You have subscribed to receive the Growing WISE Newsletter, bringing you exciting information and tips on growing and gardening, straight to your mailbox. If you wish to no longer receive this newsletter, there are simple unsubscribe instructions included at
the end of this message.

Special Event
 - Tune in and watch John Evans on HGTV- 
Saturday, July 5th at 11:30 EST

• Organic growing - a growing success

• Article: Alaska Bountea Compost Tea

• Photo Gallery from the Greatland

• Feedback

• Let's ask John (FAQ)

• Contact / Unsubscribe

Organic Growing - A Growing Success

Here at "Growing Wise" we are trying to help people understand, in simple terms, a fairly complex system of nature called the "Soil Food Web."  Our intention in this newsletter is to educate people as to how our "Total Growing System" interacts with the Soil Food Web to stimulate and bring soil back to life.  The first three editions will provide the general overview.  Along the way we will share our knowledge of the system in greater detail but for now lets keep it simple so you can have the garden you have always wanted.

We hope you can learn, as we have, about how to bring our soil back to life.  We have found, through our studies, that soil is the foundation of life that provides many advantages.  The greatest advantage to the gardener is the nutritional value of organically grown produce.  This benefit alone brings better health and we can all use better health.

In addition to healthy living, our "Total Growing System" has proven itself time and time again as a catalyst for more bountiful, colorful, robust plants that will be sure to make you the talk of the neighborhood.


Feature Article

Today we have Part 1 of our 3 part weekly series that will introduce

you to the system John is now using.

Alaska Bounty, VAM Mycorrhizal and Soil Food Web

Part 1- Alaska Bounty Compost tea

This Overview explains the relationship between our products and how the soil life in our products work to build up the soil ecosystem and to benefit cultivated plants.

The Goal Behind Our Products
Our goal is to provide products containing the best soil life nature has to offer, that multiply beneficial life in the soils many times over, and grow high energy, high yielding, nutritious plants of the highest quality, free of diseases and destructive insects.

Alaska Bounty Soil Stimulant System combined with Vam, and a broad spectrum of minerals, and composted organic material or organic fertilizer, can make that goal a reality.

Enhancing the Basics
Organic farmers and gardeners have long recognized the importance of mineral rich compost and mineral rich cover crops that provide the initial ‘building block’ for a harmonious eco-system. Our products take that process to a much higher level by introducing Alaska Bounty’s diverse variety of aerobically brewed microbes into the soils and onto plant surfaces. It also feeds endomycorrhizal fungi, trichoderma fungi, and aerobic bacteria into the root zone of plants for the purpose of turning those mineral rich nutrients into plant food.

Alaska Bounty Brewer Kits
Alaska Bounty Soil Stimulant System brewer kits are low cost brewers aimed at growing a variety of aerobic microbes in high quantities. Food (bio-activator ingredients) Humus compost and oxygen are brewed as an aerobic tea to cause beneficial microorganisms to super multiply in their numbers.

Effects of Alaska Bounty Plus Additional Food
When natural soluble fertilizers are mixed into the tea at the end of the brewing process, there are a number of important events that can take place after the tea is applied to plant and soil surfaces:

1. Microbes make food and become food. The microbes will consume the food and change it into a form the plants can metabolize. This higher level of beneficial soil life rapidly processes natural mineral and organic resources in the soils, continuously supplying food for plants and other beneficial life forms in the soils. A nutrient rich menu is also released to the plants when the microbe life cycle ends. The plentiful microorganisms themselves become a source of food for all the other life forms in the soils, including the plants.

2. Microbes act as anti-pathogens. The microbes also provide an anti-pathogenic capacity in the soil, and on plant surfaces to keep the pathogenic fungi and bacteria in check through a wide range of mechanisms such as, higher plant energy (natural resistance), inhibition of spore germination and aerobic bacteria eating anaerobes and pathogenic fungi. As they dominate by sheer numbers, pathogens cannot establish themselves. These active beneficial life forms include aerobic bacteria, protozoa, yeasts, fungi, and beneficial nematodes. There are also chemical antagonists present such as phenols and amino acids along with soluble nutrients and humic substances.

