My most recent customer this week purchased a drum of 4-3-3 was one of those who said, " you don't need to sell me on the product."
He said he lived in Europe for a number of years to include Bosnia and the first thing visitors asked was why is the water green. He said that was the result of years and years of over fertilization. The unused nitrogen contaminated the water supply causing uncontrollable algae blooms.

AGGRAND GROWS GOOD SOIL (don't call it dirt)

The soil is the foundation of sustainable, natural, and organic fruit and vegetable production.

Chemical agriculture, however, is a lot like chemotherapy: the longer it is used, the worse are its effects. It involves introducing a toxin into a system in order to make it work better. It will be effective for a while, but the long term impacts on that system (a person's body or the soil) will become more and more damaging. The end result is more sickness that requires more chemical support.

A Healthy Soil

--contains beneficial fungi, involved in the initial breakdown of plant and animal residues, as well as absorption of nutrients by plant roots

--contains soil bacteria, for the secondary breakdown of OM in the top 2-6 inches of soil, and rhizobial bacteria, which enable legumes (soybeans, alfalfa) to fix N from the air

--creating humus, so nutrients can become available to plants

--bacteria can fix up to 100 lb/acre of free N from the air (78% N)

--earthworms can provide up to 700 lb/acre/day of fresh castings while aerating the soil

--beneficial microorganisms consume pests and other pathogens, creating more available nutrients for plants

The Chemical Path

--use salt-based fertilizers (nitrates, chlorides) to supply nutrients in a soluble form

--the highly soluble nitrogen carries calcium and magnesium below the root zone

--increased soil acidity results in reduced nutrient availability (pH graph)

--necessitates addition of more chemical products (insecticides and fungicides) to maintain growth and fill nutrient gaps and ward off pathogens

--these salts are toxic to the natural soil organisms

--as beneficial organisms die off, they are replaced by non-beneficial ones to fill the niche as the ecosystem degrades
--fewer earthworms>>>>more soil compaction, less oxygen available in root zone

The New Beginning, a return to health

--Reduce chemical inputs and replace them with AGGRAND to stimulate soil biology

--soil testing: balancing the chemistry

--introduction of Organic Matter: cover crops or green manure

     crop residue worked into top 2-4 inches of soil, grass clippings

                                                     crop stubble

                                                     compost

                                                     animal manures

--AGGRAND: balanced food for microbes and soil health, improves rate of decomposition of OM

Realizing the Benefits

--reduced environmental impact

--good production when chemically-aided crops are failing (Motokato potatoes)

--gradual buildup of humus and topsoil

--increased nutrient-holding capacity (higher C.E.C.)

--faster recovery from stress caused by pests, disease or the environment