By the end of this blog you’ll have a new favourite natural plant fertilizer, a natural pesticide recipe, and the SECRET to naturally pest resistant plants! Plants and your body need the exact same things to stay healthy and both hate synthetic chemicals. A rule of thumb from our friends at Bios Nutrients: Don’t put anything on your plants you wouldn’t put on/in your own body.
The dark history of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides
Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides are only 100 years old but have an extremely dark past, and an even darker future. Synthetic fertilizers and pesticides were made just before World War I and were mainly used for chemical warfare.
The poison gas of WW1 was beyond deadly. The crazy part? Some of these chemicals are still used today for your house plants, gardens, and farms that grow your food!
Current impacts of synthetic fertilizers & pesticides
By using natural products like Bios Nutrients to heal soil we can avoid a toxic wasteland in our future. The goal when synthetics were created was to make sure we had enough food to feed everyone. Although the original intention was good, it’s unfortunately had some nasty side effects like:
- The extinction of pollinators 🐝
- Diseases like Alzheimers and Cerebral Palsy 🧠
What are natural plant care products?
Liquid or granular products that have no toxic chemicals and are in their natural form.
Natural plant fertilizers we like to use:
- Bios Natural Plant Fertilizer
- Kelp Meal
- Alfalfa Meal
- Rock Dusts (basalt, volcanophos, gypsum, etc.)
- Compost (Leaf, Mushroom, Food Waste, etc.)
- Manure (Cow, Sheep, Horse, Chicken, Frass, etc.)
- Liquid Kelp
- Ocean Water Minerals
- Seed Sprout Tea (SST, this is a really cool one to try at home!)
- Compost Tea
- Yucca Extract
- Dead leaves & roots
- Cane Sugar
Natural plant pesticides we like to use:
- Apple cider vinegar
- Isopropyl alcohol
- Essential oils (peppermint, cinnamon, citrus, etc.)
- Diatomaceous earth
- Oil, soap & water (insecticidal soap)
Why should you use natural plant care products?
At Plantsome, we believe in using products that feed plants, heal soil, and create a positive impact on our environment.
- Burn less plants!
- Plants become naturally pest resistant
- Easy & safe to use
- Saves you $$$
- Protects beneficial insects and wildlife
- Can be disposed of safely
How do you switch to natural products if you’re using synthetics?
Fertilizers: Synthetic fertilizers are like fast food. It’s a quick source of food, it's easy for them to eat too much and not retain the majority of the nutrients. It's important to supplement with your existing fertilizer while establishing a living ecosystem again. If you notice any deficiencies, spray your leaves with a very diluted mix of your current fertilizer.
This is how you make the switch successfully:
- Use half the dilution ratio of your current fertilizer
- Add a fertilizer listed above that contains microbes
- After 2 weeks, dilute your current fertilizer again. By week 4 you can just use your new natural plant care product!
Pesticides: Synthetic pesticides are like chemical warfare for your plants. They kill bad and good bugs, they’re super dangerous for pets and children, and make your plants more susceptible to disease. This is how you make the switch successfully: Just stop using your synthetic pesticide!
Use a combination of the natural pesticides from above once every two weeks for prevention. For an active infestation spray every 2 days until pests are gone. Everything listed must be diluted with water before applying!
Natural plant fertilizer you can start using today: Coconut Water 🥥
Coconut water is packed full of plant nutrients like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The natural sugars will also feed the living organisms living on your roots which feed your plants!
Just add 15ml of coconut water per litre of water used and make sure the coconut water you buy has no added sugars!
Natural pesticide you can make today: Insecticidal Soap 🧼
- 1/2 Tablespoon of oil (olive, vegetable, anything you use for cooking)
- 1 litre of water
- 2-3 drops of soap (keep adding drops until oil is completely dissolved after shaking)
Add to a spray bottle and spray the top and bottom of your leaves. This suffocates insects on contact and will always be effective.
The SECRET to naturally pest resistant plants!
Plants have sugar in their leaves and insects love a sweet snack. Here’s the catch… Insects can only digest a small amount of sugar without getting sick. Plants grown naturally have access to way more nutrients and use these nutrients to build up more sugar in their leaves.
When an insect attacks one of these super plants it can kill them on the spot ☠️. Synthetic fertilizers don’t provide enough nutrients to make this happen so you get more pests, and then it becomes so bad you use a synthetic pesticide!
Why we love Bios:
With just one sprinkle, Bios Natural Plant Fertilizer adds everything your plants need to keep them thriving year round and will never burn your plants! The Bios Plant Probiotic protects your leaves and roots from disease just like eating yogurt or drinking kombucha does for your body.
The Bios Yucca Extract keeps leaves clean for maximum photosynthesis, feeds soil biology, and helps your plants absorb nutrients so they can become naturally pest resistant! By using these products together you will not only have bigger, more resilient plants, you’ll never have to use synthetics again.
Let your true green thumb out and switch to natural products today 💚
