Beyond Organic: PRO-MIX HPO
Finding quality organic products has become an important mission for many people in the medicinal plant industry. A significant number of growers look for ways to avoid using pesticides, herbicides, and other harsh chemicals. Growing organically not only aligns with these objectives but also enables producers to respond to the market’s demands.
According to Deloitte in their 2019 survey Nurturing New Growth, "17% of consumers look for organic products—though organic products may be more important for those buying ingredients for home-made edibles”.
In 2020, Premier Tech, under its PRO-MIX brand, began working on an organic growing media with the same qualities as its PRO-MIX® HP product: high air porosity, improved breathability, and lower water retention. The goal was to develop the organic version of a product designed as a blank canvas for medicinal plants growers.
This blank canvas would allow growers and producers to create their own mix according to their unique recipes, with ingredients such as compost, organic fertilizers, bokashi, worm castings, etc.
Enter PRO-MIX® HPO: an organic, superior, and consistent growing media base with the added benefits of AGTIV® REACH™ containing mycorrhizae and AGTIV® STIMULATE™ containing Bacillus. Growers can build upon this base using their own natural ingredients. PRO-MIX® HPO offers low water retention and high air porosity, providing ideal conditions for strong root growth and thriving soil life.
Among many other benefits, PRO-MIX® HPO is well-suited for low-light and high-humidity growing conditions, making it more difficult to overwater medicinal plants. Its high porosity also helps reduce the incidence of water-related problems (root diseases, algae, and fungus gnats) and holds less water for better leaching of fertilizer salts during the crop cycle.
Beneficial Microorganisms for an Organic Growing Media
PRO-MIX® HPO contains two beneficial microorganisms that work together naturally to feed and protect plants: mycorrhizae and Bacillus. With them, medicinal plants are better equipped to deal with stressful conditions thanks to the symbiotic relationships with their roots. The soil also benefits from these microorganisms, experiencing improvements in its structure, filtration, and water-holding capacity, so growers can use less water.
Mycorrhizae are the beneficial associations between a mycorrhizal fungus and roots, which boost the plant’s water and nutrient uptake. This increases the plant’s resistance to environmental stresses such as drought, compaction, salinity, low fertility, and transplant shock.
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Mycorrhizae:
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Bacillus are gram-positive bacteria with high motility that colonize plant roots. By forming a biofilm around the roots, Bacillus enhances the rooting conditions, promotes successful plant establishment, and boosts plant health and yield.
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Bacillus:
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PRO-MIX® HPO is presented in a 3.8 cu ft. format, and it’s available in the US and Canada.
