the standard application rate, the peppers in my grow
test outperformed all of the others.
The Aggressive Application Group
The aggressive application group received one
tablespoon of the Easy Bloom + fertilizer per gallon of
water twice a week. This group performed better dur-
ing the vegetative stage than in the fl owering/fruiting
stage. There was good fl ower and pepper develop-
ment to begin with, but, in the end, the number of
peppers was actually less than in the standard applica-
tion group. Overall, it seems that this feeding regiment
was a little too aggressive for pepper plants, but it may
work well for tomatoes or other heavy feeding, fast-
growing annuals.
Conclusion
Although this grow test was far from scientifi c,
it was pretty obvious that applying Easy Grow + and
Easy Bloom + made a difference in the way the plants
grew and developed fruit and fl owers. Throughout the
vegetative stage, the pepper plants that received the
fertilizer were more robust and produced more fl ower
sites than the pepper plants that did not receive fertil-
izer. After the peppers started to develop, the differ-
ence the fertilizer was making in fruit production was
easily observed. The standard and aggressive applica-
tion rates outperformed the control and light feeding
groups in both size and the amount of peppers.
After the wind storm destroyed one of the control
group plants, I examined the root mass of each plant
by digging gently in the soil. The pepper plants that
remained in the control group had roots that were
tinged brown and were even a little slimy to the touch.
Without a doubt this could be attributed to the very
wet weather and the containers not having a chance
to properly dry out between waterings. However,
when examining the plants that received the fertilizers
with the added benefi cial microorganisms, I noticed
healthy, dry, white roots. I believe this is a testament
to the added benefi ts derived from the benefi cial bac-
teria contained in the Easy Grow + and Easy Bloom
+ fertilizers. Without the added protection from the
benefi cial microorganisms, more plants may have been
lost in the wind storm or to pathogens taking advan-
tage of the over-saturated soil.
At the end of the day, Easy Grow + and Easy
Bloom + are high quality, no-nonsense fertilizers that
contain all a plant needs to thrive, plus the added ben-
efi ts of benefi cial microorganisms.
To learn more about Future Harvest products call
866.491.0255 or visit FutureHarvest.com. GG
Eric Hopper resides in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula where
he enjoys gardening and pursuing sustainability. He is a Garden
& Greenhouse senior editor and can be contacted at Ehop@Garde-
nAndGreenhouse.net.
Arcadia
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