Besides unstable climatic conditions, soil health is an integral factor in crop performance. Having applied synthetic fertilizer over a period of time, the soil PH eventually gets destabilized and the acid levels rises, greatly reducing yield and denting a farmer’s profit margin.
Agrevive Africa Limited seeks to provide a solution with their new organic product, Wonder Grow. “A smallholder may be applying the right practices; good seeds, and quality agrochemicals, however this is not evident in the yield as a result of the depleted soil. Our product, Wonder Grow is what this farmer needs, a soil conditioner blended with secondary nutrients. Let’s take a step back and revive our soil,” says Peter Kamau of Agrevive.
Wonder Grow is blended with chemical fertilizer during planting and top dressing. This reduces the acid levels of the fertilizer and further helps in the uptake of the nutrients in the soil by the plant. This will also reduce the chances of soil-borne diseases which thrive in highly acidic soil.
The solution, whose chemical composition is developed from naturally occurring minerals, has calcitic lime and silicon, which rectifies the soil PH. Wonder Grow is applied in the soil during planting and during top dressing.
“The product is mixed with synthetic fertilizers at a ratio of 1 to 1. If a farmer is using 200kgs of fertilizer, with wonder grow, they’ll half, that is 100kgs of fertilizer and 100 kgs of wonder grow,” Kamau adds.
During top dressing, it helps in the cation exchange capacity between the root system and the soil. The product has to be blended with fertilizers since it lacks NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). Further, it comes in granules, which is convenient in machine planting, and in powder form, convenient for smallholders.