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Learn How to Add Probiotics to Your Garden to Make It Grow Better because anytime is a good time to add this supplement to your plant watering routine. Whether you’re planting seeds, have new starts, a growing garden (including fruit trees) or diseases you’re trying to overcome, the right probiotics in your garden are so helpful.
And the results are fast and impressive.
Plant probiotics also transform and revitalize indoor plants!
Probiotics really work, and they work quickly!
I first learned about How to Add Probiotics to Your Garden to Make It Grow Better from a local group of self-sufficient homesteaders.
These people really know how to make it work to live off your own land, so I trusted and hoped it was a good source to follow.
What happened when I used their recommended brand of probiotics truly amazed me: My starts burst forth, and then my garden was HUGE for the first time, and my bounty was mighty. I felt that I could finally garden well!
This probiotic product is for well-seasoned gardeners and newbies alike. Who doesn’t want more growth and more yield with almost no effort?
The benefits of liquid plant probiotics
Liquid plant probiotics help plants to absorb more water and more minerals. The probiotics in the product break down organic matter in the soil, making it into food for plants. Essential minerals like nitrogen are also released.
When choosing a plant probiotic, the more diverse the population, the broader the spectrum of effects.
The history of plant probiotics
The inventor and creator of EM-1 (“EM” stands for “effective microorganisms”), the probiotic I’ve had amazing results with, did just that.
This science goes back to the 1600s in Japan. Japanese farmers created a potion to nourish and protect their crops.
Plant probiotics nourish and protect
Nourishing crops includes: soil fertility and plant health. (EM-1 provides a broad spectrum of microorganisms, enzymes, vitamins and various organic acids.)
Protecting crops includes: pest and disease control. (Say goodbye to mildew, blight on your tomatoes and potatoes, scabs, black, leaf and bacterial spot … and so much more.)
EM-1 supports the growth of other vital components including mycchorrizae (fungi that have a symbiotic relationship with the roots of many plants), earth worms and insects already in the soil.
How to Add Probiotics to Your Garden to Make It Grow Better: What brand is the best
The best brand of plant probiotic is: TeraGanix EM-1 Plant Growth, Microbial Inoculant Concentrate. This product contains beneficial microbes, including photosynthesizing bacteria and multiple strains of lactic acid bacteria.
The photosynthetic bacteria increase root growth and create sugars that feed other beneficial bacteria.
On the leaves, beneficial bacteria produce phytohormones. These protective molecules increase growth while helping plants defend against environmental stresses.
Amazing resistance occurs: reduced risk of root rot, temperature stress, pest attack and diseases.
After years of trying different methods with my plants, I finally found the one product I needed most. It turned out I only needed one major thing to improve my gardening, and this was it!
Last year, the results were so incredible that I had passersby noticing and commenting on the size of my plants. People laughed as they commented on the size of my plants. (I did, too!)
I think it’s safe to say that the recommendation I received from the DIY homesteading gardening community is the cream of the crop (pun intended ๐ ), the best probiotic for your garden, too.
TeraGanix EM-1 contains:
- 1 million colony-forming units of lactic acid bacteria.
While I use TeraGanix EM-1 to nourish my plants, there are many more uses, showing the power of probiotics!
TeraGanix EM-1 will:
- when sprayed on leaves, help remove fungus and blight
- restore resistance to disease and pests
It can be used:
- as a soil conditioner,
- root enhancer,
- for seed germination (I’ve had amazing results),
- anywhere in the garden,
- even for fruit trees,
- and for lawn care.
Safe and beneficial to all parts of your garden
This product can be sprayed on the leaves, the soil and on other plants. It is gentle and nourishing.
How to use and measure TeraGanix EM-1
In addition to all the benefits of this product, I love how easy it is to use.
Just combine:
- 3 tablespoons TeraGanix EM-1 for every 1.5 gallons of pure, unchlorinated water (Here’s a great 1.5 gallon lightweight watering can (with two gentle ways of watering); it’s well-designed. Easy to measure in probiotic with this watering can: Just fill it up and add the probiotic.)
