Grow Green: Article for Organic Audiences

Using the Essence of Robust Plants from Sub-Saharan Africa

by James E. Kostrava

     The “Grow Green,” all natural, organic movement is nothing new.  For generations people have been passionately encouraging growers of fruits and vegetables [and now medicinal plants] to reduce or eliminate the use of harmful, synthetic pesticides.  That is great, and commendable, but to be realistic you have to put yourself in the position of the farmer.  She says, “Yes, I’d love to grow green. But how can I do that?  If I don’t use pesticides, harmful pests will simply eat [and destroy] my crops.”  That was true until very recently.  But now, using a method called, “Bioadaptive Supplementation,” growers are able to replace many synthetic pesticides that contain heavy metals with all natural, organic plant supplements made by extracting the essence of robust plants from sub-Saharan Africa.

     There tends to be two types of growers: amateurs/hobbyists (A.K.A “gardeners”) and professional growers (A.K.A “farmers”). It is usually pretty easy to tell them apart. Although they are both passionate about growing and very serious about their methods, their desired outcomes are quite different. A gardener wants his plants to be lush and full and healthy, but things like increasing yield are not really a concern to him. Also, indoor gardeners growing ornamental plants life flowers often don’t have serious problems with pests and diseases, so they don’t really need any sort of harsh synthetic nutrients or pesticides.
   The farmer on the other hand is critically interested in yield. An increase in the amount of sellable product goes right to her bottom line—it is as simple as that. The expression “sellable fruit” doesn’t just mean that you have more plants to sell; it means that what you have is healthy, appetizing and appealing. One blemish on a vegetable or piece of fruit will render it unsellable. And then, they must be healthy. After all, how long can they sit on the shelf and still look appealing? The least bit of wrinkling or appearance of aging makes them unsellable.
  It turns out that the solution for both kinds of growers is the same: pure extract from certain robust African plants. In fact, this extract can help make the average Joe a master grower. The benefits gained from these plants have been known for a thousand years in both India and Africa. In India, they refer to neem trees as the village pharmacy, as they are used for everything from leaf shine, fertilizer and bug repellant to curing fingernail and toenail fungus.
    So, what is so magic about these plants? Over centuries, they have evolved and adapted to survive in the harshest climates on earth—such as sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, they don’t just survive; they thrive! You see these trees whenever you see an African lion safari on TV. You observe the dry desolate landscape and then, in the middle of nowhere, you see a giant, lush, green tree. They are absolutely loaded with bioactive nutrients, and have an active ingredient called Azadirachtin that protects it from harmful pests. When locusts come through and eat everything in sight, the only plants left are the ones with Azadirachtin. Azadirachtin does not poison the insects like a pesticide; instead, it triggers a stop eating response and the bugs starve to death. Harmful pests learn that they don’t want to be anywhere near these plants, so they avoid them. Indeed, African villagers say that they like to gather under these trees because they provide the best shade (they remain green all year) and there are no bugs anywhere near them.
   So, what exactly are these robust African plants? The mostly commonly known is neem. But, before we go on, keep in mind that this isn’t the neem oil you’ve come to know. In 2006, a microbiologist asked the question, “What if there was a way to extract the pure essence of the seeds from these African neem plants—not just their oil, but all of the bioactive nutrients?”  And then it was asked, “What would happen if you could make that highly concentrated liquid emulsifiable so it could be applied to plants anywhere as a foliar spray? Could the properties of these robust plants be transferred to our plants here?” It turns out that the answer is “Yes!”

Science behind the technology

A research scientist that literally wrote the book on chemical extraction found a way to extract the pure essence of African plants along with 92% of their bioactive nutrients. (Traditional extraction technology, which results in neem oil, captures less than 30% of the bioactive nutrients from these plants.) He was also able to make this concentrated liquid essence emulsifiable so it would mix nicely with regular water. He sprayed it on plants and found instant results. Weak plants became healthy, and healthy plants became even healthier and increased their yield. Also, stress from pests and diseases were greatly reduced. Fruits and vegetables grown with this pure extracted plant essence stayed healthy longer after being picked, making them much more sellable. This process is known as bioadaptive supplementation.
    A new product made from the pure essence of these African plants is the solution for both amateur gardeners and master growers.

Testimonials from master growers:

   Master growers that have field tested this product say that it would be remarkable if it performed the way it does and was synthetic. The fact that it is all-natural and organic is a huge plus. A master grower in Saginaw, Michigan, said that when he was finished with his growing season, he was very pleased with the results he had with his control group of plants (which was not surprising to him; he is a hydroponic grower that knows what he’d doing). In fact, he said he wouldn’t have given it another thought if he had not had the trial group of plants treated with the concentrated extract right next to his regular crop. The trial group looked much healthier and fuller, and he noticed a slight increase in yield. (He pointed out with high-value crops; even a slight yield increase can mean a lot of additional profit.)
   An Amish farmer in Ohio said that he and his community refer to it as the “silver bullet” because this one nutrient does so many things: it is a plant fertilizer, a growth regulator and enhancer, and it helps him to control harmful pests and plant diseases. He said he has had great result using this as his only additive on organic fruits and vegetables.

 All-natural, organic, OMRI Listed

    Before applying synthetic plant nutrients and pesticides, professional greenhouse growers often have to suit up with special protective gear and then vacate the treated area for a period of time so they don’t poison themselves. When using the pure essence of African neem plants, however, they don’t have that concern. Since it is all natural and organic (it contains no synthetic chemicals or heavy metals whatsoever), this extract is safe and easy to use. It is listed with the Organic Materials Review Institute [OMRI] in Eugene, Oregon, approved for organic use. And what could be better than using all natural, organic supplements to grow anything you will be eating?

Field trials

Field trials using pure neem essence were conducted by independent testing laboratories. Here are some of the results:

Saginaw Valley State University

Field tomatoes: 70% increase in cumulative yield mass, compared to untreated control
Cherry tomatoes: 17% increase in fruit count, compared to untreated control

Michigan State University

Blueberries: 

Outperformed leading brand of chemical inputs in total percentage of marketable fruit
Organic apples: Outperformed the leading OMRI-listed brand in maintaining plant health

Hillsdale College

Greenhouse strawberries: 

Nine-fold increase in fruit count, compared to untreated control

Independent growers

Poinsettias: 

Up to 100% increase observed in red leaves, compared to untreated control

James E. Kostrava, is CEO & Founder of Organibliss, LLC.  

Organibliss™ is an all natural, organic, OMRI Listed plant growth enhancer.
He can be contacted at Organibliss, LLC,

 MidMichigan Innovation Center,
2007 Austin Street, Suite B, Midland, MI 48642 – USA.

 
Email: Jkostrava@organibliss.com Internet: www.organibliss.com