Natural Fertilizer

The Natural Fertilizer That's Alive
increases yield, improves plant health...

Root nodules growing on bean roots contain nitrogen fixing bacteria.

Root Nodules contain nitrogen fixing bacteria

The best natural fertilizers are the soil micro-organisms. And these have been specially prepared for use by gardeners - an exciting development that improves and surpasses traditional organic methods. These improve (barring just a few kinds) the growth of flowers, shrubs, roses, fruit and vegetables - with increases in vigour, yield...

Gardeners using soil inoculations on beans have increased their harvest, and mycorrhyzal fungi provide many other benefits as well...

Mycorrhyzal fungi are especially recommended by gardeners to reduce the set-back plants experience after transplanting. Discover what works and how to use it below...

Mycorrhyzal fungi have helped plants naturally for over 500 million years. Without them your garden plants are simply disabled. Consider these questions...

Why don't plants grow well after transplanting?

Why do plants die of disease when grown in sterilised media?

Why does it take so much effort to produce a greener lawn and bigger crops?

How do the wild flowers survive even when cultivated plants die?

And so on... now technology has the answer.
All too often our gardens have suffered the effects of ploughing up the natural forests and grasslands, then more digging and leaving bare soil, and adding chemical salts too. Moreover we often garden in a way that neglects the living soil.

The result is a whole load of problems.
Or...

You Can Restore the Natural Balance.

Mycorrhyzal fungi and nitrogen fixing bacteria are probably the ultimate natural fertilizer to help you avoid problems with transplanting and disease, and improve plant establishment and vigour, and increase yields...

Now the Royal Horticultural Society and dozens of horticultural experts recommend mycorrhyzal fungi. Garden Organic members for example obtained a 25% increase in Leek size in their trials.

Let me introduce you to some of these living natural fertilizers below and provide brief guidance on how they are used...

Today there are 4 ways to get natural fertilizer from micro-organisms: Mycorrhyzal fungi, nitrogen fixing soil inoculations, compost activators with micro-organisms, protective bacteria for sterile seed compost, and by growing nitrogen fixing green manure .

Mycorrhyzal fungi which have gained so much support. These grow into plant roots then branch out to form a secondary root system in the soil. The available information and experience shows that mycorrhyzal fungi treatments:-

Improve plant establishment,
Increase vigour,
Create plant friendly soil,
Host plants gain additional nutrients like P and K fed back through fine fungal hyphae that can access a vast soil volume,
During droughts they give shallow roots access to deeper more extensive supplies of soil water,
Reduce the quantity of added organic fertilizers and grow better plants in poorer soils,
Only need a one off treatment for long lasting improvement of shrubs, fruit and perennials,
A living natural fertilizer that works in time with plant's seasonal needs.
Applications for mycorrhyza include: use with shrubs and trees, especially roses, (not for Rhodendrons), fruit trees; when planting vegetables: onions, leeks, (for bigger crops), try with potatoes, tomatoes, celery, spinach, beans... (not for cabbage family), and on flower plants in large containers; check out the link.

Find product details on natural fertilizer from mycorrhyzal fungi here IV.

Nitrogen fixing bacteria increase soil nitrogen by converting the free nitrogen in the air spaces of soil into ammonium and proteins.

Some of these are free living in soil. Others are symbiotic inside roots. Peas and beans are induced to produce root nodules for these bacteria.

But some soils lack the Rhyzobium bacteria that are required. They'll do better when exposed to soil inoculum.

Micro-organisms can induce strong root formation, and a bigger root mass feeds your plants,
You can use less fertilizer,
Apply to new soils and poorer soils to get results,
Use this natural fertilizer development like farmers to improve soil nitrogen for subsequent crops.
Soil inoculum will increase the population of N fixing bacteria in soil.
Enjoy a larger harvest - especially peas and beans,

Get organic nitrogen fertilizer nitrogen fixing bacteria here IV.

Compost Activators developed for use in compost bins usually contain micro-organisms. These break down organic matter and release its nutrient content. You can use them to:

Release nutrients from organic matter into the soil,
Especially when adding organic matter to soil like: lawn cuttings, or digging in weeds, old plants or green manures,
Build up the population of soil micro-organisms, creating humus, encouraging earthworms and improving and conditioning your soil.

Get compost activators here IV.

More on gardening composting here.

Protective bacteria are being used in sterile seed and potting compost. When new plants grow in such conditions the niche around their roots is empty. When any disease spores germinate in these conditions they have an open opportunity to attack the plant.

The micro-organism Bacillus subtilis has been used to grow into this void and so helps protect the plant from the plant pathogens. Although other useful micro-organisms might promote the plant immune system and strengthen the plant, B. subtilis is obviously well-suited to fending off attacks from pathogens that attack seedlings.

Green manures of the pea and bean family, including: vetches, clovers, lupins, field beans... form a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria. When cut at the right time of year the unused nitrogen is released into the soil - the ultimate natural fertilizer.

But some soils don't have the right type of bacteria present. Discover how technology is improving traditional organic gardening here
See my page on Green Manures here.

Get fertilizer for your garden here IV.

How to Apply Micro-organisms

Preparations of mycorrhyzal fungi usually come as a powder, some come as tablets. Place the tablets or the powder in the bottom of the planting hole so it comes into contact with growing roots.

I found an excellent recommendation for applying mycorrhyza to existing shrubs without digging them up. Simply plant a few small plants close to the shrub roots using mycorryhza. The mycorrhyza growing out from the small plants will find the roots of your shrub or perennial.

Some bacterial soil inoculations are applied by watering on. Use rain water for this and water into the soil.

The Most Natural Fertilizers are Micro-organisms

The facts shouldn't really be surprising but the chemical approach has caused this wonder to be overlooked. The underground reality is more complex than adding chemical formulae to plants growing in buckets of sand.

Healthy forest and grassland soils are teaming with bacteria and fungi. Many of these grow around, on, or inside plant roots. Not surprisingly there is a close working relationship and the plants make the most of it.

The microbes get something from the plant too but that's only small beer compared with the benefits to the plant. Countless more microbes simply live independently in soil. But in return for parting with their excesses your shrubs, flowers, fruit and vegetable plants gain access to even more soil nutrients.

Some 'natural fertilizer' products are designed to do just a few things e.g. plant protection in sterile media. Others will be of more general use such as in making compost as well as when transplanting.

I recommend that you have these nutrient fertility products available when transplanting productive vegetables and perennials into the garden and when planting shrubs, and fruit.

Follow this link to find these natural fertilizers IV.