Fertilize Without the Smell

TerraCycle offers a range of earth-friendly fertilizers.

Gardeners like worms because they aerate soil, priming it for planting; as the critters burrow, they also leave behind nutrient-rich castings that fertilize the vegetation. So it's genius that concentrated, liquefied worm excrement is the secret ingredient in TerraCycle, a line of all-natural plant food. The odorless, spray-on fertilizers are formulated for a range of flowers and grasses; being organic, they are both kinder to the earth than chemical-based options and, according to some experts, are also more effective than their synthetic counterparts.

The idea for TerraCycle arose in 2001, when Tom Szaky, then a 19-year-old Princeton freshman, happened upon a friend's compost bin, which contained a mixture of soil, worms, and food waste. The friend used the resulting “worm poop” (aka, the broken-down organic matter and excrement) as fertilizer. It occurred to Szaky that eco-friendly consumers might be interested in the benefits of the resulting mixture, but probably wouldn't want the hassle and smell involved in making it. A business was born; Szaky and co-founder Jon Beyer dropped out of Princeton to focus on the venture. The duo successfully launched the outfit on their own, even turning down a $1 million prize after winning a business-plan contest funded by a venture capital firm because the investors wanted to work only with Szaky. Today, aside from food for a variety of plants, TerraCycle turns out everything from lawn fertilizer to deer repellent.

The firm has another eco-conscious angle, too. Recycled soda bottles house the plant solution; the spray tops are other company's extras, and the cardboard shipping boxes are other businesses' misprints. Even the desks and computers in the company's Trenton, New Jersey, office are secondhand.

New products from TerraCycle include Garden Concentrate (40-ounce, $12.97), Lawn Concentrate (2-liter, $14.97), and Tomato Plant Food (2 liter, $7.97). Next up? Herb, Rose, and Cactus food. 609-393-4252, terracycle.net. —Nicole Sforza, Deputy Articles Editor

Comments

[caglar keskin]

I am a farmer and growing vegetables to sell. For more efficency i use fertilizers but while using them it is important to
keep it healthy because some fertilizers contain corruptive elements so i try to read everything about fertilizers and try
to keep my product healthy. I am grateful for those who gives information about fertilizers and anyone who
uses fertliziers should read about it, i also found another good guide which should be read too i think;

http://agricultureguide.org/