Sunday, March 24, 2019

How Probiotics Improve Digestion & Ease Digestive Ailments

How Probiotics Work

Probiotics are becoming more and more popular these days, as many people are looking for alternative methods of improving their digestion, immune health, and even some digestive ailments that they may suffer from. Probiotics are also popular with those who like to improve their health and absorption of nutrients. So how do probiotics actually work to improve these functions in your body? Probiotics work to increase the amount of "good" bacteria in your digestive tract, to combat the vast amounts of "bad" bacteria that tend to thrive in the digestive tract. When too much of this "bad" bacteria builds up, it can cause a series of uncomfortable digestive issues such as constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating. When you use a probiotic, you are introducing more "good" bacteria into your digestive system to prevent these negative symptoms from happening and to balance out your digestive tract for improved digestion. It has been proven through multiple scientific studies that probiotics have been able to improve the function of the digestive tract and ease digestive issues.

Ailments They Can Improve

It seems that more and more these general public is suffering from an epidemic of digestive issues. Many of these issues and ailments do not have a cure, either. Most people tend to just cope with these uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing issues by taking a variety of over-the-counter medications. However, most of these issues only ease the discomfort of your digestive issues for a short period of time. There are a number of digestive issues that are garnering quite a bit of attention in the media and in the medical realm, as they seem to be on the rise. Some of these digestive issues include irritable bowl syndrome, acid reflux, ulcerative colitis, Chron's disease, celiac disease, gluten allergy and intolerance, lactose intolerance and many more uncomfortable digestive issues. Many of these issues are very uncomfortable and difficult to treat, as medication only can ease so many symptoms at a time. Using a probiotic supplement in your diet has shown to improve some of the symptoms and side effects of these digestive diseases and discomforts. It also may improve your overall health by improving how you deal with these digestive issues, increasing absorption of nutrients, improving your immune system and much more.

How to Use Probiotics

Using a probiotic is easy. There are a number of different ways to introduce probiotics into your daily life. Probiotics are available as a supplement in liquid or tablet form at many local health stores. Also, eating fermented foods such as yogurt is another way to introduce a probiotic into your diet. If you are looking for a probiotic to try, try our probiotic cleanse, the Pro EM-1 daily probiotic cleanse! Our daily probiotic supplement will help you improve your digestive function, maintain a healthy digestive tract, remove toxins from the body, and improve your body's ability to absorb nutrients, as well as helping control the growth of bad bacterias and yeast within the body.

Composting At Home: Getting Started

If you have been interested in the benefits of composting at home, but have been a little intimidated by what may seem like a complicated process. I have recently started hearing about Bokashi composting, and decided to do a little research into the possibility. Bokashi is a Japanese term that means "fermented organic matter." It is an anaerobic fermentation process, as in the absence of oxygen. This method has been used by farmers in Japan for centuries, but has only been recently introduced to the United States. Not only is the process simple and quite fast, there is little to no smells and you can compost all food scraps, including meats and dairy.

All you really need is a couple of buckets, a lid, Bokashi mix, and organic waste. It can be done on a small or large scale, and results in a much different end product than traditional composting. Bokashi composting produces a slow-release fertilizer for your gardens and is a simple way of dealing with kitchen waste.

What You Need To Start Composting

To create your own system, purchase two identical buckets, so they can stack inside each other while leaving space at the bottom. These can be found at your local home improvement store. Make sure they come with lids that seal tightly. You'll only need one of the lids. You'll also need a "mid-lid." This is some kind of weighted plate that fits inside of the bucket. You can search thrift stores for ceramic dinner plates, or even the lid to an old soup pot. This plate should ideally be outfitted with a handle or knob so it is simple to pick up out of the bucket, without getting your hands dirty.

Drill several small holes in the bottom of the top bucket to allow liquids to drain away from the food scraps. This liquid is known as Bokashi juice or Bokashi tea, and can be poured down kitchen drains to prevent unpleasant smells or clogs. This juice can also be diluted in a ratio of one cup to five to six gallons of water for a wonderful fertilizer for plants. Keep in mind that your must use it within 24 hours of draining it from the bucket.

There are also pre-made compost systems that you can buy if you want to save a bit of time.

What's Next: Once Your Compost Bucket Is Set Up

You are now ready to add a layer of Bokashi mix in the bottom of the bucket. Top this with two inches of food scraps, and remember, with this method, you can compost just about anything. Uncooked and cooked meat, eggs and shells, cheese, and yesterday's pasta dish can all be added. It's best to puncture sealed items like grapes or tomatoes so that microbes can get inside and get to work. Cover this layer with more Bokashi mix, and use your mid-lid to press down and remove air. Close the lid tightly. As you accumulate more organic waste, keep adding to the bucket with the same process until it is full. Wait at least two weeks, without opening the bucket, for the fermentation process to complete. The contents should then be placed in a hole in the garden, covered with dirt, and left for an additional two to four weeks.

