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.

Benefits of Microorganisms (EM)

Many researches and studies have found that microorganisms (em) have benefited plants, animals and humans. A few studies have shown that 90% of healthy plants are due to diversified microorganisms (em) living in the soil around their roots. These microorganisms (em) help to make the nutrients in the soil become bioavailable. For example, we get more nutrients from milk, food, fruits and other edible products if they are fermented with the right microbes (em). Fermented products make them easier for digestion and assimilation by plants, animals and humans alike. The Japanese and Koreans eat fermented products very often. They are healthy and strong and live longer.

Ever wonder why some countries produce crops more than 25% compared to others by using the same crop and the same size of land for cultivation? The farmers treat their soil with effective microorganisms (em) and feed the soil and plants with fermented organic fertilizers and compost.

It is a known fact that repeated use of chemical fertilizers, weed-killers and insecticides on their farms will destroy these beneficial microorganisms (em) and the soil ecosystem. Thus causing damage to the soil structure, making it hard, acidic, salty , inability to retain water, non bioavailable of nutrients and a host of other problems.

Using EM to ferment organic fertilizers and compost and applying them in the farm can restore the health of the soil and ecosystem of the farm or plantations.

A large diversified microorganisms (em) and balanced- soil ecosystem will:

1. Enrich and improve soil structure
2. Enhance the retention of water in the soil and prevent water stress
   
3. Decompose organic matter to create humus
   
4. Prevent loss of nutrients by fixing nitrogen and other plant nutrients
5. Slowly release fixed nutrients to plants
6. Increase nutrient recycling
   
7. Produce hormones and enzymes for plant growth
   
8. Increase productivity
   
9. Decompose pathogens entering the soil
10. Protect roots from parasites and diseases

Without a large diversity of microorganisms (em), your farm will be left with a large number of pathogens. The only food left for them to eat is your plants and crops!

To arrest this problem, you need to apply EM, fermented organic fertilizers and compost to increase the population of beneficial microorganisms (em) to maintain a well-balanced ecosystem in your farm.