The Viresco^TM / Humate Approach

Introduction

As indicated above, soil is a complex system of animals, plant roots and micro-organisms, all acting to create a healthy growing environment. A good soil contains a lot of air; water circulates through the soil; nutrients are available in mineral and complex forms.

Plant roots secrete complex organic compounds which attract micro-organisms. With the proper support mechanisms in place, these micro-organisms perform all the functions required in the soil - they decompose organic matter to form humus; they produce polysaccharides to stick soil particles together, aggregating the soil and thus creating open spaces for air, water, nutrients and the micro-organisms; they fix nitrogen and make other nutrients available through the conversion of humic acid compounds to structures compatible with the plant so they can be absorbed. The result is a well balanced soil which provides the environment for the growth of healthy plants with improved resistance to soil pathogens and other stresses, more efficient utilisation of nutrients and increased flower/crop production.

Modern cultivation practices have greatly increased the production of plants and crops. However, in the process, they have reduced the organic matter and created serious imbalances in the soil. Repeat growing of the same plants/crops and the use of synthetic fertilisers have provided the environment for the proliferation of many types of pathogens. The utilisation of various fungicides etc to overcome these pathogens have created new imbalances. With time, the situation has continued to worsen and the search for solutions has intensified.
 

The Use of Humate and Viresco^TM Together

Our approach is to provide the humic and fulvic acids and a broad spectrum of micro-organisms with the enzymes, micro- and macro-nutrients, polymers and wetting agents to support their activity. The result is a properly balanced soil, a stronger/more massive root system and a healthier, more stress resistant plant with the correct balance of nutrients to:

»   Improve biomass, flower and crop production
»   Efficiently utilise available nutrients
»   Resist pathogens and other stresses
»   Create a less appealing environment for insects

When the plant has served its purpose, organic substances are returned to the soil to produce new humus and to release nutrients back into the soil.

Our Viresco^TM micro-organism products are being sold to the amateur gardener, to the retail trade, to the turfcare professional and to the nurseryman. There are a number of primary Viresco^TM products and these contain around 50 different species of micro-organisms. These include both aerobic micro-organisms and anaerobic micro-organisms. In the different Viresco^TM dry powder mixes, the numbers of micro-organisms vary from about 100,000 to 1,000,000,000 per gram. When they are put into water, the numbers then increase dramatically. Thus, when the Viresco^TM products are used, the level of microbial activity in growing media can be greatly increased and kept at the higher level.

The presence of these products can enhance the growth and subsequent yield of all manner of plants. At the same time, these micro-organisms can suppress other micro-organisms that cause fungal and bacterial diseases. Viresco^TM micro-organism products will not cure a disease once it has happened. However they can prevent it from happening in the first place.

The use of our Viresco^TM products has a very interesting effect on predatory insect type pests, eg aphids, spider mite. As already mentioned, these products bring the soil or other growing medium into balance. By this we mean that we put into place in the soil, or other growing medium, enough competing micro-organisms to prevent any pathogenic micro-organism from becoming predominant for it to create a disease situation. The resulting balanced soil situation will promote the growth of healthy plants which increases their resistance to stress. Healthy plants emit a different frequency radiation than unhealthy plants. This may sometimes be seen as a different colour, for example a deep, blue-green. This radiation is then a signal to insects to leave these plants alone. Less healthy plants have more yellow-green in their leaves and this attracts the leaf pests which alight in an attempt to kill off the plant. This is an example of nature's way of dealing with weakly plants. The intention is that these plants should not form seed to continue a weak strain into the future. Natural selection of the stronger plants is therefore made to produce future generations. It is another example of the survival of the fittest.

There is evidence that the colour of leaf can change within minutes of applying the micro-organism products to soft tissue plants and within hours when applied to trees and shrubs!

Many vegetable growers are turning more and more to organic cultivation. Others who might wish to adopt such growing methods reluctantly use fungicides and insecticides to keep their crops clear of problems. Our micro-organism technology and products now give growers the opportunity to greatly reduce their dependence on chemicals and the probability that they may be able to eliminate chemicals entirely.

We have some information from an organic grower who produces over 40 different varieties of crops. He has been using our micro-organism products since 1992. He now uses no fungicides, no insecticides and only spent mushroom compost as a nutrient source. He has no diseases, no leaf pests, greatly increased yields and, most importantly, far superior crop quality in the form of better flavour, appearance and shelf life. Over the four year period from 1992 to 1995 he conducted trials on many of his crops.

Some plants benefit from being grown in the same soil/growing medium year after year. One major factor that influences this is where there is a build up of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi amongst the roots. Onions and leeks are plants which benefit from the presence of these mycorrhizas. In the bonsai world, oak, beech and pine also benefit by having good levels of mycorrhizas present. Use of the Viresco^TM products gives an enhancement to any native mycorrhizas present in the growing medium. Bear in mind that when growing trenches or beds are treated with disinfectant chemicals to kill off those micro-organism products that cause disease, other micro-organisms, including the mycorrhizas, are also removed or reduced. Our products, whilst suppressing those fungi that cause disease, do so by putting the soil into a balanced situation. The role of mycorrhizal fungi is discussed more fully elsewhere on this website. We have a Viresco^TM product containing 11 different mycorrhizal fungi species.

Our Viresco^TM products are being used in one of two basic ways. Firstly, after a sterilising programme, they can be used to re-inoculate growing media with micro-organisms as our products contain very large numbers of a wide range of micro-organism species. As stated previously, the large numbers of micro-organisms introduced put the growing medium into a balanced situation such that any residual pathogenic micro-organisms in the growing medium not killed by the sterilisation are unable to create a disease situation. This is a "belt and braces" approach. Alternatively, the Viresco^TM products can be used without the previous application of fungicides or other sterilants. This will be the trend in the future and already we have a number of customers growing exhibition vegetables who are adopting this approach. This latter method allows beneficial mycorrhizal fungi to continue to thrive.
 

Summary

In summary, we would like to suggest that nature does not cause the plant disease. Nature has put all the organisms into the soil for a purpose and a disease situation is created when one of these becomes out of balance. It is man who puts the situation out of balance.

Our Viresco^TM products containing aerobic bacteria, anaerobic bacteria and other microbial species, stimulate the activity of all micro-organisms including mycorrhizae and the combination of bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi in our products provide the competition and balance in the soil to make everything work properly. As long as this environment is kept in balance, there should be no problems with disease.