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Michigan Mediums uses Azomite in our Super Soils. Azomite is a natural mineral substance which is mined directly from its Utah desert source. OMRI-Listed for organic production, we use Azomite in our Michigan Mediums Soil Mixes. It is easy and safe to use and good for the environment.
Azomite trace mineral fertilizer is a complex of naturally occurring minerals which contains essential elements (micro-nutrients) for plant growth. Fertilization with Azomite adds some of the required mineral balance for the growth of common soil flora and fauna vital to overall productivity. Continuous plant propagation and the leaching effects of water may deplete essential minerals and micro-nutrients from soils. Azomite can improve soils that have been depleted of these important minerals and micro nutrients. It can also supplement soil that are inherently deficient of these vital mineral concentrations.
Many nutrient elements have been depleted from soils worldwide due to weathering, leaching, and depletion from decades of continuous agricultural production and Azomite been reported to replenish these nutrients. Technically, Azomite is a highly mineralized complex silica ore (Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate or HSCAS), mined in Utah from an ancient deposit left by a volcanic eruption that filled a small seabed an estimated 30 million years ago.
According to research and customer reports, plants grown with Azomite produce more and larger fruits and vegetables per plant that are better tasting — with evidence of improved nutritional benefits. Azomite has shown these positive results in a wide variety of plants in both field and laboratory.
Michigan Mediums uses Bone Meal in our Super Soils. Bone meal is a mixture of finely and coarsely ground animal bones and slaughter-house waste products. It is used as an organic fertilizer for plants and as a nutritional supplement for animals. As a slow-release fertilizer, bone meal is primarily used as a source of phosphorus and protein.
Bone meal is a slow-release form of phosphorus (P) that may be expressed as phosphate or phosphorus. The calcium infusion from bone meal helps plants develop strong and healthy cells and seeds. It also strengthens the stems and aids in the development of new shoots in perennial crops and shrubs. The calcium in bone meal can also help prevent common problems in vegetables such as blossom-end rot in crops like tomatoes, eggplants and peppers. Bone meal can be used as one part of a balanced organic fertilizer program for bulbs, roses and other plants that benefit from a slow-release form of phosphorus. It can feed plants for up to four months. Although it does not offer a high amount of either, bone meal also has trace amounts of nitrogen and potassium.
All plants need phosphorus, which bone meal supplies, especially when developing roots. It is one of the three essential macronutrients, along with nitrogen and potassium. Adequate amounts of phosphorus in the soil are essential for optimal crop yields.
In addition to root development, it enables plants to store and transfer energy, and develop flowers and fruit. Maximum phosphorus availability occurs between pH levels of 6 and 7.
A phosphorus deficiency may present itself on the plant as stunted growth, and weak or spindly stems. Phosphorus-deficient leaf symptoms include dark leaf veins while the rest of the leaf fades to hues ranging from yellow, purple or blue-green. Flowers may be underdeveloped, appear late, or not at all.
Other organic or natural sources of phosphorus besides bone meal include Tennesee Brown Rock Phosphate and Manure.
Michigan Mediums uses Carbonatite in our Super Soils, an agri-mineral fertilizer and soil conditioner, which is appropriate for use with, certified organic and conventionally produced crops. Carbonatite contains a suite of minerals, which are mined from an ancient volcanic deposit in Northern Ontario. This group of minerals includes calcium(Ca) phosphorous(P) and potassium(K) bearing species.
We use this Carbonatite in Michigan Mediums Soils for many reasons.
Carbonatite is completely natural, there are no chemicals or additives.
Carbonatite is not harmful to your children or pets.
Carbonatite is not a weed killer, but it helps create an unhealthy environment for weed growth.
Carbonatite will promote a stronger root base on plants.
Carbonatite feeds the soil which in turn feeds plants.
The Vermiculite in conjunction with Carbonatite makes available tied up nutrients in the soil.
Carbonatite will NOT burn plants, you can never use too much. The soil will only use what it needs.
Carbonatite can help against most garden variety diseases, such as blossom end rot in tomato plants.
Carbonatite does not leach or dissipate.
Michigan Mediums uses Coconut Coir in many of our Super Soil mixes. It’s similar to but easier to use than sphagnum peat moss and it’s more sustainable too.