Preparing Your Garden for the Spring

Spring has sprung and if you think that you shouldn’t be thinking about your garden until at least mid-spring, think again. These tips can help you improve the quality of your soil and prepping your garden for planting flowers, vegetables and fruits!

It has been one long and cold winter and many homeowners believe that they have to put their gardening plans on hold for a little while longer. However, the time to improve the quality of your soil, landscape design and garden management begins now. The following are a few of these procedures that will allow you to begin preparing your garden for the spring.

Soil Prep

When adding new vegetables, flowers or shrubs to you garden, prepping and improving the quality of the soil will ensure the health of your plants. Healthy soil grows healthy plants. In order for soil to become healthy, they require organic matter. Use soil conditioners, such as EM-1, to get the soil steeped in nutrients now. Organic matter like compost, microbes, and moisture, provides a healthy environment for plants to grow. The result is strong plants, healthier flowers and higher quality fruits and vegetables. Adding a soil conditioner to your garden helps improve moisture retention. This makes water easily accessible for the roots of all of your plants. Coarse soil does not retain water well. The conditioner allows air and water to move through the soil. Since, the organic matter in soil conditioner retains moisture, it is able to absorb and store nutrients more easily. Breathability must be preserved for healthy soil.


It is never too early to begin weeding your garden. Digging out the weeds before they are given the opportunity to plant roots in your soil, will save you a lot of time and money in the future. Also, by getting them now before the full on spring season, you will be able to pluck them out before their seeds mature and take root. To guarantee that your weeds will not return, place the pulled weeds deep into your compost pile. The warmth will kill the weed seeds, stopping them from returning to your garden.


Lastly, it’s never too early to plan your drainage. A sufficient drainage system will make sure that your plants always have the right amount of water. If your home already has a drainage system, you can begin your spring cleaning by clearing it of leaves, broken branches and all other debris that accumulated over the winter. For an extra benefit, add any organic matter that you can find in your compost. It should give it a dose of carbon in the early spring.

If you take the rights steps now, your garden will be ready to take on whatever planting you decide to do this spring. Teraganix can help you build soil quality with EM 1, get a head start on weeds, and prepare your drainage system. For more information on soil conditioners, like EM 1, and their impact on your garden, visit some of our product & information pages on our website. We're proud to provide industry leading solutions for your home and garden!

Saturday, March 09, 2019

How To Renew Your Old Garden Soil

Soil conditioners are full of helpful microbes that are beneficial to plants. In order to grow healthy vegetables and beautiful flowers, it may be necessary to better the garden bed. Soil conditioners are added to the soil to improve physical properties, such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage, aeration, and aggregation. Soil aggregation is the clumping of soil particles. These particles vary in size and are held together by moist clay or organic compounds. Some particles fit together tightly, while others leave spaces or pores. These spaces are necessary for allowing the soil to store water, air, microbes, nutrients, and organic matter.

Properly aggregated soil is more stable, less prone to erosion, and more plant friendly. Good soil is well-drained and aerated, meaning that the air inside the soil is similar to atmospheric air. This is critical for healthy root depth. The ability of water to flow through soil is referred to as the soil's permeability. Compacted and hardened soil resists water, not allowing it reach thirsty roots. Soil conditioners are used to loosen soil and replenish and maintain nutrients. Improving stressed soil and replenishing soil that has been damaged by over fertilization, pesticides or fungicides, will greatly boost plant growth and health.

Soil Conditioning Helps Compacted Dirt

The the addition of a wide variety of organic materials will go a long way in supplementing the soil. The goal is to provide a better environment for roots. Over time, soil can become compacted. This not only makes it difficult for plants for grow, but reduces their ability to draw nutrients and water. The addition of a soil conditioner loosens the soil, supplying loft and texture.

Too Much Clay
For soils heavy in clay, soil conditioners help with aggregation, aeration, drainage, and rooting depth. Porosity and permeability is also increased.

Too Much Sand
For sandy soils, the use of a soil conditioner will improve the water and nutrient holding capacity. Water retention can also be enhanced in very coarse soils.

Adjusting The pH
It is also possible to adjust the pH of the soil to answer the needs of specific plants, or to solve the problem of highly acidic or alkaline soil. People have been adding things to poor soil to promote healthy plant growth for centuries. By enriching the soil, plants are able to grow bigger and stronger.

