Development

To develop Growtastic, we looked to Nature. We began without a preconceived solution. Where man has not upset the balance and Nature is in abundance -- plants thrive. No one fertilizes or injects pesticides. We knew the secret had to lie in the soil. Plants don’t have stomachs to digest their food nor do they have the ability to move to acquire them. Nature has to deliver a steady stream of nutrients for plants to thrive. Rain won’t do it alone; most minerals required by plants are not water soluble.

We began looking in the rhizosphere (the root zone). We found many mycorrhizae and bacteria with unique and beneficial relationships with plants. We found that some mycorrhizae provided benefits to some plants but were very selective as to plant and conditions. We found none universal to all green leafed plants. A major product goal. Additionally, though one can see mycorrhizae with the naked eye, at the microscopic level, we found many bacteria were present and making major contributions. There was synergism between the fungi and bacteria. We concentrated on bacteria. These bacteria are now members of a group referred to as Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR) and are beneficial to all green leafed plants, under proper conditions.

Some competitors use a shotgun approach, applying large numbers of organisms, some spores and some vegetative (living organisms). Many of these organisms we rejected for one reason or another. One example is the bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt which has a role in making some nutrients available to plants; however, it is the same Bt from which a gene was spliced into Bt corn to provide an insecticidal property to defeat the corn borer worm. We opted not to include any organism we knew had an insecticidal property. We believe that in addition to beneficial bacteria being helpful to plants, so are many beneficial insects such as lady bugs.

Additionally, we found many organisms that nature provides opportunistically, in sufficient numbers, that assist plants both directly and indirectly. We opted not to duplicate the application of those organisms. We concentrated on those not routinely found in the desired concentrations but most critical to root growth and delivery of critical nutrients for which plants exhibit a need.

Bacteria are both spore forming and non-spore forming. Spores are like seeds waiting to germinate or in the case of bacteria – vegetate. We found that non-spore forming organisms were degraded during storage and transport. We found little assurance that the desired numbers got to the plants. We limited our selection to spore forming organisms to achieve long, stable shelf life and to assure the planned concentration of viable organism were delivered to the plant.

Growtastic’s selected spore forming PGPR that enhance delivery of nutrients and improve plant growth, roots, bloom, foliage and yield. Once in the ground, they love the same conditions as plants and begin to multiply and thrive as the plant begins to germinate and grow. We examined thousands of organisms and identified a number with phenomenal impacts on the growth of plants, roots, foliage, bloom and yield. These organisms’ benefits have been proven in every phase of growth. They are great for propagation, regular nutrient programs, growing of flowers, shrubs, trees, fruits, and vegetables. We have one blend for ALL GREEN LEAFED plants.