Dear Readers,
The lovely people behind Organic Plant Magic sent me some of their all purpose plant food for free for me to try and write a review about.
The product came in 1/2 pound bag which can be added to soil, seed, roots, sprayer, watering can and even, irrigation systems. This little pouch can make over 32 gallons of non-toxic, chemical free organic plant food.
This is a sponsored post where I received a product to try and review. All opinions are my own, as of the publishing date, the value of the item was $18.99.
What is the product?
It is an instant compost tea, with no odor, no mess and no chemicals. It is a soil and plant microbiological inoculum product which contains millions of microorganisms to establish populations in your soil of bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi. It is tested to FDA assay and MEF 4 testing methods.
The product can be used dry straight in the planting hole or in water with the usage rate or 1 tablespoon per gallon of water or soil.
It can be used on shrubs, flowers, fruit, veggies, containers and houseplants.
For trees and shrubs you want to use 1 tablespoon per inch trunk diameter or per foot shrub diameter.
If you want to use it on your lawn, the usage rate is 1 tablespoon per 32 square feet.
The product boasts grow plants better then ever all in the same step being able to build healthy nutritious soil, feed continuously on demand, grow strong, beautiful vibrant plants and prevent pests, disease and drought.
Why did I agree to try it?
I agreed for a few different reasons, but let’s start with the easy stuff:
It is pet safe
I know it is, for a fact.
Say hi to the puppy below.
His name is Bubba and this old dog (he’s 12) learned a new trick and was a pioneer in safety testing one day.
The package arrived from Organic Plant Magic and was left on the floor by my family. Well Bubba thought he needed to help open the package and in the process of doing so punctured the laminated foil pouch ate part of it.
Look at the puppy again:
I’m sorry new Mommy, I really thought you needed the help…
Git.
Bubba is completely fine if you were wondering.
The more diverse the microbiology of the soil, the likelihood of having healthier plants increases.
It is also child safe but since kids are not happening here it wasn’t on my agenda of why I wanted to try it.
You can use it in different ways
Add it straight to the planting hole, dilute in water. Add it to your seeds, watering can, sprayer or irrigation.
It’s more than just another plant food
The main reason I agreed to try the product is based in science.
I am still getting to grips with recording, editing and all that fun stuff but if you don’t fancy reading through my research on the 12 microorganisms in the product, you can check out my YouTube video for the unboxing.
For Science!
I keep talking about building the soil and to have a successful garden, you need to have good diversity of soil microorganisms. The bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes all work together to break down organic matter into smaller and smaller compounds which can be absorbed by the plants through the roots.
It is well known and established that plants with mycorrhizal fungi relationships are more efficiently able to absorb nutrients from the environment.
The more diverse the microbiology of the soil, the likelihood of having healthier plants increases because the microorganisms are breaking down the organic matter in the soil into different complexes and compounds which means more elements can be used by the plants. Which means the plants are stronger, able to tolerate temperature change stress like heat or frost better, can resist disease, overcome pest damage and the plants are going to be better for you with higher nutrient density. This product not only is a plant feed but it also contains different soil microorganisms.
Let’s find out a bit about the microorganisms which are in Organic Plant Magic and put my remaining old University textbooks to use again!
The Microorganisms
Checking out the back of the package, there are 12 different types of Beneficial MicroOrganisms in the product. Bacillus, Glomus and Rhizopogon are the three classifications of organism which are in the powder.
Bacillus
There are 4 different types of Bacillus organisms in the product. Bacillus are interesting because they are spore forming as part of their survival mechanisms and some members of this family are activated by temperature or pH. They are rod shaped and about 0.8 microns in diameter.
Strains of Bacillus range from being in commercially available probiotics, the soil and even to feared diseases which were discovered by Robert Koch in 1876.
“They are the most common organisms to appear when soil samples are streaked on agar plates.” Madigan, Martinko and Parker, Brock Biology of Microorganisms, international edition, eighth edition, 1997, Prentice Hall International, Inc., page 723, ISBN 0-13-571225-4.
The types of Bacillus in the product are:
- B. amyloliquefaciens
- B. cereus
- B. megaterium
- B subtilis
Bacillus strains are applied as an environmentally friendly alternative to agrochemical pesticides and fertilizers. They are plant-root colonizing bacteria with plant growth-promoting activity has been researched across the world. B. megaterium shows signs of plant growth stimulation and improved disease resistance by solubilizing phosphates and producing an anti-fungal metabolite for the plants
B. amyloliquefaciens and B. subtilis appear to play a part in plant growth stimulation, in low phosphate soils.
Glomus
These are mycorrhizal fungi which form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots. Mycorrhiza literally means root fungus.
They are never found in nature, except in association with roots. A single species of pine tree can form mycorrhizae with over 40 species of fungi!
“Plants which are planted in poor soils which are artificially inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi grow much more rapidly than plants which are not inoculated”Madigan, Martinko and Parker, Brock Biology of Microorganisms, international edition, eighth edition, 1997, Prentice Hall International, Inc., page 591, ISBN 0-13-571225-4.
It is well known and established that plants with mycorrhizal fungi relationships are more efficiently able to absorb nutrients from the environment.
If you are wondering what mycorrhizal fungi are, you can see them in bags of compost or mulch, the compost heap or leaf mulch as the weird white stringy or webby stuff.
The types which are included in this product are:
- G. aggregatum
- G. etunicatum
- G. intraradices
- G. mosseae
Rhizopogon
These are another type of mycorrhizal fungi and the following are in the product:
- R. villosullus
- R. amylopogon
- R. fulvigleba
Are you still with me? That was the hard part over!
Real fertilizer
The product is packed with plant essential elements and trace minerals to maximize growth. For those of you who want to know the NPK grade, it is 6-5-5 with calcium where N is nitrogen, P is phosphorus and K is potassium.
The guaranteed analysis on the pack is:
- Total nitrogen 6.0%
- 5.0% Available phosphate P2O5
- Soluble potash K2O 5.0%
- Aluminum (or aluminium to the fellow Brits) 0.15%
- Calcium 9.0%
- Magnesium 1.2%
- Sulfur (sulphur) 2.6%
- Chlorine 0.12%
- Iron 0.16%
- Molybdenum 0.0008%
- Sodium 0.375%
The fertilizer is derived from plant based amino acids, bone ash, potassium magnesium sulfate, calcium carbonate, humate, kelp and other sources.
How will I trial it?
Since the season is ending here in Utah, I’m trying this product on my newly planted hedge, the fruit trees, the hugelkultur bed and the compost heap which has been neglected over the summer.
Sorry heap.
I am hoping that this product will inoculate the heap to get everything kickstarted so I can have compost maturing ready for spring.
In terms of the hedge planting, I want the plants to get settled in before the snow comes and hopefully give the flowers a final boost for the bees.
Check back later to see how the product turned out in my final review.
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