Is it a micronutrient package?

Is it a combination of performance enhancement ingredients?

Is it a philosophy?

Will it change and grow in the future?

The answer is yes to all of the above questions.  Keep reading below  for an explanation of what makes this performance package so unique.

Read more below........................

Essential Nutrients

Micronutrients are like the vitamins in an orange. You don’t consume a lot of it, but it surely contributes to a healthy life style. Micronutrients in your daily diet have the same role in the nutrition for your crop. Micronutrients are found in plant tissue in small quantities, but are definitely essential to a healthy crop. An Essential element is an element that causes reduced plant growth and production when it’s not applied sufficiently or can even cause death of the crop when it’s not present at all.

Micronutrients

 Typical concentrations of nutrients in dry matter

Chelated Micronutrients

Chelated Micronutrients are a special form of Micronutrients. Chelated forms have the ability to perform very efficaciously under conditions where other micronutrient forms fail. These conditions have to do with the 1) pH (acidity –low pH , alkalinity – high pH) in the soil, water or in a substrate 2) the ability of a soil or substrate to adsorb nutrients like clay soils and (coco-)peat can do and 3) the level of elements like phosphates. A high pH, a high sorption capacity of a soil and the presence of phosphates would make a standard micronutrient inactive Fe3+ (in solution) + 3OH- (in solution) Fe(OH)3 (solid) A Chelate protects the micronutrient from any precipitation reactions that can otherwise happen with the unprotected micronutrient. Therefore chelated micronutrients offer you a secure way of applying micronutrients that you can rely on. The chelating agents most frequently used in agriculture and horticulture are called EDTA (Ethylene Diamine Tetraacetic Acid), DTPA (Di-ethylene Triamine Pentaacetic Acid) and EDDHA (Ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-phenyl acetic acid)). EDTA forms a good stable bond with iron, manganese, zinc, copper and even with the secondary elements calcium and magnesium. DTPA and EDDHA are used for iron only to give extra stability and increase the performance of the iron chelate. In fact EDDHA is the strongest iron chelator that is used in the most alkaline soils in the world, like in the citrus orchards in the Mediterranean countries and in the vegetable production in the Middle East. Boron and Molybdenum don’t have to be chelated and thereby it would chemically be impossible to chelate. Their natural presence is in an anionic (negatively charged) form of borate and molybdate respectively and consequently available for the plant roots to be taken up.

The chelate protects the micronutrient from precipitating (courtesy Akzo Nobel)

Strength of the iron chelate

Based on your own growing conditions in terms of pH, soil or substrate use and phosphate levels, you can choose the iron chelate you need or feel confident with the iron form that you have in you water soluble fertilizer. The soil/water pH is in general the best parameter to use:

Practical pH stability range

Quality choices in Plantex Solutions

In the new Plantex Solutions we have recognized the need for improvement on iron nutrition. First of all we doubled the iron levels in our Solutions, and even better, we made that increase by using Fe-DTPA and Fe-EDDHA. In other words, you get more iron that is efficacious over a wider pH range than ever before.

Product Quality

The micronutrients used in our formulations are of the best quality. They are 100% chelated, are highly soluble and comply fully with the CFIA regulations.

Applications in…

Greenhouse Production

Micronutrients are either applied through your Plantex formulation separately.

Even though iron is always presented in a chelated form, keep in mind that you should avoid bringing Fe-chelates in direct contact with strong acids. Apply Fe-chelates as the last ingredient in your fertilizer stock solution. Also respect the upper pH level in concentrated calcium tanks by keeping the pH below 6.2

The use of other chelated micronutrients like Mn-EDTA and Zn-EDTA have proven to increase the availability of that element in the substrate and also increase the performance of the Fe-chelate.

All microntrients in your Plantex formulation are fully chelated.

Container Nursery Stock

The most visible micronutrient deficiency that you encounter is caused by Iron. You as a grower will easily recognize it, but also your customers. A healthy appearing plant is what everybody is looking for.

Yellowing of the young leaves early in the season will be history with the increased iron levels in Plantex Solutions. Having Fe-DTPA and Fe-EDDHA as part of the formulation gives you the freedom to have more flexibility with the sources of water you use. Whether you use rain water or well water or change between the two, changes in water pH will not immediately result in iron chlorosis as the strongest iron chelates are used.

Copyright 2006 - Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals LLC