mostly responsible for stem and leaf, or vegetative growth; phosphorus (P) is required for seed germination, photosynthesis, and is essential for flower and fruit formation; while Potassium (K) controls the plant's water balance, improves stem rigidity and cold hardiness, enhances flavor and color on fruit and vegetable crops, increases the oil content of fruits and is critical for leafy crops. Most commercially prepared fertilizers are comprised of a percentage of these nutrients, by example a 10-10-10 all-purpose plant food contains 10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphorus, and 10 percent potassium, by weight, with the remaining 70 percent usually composed of an inert filler material. |
| But science has proven that plants need more than just N, P, and K to lead healthy, productive lives. Other macro-nutrients plants require are sulfur, magnesium, and calcium. Sulfur is important because it is responsible for imparting the true flavors in many vegetables. Magnesium is vital for nut and fruit formation and is essential for the germination of seeds, as well. |  |
| Calcium is a structural component of plant cell walls, controls the water movement in cells and is necessary for cell growth and division. Some plants must have calcium to utilize nitrogen and certain other minerals at all. But wait, there's more to plant nutrition than just the macronutrients. They also need micro-nutrients, also known as trace elements. These nutrients are just as necessary to healthy plant (and human) growth, only in much smaller amounts. Iron, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, chlorine, nickel, sodium, cobalt, and silicon all are vital building blocks for proper plant development and maturation. Unfortunately, most commercially prepared fertilizers do not contain any of these micro-nutrients, many of which are necessary for a plant to fully utilize the primary nutrients! |
| Without a full complement of these vital plant nutrients, plant growth and development slows or even stops completely. Only by providing every element a plant needs to grow in the proper proportions, will you truly experience the full flavor of fresh vegetables, the overpowering fragrance of roses and other flowers, and the true essence and aromatics of culinary kitchen herbs. |  |
Your Plants Deserve Only The Best! Fortunately, many forward thinking plant food manufacturers have recognized the deficiencies of mass-produced fertilizers, and have begun to offer new and complete formulations of granular and liquid plant foods that address the entire nutrient requirements for successful plant growth. Considered by many to be the "micro-brews" of the fertilizer industry, these high-quality and complete plant nutrients are available at most Earth-Friendly, Water-Wise Retail Garden Supply Stores. These cutting edge plant nutrients are especially valuable and are widely utilized for container grown plants, including hanging baskets, bonsai trees, orchids, and others where the available nutrients are generally limited. By replenishing all of the critical nutrient elements, including vital trace and minor elements, the plant will perform to a much higher standard. Many of these new liquid plant foods and granular fertilizers are formulated for specific plant varieties, various phases of plant growth, growing media, and other targeted growing circumstances. Fertilizers labeled as "Grow" formulations that are ideally suited for general houseplant growth, leafy vegetable greens such as lettuce and spinach, and other plants that don't bloom in a traditional fashion. "Bloom" formulas enhance the fruiting and flowering stage of all blooming plants, including cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, peppers, cut flower crops, orchids, roses, and others. Some of these new fertilizers are multi-part, which enables growers to mix custom NPK formulas for specific plants, differing stages of plant growth, and climatic changes. |
| Your Soil Deserves Better! For those growing in soil, organic fertilizers and soil conditioners have literally been around since the beginning of time. After all, an organic fertilizer is nothing more than a plant nutrient derived from a natural resource, regardless of whether it's source is animal, mineral, or vegetable. For centuries before the advent of chemical fertilization, farmers and gardeners successfully relied on natural plant nutrients to ensure their success by following natures' examples. For obvious reasons, animal manure and "green" manure, or cover cropping, were the primary sources of nutrients used to enrich the soil of early farms and gardens. |
 |
| As the modern agricultural revolution progressed, increasing amounts of research was undertaken to determine the level of nutrients in various organic materials and manures, and the conditions necessary for those nutrients to break down into their basic elemental form, which is necessary for the plant to utilize them as food. One of the primary lessons learned was that the soil must be alive with microbiological activity for the nutrients locked up in the manures to be successfully transformed into a usable elemental form that the plant can utilize. And it was also discovered that earthworms play a vital role in this function. Not only do earthworms naturally aerate the soil, which helps to increase the amount of another element a plant uses, oxygen, to the roots, their excrement, or "castings", has been found to be natures version of what is necessary to free elemental nutrients from their host manures. |
| Teeming with microbiologicial activity in addition to a full complement of minor and trace elements, their use was fostered by famous organic philosopher and practitioner Robert Rodale, Jr. Earthworm castings have become internationally recognized for their superior soil conditioning and plant rejuvenation properties, and were even proclaimed by Mr. Rodale as "...the finest form of humus known to man." Recognizing the multiple benefits of worm castings, many entrepeneurs now operate "worm farms" specifically for the production of worm castings to be bagged and sold to eager backyard gardeners and hobby farmers. Until recently, their availability in the retail marketplace was rare, and even today, most garden centers and hardware stores don't carry this valuable gardening commodity. |
