“The color response is ridiculous without a lot of growth!” – Chuck Hayes
Chuck’s comment perfectly summarizes the observations of most Foundation Forty users. Why does Foundation Forty elicit a nice color response without encouraging top growth?
Foundation Forty is formulated with a purpose! It is loaded with only a few specific amino acids but in very high concentrations. These amino acids (foundation amino acids) are critical to very important metabolic processes in the plant. These processes contribute to greater plant color and controlled growth.
Chlorophyll Production
One of these foundation amino acids is required as the building block that the plant uses for the construction of chlorophyll. In other words, Foundation Forty supplies the “raw material” plants use to create chlorophyll. Greater chlorophyll production is the simple reason that growers see a better color response. With better chlorophyll production also comes increased photosynthetic activity. This means the plant is building more carbohydrates and increasing its energy status. This is a huge advantage compared to feeding the plant nitrate, ammonium, or urea-N. With the increase in chlorophyll production and plant energy, less inorganic nitrogen (N) is needed, which is why top growth is controlled with the use of Foundation Forty.
Protein Building
The foundation amino acids also have major influence on protein building. Let’s consider that plants primarily take up N in the form of NO3- or NH3+, but these inorganic forms of N are useless to the plant until they can be converted to organic (carbon) forms of nitrogen. Foundation amino acids are responsible for the conversion of inorganic nitrogen into carbon forms. With this carbon N the plant can then construct necessary proteins and enzymes. Simplifying the process for the plant to convert inorganic N to organic N means that the plant is building proteins more efficiently than it would with traditional N sources.
In the end, Chuck’s comment can be summed up very simply:
Foundation Forty Increases Photosynthesis = Better Color
Foundation Forty Improves Protein Production Using Less Inorganic N = Controlled Growth
This is why Chuck and so many users are thrilled with the results they get from Foundation Forty.
Related Posts
About the Author Curt Geron
I am a Foliar-Pak territory manager and the lead for Foliar-Pak product development. I’ve been with EnP Investments, the manufacturer of Foliar-Pak, for almost nine years. In addition to my responsibilities at EnP, I’ve worked as golf course superintendent and owner/operator of a lawn care company. With B.S. and M.S. degrees in Agronomy from The Ohio State University, I developed a passion for plant science and fertility. If you would like to learn more about the science behind our products or discuss practical applications for using our products to improve turfgrass and plant health, let’s connect.
Read More Posts from Curt