As a lifelong entomologist and an independent advisor on environmentally safe plant pest control, I find it very encouraging that companies like PlantGrow are able to produce effective naturally-sourced products for plant care that provide the market with environmentally safer alternatives to commonly used synthetic chemical-based products.

Aware that PlantGrow’s products are all derived from natural and sustainable sources, utilising plant materials that have been composted by anaerobic digestion, means that these products will be compatible within a balanced garden ecosystem and won’t have any detrimental effects on the function of its essential natural food webs.

In addition to producing plant feeds containing only natural nutrients and soil microbes, I was very pleased to know that PlantGrow had also created a slug and snail barrier product, which is also derived from plant material and is used as a physical barrier around susceptible plants, to protect them from feeding damage without harming the molluscs. This enables slugs and snails to reman as an important food source for many important creatures that should also be living within our gardens, from ground beetles, to frogs, toads and hedgehogs.

When opening a bag of PlantGrow solid soil improver one straight away notices the consistency of the material which is a vital requisite for successful soil incorporation. Once spread, this material can be mixes in quite easily, even with a garden fork, creating a structurally ideal growing medium. Farm yard manure and garden compost is much less consistent and therefore more difficult to incorporate evenly into the soil. Both materials can also introduce weed seeds into your soil if not correctly composted. In a glasshouse situation it was noticed that PlantGrow helped soil warming and therefore earlier and successful root establishment was achieved.

The fact that the material can be incorporated evenly into most soils also means that the fertilisers present are released to the plants as required with the minimum of nutrient hot spots. This scenario encourages a quality fibrous root system that successfully supports the rest of the plant. Also, the amount of nutrients present in the material is just enough and in the correct ratio to facilitate steady and healthy growth.

Once plants are growing well the PlantGrow liquid feed is ideal for keeping most plants is perfect growing condition up to harvest. With a few vegetable crops, such as cucumbers, tomatoes and cauliflowers which require extra nutrients at certain stages of growth, supplementary feeding may be required from early maturity up to the point of harvest simply to maximise cropping. PlantGrow solid also makes an ideal top dressing around herbaceous perennials and shrubs.

This is one of the best products that I have used for soil improvement and plant health.

At East Ruston Old Vicarage we pride ourselves in the quality of our containers both large and small. Visitors to the garden often remark on how healthy and vigorous they are. Some of our biggest Brugmansias will have in excess of 250 flowers on each of them in late summer. This is thanks to our continual application of the naturally based liquid plant food ‘PlantGrow’. Produced here in Norfolk, the results volumes and are here to be seen, we also use this fabulous product for the pot plants that adorn the Orangery, never before have we had such an amazing amount of growth and colour

PlantGrow also make a soil conditioning mulch that we apply in early spring, this promotes strong, heathy growth, improves the quality of the soil and limits that amount of weed growth. In short, we would not wish to be without PlantGrow for it makes our garden better than it has ever been.

I have worked as a garden designer for 25 years and I am a team member for the BBC gardening programme Down to Earth giving live and pre-recorded phone-in advice for gardeners. I also travel to garden groups to record the Down to Earth programme in front of an audience. I am also a newspaper, online and magazine writer and have written for the Expert Pages for Garden News Magazine. Two years ago I worked as PR for Easton Walled Gardens, writing about and promoting the historic garden renovation project based near Grantham and run by Lady Ursula.

At home I have a one acre garden in Leicestershire. I write about the fruit, vegetables and flowers I grow at home on my blog at bramblegarden.com, on twitter @kgimson and on instagram at karengimson1. I am a member of the Leicestershire and Rutland Gardens Trust and also a member of its Walled Garden Research group. I am a member of the Hardy Plant Society. I raise money for Rainbows Hospice for children in Loughborough. I give talks and slide shows to societies and garden groups in the East Midlands, on the subject of garden design and gardening.

I take part in trials for new seed, garden products, books and materials on the basis that I am not paid to do so and my opinions are my own. My writing is not sponsored by any company, and I do not speak for, or on behalf of, the BBC in any way.

In 2016 the only garden soil conditioner I used was PlantGrow. I trialled both the solid fertiliser and the liquid feed. I found both very easy to use. I grew beetroot, French and climbing beans, kale, Brussels, potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, raspberries. In addition I have apple, pear, plum peach and nectarine trees.

I found, despite very challenging weather conditions, the fruit and vegetables grew really healthily and were able to withstand heavy rain, high temperatures, high winds and unseasonal hailstones! Because they grew strongly and steadily, they were better able to fight off pest and diseases attacks. I am an organic grower and so I do not use any pesticides or any sprays or any kind. It is therefore important for me to be able to grow really good quality fruit, flower and veg which can ward off the attention of various pests and diseases.

In addition to food, I also grow sweet peas, cosmos, dahlias, asters, chrysanthemums, verbena, pinks, sweet williams, calendula and sunflowers. I found that the sweet peas flowered over a much longer period than in previous years. The use of the PlantGrow fertiliser I felt enabled the plants to cope with very high 30C summer temperatures.

In a plot where I didn’t use PlantGrow, the sweet pea stems turned brown and died back earlier than the PlantGrow ones. Using the PlantGrow fertiliser, I felt the sweet pea stems stayed green and productive for several weeks longer than the control plot. And there were therefore more flowers and better quality blooms. I realise this is not a scientific test of any kind, and just my opinion that in my garden, the addition of PlantGrow fertiliser was beneficial, leading to better quality flowers, fruit and vegetables and a longer cropping period as plants lasted longer than they usually would.

Note: PlantGrow supplied my samples free of charge for my 2016 trials. As stated above, I have not been paid to supply this feedback statement, and all opinions are my own. I have merely found the PlantGrow fertiliser to be easy and worthwhile to use. I am in favour of a product that is environmentally friendly. I am very pleased to have had such excellent growing results without having had to resort to sprays and chemicals.

I have an allotment and home kitchen garden which I’m absolutely obsessed with. I love everything plant orientated and have been using my allotment as a space to help with my own well-being. Growing your own is something I am hugely passionate about and I spend my time trying to encourage people to get involved. Using social media, writing and talks I’m trying to spread the joy of growing your own food and growing to improve mental health.

For me this is the perfect product not only does it feed my plants, re condition the soil and help retain water by mulching. Plant Grow is a natural product, pet friendly, child friendly and most important friendly to bees. Its everything that I’m looking for in a product and after using in for the past 18 months I can highly recommend it. I’ve had some of the best harvest so far from using the soil conditioner and plant grow liquid fertiliser on my allotment and in my home kitchen garden.

I am growing: Potatoes, pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, chillies, beans, dahlias, zinnia, raspberries, figs, courgettes, beans, asparagus, sweet corn, tromboncino, gladioli, lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, edible flowers, gooseberries, strawberries, radish, chard, herbs, sunflowers, celery and much much more.

“I am a gardener, radio show host and promote the well-being benefits of gardening. I have a no dig, veganic allotment.
When I took on my urban allotment I needed a mulch to suppress weeds and feed the soil that was also made without animal products. PlantGrow covered those needs and delivered without any problem, even helping to get the mulch onto my plot. I have trialled lots of products over the years and this has gone far and beyond what I expected. My vegetables have grown very well and the product also helps to retain moisture which has helped limit watering in dry weather. To find a product that is natural, vegan and chemical free is pretty rare so PlantGrow is now my go to for my garden and allotment.”

Create your own success story,
buy PlantGrow today

Visit the PlantGrow online shop to view and buy the entire range of Plantgrow products. Start creating your own success story today.

Shop the PlantGrow range