Natural Bacteria Rebalances Damaged Soil

When naturally occurring bacteria is added to exhausted or leeched soils, they are extremely helpful in regenerating and rebalancing the soil. Extreme heat, drought, or flooding results in damaged soil. You may have noticed cracks in a dried out garden bed. This is caused by moisture evaporating and leaving behind empty pockets where soil then collapsed. The soil is now tight, compacted and anaerobic (without oxygen). The beneficial microorganisms that once benefited the soil have been replaced by harmful bacteria, making the environment inhospitable to plants. Adding organic matter to the soil promotes natural bacteria, improves oxygen levels, and enhances soil quality and texture. You can generate your own soil conditioner with material from home, to boost plant growth and performance.

Growing a Healthier Garden

How much time and hard work have you invested in your garden this spring? As we approach the summer season, don’t let poor soil conditions undo your earlier efforts. Soil health has a direct link to plant health. Plants thrive and fail based on what is available in garden soil.
The Key to a Healthy Garden is Healthy Soil

The first step to ensure optimal growing conditions is assessing the makeup of your soil. You can do this with a simple soil test. Nearly every soil test provides Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium (NPK) levels. NPK elements are essential components to plant growth. If a test reveals an insufficient amount of any of the elements, then it is a warning sign for problematic soil.

Plants rely on NPK elements for protein development and photosynthesis. These elements are commonly found in the minerals of the soil, as well as the atmosphere. However, availability of NPK elements in natural sources is limited.

A soil test also indicates the soil’s acidity or pH, using a scale from zero to fourteen. Most plants prefer soils with a neutral pH level (a seven), but some plants thrive in soil with more or less acidity. Highly acidic soils can be toxic to plants, limiting the availability of nutrients and destroying root systems.

Use EM-1 Microbial Inoculant for Healthy Soil

Applying organic compost combined with the EM-1 Microbial Inoculant can significantly improve the overall health of your soil. Of all the remedies for nutrient deficient soil, this is one of the best! EM-1 Microbial Inoculant is a liquid probiotic for soil that supports plant growth and accelerates compost. Applications of EM-1 and compost improve moisture retention in the soil, help plants absorb more nutrients, and restore the natural balance of healthy soil. EM-1 is not a fertilizer, so don't forget to apply fertilizer to your garden for optimum results.

Creating a Better Soil for Your Crops

It sounds simple: healthy soil will grow healthy plants and vegetables. However, many farmers struggle to get the balance right. Some common issues they run into are compacted soils, clay and contaminated soil. EM1 can improve these issues immensely and allow the health of your soil to progress. To have a healthy soil, it requires a wide variety of microbial activity to break down the organic matter. This will stimulate a healthy environment for vegetables and plants. The outcome is stronger plants, healthier flowers, greater resistance to diseases and pests, and higher quality fruits and vegetable.

EM 1 is an organic soil amendment that provides a broad spectrum of beneficial microorganisms, enzymes, vitamins, and various organic acids. It is best used in combination with garden and lawn fertilizers. EM1 is also an accelerator for compost. The organic matter will support the development of other components that are crucial to healthy soil, such as insects and earthworms.

Preparing Your Soil

In order for your crops to prosper this year, farmers must prepare their soil for planting. Soil needs to be nutrient-rich, to enable your plants to absorb moisture, anchor roots, and grow up strong.

Usually you can just start mixing in compost or soil conditioner in to your crop. However, after having conducted a soil test, the soil may need a bit of help first. Finding out your soil type is crucial for creating a regime to improve the health of your soil. A farmer must test the soil to find out the soil type. There are a number of ways to do this. The easiest way is to buy a soil test kit at your local home and garden store.

Soil Types & Solutions

After receiving the results of your soil test and revealing the type of soil you have, there are a number of solutions to get your soil in prime health. If your test reveals that you have clay soil, add coarse sand, EM1, compost, and peat moss. If you have sandy soil, add humus or aged manure, peat moss, EM1, or sawdust. The addition of heavy, clay-rich soil can also be added to improve its health. If your soil test reveals you have silt soil, coarse sand or gravel, EM1 and compost will help the condition. If you can handle the strong smell, well-rotted horse manure and straw will aid in improving your silt soil.


Fertilizer is an important step for fruit and vegetable growth. The three fertilizer components that are crucial to your crop growth are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Each of these fertilizers play a different role in creating a flourishing crop this year. Nitrogen is responsible for leaf growth ad makes plants greener. For fruit production and root growth, phosphorus is a common aid. Potassium is useful for fighting off diseases.

For more information on soil conditioners, like EM 1, and their impact on your crop, visit Teraganix’s website. Teraganix provides industry leading solutions for your home and garden. They are an exclusive distributor in the US & Canada for Dr. Higas EM-1 Effective Microorganisms, EM Bokashi, Pro EM-1 Probiotics, & EM Ceramics.