“Five stars!” says one homeowner on the Zehrs On The Lake Garden Center Facebook Page, “The plants and flowers are beautiful and huge!”

It’s not uncommon to receive five star reviews at Zehrs – a destination nursery in the Niagara region that’s known for growing a premium product. In fact, owner Mark Van Buren fondly refers to the glowing reviews as “The Zehrs Wows” or moments when customers are instantly gratified with their purchase.

Customers and nursery professionals will tell you that the hanging baskets, annuals, perennials, ornamental grasses, flowering shrubs, clematis, roses and mums grown at Zehrs are heartier and healthier than those you find elsewhere.

When it comes to nurturing his plants, Mark has long believed in taking a biological approach. “We do a lot of research at Zehrs,” explains Mark. “That makes us more innovative and willing to try new products and ways of growing plants. I’ve long been drawn to using biological products like root stimulants and nutrient enhancers so adding Holganix Bloom to the mix was a natural next step.”

Holganix Bloom – a Bio 800⁺ product – is a 100% organic plant probiotic that harnesses the power of over 800 beneficial soil microbes to build resilient plants that need fewer inputs like fertilizers, herbicides and fungicides.

“I’ve been using Holganix Bloom for the last two years,” explains Mark. “There’s an extremely low cost associate with the product so I put Bloom on all of my plants!”

Watch Mark's video below from his greenhouses. If you are viewing this blog via email, click here to watch the video.

Holganix Bloom is Like Armor!

According to Mark, Holganix Bloom is like “wrapping my plants in armor!” Not only has it allowed him to produce a healthier overall plant, but also he believes the beneficial nematodes and other ingredients are helping him better manage the threat of harmful insects and pathogens.

How Zehrs Uses Holganix Bloom

As soon as Mark’s cutting trays arrive, he applies a sprench (spray + drench) of Holganix Bloom at a two-ounce per gallon rate. He then follows up that initial application every seven-to-ten days throughout the growing season.

“Using Holganix Bloom is a holistic process – not a magic bullet and not a one time application,” explains Mark. “I see Holganinx Bloom as a long term solution to boosting plant health.”

“The Proof Is In The Plants!”

“I would recommend Holganix Bloom to any grower,” assures Mark. “There’s a tremendous amount of science behind Holganix products and at the end of the day, the proof is in the plants!”

What's in Holganix Bio 800⁺ Bloom?

Fill out the form to access our ingredient list! 

Holganix Bio 800⁺ is filled to the brim with beneficial soil microorganisms, microbe food and nutrient enhancers to build HEALTHIER plants that need less fertilizer and pesticides.

While the Holganix ingredient list doesn't contain the entire secret recipe (it's a secret after all!), download the below white paper to learn:

1. Our key ingredients including the names to several types of soil microbes present in our formula

2. What those ingredients do for your turf and plants

We all know that our brains make up 3lbs of our body weight... But did you know our body ALSO contains 3lbs of Microbes?

It’s true! Every healthy human body is inhabited by an enormous collection of bacteria, fungi, one-celled archaea and viruses. Because these microorganisms keep our bodies in balance, it is vitally important to maintain optimum levels of the essential probiotics, and to provide the proper food sources for them (“prebiotics”).

According to Mike Amaranthus and Bruce Allyn in their article for The Atlantic entitled “Healthy Soil Microbes, Healthy People”, it is thought that the drugs of the future will be full of people-friendly germs and the foods these microbes like to eat.

Interestingly, the advancements made in understanding the human gut have helped gain insight into a parallel microbiome—soil! Just as we have unwittingly destroyed vital microbes in the human gut through overuse of antibiotics and highly processed foods, we have recklessly devastated soil microbiota essential to plant health through overuse of certain chemical fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, pesticides, failure to add sufficient organic matter (upon which they feed), and heavy tillage. These soil microorganisms -- particularly bacteria and fungi -- cycle nutrients and water to plants, to our crops, the source of our food, and ultimately our health. Soil bacteria and fungi serve as the "stomachs" of plants. They form symbiotic relationships with plant roots and "digest" nutrients, providing nitrogen, phosphorus, and many other nutrients in a form that plant cells can assimilate. Reintroducing the right bacteria and fungi to facilitate the dark fermentation process in depleted and sterile soils is analogous to eating yogurt (or taking those targeted probiotic "drugs of the future") to restore the right microbiota deep in your digestive tract.

The good news is that the same technological advances that allow us to map the human microbiome now enable us to understand, isolate, and reintroduce microbial species into the soil to repair the damage and restore healthy microbial communities. It is now much easier for us to map genetic sequences of soil microorganisms, understand what they actually do and how to grow them, and reintroduce them back to the soil.

These soil microorganisms do much more than nourish plants. Just as the microbes in the human body both aid digestion and maintain our immune system, soil microorganisms both digest nutrients and protect plants against pathogens and other threats. For over four hundred million years, plants have been forming a symbiotic association with fungi that colonize their roots, creating mycorrhizae (my-cor-rhi-zee), literally "fungus roots," which extend the reach of plant roots a hundred-fold.

