Our job is to make the science simple , your job is to love your plants .

 

The Quest to create Nutrient , Antioxidants dense , Food and Medicine that can prevent , reverse and cure cancer , heart , liver and other health issues . To grow are own Flower knowing that the plant will reach it,s full genetic value of it,s true design , none being achieved by using Dead Soil .The purpose of this experiment is to show that if given an abundance of nutrients , microbes , deep root system , and much more , that a plant can not only grow to a huge size with huge yield . But also become food that is super high in nutrients and antioxidants , so therefore food becomes medicine as it was designed by GOD for our bodies and minds . The way this is to be achived is to use many different agricultural styles such as Such as German raised beds ( Hugelkultur ). 3000 years old pre Colombian agricultural lifestyle-terra preta ( black earth ). Japanese / korean natural farming philosophy of fermentation , plant enzymes , beneficial/effective microorganisms / mimic nature not try to improve it. India”s green revolution using a scientific approach of beneficial bacteria and fungi inputs , plant biostimulants . Also now using Nano Technology. Earthman soil products are of the highest standards to Him be glory . We are small but we are years ahead of any other company who job is to provide you the best plant growth products on the market . We are the music makers, And we are the dreamers of dreams.

 

 

 

What does probiotic growing even mean, and is it the same as XXXX?
This is one of the most common questions I’m asked, so before I dig into the science, I’d like to address this real quick.

Despite the inclusion of new vocabulary to help inform people what grow methods are being employed, it’s ended up in a lot of misused terms, and confusion. This confusion is understandable, the terminology is pretty scattered. In an attempt to clear this up, I’ve been spending some time tracking down the origins, division of terms, and their interconnections and this is what I’ve found.

KNF (Korean Natural Farming) – KNF is an accumulation of farming techniques, that are widely accepted as required reading for Probiotic Farming practices, as many of the practices originated from there, such as BIM or FPE. I can’t track down the origination of KNF, but I can provide a link to one of the most informative KNF sites I’ve come across.

No Till Farming – This is the practice of planting your next plant into the soil, right as one is coming out, so as to not disturb the pre-equististing microbial / fungal network in the soil, at its most basic. It has a number of proven benefits, like increasing carbon sequestration by the soil(1)(2), reducing fossil fuel usage in major agriculture dramatically (2), reducing soil erosion(3), and controlling soil moisture evaporation better than traditional farming practices(3). No Till can be done in beds, shared beds, or even the traditional potted plant set ups, however with pots make sure to by a little bigger pots (10 – 15 Gallons is a good minimum), utilize a mulch, and fabric / breathing pots are highly recommended.

Probiotic Farming – In the simplest form, it’s a focus on soil dwelling bacterial and fungal homeostasis in the garden. In practice, this usually means an amalgamation of KNF, traditional organic growing techniques (composting, aerated teas), and either ROLS or No Till depending on how the soil is reused, with a few unique practices, such as anaerobic teas thrown in. Understandably, this can be a bit daunting, but hopefully this site can serve as a bit of a companion in taking in all of these system and consolidating them to what’s needed for you. Why call it probiotic you may ask? Well, you are probably familiar with ‘probiotic‘ bacteria, usually in relation to cultured and/or fermented foods (kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt). When we buy probiotic food, we are buying something with live cultures of beneficial bacteria. Often, the bacteria that are helpful in our intestines, can catch a happy ride into us by being helpful to the soil and plants as well. With probiotic farming practices, we’re reintroducing beneficial bacteria and fungi into the soil, while using growing methods that promote the proliferation of these soil dwelling colonies, using amendments that help them thrive, and in return, the microlife does most of the hard work. Sadly, in more common agricultural practices these beneficial colonies are lacking, which has played a part in our ever rising rate of over farming of agricultural land(4).

Soil probiotics are commonly known as soil-based organisms (SBOs). SBOs are referred to a probiotics because they are beneficial bacteria that live in the soil. “Until the 19th century, when food processing replaced hand-to-mouth ingestion of raw fruit and vegetables, [SBOs] formed a regular part of our diet.” Soil based organisms are considered “friendly” non-resident or transient microorganisms. “Transient micro organisms are different from resident micro organisms in that they do not take up permanent residence in the gastrointestinal tract. Instead, they establish small colonies for brief periods of time before dying off or being flushed from the intestinal system via normal digestive processes, or by peristaltic bowel action.” Even though these types of beneficial bacteria are only in the digestive system on a temporary basis, “they contribute to the overall function and condition of the digestive system.”

Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB)

Soil is replete with microscopic life forms including bacteria, fungi, actinomycetes, protozoa, and algae. Of these different microorganisms, bacteria are by far the most common (i.e., 95%). It has been known for some time that the soil hosts a large number of bacteria (often around 108 to 109 cells per gram of soil) and that the number of culturable bacterial cells in soil is generally only about 1% of the total number of cells present [11]. However, in environmentally stressed soils the number of culturable bacteria may be as low as 104 cells per gram of soil [12]. Both the number and the type of bacteria that are found in different soils are influenced by the soil conditions including temperature, moisture, and the presence of salt and other chemicals as well as by the number and types of plants found in those soils [13]. In addition, bacteria are generally not evenly distributed in soil. That is, the concentration of bacteria that is found around the roots of plants (i.e., in the rhizosphere) is typically much greater than in the rest of the soil. This is because of the presence of nutrients including sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and other small molecules from plant root exudates that may account for up to a third of the carbon that is fixed by a plant [14–17].

Regardless of the number of bacteria in a particular soil sample, the bacteria may affect plants in one of three ways. The interaction between soil bacteria and plants may be (from the perspective of the plant) beneficial, harmful, or neutral [18]. However, the effect that a particular bacterium has on a plant may change as the conditions change. For example, a bacterium that facilitates plant growth by providing either fixed nitrogen or phosphorus, compounds that are often present in only limited amounts in many soils, is unlikely to provide any benefit to plants when significant amounts of chemical fertilizer is added to the soil. In addition, it is possible for a particular bacterium to affect different plants disparately. Thus, for example, an IAA overproducing mutant of the bacterium Pseudomonas fluorescens BSP53a stimulated root development in blackcurrant cuttings while inhibiting the development of roots in cherry cuttings [19]. This observation may be interpreted as indicating that the blackcurrant cuttings contained a suboptimal level of IAA that was enhanced by the presence of the bacterium. On the other hand, with the cherry cuttings the IAA level was optimal prior to the addition of the bacterium and the additional IAA provided by the bacterium became inhibitory. Notwithstanding these caveats, it is usually a straightforward matter to decide whether a bacterium either promotes or inhibits plant growth.

The bacteria that can promote plant growth, that is, PGPB, include those that are free-living, those that form specific symbiotic relationships with plants (e.g., Rhizobia spp. and Frankia spp.), bacterial endophytes that can colonize some or a portion of a plant’s interior tissues, and cyanobacteria (formerly called blue-green algae). Notwithstanding the differences between these bacteria, they all utilize the same mechanisms. PGPB may promote plant growth directly usually by either facilitating resource acquisition or modulating plant hormone levels, or indirectly by decreasing the inhibitory effects of various pathogenic agents on plant growth and development, that is, by acting as biocontrol bacteria [20].

Historically, Rhizobia spp. were studied extensively, from physiological, biochemical, and molecular biological perspectives, before much interest was shown in trying to understand or utilize other PGPB to facilitate plant growth [21–23]. Thus, these early studies became a conceptual starting point for mechanistic studies of PGPB. However, since unlike Rhizobia spp., most PGPB fix no or only a limited amount of nitrogen, studies to better understand some of the mechanisms used by PGPB have addressed a wide range of different mechanisms.

Plant biostimulant means a material which contains substance(s) and/or microorganisms whose function when applied to plants or the rhizosphere is to stimulate natural processes to benefit nutrient uptake, nutrient efficiency, tolerance to abiotic stress, and/or crop quality, independently of its nutrient content.”

The definition was crafted to respond to several needs as outlined below:

… a material which contains substance(s) and/or microorganisms (including microalgae)  – Because there are system effects when substances and/or micro-organisms are combined, biostimulants can only be accurately defined and evaluated at the level of the final formulation (notwithstanding incorporation into another product like a fertilizer or a growing medium). Internal surveying of EBIC’s members reveals a trend toward complex multi-component products rather than products with only one (or one type) of biostimulant substance (European Biostimulants Industry Council [EBIC], unpublished). Indeed, it is precisely the synergistic effects among different types of biostimulants (microbial/non-microbial, substances of different origins, etc.) allow manufacturers to design and develop efficient plant biostimulant products with specific properties in terms of yield and especially nutritional and functional quality

L Amino Acids Functions

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein and they are primary components in the machinery of cells, both in humans and in plants. In fact, just as plants require certain amino acids, humans require certain amino acids. The best source of amino acids for humans is from plants.

For example, a healthy source of plant protein and amino acids is soybeans. It’s not an accident that the Latin name for soybeans is glycine max. Soybeans contain the highest level of the amino acid glycine found in plants.

Glycine is the smallest amino acid and because of its small size it penetrates plant tissues easily. This quality makes glycine an ideal chelating agent, which we will talk about in a minute.

As beneficial micro-organisms grow and multiply in a healthy, organic soil, they produce enzymes that break down and digest organic matter. One of these enzymes is called protease, which is an enzyme that breaks down large protein molecules into its constituent small amino acids that can be taken up by roots. This process of digesting protein is called enzymatic hydrolysis, and it preserves the biological structure, or chirality, of the amino acid molecules.

