If you have been fortunate to receive some rain anytime from now is ideal to apply the pre-emergent TM Agricultural (Biostimulant) application as the stimulation of soil micro-biology is essential in a bare fallow or ground that has not had any green growing plants in it or that has been subjected to high temperatures all of which shuts down soil micro-biology which takes months to re-establish when plants/crops are actively photosynthesising and growing in the soil.

If/when you are beginning to organise seed and seed grading etc, a cost-effective start for your crop is to apply TM Germination to the seed instead of a pickle.

If you are located in a drought-affected area like I am, and you don’t get the opportunity to apply the pre-emergent TM Agricultural (depending on when it rains, or if funds are tight) the bare minimum that I would recommend is treating the seed with TM Germination, if it continues to rain and the crop is looking good, you can then follow up with the in-crop application of TM Agricultural to continue to activate the soil and plant microbes and Best Foliar Fertiliser to provide nutrition that is absorbed by the plant within an hour which will support the crop and help it to maintain a high yield potential and be resilient to disease and adverse weather conditions.

TM Germination is a great option as a seed treatment because it provides the nutrients required during early plant establishment as well as creating the perfect environment around the seed for it to germinate. By stimulating the native biology in the soil the seed will receive the benefits of active soil microbiology such as regulating soil temperature; improving soil structure enabling a greater root density and depth reducing the susceptibility of plants to root diseases and increasing water holding capacity through increased organic carbon levels in the soil.

TM Germination is a custom liquid blend of the bio-stimulant TM Agricultural, Phosphorous and trace elements Nitrogen, Potassium, Soluble Potash, Sulphur, Copper, Manganese, Boron and Iron. It is easily applied to the seed up to 120 days before planting/sowing and because it is made of natural ingredients it is not toxic to handle.

The beneficial micro-organisms are attracted to the TM Germination treated seed allowing the colonisation of microbes around the seed. During seed germination, the first roots emerging from the seedlings are responsible for establishing the plant firmly in the soil and for the absorption of nutrients from the soil. Throughout this process of early plant establishment in the soil, seedlings require all the essential nutrients to be readily available, very close to those first roots. The nutrients also keep the plants resistant to soil-borne infections. TM Germination contains the required nutrients that are readily available to young plant roots enabling more root mass that allows the plant to establish well in the soil and grow stronger and healthier.

‘’A seed is a package of incredible intelligence because it can sense things through its seed coat all the time such as temperature, moisture, chemical or biological stimulants. For example when a seed is treated with a bio stimulant it thinks it is in an incredibly rich microbial environment and straight away it will produce exudates to form a relationship with soil microbes and therefore develops big rhizosphere (dreadlock) roots before it even has leaves above the surface. When the seed is treated with a pickle then planted into soil treated with a synthetic fertiliser the opposite happens.’’ Dr Christine Jones 2019

The plants that have been treated with TM Germination as a seed tend to have better-developed root systems early on meaning there are more contact points in the soil where water and nutrients can be absorbed which is vital in the early stages of crop development enabling the plant a more effective uptake of moisture and nutrients creating a more favourable environment for beneficial micro-organisms to multiply.

When combined with the pre-emergent and in-crop application of TM Agricultural the crop will continue to reap all of the benefits of being supported by active soil micro-biology.

Keiran Knight B.Bus (Ag Comm)
Agronomist
Best Farming Systems
[email protected]
0447 955 114