This coir is biodegradable but it biodegrades slowly, more slowly than regular peat moss and other organic matters.
It’s a naturally weed free and soil free product that smells good too.
As a soil amendment it adds organic matter.
Helps improve soil structure.
Aerates the soil which is great for the plants roots.
Improves water holding capacity–acts as a sponge to hold water in the root zone so that the plants can use it when they need it. Coir has a better water holding capacity than most soil amendments and it can hold seven to ten times its weight.
At the same time that it holds on to water it will also get rid of excess water so that your plants don’t become waterlogged.
Although it doesn’t have any significant nutrient value of its own, it helps the soil retain nutrients so that it’s available to the plants.
Michigan Mediums is proud to have some of the highest quality Composted Steer Manure in the country, proudly sourced in Michigan. As the fully digested remains of whatever grain or vegetation farm animals consume, manure is a rich organic product that passes many of it benefits on to the soil it is mixed into. Fresh or composted, it loosens compacted clay soil, tightens soil that is too light and sandy, improves its permeability, and increases its nutritional content.
As processed organic material, manure is a natural choice as a garden soil enhancement. Farm animals are routinely fed the byproducts of plants either in the form of dried grain and meal or through the open grazing of live vegetation. Manure is thus not only the actual animal waste itself but a combination of waste and other organic substances such as straw bedding, liquid runoff, and spilled feed. Manure is a complete amendment in that it not only adds important nutrients, such as nitrogen, to the soil but also completely changes the soil’s structure.
As manure continues to decompose in the soil, microbes and bacteria absorb its nutrients, producing their own byproduct called humus, which attaches itself to soil particles. Humus separates the dense particles in clay soil, improving its drainage, and it fills the large spaces between dry sand particles, holding on to more water in the process. Manure supplies plants instantly with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients by warming the soil, which speeds up decomposition, and lowers the soil’s acidity level, or pH, less than chemical fertilizers. Manure also supplies energy to fungi and earthworms that help to further break down its components in the soil.
Michigan Mediums relys heavily on Humates to build our Super Soils. Humates are now recognized as the single most productive input in sustainable agriculture. They consist of Humic and Fulvic Acid along with the raw humates (prehistoric plant matter) from which these powerful natural acids are derived. Humic acid is a powerful fungi promotant. Beneficial fungi (including mycorrhizal fungi) are the missing link in many soils. It stabilizes nitrogen and improves nitrogen efficiency, thereby making it an ideal additive in Michigan Mediums soils. Humic Acid complexes phosphate to reduce lock-ups and, as such, is also an ideal additive.
Humates are the only known substance with the ability to hold onto every other nutrient in the soil which enables heightened nutrient absorption. Humates contain an auxin-like growth promotant that can enhance cell division and elongation. In addition, they increase the permeability of plant cells to increase nutrient uptake by up to 40 %.
They also have pH buffering capacity to help neutralize the problems associated with pH extremes. Humates also aid in moisture and nutrient retention and improve soil structure by promoting fungi to create a crumb structure for better water and oxygen intake and improved root penetration.
Humic and Fulvic Acids are very effective components in Michigan Mediums soils. Research shows that the presence of humic substances in soil will increase soil water retention, provide available carbon to soil, promote growth of living cells (auxin-like type of hormone), chelate cations in soil (high cation exchange capacity), and solubilize hydrocarbons into water phase (similar to a surfactant).
Michigan Mediums uses Humic/Fulvic Acids in many of our Super Soil mixes. The most prominent and well-known benefit of humic (and fulvic) acids are how they increase nutrient uptake in plants. This is why they make such an excellent soil amendment, and it’s why they pair so wonderfully with fertilizers. Without humic acids present, some of the nutrients provided by fertilizers become inaccessible to plants, so money is lost and plant health suffers. Thus, humic acids are vital for both the health of plants and for growers’ economic well-being.
Humic acids make nutrients more available in soil that might not otherwise be available. How exactly? It starts with the organic composition of the acids. Humic acids are naturally oxidized, which gives them a net negative charge. Thus, positive ions, also known as “cations”, are attracted to these big molecules and bind to them. This “cation exchange capacity” is a unique and highly beneficial feature of humic acids. And many of the nutrients that plants need—such as Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, and other trace minerals—are positively charged. So in the presence of humic acids, these nutrients unlock from the soil and bind to humic acids. Then they can then be transferred next to the root system of the plant.
