About ACF-420

ACF-420 is a unique bacterial formula designed to inoculate greenhouse soils and hydroponic mediums, enhancing the biological activity in all of the various media and hydroponics flow systems, promoting better nutrient uptake, and increased biomass and crop yield. The key is our ability to create a defined, stable and potent mix of Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) that is easy to apply without altering your plant-care regimen. Here’s how to increase yield 20 plus percent and significant reduce your grow time in both hydroponic systems and soil applications.

AquaClean ACF-420 is mixed with water – two or three ounces per gallon of water in your hydroponic system or soil nursery medium. This mixture is applied directly to the soil medium, or into the water flow of a hydroponic system during seeding. The PGPBs will go to work immediately, breaking down nitrogen and phosphorus into more absorbable nutrients, promoting faster germination.

Once the plants have erupted – it is time to treat again, using the above ratio of ACF-420 to water. The PGPBs will continue to break down nitrogen and phosphorus and will release iron and other micro-nutrients. This will lead to increased nutrient uptake, while helping the plant to create health-enhancing proteins and boost growth hormones. Plants will develop greater root mass with longer shoots, and show better overall foliage growth and health compared to untreated plants.

Using the above product-to-water ratio, begin administering ACF-420 every 7 to 14 days. At this stage, plants will be robust, and PGPBs can be sprayed directly on the leaves, root structure, or soil (if applicable). Better nutrient uptake will continue, including improved absorption of traditional fertilizers. Plants will have better resistant to disease and mildew.

Based on “Best Farming Practice”, ACF-420 applications can continue throughout the fruiting / budding development, though more frequent applications will not harm the plants. The PGPBs will continue to work symbiotically with the plant, promoting better growth and quality, resulting in superior yields.

Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPB)

System Benefits

  • Nitrogen Fixation
  • Phosphate Solubilization
  • Potassium Solubilization
  • Siderophore Production
  • Phytohormone Production

Nitrogen Fixation

Rhodopseudomonas Palustris

  • Can modulate photosynthesis across a broad spectrum and intensity of light.
  • Acknowledged by microbiologists as one of the most metabolically versatile bacteria ever described, it has the ability to increase the level of light utilization even in low light situations.
  • Rhodo P can fix carbon and nitrogen, providing a method to accelerate delivery of these key elements to the plant.

Phosphate Solubilization

Bacillus is among the greatest phosphate solubilizers known to the scientific community

  • Plants obtain Phosphorous from the surrounding soil.
  • However, a portion of Phosphorous applied as chemical or organic fertilizer is rapidly immobilized after application and becomes unavailable to plants for absorption.
  • Phosphorus Solubilizing Bacteria have been widely used in agriculture to unlock the potential absorption of the phosphate biofertilizers.

Siderophore Production

Bacillus lichenformis is a great producer of siderophores

  • PGPB manufacture siderophores (small proteins) and secrete them into the rhizosphere where they sequester and solubilize iron.
  • Plants take advantage of the increase availability of iron for enhanced plant health.

Phytohormone Production

  • Plant Hormones (known as Phytohormones) are chemicals that regulate plant growth (including auxins, cytokinins, and ethylene).
  • Bacillus subtilis is known to produce cytokinins which influence growth and improve endogenous hormone content of plants.

Nitrifying Bacteria

    • At most stages of plant growth, NO3 is preferred to NH3.
    • Nitrifying Bacteria convert NH3 to NO3.
    • Nitrifying Bacteria are difficult to grow and are often overshadowed by other faster growing bacteria, but are key to PGPB enhancements.
    • ACF-420 delivers nitrifiers (Nitrosomonas & Nitrobacter) where competitive products are unable to stabilize and deliver these vital bacteria.

Nitrosomonas acts as a phosphorus solubilizer to enhance:

  • Root Length – Nitrosomonas Europea and its combination with other microbes promote the best growth rate for root length.
  • Shoot Length – Rhodopseudomonas palustris promotes the excellent growth rate for initial shoot length.
  • Germination Rate – Nitrobacter winogradskyi plays a major role in the germination rate growth.

BluePlanet Approach

  • Use all the available resources to enhance natural processes.
  • 21 years of experience growing bacteria and combining them into a defined, stable and potent formula.
  • Expertise in working with the bacteria noted already:
    • Bacillus subtilis
    • Bacillus licheniformis
    • Bacillus amyloliquefaciens
    • Rhodopseudomonas palustris
    • Nitrosomonas europaea
    • Nitrobacter winogradskyi
  • Our ability to grow these bacteria in a target-specific manner, and to stabilize for long shelf life, is the key to our success and ability to deliver these products to a global market.

Tools for Enhancing PGPB traits without Genetic Engineering

  • When grown in a nutrient-rich environment, such as a hydroponic or nursey medias, bacteria can easily lose important PGPB traits such as siderophore and IAA production, P solubilization, and N fixation.
  • In contrast, BP bacteria are specifically grown so that the key PGPB traits are maintained and optimized.
  • Therefore, our products offer the full spectrum of Plant Growth Promoting traits necessary to produce optimum results in the field.

Advantages

  • Using our innovative growth and stabilizing procedures, the full range of PGPB traits are assured in all BluePlanet products.
  • Our multi-species formulas provide full spectrum performance significantly better than single species products.
  • Other soil amendments, such as compost teas, digestate or manure, simply add bacteria – without targeted control and therefore not necessarily the actual bacteria, in the ratios needed, for the desired PGPB traits and performance!
  • Whenever bacteria are randomly grown in a rich nutrient mix (such as a compost tea), the fastest growing bacteria dominate, and those are not likely to possess the required PGPB traits.

Flexibility and Economy of Scale

  • BluePlanet offers ready to use products for smaller farms and high value crops.
  • BluePlanet also offers its unique on-site Brewing Technique. With this approach, large scale farmers can actually brew product on-site, using concentrated bacteria and specialized nutrients.
  • With the on-site Brewing approach, large farms are able to, for the first time, deliver the benefits of BluePlanet PGP bacteria on an economical basis.
  • If this would benefit your operation, please contact us directly via the Custom Treatment Application page on this site.