ABC Blog

How Plant Probiotics Promote Soil and Plant Growth

How Plant Probiotics Promote Soil and Plant Growth

Probiotics, basically helpful bacteria, are recommended for treating everything from digestion to depression. But probiotics aren’t just beneficial to humans. They can also maintain the balance of good and bad bacteria in plants and soil. Helpful microbes, like those found in Holganix, can help plants grow bigger, healthier, and stronger.

What are probiotics?

Probiotics are bacteria or fungi that are non-harmful or helpful. Harmful bacteria and fungi would be classified as a type of parasite.

When the bad bacteria overwhelm the good bacteria, you can get sick. The same applies to your plants and soil. It’s all about maintaining a healthy balance between the trillions of cells and microbes that make up living things.

All plants have endophytes, organisms that live between plant cells, which is normally the term used for the plant version of probiotics.

Endophytes attach themselves to plants and serve a similar purpose for plants that probiotics do for us. In the plant’s case, some endophytes help the plant absorb nitrogen from the air within the soil. These endophytes are sometimes called nitrogen-fixing bacteria and help convert unusable nitrogen in the air to nitrate (a useable form for the plant).

Recent research has identified the presence of endophytes in leaves and stems in addition to the roots themselves. While there is still a lot to learn about endophytes, it’s clear that plants rely on helpful bacteria and fungi to survive and thrive.

We still don’t know exactly how the bacteria enter the plant and live there, but it’s clear that the more beneficial bacteria you have, the less bad bacteria you have.

Plant-Microbes for Improved Plant Growth and Environmental Sustainability (Sharon Doty)

In a groundbreaking study by the American Society of Agronomy, Sharon Doty and her team were able to extract endophytes from one plant and transfer them to the an entirely new species—rice. What they found was amazing!

The endophytes from one plant gave the new plant species a huge boost in strength, growth, and resistance to disease. The plants grew taller while the roots grew deeper and fuller. Once the bacteria were successfully transferred, they began to migrate throughout the plant’s stem, leaf, and root systems.

With all other conditions remaining the same, the simple introduction of helpful bacteria created healthier plants. Some of the endophytes helped the plant produce hormones that stimulate root growth.

One of the reasons why probiotics help living things defend themselves again harmful environmental changes is because they are extremely adaptive. Due to their short lifespans, probiotics/endophytes can rapidly evolve to deal with rapid changes, such as heat, drought, bad bacteria, and limited nutrients.

In partnership with microbes and other probiotics, plants are able to obtain the necessary nutrients for survival and growth.

Plant probiotics benefit the environment

Why are plant probiotics good for the environment? By building up natural resistance to bugs, fungi, and bad bacteria, you won’t have to use as much fertilizer and pesticides.

Thanks to things like nitrogen-fixing bacteria, harmful chemical fertilizers and pesticides can take a back seat. Less chemicals and chemical run-off is much better for our local water supply, surrounding ecosystem, and can even decrease your carbon footprint.

Due to research by Doty and others, farmers, homeowners, and businesses can use probiotics such as Holganix as a substitute for harmful chemicals in crop production and landscaping.

The introduction of helpful microbes into a plant’s environment is a great way to aid sustainable plant growth and development while minimizing the impact on the environment.

what is organic fertilizer - holganix is better for the environment

Holganix and the Plant Probiotic Approach

Holganix and other organic fertilizer have been using the latest research to pioneer new applications of microbes, microbe food, nutrient enhancers, and endophytes to promote healthier and more resilient plants and soil. Now, anyone can take advantage of the amazing benefits of plant probiotics!

Why does Holganix take a probiotic approach?

Healthy plants and soil depend on a healthy, living ecosystem. Holganix takes a scientific approach to understanding the soil and plant ecosystem to pioneer new plant probiotics and bionutritional plant products. Holganix knows which bacteria will create a healthy habitat for your plants. The beneficial bacteria and microbes increases the plant’s ability to thrive in adverse conditions.

Instead of using harmful chemicals that can kill plants, animals, and enter the local water supply, Holganix took the time to choose over 800 species of beneficial microbes, fungi, and other ingredients to build the perfect support system for your plants.

By using plant probiotics to naturally promote plant growth and resilience, you won’t have to rely on as many chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In fact, when you use Holganix Bio 800+ as the main product in your organic-based plant program, you can instantly reduce your use of traditional fertilizers and pesticides by at least 50%.

Learn about the many University studies that have tested and validated Holganix’s performance advantage. Holganix is used in the field by organic farmers, PGA golf courses, major sports fields, and many lawn care companies.

Holganix improves soil health

Main benefits of Holganix Bio 800+:

  • Completely safe, organic, and natural (no harmful chemicals)
  • Increases plant growth and resilience
  • Taller plants and deeper, more embedded root systems
  • Increases uptake of water, nitrogen, and other nutrients
  • Reduces need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides
  • Lab and field-tested for proven and reliable results

Holganix also helps aerate the soil, allowing for more seed growth, improving water filtration, and reducing water runoff.

There are over 800 species of active, diverse microorganism in Holganix Bio 800+, including:

  • Concentrated Compost Tea
  • Humic and Fulvic Acids
  • Kelp
  • Endo Mycorrhizae
  • Ecto Mycorrhizae
  • Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria
  • Yucca Extract

Click here for a full list of Holganix ingredients.

Holganix was developed with people and plants in mind. The 800+ species of microbes all work to create healthier, more resilient plants.

Contact ABC Home and Commercial Services to witness the power of probiotics for your home or business.

Amberlee Warner

Amberlee Warner is the Lawn Division Director and is responsible for Lawn, Landscaping, Holiday Lighting, and Irrigation Services for ABC Dallas, Fort Worth, and Tyler branches. Amberlee is a licensed irrigator and has over 25 years of experience in the lawn industry. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Horticulture from Texas A&M University. In her spare time, she likes to garden, snow/water ski, and spend time with her daughters.

Learn More

Comments are closed.