Plant feed: How synthetic fertiliser impacts plants and soil

Last time I mentioned that our food is becoming hollow and as such I was looking to boost one’s dietary intake with a little homegrown magic. Of course, it all starts with the soil and the nutrients it provides. 

Read below or watch.

Although farmers usually get all the blame for the excessive use of synthetic fertilizers, gardeners are equally not blameless. In our bid to avoid ugly compost heaps, while having the best lawn, flowers or tomatoes, we throw ourselves with abandon into over applying the stuff, often neglecting to pay attention to instructions for the required volume and frequency.

These regular shots of synthetic chemicals are ultra processed, fast food for your plants. They tie up essential nutrients, quickly change soil pH, and adversely affect osmosis. In fact they teach plants to switch off their flow of exudates, no longer bothering to recruit microbial helpers to absorb micronutrients, resulting in weakened resistance to disease.

To sustain plant life, you need just seventeen micro and macro elements. Hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon account for a whopping 96% of the mass of a plant. That leaves only 4 percent for the other fourteen essential elements.

That 4% is where we get our additional nutritional value, aside from fibre. But in the past 80 years our food has been losing it, with greatest reduction in vital minerals such as sodium (-52%), iron (-50%), copper (-49%) and magnesium (-10%).

This season I’m looking to grow a small vertical allotment. And since my plants will be what they eat I’m preparing a delicious meal.

But...

Not all of us have the space, time or proclivity to create compost. And as an indoor plant grower myself I understand that plants in pots require additional support.

If you are already into organic slow feed, be it using wormery juice or bokashi tea, I love it, stick with it. However, if you prefer a little pre-packaged support, please consider the following:

Organic Houseplant Food

This gentle plant feed is made using cold-pressed Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed .

It improves soil structure, strengthens plant immunity and reduces transplant shock resulting in brighter, more vibrant leaves and healthier photosynthesis.

Thick with seaweed solids this bottle makes 50L. It smells like the sea, when you mix it and I love it. Be ready to be in a holiday mood.

Organic Liquid Seaweed Plant Feed

Cold pressed seaweed keeps micronutrients, trace elements and naturally occurring growth compounds intact. Rather than pushing fast, surface-level growth, this approach helps plants build strength gradually. It is the ultimate friend to all plants, especially those of the edible variety.