Soil Amendments & Foliar Products

A material is added to soil to make it better for plant roots. These can be organic or inorganic:

– **Organic Enhancements** come from natural sources like wood chips, grass clippings, straw, compost, and sawdust.
– **Inorganic Enhancements** are man-made materials such as perlite, pea gravel, and sand.

The Importance of Soil

Soil is essential for a healthy landscape and the growth of plants, including crops, grass, and trees. Here’s why soil is so important:

– **Nutrient Supply:** Soil provides plants with the essential nutrients and minerals they need to grow.
– **Water Storage:** Soil holds water plants need to survive.
– **Protection:** Soil filters sunlight and water, supports plant roots, and shields plants from erosion, drought, and flooding.
– **Microbial Habitat:** Soil is home to billions of microbes that help plants stay healthy and get nutrients.
– **Insect Habitat:** Soil supports millions of insects that lay and hatch eggs.
– **Climate Regulation:** Soil stores more carbon than all the world’s forests combined, helping to regulate the Earth’s climate.
– **Medicine:** Many antibiotics used to fight infections come from microbes in the soil.

Foliar Application

The foliar application involves spraying liquid fertilizers directly onto plant leaves. This method allows plants to absorb nutrients quickly through their leaf surfaces.

Here’s how it works:
– **Direct Nutrient Absorption:** Nutrients are absorbed through small openings (stomata) and the leaf surface.
– **Easy Application:** Nutrients are dissolved in water and sprayed onto the leaves, which helps plants easily absorb various nutrients.
– **Controlled Concentration:** You can adjust the concentration of the fertilizer solution to avoid damaging or burning the leaves.
– **Minor Nutrients:** This method effectively applies minor nutrients like iron, copper, boron, zinc, and manganese.
– **Insecticides:** Insecticides can also be mixed with fertilizers and applied through foliar.
**For High-Value Crops:** This technique is often used to boost growth and productivity in high-value crops, like fruits.