The root systems are also negatively charged, at a stronger negative charge than the humic acid. So the positive ions bound to the humic acid release for uptake into the plant. Without this vital system, many nutrients would remain locked in soil and unavailable to plants they’re meant to fertilize.
Humic acids don’t just make nutrients more available. They also chelate harmful toxins in the soil, preventing them from entering the plant. This benefit is particularly important in today’s soil environments, where countless toxins have been introduced over many years, namely pesticides and heavy metals. These pollutants degrade the soil quality, and without proper remediation, they continue to degrade crop health and volume. These toxic molecules are captured by humic molecules and locked up. Unlike nutrients, they’re not uptaken by the plants, and eventually they’re flushed away. This vital process keeps plants healthier in today’s increasingly challenging growing environments.
One of the most noticeable and impactful benefits of humic acids is their impact on microbial populations on soil. Scientists are increasingly realizing how important a healthy microbiome is to soil environments. And many bacteria populations have been decimated by poor soils and pesticides, so it’s imperative that they be restored. Humic acids aid the growth of microbial populations in two primary ways. First, they provide a source of carbon which serves as a food source for microbes. Secondly, due to their large size, they provide a source for microflora to colonize. So essentially humic acids provide food and shelter to beneficial microbes, which explains why microbial populations flourish in the presence of humic acids.
Although humic acid has a net negative charge, it carries both positive and negative charges. And it has a very large molecular size. Because of these properties, humic acids are able to bond to all soil particles, which creates necessary space for microbes and healthy root growth. This is especially noticeable in high-clay and compacted soils, where soil particles are bound tightly together. Humic molecules are even capable of standing clay particles on end, which allows more space and water penetration. Further, they remove salts from clay, which restores a negative charge from the clay particles, forcing them apart.
These benefits lead to all sorts of positive effects in plants, including better health, more resistance to stress, larger size and volume, and higher fruit/flower production.
Michigan Mediums uses Mycorrhizal Fungi when building our Super Soil mixes. Mycorrhizal Fungi have existed since the first plants appeared on dry land more than 450 million years ago. They form a close symbiotic relationship with plant roots. They are called mycorrhizae from the Greek “mukés”, meaning fungus, and “rhiza,” meaning roots. Mycorrhizae form a network of filaments that associate with plant roots and draw nutrients from the soil that the root system would not be able to access otherwise. This fungus-plant alliance stimulates plant growth and accelerates root development.
One kilometer of hypae (fine filaments) may be associated with a plant growing in a one-liter pot and it can access water and nutrients in the smallest pores in the soil. It also makes the plant less susceptible to soil-borne pathogens and to other environmental stresses such as drought and salinity.In return the plant provides carbohydrates and other nutrients to the fungi. They utilize these carbohydrates for their growth and to synthesize and excrete molecules like glomalin (glycoprotein). The release of glomalin in the soil environment results in better soil structure and higher organic matter content.
Mycorrhizal fungi allow plants to draw more nutrients and water from the soil. They also increase plant tolerance to different environmental stresses. Moreover, these fungi play a major role in soil aggregation process and stimulate microbial activity. According to the plant species and to the growing practices and conditions, mycorrhizae provide different benefits to the plants and to the environment.
Produce more vigorous and healthy plants
Increase plant establishment and survival at seeding or transplanting
Increase yields and crop quality
Improve drought tolerance, allowing watering reduction
Enhance flowering and fruiting
Optimize fertilizers use, especially phosphorus
Increase tolerance to soil salinity
Reduce disease occurrence
Contribute to maintain soil quality and nutrient cycling
Contribute to control soil erosion
Soil structure refers to soil particle aggregation as well as pore spaces. Maintenance of soil structure is of critical importance to the preservation of soil functions and fertility. Mycorrhizal fungi play a major role in soil aggregation through hyphae networking and glomalin (biological glue) production. Therefore, their presence in the soil is essential to maintain physical soil properties. Better soil structure results in:
Greater water infiltration and water holding capacity
More permeability to air
Better root development
Higher microbial activity and nutrient cyclin
Better resistance to surface sealing (crusts)
Better resistance to erosion (water/wind)
Better resistance to compaction
Michigan Mediums Super Soils contain Paramagnetic Rock. What we generally think of as “magnetism” is ferromagnetism, which is the result of the unpaired electrons in a substance (like iron) lining up both with each other, and with an applied electromagnetic field. Remove the electromagnetic field, and the particles still remain aligned with each other, but (obviously) not the field.
