Nutrients for Plants
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#4 Time to Think About the Garden
by Jean Kerbel
I love perennials, but my passion is vegetables. Although I use no chemicals or
pesticides, and try to garden organically whenever possible, I have discovered that’s
really just “the half of it.” A garden is only as good as its soil, and the truth of it is, very
few soils are ideal. If the soil is rich in most minerals but lacks calcium, then food crops
grown in it will also lack calcium.
Unhealthy soil always yields unhealthy, inferior plants; and when we eat plants
grown in unhealthy soil, we simply do not get enough of the building materials
our bodies need.
In the 1940s, after World War II, there were literally tons of nitrates left over from
making bombs. The scientists looked around and said, “Well, plants need nitrates to
survive”… hence, the birth of the chemical fertilizer industry.
At that time, they searched for the minimum requirements plants needed to “look”
healthy, and they decided on nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. That is why
labels, even today, list only N-P-K. With fertilizers offering only these three elements,
plants may look healthy, but they will be nutritionally deficient.
Plants need at least 17 elements for normal, healthy growth. When a plant lacks
one or more of these necessary elements, the tissue structure is weakened, cell
function is impaired, and health problems can develop - just like in humans.
One of my favorite garden products is this mineral-rich plant food. It is a blend of
premium, freshwater organic microalgae and volcanic rock dust mined from an ancient
seabed. This combination, from these two unique sources, helps me grow healthier
trees, shrubs, fruits, vegetables, and houseplants. It is packed with minerals from the
volcanic rock dust, as well as with macro- and micro-nutrients from the blue-green
algae in the formula. When I use this extraordinary amendment, I know I’m adding 30
elements to the soil.
Here’s another incredible thing to know about this plant food: not only does it restore
nutrients to depleted soil, it also works to stimulate microbial activity, which builds a
sponge-like soil structure that retains air and water, together with soil nutrients. The
perfect soil would have an equal mix of 50% solid material and 50% empty pore space.
Since soil is the life-source of the plant, the soil’s need for re-mineralization and
abundant microbial life is very important.
Good soil provides the optimal setting for organisms that do the essential work of
dismantling molecules into nutrients that can be absorbed by the plant. The mix of
nutrients in this plant food has been formulated to provide a broad spectrum of natural
trace minerals and to stimulate a burst of microbial activity within the root zone of your
plants. I’ve found that this also helps boost resistance to pests and disease...and to
drought and cold.
My friends are amazed that some of the last things in my autumn garden are my
delphiniums. I cut them back after the first bloom and they come again. I do cover them
when the temperature drops, but they are amazingly hardy.
I love this plant food and use it year-round, both indoors and outdoors.
My houseplants bloom in winter when other gardeners say they have a difficult time. I
have friends who say their orchids flower for months because they sprinkle this plant
food on the roots, which are always exposed. It’s so different from chemical fertilizers.
Many plants respond, almost overnight, to this natural source of nourishment.
In the spring, I start most of my organic veggies indoors from seed, in a soil-less
germinating mix. I use this plant food to nourish the seedlings, but not until they have
their first true set of leaves. I transplant them into potting soil, and mix a very dilute
solution that I apply once a week. As soon as the weather allows, I use it outdoors in my
compost tumbler. I know others who sprinkle it between the layers in the compost pile to
build incredibly rich compost. I work it into the soil before I plant anything, and the
population of earthworms and their size are off the charts! Healthy earthworms are a
sure sign of healthy soil.
At the height of summer, this plant food helps many garden vegetables taste great; it’s
the abundance of minerals that seems to enhance the flavor. One of our favorite
summer meals is a tomato-basil salad. Our tomatoes are incredibly delicious, and even
our friends who make their own salsa say that my salsa tastes the best!
An increasing number of gardeners are choosing to work with nature, to build the
health of the soil without chemicals. I love this mineral-rich plant food, because it slowly
releases vital nutrients and minerals into the soil, and it’s an “earth-friendly” product. It’s
completely safe, and won’t burn your plants. In fact, it has received the “seal of
approval” from the National Home Gardening Club, which has its members test new
products before they issue an approval seal.
To sum it up, I’ve found that plants growing in soil enriched with this plant food appear
to grow greener leaves, brighter and more colorful flowers, and more tasty fruits and
vegetables. As gardeners, we are cultivating more than just a row of vegetables; we are
cultivating a relationship with the earth itself. Everything is really connected to
everything else, and nowhere is this more apparent than in your garden.
(Jean lives in Vermont and has been gardening organically for 27 years. She has been
a Vermont Master Gardener for 7 years and represents her district as an advisor to the
Board for the University of Vermont’s Master Gardener program. Jean has used this
mineral-rich plant food since its inception.)
