Ecothrive Soil Food Grow is an organic powdered top-dress amendment designed to replenish living soil and provide additional nutrition during vegetative plant growth.
Developed specifically for biologically active soil systems, Soil Food Grow provides a combination of readily available and longer-lasting organic nutrition to support roots, stems and foliage as plants establish and develop.
Rather than being mixed into a nutrient tank like a conventional liquid grow feed, Soil Food Grow is applied directly to the soil surface. It is particularly useful when growing in smaller pots, running longer vegetative periods or reusing living soil where the nutrients originally contained in the growing medium may gradually become depleted.
Key features
- Designed for vegetative growth: formulated to replenish nutrition while plants are developing roots, stems and foliage.
- Organic powdered top dress: applied directly to biologically active soil rather than mixed into an irrigation reservoir.
- Soy amino hydrolysate: provides an organic source of amino acids and nitrogen for the vegetative stage.
- Contains Ecothrive Charge: mealworm frass is included to help support soil biology and nutrient cycling.
- Balanced mineral nutrition: also provides phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium and sulphur.
- Suitable for pots and living soil beds: application can be calculated according to the volume of active soil being fed.
Typical nutrient analysis
- Nitrogen (N): 3.5%
- Phosphorus (P2O5): 3%
- Potassium (K2O): 4.5%
- Calcium: 6%
- Magnesium: 1%
- Sulphur: 4%
- Amino acids: 6%
The higher nitrogen emphasis makes Soil Food Grow the vegetative-stage product within the Soil Food range. As plants move into flowering and fruit production, Soil Food Bloom takes over with reduced nitrogen and increased phosphorus and potassium.
What's in Ecothrive Soil Food Grow?
Soil Food Grow combines organic and mineral ingredients chosen to provide nutrition while working within an active living soil ecosystem.
- Soy amino hydrolysate: the key ingredient in Soil Food Grow, supplying amino acids and an organic nitrogen source.
- Mealworm frass: the Ecothrive Charge component of the blend, used to support biological activity and nutrient cycling within the soil.
- Micronised rock phosphate: provides phosphorus to support root development and general plant growth.
- Potassium sulphate: provides potassium and sulphur.
- Gypsum: provides calcium and sulphur while contributing to the mineral balance of the soil.
Why use Soil Food Grow?
Ecothrive Living Soil contains nutrition from the start, but that nutrient reserve is not unlimited. Fast-growing plants, smaller containers, long vegetative periods and reused soil can all increase the need for additional nutrition.
Soil Food Grow provides a straightforward way of replenishing the growing medium without abandoning the living soil approach and switching to a conventional bottled nutrient programme.
Instead of attempting to feed the plant directly with every watering, the amendment is added to the soil where biological processes help cycle nutrients through the root zone.
How to use Ecothrive Soil Food Grow
For established indoor plants, Ecothrive recommends applying 1 to 2g of Soil Food Grow per litre of soil.
Calculate the application using the volume of soil contained within approximately the top 15cm of your pot or living soil bed.
- Measure the required amount of Soil Food Grow.
- Spread the powder evenly across the soil surface.
- Lightly scratch it into the top 2 to 4cm of soil.
- Water after application.
Do not bury the amendment deeply into an established root zone. Grow and Bloom are designed primarily as top-dress products, unlike Soil Food Re-Gen, which is mixed more thoroughly into depleted soil between growing cycles.
When should you apply Soil Food Grow?
The right timing depends on plant size, container volume, length of the vegetative period and how much nutrition remains available in the soil.
As a general guide, Soil Food Grow is intended for established plants during the vegetative stage and into the transition period before flowering.
Smaller pots normally contain a smaller nutrient reserve and may therefore require replenishment sooner than large pots or living soil beds. Plant condition and the demands of your particular growing setup should always be considered rather than applying amendments purely according to a calendar.
Outdoor application
For established plants in garden or field soil, Ecothrive recommends applying approximately 100 to 200g per square metre.
Spread the amendment evenly across the soil, lightly work it into the top 2 to 4cm and water after application.
For longer outdoor growing periods, Ecothrive recommends repeating applications approximately every 4 to 6 weeks when required.
Soil Food Grow vs a liquid grow nutrient
Soil Food Grow is intended for living soil management rather than conventional hydroponic feeding.
A liquid mineral nutrient supplies dissolved nutrition directly through irrigation water. Soil Food Grow instead adds organic and mineral inputs back into the growing medium, where they interact with the biological processes already taking place within living soil.
If you are running a conventional coco, hydroponic or recirculating nutrient system, this is not a direct replacement for your normal base nutrient. It makes most sense when the soil itself is being managed as the nutrient reservoir.
Soil Food Grow, Bloom and Re-Gen explained
The Ecothrive Soil Food range is designed as a three-stage approach to maintaining living soil.
- Soil Food Grow: replenishes nutrition during vegetative growth, with an emphasis on nitrogen and plant development.
- Soil Food Bloom: used as plants enter flowering and fruiting, with reduced nitrogen and increased phosphorus and potassium.
- Soil Food Re-Gen: used after harvest to restore depleted living soil before the next crop.
The products are designed to be used sequentially rather than applying all three at the same time.
Contains animal-derived ingredients
Ecothrive Soil Food Grow contains mealworm frass as part of the Ecothrive Charge component. Growers specifically seeking a vegan or entirely plant-derived amendment should therefore be aware that the product contains an animal-derived input.
The NPK Gardening Solutions take
Soil Food Grow makes the most sense when your living soil needs topping back up during a longer vegetative period or when you are working with container sizes where the original nutrient reserve can be used relatively quickly.
We would not treat it like a bottled grow nutrient that automatically needs adding every time you water. The whole point of a living soil system is that the growing medium carries much of the nutritional workload.
Use Soil Food Grow when the soil needs replenishment, apply it at a measured rate and keep the growing medium evenly moist so its biological activity can continue.
Once plants move into flowering or fruit production, switch to Soil Food Bloom rather than continuing to increase applications of Grow. After harvest, Soil Food Re-Gen completes the cycle by preparing the used soil for another crop.
Choose Ecothrive Soil Food Grow if you need a straightforward organic top dress to replenish living soil during vegetative growth while maintaining a biologically active growing system.