What Leonardo Da Vinci said five hundred years ago is probably still true today: "We know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot." Though you never see them, 90% of all organisms on the seven continents live underground. In addition to bacteria and fungi, the soil is also filled with protozoa, nematodes, mites and micro arthropods. There can be 10,000 to 50,000 species in less than a teaspoon of soil. In that same teaspoon of soil, there are more microbes than there are people on the earth. In a handful of healthy soil, there is more biodiversity in just the bacterial community than you will find in all the animals of the Amazon basin.

Read the full article here.

This blog was written by Suzanne Longacre, Holganix Communication Specialist 

Having a sound foundation is a must if your house is to last through the years. Soil structure is like a house foundation; to grow plants to their full potential, you should have a sound foundation to start. Soil structure is composed of several main components, those being sand, silt and clay. When one or more of those components makes up too large a part of the soil, it’s like a poorly constructed foundation and creates problems from the start.

Organic matter is also an important component to a healthy soil foundation. Organic matter is made up of decomposing plants, animals and waste. By having a healthy level of organic matter, soils become more porous. The porosity of soils allows the seeds to more easily push through the surface, increase water infiltration and prevent soil sealing (where the soil crusts over and becomes compacted).

Ultimately, having organic matter present in the soil reduces runoff and erosion and promotes the activity of microorganisms, other soil critters and root growth. You can increase the amount of organic matter present in the soil by adding compost or by tilling the soil.

Sand-based soils

Out of all the three soil particles (sand, clay and silt), sand is the largest, while clay is the smallest. Sand-based soil does not have a natural source of nutrients and needs to be fertilized frequently as synthetic-based fertilizers tend to leach away quickly. This type of soil will need constant care to let the turf grow to its full potential. However, the use of natural organic products aids the soiling nutrient holding capacity by adding more organic matter and increasing the biological activity.

Clay-based soils

Clay-based soils are loaded with micronutrients but are very low in macronutrient nitrogen, which is vital for plant growth and responsible for green color. Clay will hold applied fertilizers better than sand-based soil, but clay-based soil does not properly drain excessive water away from the root zone, causing roots and seed to rot during wet conditions. Another detrimental factor with clay soil is how compacted it becomes when dry. After a couple weeks with no water, the soil will harden like a rock, which is good for flower pots but not for growing grass and plants. Adding organic matter helps break down the compaction of clay-based soils, allowing for more porous soil.

Silt-based soils

Silt-based soils generally contain micro and macro nutrients, drain fairly well and can produce a good root structure. It does, however, have its drawbacks. Its light texture can blow away in high winds or wash away in heavy rains. It also tends to have a crusty surface when drying out that causes seeds to germinate poorly. Like clay-based soils, adding organic matter to silt-based soils helps break through soil compaction, allowing for more porous soils.

The descriptions used are very simple and each soil type has many variations and can occur anywhere in the world. The best soils are ones that are composed of sand, clay and silt. Want to learn more? Download Holganix Inventor, Stephen T. Lange's ebook called: Digging into soil science 101. 

Within a teaspoon of soil you can find one billion bacteria!

These single celled workers first appeared on earth about 3 billion years ago and perform many functions including: reducing the leaching of plant nutrients from the soil, decomposing organic matter and delivering nutrients to the soil in a plant uptake ready form.

Aerobic and Anaerobic Bacteria: What's the difference?

There are two basic kinds of bacteria: Anaerobic and aerobic. Anaerobic bacteria live without oxygen while aerobic bacteria thrive in oxygen. Under anaerobic conditions, pathogenic (disease causing) bacteria are nurtured and beneficial bacteria (aerobes) can’t survive. In general, soils are aerobic and favor aerobic bacteria, creating a hospitable environment for plant and animal life. 

Bacteria break down organic matter

One of bacteria’s primary jobs is to break down organic matter into simple sugars, fatty acids and amino acids – all food sources for animal and plant life in the soil.

Additionally, this break down of organic matter yields humus. In turn, this leads to increased moisture retention, reduced soil compaction and better air and water filtration.  

Bacteria recycle four basic elements

Bacteria are also responsible for recycling four basic elements needed for plant and animal life in the soil: carbon, sulfur, phosphorus and nitrogen.

For example, bacteria plays a crucial role in making nitrogen available to plants in processes called nitrogen fixation and nitrification in the nitrogen cycle.

Nitrogen Fixation:

During the nitrogen fixation process, bacteria in the soil take in nitrogen gas from the air in the soil and convert the gas through a series of biochemical reactions into nitrates (the plant available form).

Bacteria conduct nitrogen fixation through a symbiotic relationship with legumes (plants like alfalfa, clover and soybeans). In this relationship, bacteria live in plant roots and form nodules where nitrogen fixing bacteria make nitrates directly available to the legume.

Nitrification:

During nitrification, bacteria living in the soil take in proteins, peptides and amino acids when they eat living and dead organisms. These proteins, peptides and amino acids are rich in nitrogen and are eventually excreted in the form of nitrites and nitrates when the bacteria dies.

The nitrification process is a critical cycle in the soil.

Adding beneficial soil microorganisms to the soil

To add beneficial soil microorganisms in the soil consider using a plant and soil probiotic like Holganix.

Holganix contains over 800 species of bacteria and 20 species of fungi. Some of the bacteria with Holganix include Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria and Phosphorus Solubilizing Bacteria (Responsible for making Phosphorus available to the plant). 

By adding beneficial soil microorganisms to your soil, you replenish both your quantity of soil biology and your diversity!