HERE’S HOW…
WHEN WE APPLY ANY PRODUCT TO OUR FIELDS, OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO SEE POSITIVE RESULTS FROM THAT APPLICATION.
Even more importantly, we want to receive a consistent return on these investments — a 3:1 ROI or better is ideal.
Below are the products within the Hefty Naturals portfolio that rise to the top from an ROI standpoint. Each of these Naturals is likely to fit in your cropping plan; and if used correctly and at the right time, a minimal investment in these products can bring you potentially big gains and a highly consistent ROI.
IN THIS ARTICLE, I’LL DISCUSS OUR TOP NATURALS AND WHERE THEY WILL PERFORM BEST IN YOUR OPERATION.
MEGAGRO
Use this with your foliar herbicide pass in corn or soybeans. At a cost of roughly $5.50 an acre, MEGAGRO brings an ROI of nearly 6:1 in corn and 4.5:1 in soybeans. This is the most consistent product in the Hefty Naturals portfolio, and it’s been showing positive results in fields as far back as 2013. MegaGro is an EPA-registered plant growth hormone product that’s patented as a glyphosate safener. In many previous articles, I’ve discussed the importance of minimizing the Herbicide Tax, in which a crop must spend extra energy to metabolize applied herbicides – energy that could instead be used for vegetative and reproductive development. MegaGro helps minimize the Herbicide Tax. Include it in the tank with your first foliar herbicide pass, and this product will help plants process and metabolize herbicides faster, leading to a faster weed kill and more plant energy available for crop growth.
NUTEX EDA
If you’re running a fungicide in corn, soybeans, wheat, or sugar beets, Nutex EDA should be in the tank. For roughly $3 an acre, Nutex EDA is a slam dunk with an ROI of nearly 10:1 in corn and 9:1 in soybeans.
Here are four plant processes improved by the inclusion of Nutex EDA:
- 1
It opens and releases the plant stomata.
- 2
It improves the transport mechanism within the vascular system of the plant.
- 3It stimulates enhanced root growth and fine root hair development.
- 4
It is an energy source for the mitochondrion of the plant cells.
Every time you spray a fungicide on your operation, you need to include Nutex EDA. This product doesn’t replace an adjuvant, but it will absolutely help fungicide get into the plant and give you more value from that application.
NUTRICHARGE
Use this product in-furrow in corn or soybeans. If you are running a row starter in-furrow, adding 3.2 oz to the acre of NUTRICHARGE in the tank can help with phosphorus tie-up in your soils. At a cost of roughly $5.50 an acre, applying NutriCharge in this way exhibits an average ROI of more than 5.5:1 in both corn and soybeans.
NUTRICHARGE IS A CHEMISTRY-BASED SOLUTION WITH THE ABILITY TO CAPTURE 65 TIMES ITS WEIGHT IN CALCIUM.
This ability to capture calcium limits calcium’s ability to bind to phosphorus and create calcium phosphate, which is an extremely tight bond that requires a tremendous amount of root exudate to break apart. Think of NutriCharge as a product that can help protect your row starter investment. You can run this with just water or a row starter replacement, but we have seen best results when mixed with row starter blends.
NUTRICHARGE
POWERPLANT
If you don’t have in-furrow capabilities, NUTRICHARGE POWERPLANT is an option for you. Designed for use in corn acres, this product replaces the traditional talc and graphite you may use for seed flowability and planter lubrication. Compared to talc and graphite, NutriCharge PowerPlant exhibits a 47% improvement in dustoff, meaning more product coats the seed. At a cost of roughly $6 an acre, our 2025 trials showed an ROI of 4:1 in corn. PowerPlant combines microalgae; graphite; critical micronutrients like zinc, sulfur, and manganese; and the NutriCharge technology. Mix this right into the planter box with your seed at 3 oz per unit.
THE BEST APPLICATION METHOD IS TO USE A DRY APPLICATOR SYSTEM AS SEED IS FLOWING INTO YOUR PLANTER BOXES.
If you don’t have that option, work with one of our locations to get set up and ensure great success with this product.
WATER-RITE
BIO-PREP
These products may be the most important in the entire portfolio!
Water is the number one variable we see in operations. If you have a municipal or rural water source, your water likely contains chlorine. If you have water treated with chlorine and you are running a Naturals product that is a living organism, you need to use BIO-PREP every time. Bio-Prep takes chlorine out of your treated water source and converts it to chloride, ensuring any living organisms in your applications stay alive! For $0.05 to $0.15 per acre depending on your water volume, this is a MUST. If you are unsure your water contains chlorine, ASK! Too many times, we’ve seen products fail because they were dead before they even got to the field.
Another area of concern in a water source is hard water ions like calcium and magnesium. These double positive charged ions wreak havoc in the tank with biostimulants that might be fertilizer-based materials. Anytime you are dealing with hard water and applying these products, WATER-RITE should be incorporated so that the water source you are using isn’t your number one variable.
The key to any product in the Hefty Naturals portfolio is the right product in the right place at the right timing. These days, there are thousands of products in the biostimulant space that make claims ranging from plant health all the way up to fertilizer replacement. We research extensively each year what products can and cannot do. As long as you follow our usage guidance for our Naturals products, you’re likely to get a better result and consistent ROI! Our goal with any product is to find out when these products work best, as well as when they don’t work at all. The last thing we want is for you to have a bad experience. As always, ask lots of questions, focus on attention to detail, and start small if you are unsure about these products!
For more information about how Naturals products can fit into your fertility plan, please reach out to your local Hefty Agronomist or go to HEFTYSEED.COM/NATURALS.