The Lipid Spark: A New Look at Rhizophagy
The real value of microalgae isn’t just minerals — it’s lipids. Those lipids give the plant an energy boost that wakes up the soil and accelerates nutrient cycling.
When the pH Is Wrong, Nothing Works Right
Soil pH controls everything below ground. Learn how Growthful Pre-Emerge from Aqueus uses carbonic acid and extra hydrogen molecules to rebalance soil pH, improve nutrient uptake, and make every input work better.
When Silicon Meets Clay: How Quick-Sol Opens Heavy Soils.
If a clay particle were the size of a basketball, a soluble silicon particle (like the ones in Quick-Sol) would be about the size of a BB — small enough to slip between the seams and start rebuilding structure from the inside out.
The Chernobyl Dogs
On April 26, 1986, reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in northern Ukraine—then part of the Soviet Union—exploded, sending a massive plume of radiation into the sky. Nearly four decades later, Chernobyl and much of the surrounding area remain uninhabited—by humans, at least.
Animals of all kinds have thrived in humanity’s absence. Living among radiation-resistant fauna are thousands of feral dogs, many of whom are descendants of pets left behind in the speedy evacuation of the area so many years ago.
The idea of radiation speeding up natural evolution isn’t a new one. The practice of purposefully irradiating seeds in outer space to induce advantageous mutations, for example, is now a standard method for developing crops that are well-suited for a warming world.
Plants Helping Plants
The ambition of agriculture to do more with less presents some real challenges to growers, but help is on the way. Plant biostimulants are any substances or microorganisms applied to plants with the aim of enhancing the efficiency of nutrient use, increasing abiotic stress tolerance and/or improving crop quality. Unfortunately, increasing reliance on agrochemicals has caused damage to groundwater resources, soil fertility, soil biodiversity, and the environment. But biostimulants offer a means to create better balance in our farming practices.
Many growers are familiar with the benefits of applying, for example, seaweed extracts to their crops or the key substances of one plant being shared with another to generate improved results. This direction, plant essences of one plant being used on another, offers a way of doing more with less.