What's specific to the bio365 biochemical buffer?
Our dual biochemical buffer is created as part of our bioCHARGE® process.
The bioCHARGE® process transforms our input materials to enhance the chemical (cation and anion exchange) properties of our media. Cation and anion exchange is responsible for the chemical buffering of nutrients. Chemical buffering is a dynamic equilibrium between the positive and negatively charged surfaces that we have engineered and the nutrients (cations and anions) in solution. As nutrients are removed from solution by the growing plant, or beneficial rootzone biology, nutrients are released from the chemical buffer. Conversely if nutrients are accumulating in solution due to fertilizer addition or biological activity, nutrients will be added to the chemical buffer.
Biological buffering works differently from chemical buffering and the plant is in control. A growing plant releases easily consumed carbon substrates into the rootzone. The diverse beneficial biology in bioCHARGE® reacts to these carbon substrates and as the population rapidly multiplies, nutrients are consumed creating a biological buffer. Once the plant reduces the food being provided, and as some of the shortlived microrganisms die, the nutrients contained are released becoming plant available. This biological buffer is at the heart of the saying "feed the soil - not the plant".
Related Articles
Are bio365 medias buffered?
All bio365 growing media has our patented dual biochemical buffer. The biological and chemical components of bioCHARGE® work together to maintain soil pH balance and allows plants to access nutrients as needed and provide a wider “sweet spot” - ...
What nutrient lines do you recommend?
We have customers using many different nutrient lines! Generally speaking, we stay fairly agnostic when it comes to recommending brands of nutrients to use with our product. We are confident that whatever brand you choose will work well with our ...
What do you guys mean when you say "BIOBLEND is more forgiving than BIOCOCO with a wider sweet spot"?
BIOBLEND is a blend of BIOCHARGE, coir, peat and perlite. BIOCOCO is a blend of BIOCHARGE and coir of different particle sizes and fiber length to achieve the desired air filled, water filled porosity. In general it is the blending of peat that ...
Do your soils help with silica nutrition?
We believe that silicon is a “beneficial element”. Silicon helps strengthen plants against insect and fungal attack and improves the permeability of root cells to water and minerals. The challenge is provide silica to the plant in a way it can ...
Do you use manure? What about poultry litter?
We do not use compost or manure as a source of nutrients in our media. Poultry litter is a fertilizer that provides a good source of N, P, K and Ca. The litter has been heated and pelletized during manufacture by our vendor. Our choice to use poultry ...