3. Other life form populations and benefits increase. This process is like a cascading natural domino effect, causing all the other beneficial soil life forms to have a much higher level of activity as they feast on Alaska Bounty’s microbes, which are applied on a periodic basis to soil and plant surfaces. The benefits derived from all these beneficial life forms in the soils are greatly increased, as their numbers and activity increase. This is true soil stimulation at work! Plants benefit from higher levels of available food, and from the higher numbers of beneficial organisms present and active around, inside and on the plants.

End of Part I

As you can see, we have started the process of creating a living soil for our plants. Next week we will share with you the next step in John's system. We'll discuss VAM Mycorrhizal and Soil Food Web. If you just can't wait to learn more, please visit alaskagiant.com. There's a lot to see and learn.

Photo Gallery

To see photos of family gardening visit
www.akbounty.com/photos.html

To see a fish about the size of the fisherman visit
www.akbounty.com/whopper.htm

Feedback

Love your system...worth every penny, makes my gardening even more fun ... and my zucchini/eggplants are now growing like crazy here in the desert of Arizona.

Thanks,

Ted

Pheonix, AZ.

Let's ask John (FAQ)

Q: Hi Mr. Evans,
I bought your whole kit last summer to make Compost Tea and it was wonderful.  Really worked.  I still have two bags of soil left.  Can I still use them?  I don't have any activator left though.  How much would one small bag of activator cost?

Thank you,
Pat

A: Dear Pat,
If you go to Landscape Supply they have the Activator in 3 cup bags.  The cost is $10.00. Thank you for the report.

John
P.S.  The Humus should be okay as long as it's not dried out and was kept in a cool place.


Q: I know very little about gardening.  Could you recommend some books for me to read?  We live in Southern California.  It is a desert here and the temperatures can get up to 117 degrees in the shade during the summer.  The soil is a very hard clay.  The early inhabitants added water to the soil and made bricks out of it.  All of those Spanish Missions are still standing today.  We have tried to work with this soil but I think that we would have better luck with concrete.  Do you have any ideas or books I could read?

Sincerely,
Linda Noland

A: Dear Linda,
I lived in Arizona for nearly 10 years before moving up here and I had the same exact problem as you do. My solution was to add Gypsum to the soil to reduce the alkalinity, salinity and to give it more tilth (it opens up the clay particles, to let more air penetrate the soil). I also had access to aged horse manure that I worked in with the Gypsum, as well as using it as a mulch (4" on top prevented to soil from drying out too fast). I started using my biologicals to maintain the balance at that time also. I had the most successful gardens year round. The whole neighborhood would come over and gawk at it!!! John Jeavons writes very good gardening books.

Best Wishes
John


Q: I live in Louisiana and saw you on a TV special about growing giants. I'm confused though. Do you spray the tea onto the plants or put it under each plant? I cannot afford to order your growing system but will try adding manure to water and try that until I can buy your product. Thanks. You have a wonderful system going - congratulations?
Charleen

A: Dear Charleen,
I do not know how you arrived at the idea that my system is too expensive as the brewer has enough ingredients usually for a whole season and once you have the brewer, the refills are very cost effective.  If you take into account that the amount of produce and flowers would be over doubled, its a bargain to say the least. I generally recommend that it is applied to the soil, soaking the first inch or so. The microbes migrate to the root system allowing much more nutrients to be absorbed by the plant.  If you soak manure in water, all you will get is Nitrogen and that will only stimulate elongated leafy growth which will have detrimental effects on the plants as the other nutrients ( P,K and minerals) will be suppressed.  The plant ages much faster also!

Best Regards
John

Contact Us

Debbie Richards / Customer Service
www.alaskagiant.com 
customerservice@alaskagiant.com 
907-745-8234 (AST)

Copyright 2001. We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within any mailing/publication. Advertisers are responsible to verify and abide by any and all Local, State, Federal and International laws applicable to their products, services and/or business opportunities for which they advertise

Disclaimer. We can not be held liable for members of other programs, who freely and without solicitation, investigate any of the business opportunities or resources promoted in this newsletter, or in any decisions they may make regarding them.

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options click:
customerservice@alaskagiant.com