To determine how balanced nutrition programs increase the productivity of crops and vegetables, AGGRAND scientists compared petrochemical fertilizers with AGGRAND fertilizers. In one AGGRAND experiment conducted in the AMSOIL Growth Center, cabbage fertilized with AGGRAND produced larger, more flavorful heads compared to those produced by Miracle Gro®.
There were several AGGRAND treatments which were compared to Miracle Gro ®. Two of the AGGRAND (pictured right -left and middle) treatments were grown on soilless media, and the Miracle Gro® (right) treatment was grown on media with soil to see if AGGRAND could outproduce Miracle Gro® without relying on the extra nutritional value of the soil. One AGGRAND treatment was applied to the media every two weeks, and the other AGGRAND treatment was applied in the same way with an additional foliar treatment applied before heading and a banded treatment applied at transplanting.
Miracle Gro® was applied to the media every two weeks just like the AGGRAND treatments. Three ounces of the newly formulated AGGRAND 4-3-3 Natural Fertilizer were mixed with one gallon of water to be applied to the media and to the leaves. For the Miracle Gro® treatments, one teaspoon of fertilizer was mixed with one gallon of water and applied to the media as stated in the directions. For the banded treatment at planting, two ounces of the new 4-3-3, two ounces of AGGRAND 0-12-0 Liquid Bonemeal and one ounce of the newly formulated AGGRAND 0-0-8 Natural Kelp and Sulfate of Potash were mixed in one quart of water. This mixture was placed into a trench below and to the side of the roots. The additional AGGRAND treatment (root feeding plus foliar plus band) would tell the scientists whether the additional products and treatments (AGGRAND Plus) were effective in obtaining even higher yields than the single product and treatment (AGGRAND).
The AGGRAND and AGGRAND Plus treatments both produced highly significant increases in mean 308% increase in mean head weight and the AGGRAND Plus treatment produced a 379% increase in mean head weight. The AGGRAND Plus treatment also produced an increase of 71% in mean head weight over the AGGRAND treatment. The take-home message tells us that AGGRAND is more effective than Miracle Gro® even when the AGGRAND plants are grown in soilless media. In addition, the use of banded and foliar applications with a combination of AGGRAND products are effective in obtaining even higher yields than soil applications of one AGGRAND product alone.
