Question: How does Biplantol compare to Miracle-Gro Liquid Houseplant food for nutrient supply? I would imagine Biplantrol to be safer to use on edible herbs as compared to Miracle-Gro - is this true?
Thanks.
Answer: We cannot say whether Biplantol is healthier than Miracle Gro, but here is what we have found on the subject:
From Organic Gardening Magazine, July/August 2000 Issue.
Miracle-Gro is a synthetic fertlilzer that contains ammonium phospate and several other chemicals that can be toxic to your soil and plants. It is prohibited from use in certified-organic farming. Here's what soil expert Robert Parnes, Ph.D., says in his book Fertile Soil: "[ammonium fertilizer] acidifies the soil and thus it is probably more harmful to soil organisms than any other nitrogen fertilizer. . . . The application has to be timed carefully and placed properly to avoid burning the leaves and roots . . . . In addition, ammonium tends to inhibit the release of . . .potassium. . . Ammonium fertilizers are deliberately manufactured to be spread at high application rates in order to obtain maximum yields with no regard to adverse effects on the soil. Probably nowhere is the conflict between the mass production of food to feed the world and the preservation of the soil more obvious than in the confrontation over the use of either ammonium fertilizers or liquid ammonia."
And there's more: long-term studies at the University of Wisconsin have shown that acidic chemical fertilizers are causing serious, permanent damage to our soils. Usually these fertilizers are also highly soluble, so they leach away and pollute our water systems, too. Soil fertility authority Garn Wallace, Ph.D., of Wallace Laboratories in El Segundo, California, points out that Miracle-Gro contains muriate of potash which contains excess chlorine that will burn plants and inhibit the uptake of nitrogen. Dr. Wallace also warns that products such as Miracle-Gro often contain unsafe levels of zinc and copper that will be toxic to soil life.
And if all that's not enough to convince you to avoid this stuff, consider this: you have to mix Miracle-Gro with water and apply it every "7 to 14 days." If you opt to fertilize organically, on the other hand, all you have to do is mix a ½-inch layer of grass clippings into your beds before each crop. As the grass decomposes, it will improve your soil's texture and stimulate microbial life and help prevent disease, all while releasing plenty of nutrients to feed your plants. (For full details on organic fertilizers, see "How to Fertilize Your Garden," Organic Gardening, July/August 2000.)
-KATHY BAUMGARTNER, Fremont, Michigan
Chemical fertilizers are by-products of the petroleum industry, they're salt-based, and they're almost always overkill. Runoff of fertilizer chemicals in to streams and water supplies is a serious problem. You're also more likely to burn plants by using too much synthetic fertilizer, and you can even hurt the soil: there's nothing like high-nitrogen chemical lawn fertilizer to damage your earthworm population.
On the other hand, organic fertilizers like fish emulsion, bone meal, kelp meal, etc. are food for beneficial organisms that live in the soil and help feed plant roots. Worm castings, manure, and compost are full of beneficial microbes, as are many organic fertilizers that have species of good bacteria and fungi added. So when you add these organic products to the soil, you're not just feeding your plant, you're feeding the soil your plant lives in.
Organic fertilizers may work more slowly, but think of them as a complete meal. Synthetic fertlizers are a pill, and since they only contain a few major nutrients, it's not even like feeding your garden a multivitamin--it's more like feeding it vitamin C, D, and E and figuring that's enough.
Excerpted from "Dirt, a gardening blog by Amy Stewart © 2005 Amy Stewart "
Biplantol on the other hand is a "homeopathic plant medicine" - although Biplantol does have many essential minerals - it is not in itself a fertilizer. Biplantol is organic, and it is 100% non-toxic to humans, animals, plants, and the environment. Biplantol's homeopathic dynamic formula works by supporting the plant's root system, and it feeds the soil with essential trace elements which bring the plants back into their own natural balance - this helps to create a stronger, healthier symbiotic relationship between the plant and the soil. This increase in over-all health allows the plant to naturally resist disease, pests, drought, and environmental stresses. It is recommended that you use fertilizers, organic if possible, as over time the nutrients in all soils breakdown and are depleated. In our own gardens we use organic matter such as grass clippings, shredded leaves, and worm castings. When you create a healthy soil environment, you are giving your plants the ability to utliize the present nutrients they require. Biplantol definitely helps promote this process.