 |
| The good news is, most Earth-Friendly, Water-Wise Garden Retailers, especially those that feature organic and soil-free hydroponic gardening products, recognize and promote the innumerable benefits of worm castings by selling them bagged in a number of sizes, with many of them willing to ship bagged worm castings directly to your door. During the early agricultural revolution of the mid-1800's, guano (the droppings of bats and seabirds), was recognized for it's extremely high concentrations of plant nutrients, as well as it's soil rejuvenation properties. |
| Guano from different species of bats and seabirds was found to have unique properties, some better for blooming plants, others better for green growth, and still others with all-purpose characteristics. As a result, the guano industry fluorished in the United States and shiploads of high fertilizer value bat dung and seabird guano were regularly delivered to American farms and orchards via the Merchant Marine from such faraway places as Peru, Nambia, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Mexico and others, well into the mid-20th century. |  |
| Utilizing these specialized guanos, farmlands and orchards not only produced bountiful yields of high-quality fruit and produce, their soils remained healthy and retained the tilth and nutrient value necessary for continuous use. While commercially produced synthetic fertilizers first appeared in Europe in the mid-1800's, and did increase yields significantly where applied, their use remained relatively limited until new manufacturing techniques and marketing efforts in the late 1940's spurned a massive increase in their use worldwide. As a result of these new "miracle" fertilizers' universal availability and low cost, the synthetic fertilizer industry quickly brought an end to the importation of the more expensive organic guanos and manures. Of course, it was realized after some time that the miracle alone was too good to be true. And yes, while the synthetic fertilizers did increase food production at the time dramatically, it was learned that their sole use virtually decimated the soil it was used in, killing off the earthworms and microbiological activity necessary for healthy soil, and leaving many farms as virtual dustbowls due to their overuse. The results sparked a renewed interest in organic and sustainable growing methods, and now many different guano's are available again for home gardeners and organic farmers, again imported from far-away places, who will be amazed at the results that are achieved from this wonderful renewable and long-lasting natural plant fertilizer resource. As with earthworm castings, puzzling as it may seem, guano fertilizers are again generally only available at Earth-Friendly, Water-Wise Garden Retailers. And Don't Forget To Take Your Vitamin! Research has also determined that plants, like humans, can reap great benefits from vitamins and other nutritional supplements. The most famous of these, of course, was the discovery around 1940 that vitamin B-1 played an important role in the metabolism of plants. Today, there are dozens of vitamin based plant tonics that blend vitamin B-1 with other beneficial vitamins, hormones, and botanical ingredients proven to enhance plant growth, root development, disease resistance, and more! One of the most common botanical plant tonic ingredients is seaweed. |
| Seaweed (Ascophyllum Nodosum), or kelp, has been found to be extremely beneficial to plant growth, and is loaded with all of the trace and minor elements described above plus a host of vitamins and natural hormones that are so critical to truly healthy plant growth. Seeds soaked in liquid seaweed have been shown in university tests to germinate faster, while growing plants were better able to withstand insect attacks and temperature extremes and were more disease resistant than plants that didn't receive seaweed. It has been shown to be particularly effective for plants under stress. |
 |
| The most compelling reason to consider using a product containing this wonderful plant resource are the increased yields. Research conducted between 1985 and 1989 showed an average increase in yield weight of 68% in carrots; 38% in cabbage; 44% in lettuce; 14% in peaches; 12% in onions; 40% in celery; 17% in potatoes; 35% in pears; 55% in tomatoes; 43% in red beets; and 27% in corn. Flowers and herbs have increased yields as well. Seaweed and kelp fertilizers are available in many forms, including liquid, super-concentrated liquid, granular for mixing, and soluble powder. With results like these, you would think that seaweed would be sold by garden centers everywhere, but again, as with most of the wonderful new and old fertilizers described on this page, their availability is generally limited to a new breed of Earth-Friendly, Water-Wise Garden Supply Retailers whom specialize in organic and soilless garden supplies. These are but a few examples of the wonderful new plant foods, fertilizers, and supplements that have been developed by those with a passion for growing plants. Many others are available and properly used, will provide you with healthy plants and a productive garden. Check back often or join or email list. We will continue to update this website to keep you abreast about the most recent developments in plant fertilizers and supplements for the home gardener and hobby grower. |
|
Garden Fertilizer & Plant Food Products & Sources Better Plant Foods, Fertilizers & Supplements |
|
|
|
|
|
Find An Earth-Friendly & Water-Wise Garden Supply Retailer Growing Media | Hydroponic Gardening | Indoor Gardening | Pest Control | Plant Foods & Fertilizers | Plant Propagation Home | Contact | Current Issues | Privacy Statement | Resources | Search Our Site Earth-Friendly & Water-Wise Garden Supply Distributors & Manufacturers ProgressiveGardening.org is an informational web site provided by the Progressive Gardening Trade Association. Copyright © 2006-2007 | PGTA | All Rights Reserved |