Page 18 - GM summer French 2025

u FEATURE u ERIC GRATOPP, PLANT NUTRITION SPECIALIST,
FOUNDER, CEO - SHUTTLE 14 INC.
Science Series
ORGANIC FERTILITY IN
Biochars Humic Acids BiproductFulvic Acids Meals Kelps Sugars Citric Acids Fermentation Amino Acids Biochars Humic
Acids BiproductFulvic Acids Meals Kelps Sugars Citric Acids Fermentation Amino Acids Biochars Humic Acids
BiproductFulvic Acids Meals Kelps Sugars Citric Acids Fermentation Amino Acids
Biochars Humic Acids Biochars Humic Acids
BiproductFulvic Acids Meals Kelps Sugars Citric Acids Fermentation Amino Acids
Biochars Humic Acids BiproductFulvic Acids Meals Kelps Sugars Citric Acids Fermentation Amino Acids Biochars Humic
Acids BiproductFulvic Acids Meals Kelps Sugars Citric Acids Fermentation Amino Acids Biochars Humic Acids
WHAT MAKES A FERTILIZER ORGANIC?
For simplicity, organic compounds are plant based, or animal based. Plant
based examples include composts, ground plants, teas, and kelps. Animal
based compounds are manures, meals, and emulsions.
It is important to note that there are worldwide standards of organic classifi-
cations including USDA, CFIA, OMRI, EuOrganics, JAS, etc. All are regulatory and
regional classifiers intended to ensure rules are followed for food production and
safety. These rules and guides are region specific and can vary greatly.
ORGANIC FERTILIZER FORMS
Often, we learn organics through other topics like carbon and nitrogen ratios.
This language was perfect when we used meals, mulches, and waste products.
As technology in organics evolved, we found more developed granular options
like humics and biochars.
Rapidly, new liquids emerged on the market and demanded a new type of
language where our focus was on plant function and how we affect what we
are growing. Organics were beginning to demand language similar to traditional
synthetic systems as liquid options emerged.
Options keep developing in the sugar space while fulvics, citrics, and kelps
are being refined every year. We now sit in a space where industry has seen
the mass adoption of organics, and they want more. Thus, the current race of
new formulations using amino acids, proteins and hormones. There are many
ways to evaluate how these compounds provide benefits, however the most
important one is the impact on plant performance.
PATHWAYS FOR NUTRIENT UPTAKE
General plant nutrition language
defines inputs as foliar-based
nutrition or soil-based. The term
foliar has become a catch-all for
many inputs applied with a sprayer,
but technically speaking, true-foliar
or rapid-foliar products are less than
1 nanometer in size while ordinary
foliar nutrition may be up to ten
nanometers in size.
When using foliar nutrition
pathways for plants, there are no
barriers to limit or control uptake, so
tolerance of accuracy is far lower
than soil-based options. Anything
larger than ten nanometres can be
classified as soil-based nutrition and
would require microbial populations
to breakdown the nutrition into
useable forms or with the intention
for root uptake.
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• CGSA • GreenMaster