Plants Talk: Essential Nutrients - What Do We Feed Our Plants?

Just as an athlete needs the right nutrition to perform each day, plants also need the right nutrition to be healthy, vibrant, and provide nutrients for you and your family. Both humans and plants need vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium, iron, and others to grow. At Living Greens Farm, we have developed the perfect balance of nutrients to ensure we are growing the greatest greens on the planet.

How Do Plants Get Their Nutrients From the Ground?

Though it’s been used for centuries, soil-based agriculture is finding itself at a disadvantage in the modern world. Plants grown in this manner are challenged with having to actively chase the nutrients they need by growing their roots further into the ground. This requires a great amount of energy from the plant—energy that could otherwise be spent on growth.

Soil-based farmers depend on the environment to provide rain, sunshine, and even essential nutrients. Over time, the land loses many of its vitamins and minerals. The main culprit in this disturbing nutritional trend is soil depletion: Modern intensive agricultural methods have stripped increasing amounts of nutrients from the soil in which the food we eat grows.
- Scientific American

Farmers must compensate by adding inorganic fertilizer, manure, and a lot of water. When nature cannot provide, farmers must deliver these supplements, ensuring they are given in the proper ratio. Any imbalance will result in plants that are overworked and may suffer in quality as a result. This is particularly important when we consider contamination from the environment. For example, rainwater must pass through the atmosphere before reaching the ground. If the air is dirty or full of small debris, your plants will have to contend with that as well. Animals that pass through can also be a source of contamination.

How Do Plants Get Their Nutrients When the Roots Are Suspended in Air?

Living Greens Farm aims to directly address the limitations of soil-based growth. Knowing what we know about the importance of plant nutrition, we use the perfect blend of natural vitamins and spritz the plant root directly in our aeroponic system. These organic nutrients are delivered in their pure form and are more easily digested by the plants, making uptake faster and simpler. The plants do not have to search for nutrition as they would in traditional farming, putting less stress on the plant and leading to produce that is generally healthier. And just like humans, when plants are healthy and strong, they are able to fight off disease more efficiently. Plants grown through aeroponics can actually dedicate their energy to growing. Ultimately, this leads to plants that contain higher nutritional value and better color, texture, and taste.

What Does This Mean for You?

When you eat greens that have been grown in a stress-free setting with all the essential nutrients provided, those vitamins and minerals are integrated into your body. Just like plants, humans need various amounts of vitamins and minerals to grow and sustain all the biological processes that take place.

The Future of Living Greens Farm

Currently, Living Greens Farm is able to provide our greens to grocery stores throughout the Midwest. In the coming year, we are looking to expand our operation. By the end of our expansion plans, everyone in the U.S., regardless of where you live, will have access to our greens. Our goal is to provide our country with the best quality greens so we can all work toward a happier, healthier life.