Magnetic substances are repelled by magnetic fields. In a paramagnetic substance, however, the unpaired electrons line up only with the applied field and not with each other - so take the field away, and they no longer remain aligned. Paramagnetic substances are attracted to magnetic fields.
Paramagnetic substances exhibit another, related property: they are capable of receiving and absorbing energy from extremely low frequency radio waves (ELF). ELF is generated by lightning, and there are somewhere between 2,000 and 4,000 strikes per minute that occur around the globe. These lightning strikes charge the atmosphere with ELF energy. Paramagnetic materials are capable of absorbing this energy, which they then emit as photons. That’s right, light. Paramagnetic Rock does not glow in the dark in any way that the eyes can see, but the light emission can be measured by sensitive photon-emission instruments.
The German biophysicist Fritz-Albert Popp measured photon emissions from paramagnetic rock, and discovered something profound. When mixed with compost that was rich in microbes, the photon emission was amplified a hundredfold! By mixing Paramagnetic Rock with Compost, and keeping it moist so the microbes can thrive, it will make plants grow more extensive root systems, leading to better mineral uptake and healthier vegetables or cannabis plants.
Michigan Mediums Soils have high organic matter and high biological activity and are higher in paramagnetic values. Paramagnetic values can also be increased by correcting the calcium/magnesium to the 7:1 ideal ratio and raising the oxygen level in the soil. All the systems in the soil work together. The higher the organic matter in the soil, with the accompanying biological activity, the more affective it will be with the addition of Paramagnetic Rock.
The most important point about paramagnetism is that it contributes to plant growth. Paramagnetism is required for plant growth. Benefits of our Michigan Mediums high paramagentic soil include:
Increased water retention
Increased microbial stimulation
Improved nutrient utilization
Increased light energy
Increased seed germination and flowering
Improved insect resistance
Increased frost and drought hardiness
Michigan Mediums uses Poultry Compost in our Super Soil mixes. Composted Chicken Manure (Poultry Compost) provides a slow-release source of macro- and micronutrients and acts as a soil amendment. Compared to other manures, chicken manure and the associated litter are higher in nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and calcium, and are also rich in organic matter.
Addition of organic matter to soils increases a soil’s water holding capacity, improves aeration and drainage, reduces erosion, reduces fertilizer leaching and improves a soil’s structure.
Additionally, organic matter provides a food source for soil microbes, which increases soil biological diversity, accelerating the breakdown of organic nutrients into forms more readily available to plants. All of these factors can improve plant health. The use of composted manure and litter can also reduce the need to apply additional fertilizers.
Chicken manure introduces more nutrients into the soil than other types, such as steer manure. It serves as a soil amendment as well as plant food, improving drainage in dense soils and water-retention abilities. Poultry Compost is a great soil amendment, chicken manure adds organic matter and increases the water holding capacity and beneficial biota in soil. Poultry Compost is also a great fertilizer; chicken manure provides Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium to your plants (more than horse, cow or steer manure).
After composting, the chicken manure will have small amounts of the three key nutrients all plants need including nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Chicken manure packs a bigger punch than composted manure from other animals. Here’s why: sheep, cow and other composted manure are about 1% N, 1% P and 1% K by weight. Chicken manure, on the other hand, can reach 5% N, 3% P and 2% K by weight.
Michigan Mediums uses Tennessee Brown Rock Phosphate in our Super Soils. Tennessee Brown Phosphate is one of the cleanest slow-release sources of phosphorus available. Tennessee Brown Phosphate is derived from high grade phosphorus ore. It is not a colloidal or a hard rock form of phosphate, but rather a unique source of natural phosphate.
