Requirements of Plants

Plants are living organisms like human beings. They also require water, air, sunlight, nutrients, vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes, and friendly microorganisms (em) for their growth.

In the jungles, the living creatures, e.g. insects, earthworms and microorganisms (em) recycle the fallen leaves, flowers, fruits and branches as nutrients for the plants. The plants grow healthily and free from diseases for hundreds or thousands of years without chemical or organic fertilizers added. Their nutrients intake are amazingly well-balanced due to the good soil-food web.

However, in the most farms and plantations, chemical fertilizers are used for plant growth. This is because the farmers/planters do not recycle their plant wastes and put them back where they have been removed. The wastes are usually burnt or thrown away.Most of the time, the chemical fertilizers applied are not well-balanced because no man on earth can produce them better than mother nature. They usually contain NPK +Mgo+TE only. These are not complete nutrients for the plants. They lack many natural macro-nutrients, micro-nutrients, minerals and trace elements which only nature can provide. As a result, the plants suffer from malnutrition, nutritional deficiency, and many other factors that impede their growth and weaken their resistance to diseases. That is why, recycling materials from plants and crops by fermenting them correctly can provide a well-balanced nutrients to the plants. They are easily absorptive by the plants because during the fermentation process the microorganisms make them bioavailable to the plants.

Effects of chemical fertilizers, herbicides and other chemically-based products :

1. Destroy friendly insects, earthworms, and microorganisms (em) in the soil;
2. Destroy good soil web, thus making insoluble compound fertilizers in the soil not bio available to the plants;
3. Damage soil structure ( soil becomes hard, acidic, saline, and unable to retain water);
4. Heavy rainfalls or floods will leach fertilizers to the drains or rivers;
5. Poor absorption of fertilizers without symbiosis between friendly bacterias and the plant;

Benefits of Organic Fertilizers and EM derivatives
In the other hand, organic fertilizers or bokashi with added effective microorganisms (em):

1. Promote the reproduction of friendly insects, earthworms, and microorganisms;
2. Promote good soil-food web and condition the soil;
3. Make insoluble compound fertilizers bio available;
4. Improve soil structure, thus prevent water stress and leaching of fertilizers;
5. Help to release the organic fertilizers slowly.
   

Different Stages of Plant Growth :
Plants have different stages of growth just like humans.

Human Requirements

1. Pregnancy - The expecting mother prepares her body by eating a well-balanced diet.
   
2. Baby stage - The baby drinks mother's milk.
   
3. After weaning - The child takes powdered milk or grind-grain milk .
   
4. About 1 year - The child takes porridge or powdered-grains porridge.
   
5. Above 2 years - The child takes solid food.
6. Adult Stage - An adult requires solid food and more nutrients
   

Likewise, we shouldn't feed the plants with just a few types of nutrients or fertilizers only.

Plants Requirements

1. Before planting - The soil should be mixed with organic fertilizers and compost
2. Seeds - Good seeds should be selected and germinated properly
3. Vegetative stage - The correct fertilizers applied for growth
4. Changeover stage - The correct fertilizers applied for flowering
   
5. Mature/Fruit Stage - The correct fertilizers applied for maturing/fruiting

Applying the correct organic nutrients plus effective microbes (em) at the right stage of growth, will help the plants to grow naturally and produce good quality crops or fruits.