Plant & Turf Health Care
Select a plant/turf health care product to learn more:
Mycorrhizal Fungi – Renewing an Ancient Partnership with Crops
You can learn a lot from nature. Millions of years ago, plants and mycorrhizal fungi formed a strategic partnership in order to survive harsh environmental conditions. Today, we can leverage that ancient relationship to dramatically affect our landscape's ability to survive and flourish.
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| Photograph of an actual Mycorrhizal Root System | Same Root System with Mycorrhizal component graphically removed |
Urban landscapes can be harsh environments for your plantings. Construction damage, poor soil quality and fertility, lack of water - all affect a plant's ability to survive. By adding mycorrhizal fungi into the soils of your urban landscape, you are leveraging a tried and true ancient relationship designed by nature to overcome these stressors. Mycorrhizal plants use available water & nutrients more efficiently under both good and challenging conditions, resulting in hardier, stress tolerant plants. Even under optimal conditions, they still efficiently mine the soil and develop to their full potential.
Millions of years ago a symbiotic partnership developed between plants and mycorrhizal fungi dwelling in the soil among plant roots. Both faced many natural stresses, and to survive each needed something the other could provide. The fungi needed sugars plants could manufacture for them as food. The plants needed greater root reach and numbers to draw in more nutrients so they could grow stronger, and stronger.
Mycorrhizal fungi began to serve as a secondary root system, organizing and extending themselves far out into the soil with tubular structures that extract mineral elements and water from soil and transport them to the roots of their host plant. The fungi in turn live off the plant's sugars translocated to them by the roots.
Trees and plants with thriving "mycorrhizal roots" systems are better able to survive and thrive in stressful environments, such as the nearly biologically sterile soil conditions modern agricultural technologies have created for crops. Mycorrhizal fungi still exist in farm soil, but their numbers have been greatly diminished over decades of tillage, fumigation, chemical applications, fertilization, and too often, drought.
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Healthy Start 3-4-3
Healthy Start 3-4-3 is a granular fertilizer formulated to provide organic
and sustainable fertility for all landscape plants. Made from the finest natural
ingredients, it not only provides slow-release N-P-K, but it immediately adds
organic matter to the soil. Six species of rhizosphere bacteria provide a new
level of sustainable fertility.
Key product benefits of Healthy Start 3-4-3:
- Restores natural fertility to disturbed soils
- Slowly releases nutrients as it biodegrades
- Introduces beneficial bacteria to colonize the root zone for sustained fertility throughout the growing season
- Will not burn plants or roots
- Foundation product for many landscape contractors
- Contains no manure
Packaging Size: Packed in 25# and 50# bags
Application Rates:
Soil prep for gardens and flower beds: Apply 25 pounds per 1000 square feet. In very poor soil, double the rate. Rototill into the upper 2 to 4 inches before planting.
Bulbs or sprigs: Add 1 teaspoon per plant and mix with soil in planting hole.
Potted plants: 1/4 pound per 1 gallon container.
Established trees and shrubs: Broadcast 2 pounds per 100 square feet over soil or surface mulch.
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Healthy Start 12-8-8 Macro Tabs
Combining advanced chemistry with biology, no other planting tablet delivers
such an advanced approach to slow-release, long-term and sustainable fertility.
We start with a standard mix of synthetic fertilizers to provide the basic
N-P-K. Six hard-working bacteria species are then added, which together, perform
phosphorus stabilization and nitrogen fixation. Third, we add iron in a
slow-release sucrate form that is not susceptible to leaching. Finally, we
include humic acids, which are naturally present in forest soils, but are
lacking in managed settings. Humic acids help to improve root uptake of minerals
even in unfavorable pH environments. The nutrients in these tablets take up to 2
years to completely release.
Packaging Size: 25 Pound Box – 540 x 21 gram
tablets
Application Rate: One 21 gram tablet per gallon plant or 5
tablets per 1" caliper
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Hydretain Plus ES
Hydretain ES Plus is a unique root zone moisture management product that effectively reduces the overall watering requirements of plants, shrubs, trees, turf and agriculture by as much as 50% or more. Hydretain ES Plus is a proprietary blend of the Hydretain® soil moisture management technology enhanced with an advanced, naturally derived soil surfactant. In combination, these synergistic technologies provide unequaled water conservation and drought stress reduction through efficient subsurface soil moisture management. In addition to reducing overall water requirements, Hydretain ES Plus works to provide the proper soil moisture needed to maximize the effectiveness of most fertilizer and pesticide products.
Packaging Size: 1 gallon bottles and Hydretain ES Plus QD Granular available in 40# bags
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PHC Flower Saver Plus
PHC Flower Saver Plus 3-4-3 contains four select species of VAM fungi in
long-lasting spore form that colonize roots to improve absorption of water and
nutrients. It also contains organic fertilizers with beneficial rhizosphere
bacteria and rich organic soil nutrients. The result is a robust soil treatment
for promoting healthy, long-lasting flowers. It also benefits annual bedding
plants, bulbs, tubers, perennials, herbs, groundcovers, vegetables, fruits and
ornamental grasses.
Packaging Size: Packed in 30 pound pails
Application Rate: Rototill in 30 pounds per 500 square feet, or
one ounce per one gallon plant
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PHC Plant Saver 4-7-4
PHC
Plant Saver is a combination product used for establishing or maintaining most
plants. PHC Plant Saver contains a blend of ecto- and VA mycorrhizal fungal
spores, beneficial rhizosphere bacteria, 4-7-4 fertilizer, organic amendments,
and a selection of slowly available micronutrients. PHC Plant Saver is designed
to restore soil fertility and address the long-term mineral requirements common
to many plants.
Packaging Size: Packed in 10 pound bags
Application Rate: Four ounces per gallon plant, or eight ounces
per one inch caliper
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PHC Terra-Sorb
Terra-Sorb is a super-absorbent, potassium-based co-polymer gel that
significantly increases the water-holding capacity of soil. It absorbs up to 200
times its weight in water and slowly releases it to nearby plant roots. Terra-Sorb
will repeatedly absorb and release water for several years until it biodegrades.
Packaging Size: 55# Bag
Application Rate: Two to three ounces per one inch caliper tree
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PHC for Turf 15-1-6
PHC for Turf 15-1-6 contains two forms of
nitrogen – soluble for quick green-up and
insoluble for long-term fertility. It is great as
a bridge product between synthetic and
natural treatments. PHC for Turf contains
exclusive beneficial rhizosphere bacteria to
create sustainable soil fertility.
Key product benefits of PHC for Turf 15-1-6:
- Natural fertility with two forms of nitrogen, soluble urea and insoluble organic protein nitrogen
- Sustainable fertility by way of natural rhizosphere bacteria
- Contains 2% water-soluble iron
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Roots Transplant 1-Step 2-2-2
Transplant 1-Step contains everything you need to ensure survival of valuable trees, shrubs and flowers. Water-holding gel decreases the risk of drought-related stress and yield losses. Contains a broad spectrum of mycorrhizae for increased nutrient uptake and enhanced root systems. It also contains ROOTS® organic-based fertilizer to enhance root growth and increase stress tolerance. For use on all types of ornamental plants, trees and shrubs.
Packaging Size: 60 - 4 ounce packs per bucket, 1 pack per inch of trunk caliper
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