This week, Joanne welcomes Aaron Deacon from BIOS Nutrients back to the podcast to discuss the newest addition to his product line, a game-changing plant fertilizer in collaboration with Ryzome and the ZooShare Cooperative.

You can learn more about Aaron and BIOS Nutrients here.

Natural Fertilizer Innovation and Philosophy

• Aaron started BIOS Nutrients five years ago after being laid off during COVID, initially focusing on making natural fertilizers and pesticides for cannabis growing.
• Expanded from houseplants to gardening and commercial growing, developing a commercially registered liquid fertilizer made from food waste.
• Aaron explained his fermentation-based approach to creating fertilizers, which mimics natural soil decomposition processes and emphasizes the importance of microbial diversity in soil health.
• Healthy soil is more important than new soil, and local organic compost is crucial in building soil ecosystems that are adapted to specific local conditions.

BIOS + Rysome New Plant Fertilizer

• BIOS Nutrients has a new partnership with Lexi, who runs Rysome, a company that repurposes construction waste into plant fertilizers. Together, they developed a new liquid fertilizer that provides immediate nutrient availability, unlike their original dry formulation.
• BIOS Nutrients’ collaboration with the Toronto Zoo's digester facility, which processes food waste into a fertilizer byproduct
• The development and testing of the new liquid plant fertilizer, "BIOS +Rysome," which has shown promising results with soybean farmers.
• The challenges of transitioning from synthetic to natural fertilizers, and the need for education and practical solutions for farmers.
• The importance of soil health and the use of cover crops like clover for nutrient replenishment.
• Aaron’s shift from focusing on indoor cannabis growing to outdoor agriculture and houseplants was driven by a passion for teaching others about sustainable soil practices.

Natural Gardening Solutions with Yucca

• The benefits and uses of yucca extract and plant soap for gardening.
• Yucca extract is a natural soil rehydrator and wetting agent that can improve the effectiveness of fertilizers and pesticides by lowering surface tension.
• Plant soap made from deep-fried herbs in canola oil serves as an insecticidal soap and fungicide. Aaron recommended the plant soap for pest control while cautioning about its high pH and proper use.

Natural Gardening Products

• The benefits and affordability of natural gardening products, particularly liquid fertilizers and sulphur-based products.
• BIOS Nutrients has plans to offer commercial-sized liquid fertilizers in various volumes and Aaron highlighted the advantages of their sulphur product, which is more environmentally friendly and effective than traditional lime sulphur solutions.
• Aaron shared tips on cost-effective soil building using natural and free resources.

Plant-Based Packaging and Shipping Challenges

• Aaron explained that shipping costs and environmental concerns led them to focus on selling concentrates rather than premixed products.
• Sustainable packaging options, including aluminum and glass, and the challenges of recycling.

Sheridan Nurseries Product Expansion

• Aaron discussed his journey of getting BIOS Nutrients products into Sheridan Nurseries, a major gardening retailer in Ontario. His company's products, including plant soap, yucca, liquid and dry fertilizers, are now stocked in all seven of their locations.

Order from BIOS Nutrients online at www.biosnutrients.ca

Find BIOS Nutrients on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

Listen to Aaron's previous appearance on the Down the Garden Path Podcast here.

Resources Mentioned in the Show:

Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden

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Down the Garden Path Podcast

On Down The Garden Path, professional landscape designer Joanne Shaw discusses down-to-earth tips and advice for your plants, gardens and landscapes. As the owner of Down2Earth Landscape Design, Joanne Shaw has been designing beautiful gardens for homeowners east of Toronto for over a decade. She does her best to bring you interesting, relevant and useful topics to help you keep your garden as low-maintenance as possible. 

In Down the Garden Path: A Step-By-Step Guide to Your Ontario Garden, Joanne and fellow landscape designer Matthew Dressing distill their horticultural and design expertise and their combined experiences in helping others create and maintain thriving gardens into one easy-to-read monthly reference guide. Get your copy today on Amazon. 

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