This is the number one question I get asked about when it comes to biologicals. Water quality may be the most important factor in the success or failure of a biological trial on your farm.

First, consider the effects of chlorine. If you use rural water or municipal water from town that is treated with chlorine, your water will kill any living product you add to the tank. The purpose of chlorine in water is to make it safe for humans to drink by eliminating biology from the water, so adding living organisms to water treated with chlorine will not end well. Chlorinated water sources will kill any biology within three hours. Prevent this loss with a product like BIO-PREP at 2 oz per 100 gallons of water. This product converts chlorine to chloride, protecting any living organisms you want to include with your application.

Second, hard water ions such as calcium, magnesium, and iron can be harmful to biostimulants and reduce the effectiveness of herbicide applications. The reason for this is those ions have a double or triple positive charge – this is what makes water ‘hard’. Whether you’re mixing in a biostimulant that has fertilizer as part its formulation or using a pesticide, these hard water ions will tie up these products. A good way to prevent tie-up is by using Water-Rite at 8 oz per 100 gallons. WATER-RITE is a chelating agent that neutralizes hard water ions and reduces the pH of your water, thereby allowing herbicides and biostimulants to be most effective.

If you’ve tried Naturals in the past and they haven’t worked as expected or if you’re nervous about the consistency of these products, we’ve observed that water quality is the number one most significant barrier to the success of these products. Fortunately, the solutions are very inexpensive and simple to implement. For just pennies per acre, you can ensure maximum effectiveness of your Naturals products.

Maxx NS combines Nutri-Cycle, Heat Shield, a carbon source, and a quart equivalent of 9% EDTA Zinc along with talc and graphite. With its bio-capsule technology, Maxx NS is the simplest and most popular option you have for mixing biologicals right into your planter box. Both of these products are great options if you’re looking to get your crop off to the races as fast as possible.

MEGAGRO, hands down.

When you spray herbicide on your crop, that crop must determine if the herbicide application is going to kill it or if it’s going to metabolize the chemistry and survive. This process takes a tremendous amount of energy during critical growth periods. MegaGro is a plant growth hormone that aids in plant metabolism of foliar herbicide sprays. Although MegaGro is patented as a glyphosate safener, it can be mixed with any foliar herbicide spray regardless of the crop. By speeding up how plants process herbicide, it allows plants to return to critical energy functions like growth and yield generation.

MEGAGRO IS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PRODUCT IN THE NATURALS PORTFOLIO AND FOR GOOD REASON.

In more than a decade of trials, it has consistently provided a 5:1 return on investment in foliar herbicide applications. In 2024, growers saw a 5.96-bushel average response in corn and a 2.35-bushel average response in soybeans.

As a primary component of the ATP molecule, phosphorus is critical for energy transfer in plants.

It also helps with development of cell division and plant growth by producing stronger stems and larger leaves for photosynthesis production. When your soil pH gets over 7.0, phosphorus gets tied up with calcium in the soil and is unavailable to your crop. NUTRICHARGE is a polymer product that solves this problem by breaking phosphorus free from bonds to positively charged calcium in soil; it then binds to calcium to prevent it from reattaching to phosphorus – this product can capture 65 times its weight in calcium! Using NutriCharge allows phosphorus to remain in soil solution for crop roots to bring it in when needed. You can find this product in two forms: NUTRICHARGE, which can be applied in-furrow with row starter; and NUTRICHARGE POWERPLANT, which is a planter box product. This technology is non-living and is a fantastic option if you have issues with phosphorus availability.

The awesome aspect of the Naturals portfolio is none of these products are crop-specific.

Do some work better than others, depending on the crop? Absolutely. One example is BOOST 10 in wheat. Boost 10 is an amino acid package that provides many of the essential components needed for energy production and photosynthesis in plants. If you have winter wheat and spray at the green-up stage, Boost 10 will help the plant come out of dormancy faster and make photosynthesis more efficient – applying the product early in the season helps get the crop off to a faster start. In spring wheat, adding Boost 10 to your herbicide foliar pass helps the plant more quickly metabolize applied chemistry, as well as aid protein synthesis. These benefits make Boost 10 a key product for wheat growers.

As we continue to gain knowledge about biologicals, we are finding more ways these products can benefit you and your operation.

If you have questions or are considering working with these technologies, I suggest you check with a Hefty Agronomist to help you determine where you’re most likely to find success on your specific acres, then start small. Pick one or two key products to try and see what they can do. These aren’t snake oil products, and most of them are priced where you don’t need a ton of bushels to pay for a treatment. Adding 5 to 6 bushels to your yields can mean a 4:1 to 5:1 return on investment, simply from adding a Naturals product to an existing pass you are already making across the field.

GIVE THEM A TRY THIS SEASON. HAVE A FUN AND SAFE PLANTING!