# Soil vs foliar fertiliser in your home garden

- Link: https://rd2.co.nz/soil-vs-foliar-fertiliser-in-your-home-garden/
- Published: 2021-04-20T03:09:43+00:00
- Author: RSF Admin

Cultivating your own home garden can be a fulfilling exercise, giving many physical
and mental health benefits. Whether you’re a natural green thumb or budding garden
enthusiast (pun intended!), there is a great sense of accomplishment in successfully
growing your own veggies or nurturing a floral masterpiece. However, understanding
the ins and outs of what nutrients your plants need and how best to feed them can
be overwhelming. We all know plants take up nutrients through their roots. And it’s
true that fertilising the soil is a critical part of maintaining your garden. But,
did you know that plants can also absorb nutrients through their leaves? This is
called ‘foliar fertilisation’ and, if used correctly, it can do wonders for your
garden.

### **Healthy, nutrient-rich soil**

Looking after your soil is basic gardening 101. Without healthy, nutrient-rich soil,
your horticultural dreams will be a non-starter. Roots, Shoots & Fruits products
are designed to benefit your garden at all stages, and they’re BioGro approved. 
No toxic chemicals here!

Here are some ingredients to familiarise yourself with:

#### **Humic Acid**

Humic acid plays a hugely important role in making sure your plants have access 
to the nutrients they need. Basically, humic acid increases the soil’s ability to
hold water AND increases the ability of the plants to obtain and uptake nutrients.
You can read more about this soil superstar [here](https://rd2.co.nz/humic-acid-for-water-retention-and-oxygenation-of-crops/).

#### **Mycorrhizal Fungi**

Fertile soil requires a vibrant ecosystem of soil organisms. These organisms help
break down organic matter into nutrients that are usable by plants. One such organism
that does a great deal of heavy lifting is Mycorrhizal Fungi. These fungi do wonders
for your plant’s ability to access hard to get nutrients and improve plant fitness
to make them more resilient in the face of poor conditions like drought or excess
rain. [This article](https://rd2.co.nz/mycorrhizae-the-ultimate-crop-companion/)
discusses the long list of ways Mycorrhizal Fungi benefit you and the environment
and why it should be part of your home garden.

### **Why Foliar Fertilisation?**

Foliar fertilisation is an extremely useful method to supplement your soil fertilising
regime. Foliar application takes advantage of a plant’s ability to absorb nutrients
through pores, and openings called stomata, in their leaves. Some bioavailable foliar
fertilisers such as Glycine chelates are able to permeate the plant cell membrane
and so are absorbed straight into the leaf. While keeping your soil healthy is important,
not using foliar fertilisers can hinder plant growth.

For example, if you inspect your plants and notice any signs of nutrient deficiency
such as yellowing leaves or distinctive patterns, treating the soil may not resolve
the issue quickly enough. Applying nutrients directly to the leaves is a much more
efficient way to spot fix deficiencies as they arise.

Also, gardeners need to be aware that plants require different nutrients in different
quantities. Using a foliar application, you can target certain plants with the specific
nutrients they require which will result in stronger plants and more nutrient-dense
produce.

Roots, Shoots and Fruits offer a range of products for your gardening needs that
are completely organic. Our range of BIOMIN products uses patented technology to
deliver the best, most highly available products to plants. There is no longer any
need to use synthetic fertilisers that are less effective and worse for the environment.
Check out some of our products in our shop below.

[Humax to boost humic acid](https://www.rd2.co.nz/?s=humax&post_type=product)

[Rootella for Mycorrhizal fungi](https://www.rd2.co.nz/?s=rootella&post_type=product)

[Foliar Fertilisers](https://www.rd2.co.nz/?s=foliar+fertiliser&post_type=product)