Keep A Healthy Garden Year-Round
The word “evergreen” usually evokes images of evergreen types such as pine, fir, spruce, junipers, arborvitae, cedar, and the ever popular yew. Evergreen perennials keep their leaves throughout the winter, while deciduous trees lose their leaves and herbaceous perennials return to the ground in colder weather. Most gardeners are aware of this basic plant physiology.
Considering fertilizer regimens for evergreen trees, shrubs, and flowers can be somewhat overwhelming, depending on an individual’s focus; be it Christmas tree farming, container plants, or home landscaping. The list of possible evergreen candidates is long and oh, so varied: wit, gardenia, pine, palm, bamboo, nandina, laurel, juniper, honeysuckle, magnolia, rosemary, and the list goes on.
Where to begin? I need an equalizer product for an across-the-board recommendation, whether the species are in containers, inside or outside, or in the ground from Maine to California and Minnesota to Florida. My early, middle and late season choice of products is one of the three organic acids, humic acid: a liquid soil additive that is compatible with all soil pH’s and soil types. It is applied to soil for plants in containers or in the ground.
Keep reading to learn how humic acid helps prevent plant stress and keeps your evergreen plants vibrant and healthy year-round.
The Root of the Problem: Plant Stress
Plant stress is the enemy of a boxwood hedge, sago palm, or lilac. The camellia in that pot on the back patio can be as stressed as any in-field Christmas tree. All plants (with a few exceptions) have the basic needs of water, air, and soil. But what is below ground is where the action is (or isn’t) happening.
To illustrate this issue I’ll use the oil palm. Oil palm is a young industry in Indonesia. The number one disease of the millions of trees there today is a wood-decaying fungus called Ganoderma. Recently jungles were cleared and planted with oil palm. Ganoderma is in full force and killing thousands of these newly planted oil palm trees. Losses will be in the millions of dollars, and replacement is not an option.
On the other hand, native oil palm trees in the undisturbed jungle are doing quite nicely with no Ganoderma—even though the fungus is present where they are growing. The diversity of plants in the undisturbed jungle all contribute microorganisms. These microorganisms provide protection not only for themselves, but also the oil palm in their natural habitat.
Microorganisms: The Heroes of Plant Health
The health of the plant root system (rhizosphere) microorganism community is equal to the health of a plant. All rhizosphere colonists are important. Beneficial bacteria, fungi, beneficial nematodes, protozoans, earthworms, soil algae, and arthropods are part of the team. We’ve all heard, “feed the plant and the plant will feed us.” I believe it should really be “feed the microorganisms that feed the plant and the plant will feed us.”
A liquid humic acid product is a source of carbon that will increase the number and diversity of beneficial soil microorganisms that are feeding the plants. Whatever your fertilizer regimen is, an increase in soil microbial diversity will, in turn, produce new chemistry that will efficiently feed the evergreen plant you’re nurturing.
Your plants—and their soil microorganisms that are feeding them—will thank you!
Recommended ProductsSoil Source®
Soil Source® works to reverse damage and return soils back to their natural, optimum state. This product is a unique, biologically-enhanced humic acid, with a diverse spectrum of naturally occurring, beneficial microorganisms that help rebuild and restore soils. At BioFlora® we utilize a proprietary extraction process, which maximizes the amounts of humic acid we are able to procure. Our product is also comprised of many different characteristics that are not found in other organic acid products, such as soil carbon, carbohydrates, and other essential nutrients.
About BioFlora
BioFlora is a division of Global Organics® Group (GOG), an international life sciences company that develops and manufactures proprietary organic and sustainable plant nutrition products and natural ionic minerals for human and animal health. For more than 40 years GOG and its BioFlora® business have been committed to preserving the earth’s ecosystem while providing superior plant nutrient systems.
Located in Goodyear, Arizona, USA, GOG is able to serve customers both locally and globally with the use of Green Acres, its 1,200 acre research farm, as well as its USDA Permitted Integrated Life Science Research Center
® (ILSRC). For more information about Global Organics® Group, or to interview CEO and Managing Partner Luke Blotsky, please contact Sarah Van Wyk at
svanwyk@globalorganicsgroup.com. Visit
www.globalorganicsgroup.com to learn more.