Lab tests show an average content of 23% phosphorus in the form of P2O5, 21% calcium, with the added benefit of 22% Silicon in addition to broad spectrum of Trace Minerals. Tests show that when compared to other phosphate sources Tennessee Brown Phosphate contains the least amount of heavy metal contaminants.
Increases photosynthesis
Increases forage quality
Increases Brix giving insect and disease resistance and added test weight
Excellent for microbial stimulation including mycorrhizial formation on roots
Excellent calcium source 20%
Excellent for composting operations to increase available trace minerals.
Michigan Mediums Super Soils contain Vermiculite. Vermiculite helps with water retention, aeration and nutrient exchange. Vermiculite is a natural mineral that is used in our Michigan Mediums Soils to enhance a plant’s growth by boosting aeration while encouraging water drainage. Not unlike perlite, vermiculite adds a plethora of nutrients to the plant, including calcium, magnesium, and potassium. This mineral looks like specks of grey and can easily contain large quantities of air and water.
The nutrients, water, and air present in Vermiculite are periodically released to the plant. This mineral is non-toxic and completely clean. It is also permanent and sterile, which means that it will not become moldy, rot, or deteriorate. Michigan Mediums combines Vermiculite with Compost Plus and Sphagnum Peat to promote root growth.
Vermiculite is a non-toxic mineral that will not deteriorate in your soil, so its effects last for a long time. Since it does not break down, it is not useful as a source of nutrients. Instead, it is a structural helper for your soil. Its unique shape traps water and nutrients, which can be extracted by plant roots as needed. This means you need to water less often than you would with soil that does not contain vermiculite.
Improves water holding capacity of the soil.
Because it is a sterile medium, it is great for starting seeds and for propagating cuttings. Using plenty of vermiculite–or even straight vermiculite-can prevent bacterial and fungal problems such as damping off and root rot.
Improves drainage and lightens the soil in the garden, in raised beds, or in pots.
Vermiculite is used similarly in Michigan Mediums soils to Perlite, Pumice, Biochar and Spelt Hulls. Each has its own pros and cons, and are used in combination to get the most benefits. Compared to these other soil amendments, vermiculite is best for areas and plants that require plenty of moisture, as it has the best water retention. It is not as good at aerating as Perlite, so for our heavy soils we use Perlite instead or in combination.
Michigan Mediums uses Zeolite in our Super Soil mixes. Using Zeolite will cut fertilizer and water costs by holding the nutrients and water in the root zone until the plant is ready to utilize them. Thereby requiring less fertilizer and water to be applied. Zeolite can yield some impressive results in regards to faster germination times, faster growth rates, larger plants, crop yields and reduced fertilizer and water applications.
Zeolite has a high CEC that enables a greater loading of plant nutrients such as nitrogen & micronutrients. The nutrients are held in the growth zone and are plant accessible but not water-soluble. Reduces nitrogen fertilizer requirements as a large portion of nitrogen fertilizers leach through the growth zone and into the aquifer. Zeolite will hold nitrogen and prevent the pollution of the water table by nitrates and nitrites. Zeolite prevents compaction, increases infiltration, and helps the aeration of deep root systems due to its high surface area and porosity. Zeolite is 100% natural and organic and when composted with Manure, it becomes a natural fertilizing system.
Zeolite is a valuable soil amendment in Michigan Mediums Soils. Its increased ability to hold onto cations means that Zeolite has a high CEC, or cation exchange capacity. Zeolite acts as a sponge in the soil for these very important nutrients, and becomes a slow release nutrient reservoir. As they move through the soil particles, the plant rootlets are readily able to break the bonds that held these nutrients on the surface of the Zeolite particles and take them into their cell structures.
Zeolite is not a clay, and therefore remains quite stable in the soil. This means it will not breakdown or decompose, providing long term benefits and soil quality improvements. The same structure that provides for an increased surface area is also able to trap moisture in the soil and its strong capillary action holds onto this as well, yet allowing the soil to remain free draining. This means that Zeolite acts as a wetting agent in the soil and as a distributor of water. This alone helps to distribute nutrients more evenly through the soil. Zeolite reduces the added amount of fertilizer required (especially Nitrogen) because it retains nutrients that would otherwise be lost through the leaching process.
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