Humified Compost / Soil Essence Plus
SOIL ESSENCE PLUS is our most popular product
because it provides the most value for your dollar. Just like
our SOIL ESSENCE, some of the benefits are:
- Humus is a complex material formed during the breakdown
of organic matter and contains humic acid which provides
many binding sites for plant nutrients. These nutrients are
stored in the humic acid molecule in a form readily available
to plants and are released when the plants require them.
- Humus is a source of necessary organic carbon and nitrogen.
- Humified compost supplies humic acids which expand clay
colloids in the soil, creating a porous structure which allows
oxygen to penetrate.
- Humus holds FOUR TIMES its weight in water,
increasing the soil’s water management capacity through
the reduction of runoff, evaporation, and mineral leaching.
- Humified compost dramatically increases the number of beneficial
microorganisms along with a large dose of the enzymes, root
stimulants, and humic compounds that they produce.
- The nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in humified compost
convert atmospheric Nitrogen into plant usable, organic Nitrogen
compounds.
SOIL ESSENCE PLUS consists of SOIL
ESSENCE with a proprietary rock powder mineral blend added to it. The
minerals are a complex blend of 3 synergistic calcium sources,
gypsum, and geologically composted kelp added at the rate of
90 pounds per cubic yard. The added benefits of SOIL
ESSENCE PLUS are:
- When supplemental mineral nutrients are mixed with humified
compost, they combine chemically with the humic acids to
form soluble (plant available) compounds.
- Humic acids buffer the minerals across a wide pH range.
- While plants utilize a variety of different minerals such
as Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and Magnesium (all naturally
available in high-quality Humus!), Calcium is used in plants
by weight and volume more than any other mineral element.
It is the ONE ELEMENT not available through
the atmosphere to plants and is also mobile in the soil so
it must be constantly replenished. The more Calcium a plant
absorbs, the greater its ability to attract nutrients from
the atmosphere, especially Nitrogen, Potassium, Magnesium,
and Carbon Dioxide.
- The minerals are especially important because they build
and nurture the microbial workforce found in Humus, giving
them the tools they need to work with. When microbes digest
the minerals and add them to their bodies they chelae the
minerals, thereby keeping them from becoming "tied up" in
the soil. The minerals from these microbial exudates always
remain available for plant uptake.
- Whether you are growing food crops or ornamentals, addressing
the mineral needs of your plants will result in more nutritional
food and hardier plants. The higher the mineral content of
a plant, the higher the sugar content will be. The higher
the sugar content of the plant, the lower the temperature
will have to fall before the plant’s tissues will begin
to freeze!
USAGE: Organic soil amendment for general
use on gardens, lawns, and trees. Recommended for use on soils
where manure or chemical fertilizers have been used in the
past. Designed to provide broad-based mineral nutrients to
clay, salty, or sandy soils.
APPLICATION RATE: In gardens and around trees,
till one inch of SOIL ESSENCE PLUS into 5 inches of existing
topsoil prior to planting OR top dress with one inch after
planting. On lawns, top dress with 1/4" of
SOIL ESSENCE PLUS and rake out evenly.
COVERAGE: 1 cubic yard of SOIL ESSENCE
PLUS will cover 1300 square feet at a ¼" application
rate OR 325 square feet at a 1" application rate.