I love perennials, but my passion is vegetables. Although I use no chemicals or
pesticides, and try to garden organically whenever possible, I have discovered that’s
really just “the half of it.” A garden is only as good as its soil, and the truth of it is, very
few soils are ideal. If the soil is rich in most minerals but lacks calcium, then food crops
grown in it will also lack calcium.
Unhealthy soil always yields unhealthy, inferior plants; and when we eat plants
grown in unhealthy soil, we simply do not get enough of the building materials
our bodies need.
In the 1940s, after World War II, there were literally tons of nitrates left over from
making bombs. The scientists looked around and said, “Well, plants need nitrates to
survive”… hence, the birth of the chemical fertilizer industry.
At that time, they searched for the minimum requirements plants needed to “look”
healthy, and they decided on nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. That is why
labels, even today, list only N-P-K. With fertilizers offering only these three elements,
plants may look healthy, but they will be nutritionally deficient.
Plants need at least 17 elements for normal, healthy growth. When a plant lacks
one or more of these necessary elements, the tissue structure is weakened, cell
function is impaired, and health problems can develop - just like in humans.
One of my favorite garden products is this mineral-rich plant food. It is a blend of
premium, freshwater organic microalgae and volcanic rock dust mined from an ancient
seabed. This combination, from these two unique sources, helps me grow healthier
trees, shrubs, fruits, vegetables, and houseplants. It is packed with minerals from the
volcanic rock dust, as well as with macro- and micro-nutrients from the blue-green
algae in the formula. When I use this extraordinary amendment, I know I’m adding 30
elements to the soil.
Here’s another incredible thing to know about this plant food: not only does it restore
nutrients to depleted soil, it also works to stimulate microbial activity, which builds a
sponge-like soil structure that retains air and water, together with soil nutrients. The
perfect soil would have an equal mix of 50% solid material and 50% empty pore space.
Since soil is the life-source of the plant, the soil’s need for re-mineralization and
abundant microbial life is very important.
Good soil provides the optimal setting for organisms that do the essential work of
dismantling molecules into nutrients that can be absorbed by the plant. The mix of
nutrients in this plant food has been formulated to provide a broad spectrum of natural
trace minerals and to stimulate a burst of microbial activity within the root zone of your
plants. I’ve found that this also helps boost resistance to pests and disease...and to
drought and cold.
My friends are amazed that some of the last things in my autumn garden are my
delphiniums. I cut them back after the first bloom and they come again. I do cover them
when the temperature drops, but they are amazingly hardy.
I love this plant food and use it year-round, both indoors and outdoors.
My houseplants bloom in winter when other gardeners say they have a difficult time. I
have friends who say their orchids flower for months because they sprinkle this plant
food on the roots, which are always exposed. It’s so different from chemical fertilizers.
Many plants respond, almost overnight, to this natural source of nourishment.
In the spring, I start most of my organic veggies indoors from seed, in a soil-less
germinating mix. I use this plant food to nourish the seedlings, but not until they have
their first true set of leaves. I transplant them into potting soil, and mix a very dilute
solution that I apply once a week. As soon as the weather allows, I use it outdoors in my
compost tumbler. I know others who sprinkle it between the layers in the compost pile to
build incredibly rich compost. I work it into the soil before I plant anything, and the
population of earthworms and their size are off the charts! Healthy earthworms are a
sure sign of healthy soil.
At the height of summer, this plant food helps many garden vegetables taste great; it’s
the abundance of minerals that seems to enhance the flavor. One of our favorite
summer meals is a tomato-basil salad. Our tomatoes are incredibly delicious, and even
our friends who make their own salsa say that my salsa tastes the best!
An increasing number of gardeners are choosing to work with nature, to build the
health of the soil without chemicals. I love this mineral-rich plant food, because it slowly
releases vital nutrients and minerals into the soil, and it’s an “earth-friendly” product. It’s
completely safe, and won’t burn your plants. In fact, it has received the “seal of
approval” from the National Home Gardening Club, which has its members test new
products before they issue an approval seal.
To sum it up, I’ve found that plants growing in soil enriched with this plant food appear
to grow greener leaves, brighter and more colorful flowers, and more tasty fruits and
vegetables. As gardeners, we are cultivating more than just a row of vegetables; we are
cultivating a relationship with the earth itself. Everything is really connected to
everything else, and nowhere is this more apparent than in your garden.
(Jean lives in Vermont and has been gardening organically for 27 years. She has been
a Vermont Master Gardener for 7 years and represents her district as an advisor to the
Board for the University of Vermont’s Master Gardener program. Jean has used this
mineral-rich plant food since its inception.)