![]() Humic acids are a natural by-product of decomposed organic matter. It is a naturally occurring source of essential nutrients, making it the perfect ingredient for our fertilizers and soils. Scientists have tried to reproduce the nutrients found in worm castings in a laboratory, but they’ve been unable to create a formula that feeds plants as well as that rich, coffee colored worm poop does.īat guano has been used for centuries as a fertilizer for all kinds of plants. That’s why you’ll find three of our favorite ingredients – earthworm castings, bat guano, and humic acids – in so many of our products.Įarthworm castings are teeming with beneficial microbes that help plants thrive. When we get enthusiastic about a particular ingredient, we can get a little carried away. In general, hydroponic systems work well at a pH of 5.8 – 6.0, and soils and growing media will support a wide variety of plants with a pH of 6.6 – 6.8. For instance, our Happy Frog® Acid Loving Plants Fertilizer for plants like rhododendrons and azaleas is pH-adjusted for flowering shrubs that prefer an acidic environment. Our fertilizers and soils are pH-adjusted to meet the needs of your plants. The nutrient solution in your hydroponic system can be adjusted with a pH up or down solution. It is important to make these adjustments gradually to avoid shocking plants, and in general we encourage you to choose plants that naturally do well with your soil type. Acid soils can be neutralized with calcium or agricultural lime, and alkaline soils can be corrected with sulfur or with regular applications of mulch or aged manure. ![]() You can buy a simple home test kit to measure the pH of your soil, growing media or nutrient solution, and then you can adjust the pH accordingly. If a plant is in an environment that is too acidic or too alkaline for its particular needs, it will be unable to access the nutrients in the soil, growing media or nutrient solution, regardless of the amount of fertilizer you use. Some plants thrive in an acidic or alkaline environment, but many common garden plants prefer a near neutral pH. A pH of 7 is considered neutral, a pH above 7 is alkaline, and a pH below 7 is considered acidic. PH measures the acidity or alkalinity of a soil, growing media or nutrient solution. ![]() Our fertilizers may also include micronutrients such as calcium and magnesium, trace minerals, and beneficial microbes that meet specific plant needs. The materials we use in our organic listed products have a “functional value” that can’t be measured in a test tube. There’s more to a good fertilizer than the NPK. The NPK of organic fertilizers tend to be lower than what you’d see from a chemical fertilizer, but that does not make them any less powerful. Potassium is typically guaranteed in fertilizer products as K 2O, or Soluble Potash. It also helps plants withstand extreme weather conditions and plays a role in the synthesis of proteins and starches. Potassium (K), represented by the third number, helps build strong cellular walls, enabling plants to better resist disease. The form of Phosphorus guaranteed in fertilizers is P 2O 5, or Available Phosphorus. It helps plants transfer energy from one part of the plant to another. Phosphorus (P), represented by the second number, supports root development, fruiting and flowering. Some plants, like tomatoes, are heavy nitrogen feeders and will quickly deplete the soil of nitrogen if more is not added. Nitrogen (N), represented by the first number, is responsible for leafy, green growth and is most important in a plant’s early growth stages. As an example, our Happy Frog® Tomato & Vegetable fertilizer has an NPK of 5-7-3. The NPK nutrient values are expressed as a percentage of the total weight of the product in the package. NPK is a rating system that describes the amount of nitrogen (N), available phosphorus (P 2O 5), and soluble potassium (K 2O) in a fertilizer.
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