- 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) TeraGanix EM-1 for every 1 gallon of pure, unchlorinated water (Here’s a one gallon metal watering can for medium-size watering, so it’s easy to measure.)
- OR 1 tablespoon TeraGanix EM-1 for every half gallon (Here’s a half gallon watering can for small jobs and indoor plants, so it’s easy to measure.)
Of course, you can also attach a container to your hose (like this). You can not put on too much of this product, so it’s safe to not measure exactly.
How to Add Probiotics to Your Garden to Make It Grow Better: How often to use liquid plant probiotic
Use TeraGanix Em-1:
- once a week for outdoor gardens
- every 2 to 4 weeks for indoor plants.
Do you need to activate TeraGanix EM-1
While you can, you don’t need to! I have amazing results just by combining TeraGanix EM-1 with water.
Benefits of activating
Teraganix says,
“During a 7 day activation period, EMโข1ยฎ not only reaches its full potential but also becomes 100% free from any potential contamination by other pathogenic microorganisms. This distinction makes EMโข1ยฎ the safest biological product on the market, earning several distinct certifications, including organic. In essence, the controlled activation process … bypasses all survival processes of the microorganisms, forming a formidable natural biochemical barrier against pathogenic microbes. Simultaneously, it enriches the solution with potent amino acids … offering a promising path toward a sustainable and thriving agricultural future.”
If you have the time, energy and inclination, there are added benefits, but it’s not necessary to activate to see amazing results in your garden.
How to activate EM-1:
- Add 1 oz of EM-1 + 1 oz of black strap molasses (like this) to 1 gallon of clean water.
- Wait 7 days before use (in temperatures equal to or greater than 62ยฐF).
- Use within 45 days. Store in a cool dark place.
Find TeraGanix EM-1 plant probiotic here.
You can Pin How to Add Probiotics to Your Garden to Make It Grow Better here:
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What to do with your big garden
- Pickled Zucchini
- Easy Pickled Cucumbers
- DIY Charcoal Packets for Making Veggies and Fruits Last Longer
- How to Ferment Any Veggie
- Easy Pickled Green Beans
- Cauliflower Pickles
- Fermented Brussels Sprouts
- Homemade Blueberry Jam (refined sugar-free)
- Fig Jam (refined sugar-free)
- Raspberry or Blackberry Jam (refined sugar-free)
Sara says
Would this be something you could add to your rain barrel, so it’s ready to use anytime? Also, I noted you have some recommended watering cans linked. As for the metal cans, does the metal kill the probiotics as it does if you use a stainless steel spoon in honey (just learned that)?
Megan says
Hi Sara, I don’t think this would be a good rain barrel recipe unfortunately. It could go south like that, and even the activated version needs the right conditions. But if you were to try it at all, that’s what I’d do, is add the molasses and have it be activated, so it can withstand any and all negative growths. The metal of the cans will not harm the probiotics for that short duration it takes to fill the can and water the plants. I would not store the product in the can long term.
Sally says
Hi Megan,
Thank you for this post. I purchased the probiotic you recommend, and I plan to use it on those plants in my yard that are struggling. I’m hopeful I can compare their progress with their thriving companions.
On another note, you mentioned in your email newsletter that your 15-year-old son eats a BIG lunch of 4-5 sandwiches consisting of meat, hummus, and lettuce on sourdough bread. I’m curious, do you have a VAD-friendly hummus recipe that you use/love? I too have a growing teenage guy, and I think he would really like sandwiches for lunch…so would I!
Thank you!
Sally
Megan says
Hi Sally, great to hear about you trying out the probiotic. I’d love to hear how it goes and hope you see some great progress! Re hummus, I actually have a hummus post I’m working on. It will probably publish in 2 weeks. But until then, Dr. Smith does approve of hummus in general. You can make your own with the classic ingredients, and it is a good choice. Otherwise, in 2 weeks, I’ll share the VAD-friendly one I make. ๐ Yes, sandwiches with it are so nice. I eat hummus every day, always with lunch, but sometimes also with breakfast or dinner. My whole family knows it to be the best staple condiment! Cheers!