Amino acids produced by enzymatic hydrolysis have a left-handed orientation and are called L-amino acids. L-amino acids produced by micro-organisms are easily absorbed by plant cells. Synthetic amino acids produced by acid or alkaline hydrolysis have right handed orientation called d-amino acids that are not biologically active. By adding l-amino acids derived from enzymatic hydrolysis directly to the reservoir, hydroponically grown plants will response in the same way as plants grown in the best organic soils. One must be careful to ensure beneficial micro-organisms are already in place before the introduction of proteinaceous material to the nutrient solution because detrimental organisms also use protein and amino acids.

Chelates are molecules whose shells are formed around a metal or mineral. Often the metal or mineral by itself is easily tied up or reacted with other chemicals in the environment. By forming a shell around the mineral, it can be taken up by the plant and not lost to the environment.

There are many chelating agents, both natural and synthetic, but amino acid-formed chelates offer something synthetic chelates do not. Amino acid chelates are completely used by the plants-the shell and the mineral. Because glycine is the smallest amino acid it naturally makes the smallest chelated molecules that pass readily through plant tissues. Once inside the plant, the mineral or metal (e.g. calcium, zinc, manganese, magnesium, etc.) is released, and the leftover amino acids that formed the protective shell are either used by the plant directly as amino acids or further broken down into water soluble nitrogen.

After all, amino acids are primary building blocks in cell machinery. Everything is used, nothing is lost. In fact, in wine making the vintner has to add minerals and nutrients for the yeast to love on. Yeast requires certain forms of nitrogen called YAN, or yeast assimilable nitrogen. Amino acid chelates are considered YAN.

Amino acid chelates also have a drastic effect on calcium uptake by roots, especially chelates utilizing the amino acids glutamic acid and glycine. In soil and in hydroponics, calcium tens to react with phosphates and sulfates, precipitating out of solution as lime scale. Lime scale make calcium unavailable to the plant.

Over time lime scale can clog up pumps, drip tapes and irrigations lines-a constant concern of growers. Amino acid chelates are amino acid shells formed around the calcium ions like a claw, preventing the calcium from reacting with other minerals in the water to for lime scale.

At the same time, glutamic acid and glycine amino acids stimulate root cells to open up calcium ion channels, allowing plants to take up calcium ions thousands to millions of times faster than simple osmosis.

The increased availability of calcium provided by amino acid chelated calcium has secondary benefits. For instance, a plant with a strong vascular system takes up water and nutrients more efficiently, increasing the Brix* or sugar content of the plant.

*Brix is a measurement of the percentage of sugar content in the sap and is a general indicator of the health and vigor of the plant. It is measured with a refractometer, not an EC meter. Organic molecules do not conduct electricity, but the total dissolved solids in water bend, or refract, light. Using a brix refractometer is easy. A few drops of sap are squeezed onto the glass slide of the refractometer, and the instrument is points towards a light source. The higher the dissolved solids in the sap, the more it refracts light and the higher the Brix reading. It has been reported that if the Brix of the sap exceeds 12%, sucking insects won’t even recognize the plant as food. Brix is also used as an objective measurement of the quality of fruit and vegetables.

Premium-quality produce has the highest Brix levels. Therefore, plants grown with amino acid chelated supplements are generally richer in sugars and other nutritional elements, allowing them to be sold at premium prices. A high Brix content is especially important for wine grapes. The higher the Brix reading in wine grapes, the higher the potential alcohol content of the wine, and the sweeter the fruits and berries.

Amino acids also play a role in protecting plants against insects and disease. Weak plants have extra water between the cell walls, providing easy access to sucking insects and fungal pathogens. Strong plants with extra pectin between the cell walls are hardened against attacks, forming a physical barrier against invaders.

Calcium is also a secondary messenger. When plants are under attack from insects and other pathogens, calcium release starts a chain reaction that produces secondary metabolites to repel the attackers. Therefor, supplementing plants with amino acid-chelated calcium can help strengthen the plants’ natural immune system, potentially reducing the need for pesticides and fungicides.

The most interesting amino acid is tryptophan. This amino acid as an important function in both plants and humans. Tryptophan is a precursor molecule to the plant growth hormone indole acetic acid (IAA).

In humans tryptophan is a precursor to the brain neurotransmitter serotonin as well as the skin pigment melatonin, which is associated with sleep. It’s no wonder that turkey meat, which is high in tryptophan, makes us sleepy after a large Thanksgiving dinner.

Amino acids are critical for healthy plants and healthy people. Use amino acid fertilizers and chelated minerals for your crops. Remember, healthy plants make healthy people and amino acids benefit both.