One Stop and BioBizz go back years and it’s been a staple organic range which customers come back for time and time again, thanks for taking the time out to talk about it Dan, can you tell us where it all started and how you fit in?
BioBizz have been around for 27 years, since the birth of the industry in Holland. Over the years the company has expanded significantly and relocated from Holland to Spain, but the philosophy remains unchanged; make the organic cultivation of crops accessible for everyone, without leaving behind any negative impact on the environment. BioBizz is now sold in over 64 countries worldwide.
I joined the BioBizz family at the start of 2019 and will manage the UK market. I cut my teeth at Nutriculture 12 years ago, before moving to AutoPot where I helped develop their North American and European markets. Feels great to be focussing 100% on the UK again and supporting the retailers here.
Brilliant, it's one of those ranges that's well known because of it's quality & how long it's been about! For those who don't know, what’s the difference between BioBizz when compared to a non-organic range and what benefits does growing organically give to your plants?
Well, in layman’s terms, non-organic fertilisers are based on mineral elements (usually chemical) that are presented in a form that can be up taken (assimilated) immediately by the plant. Organic fertilisers are made from natural ingredients, usually derived from living organisms, and rely on the microflora in the substrate to “digest” the fertiliser and present it to the plant in a form that can be up taken. Put simply, mineral nutes feed your plant and organic nutes feed your substrate and your substrate feeds your plants.
Growers following an organic philosophy will not use synthetic pesticides, fungicides or hormones. In our industry organic simply means – naturally grown.
So what’s the difference? Why bother? To be honest, I thought the same until about 5 years ago when Gareth Hopcroft (find our previous blog with Gareth here), from EcoThrive, pointed me in the direction of Jeff Lowenfels’ book “Teaming with Microbes”, which explains the importance of the soil food web and the damage that chemical fertilisers cause to the beneficial life that exists in our soil. This, combined with my exposure to the US market at the time, convinced me to start growing organically and I really saw a big jump in the quality of my crops.
Mineral fertilisers are used to steer the crop, NPK ratios are changed at key times throughout the plant’s life cycle, essentially “force feeding” the plant into changing direction. This can have a significant effect on yield but can certainly be at the detriment of genetic expression, essential oil and terpene production. How many times have you achieved a big yield, but have been disappointed by the taste and aroma?
Organic cultivation allows the plant to express its true genetic potential. Your plant will look, smell and taste exactly as nature (and its genes) intended. Plus, you can rest safe in the knowledge that you are consuming the cleanest produce possible.
I recently had a conversation with a good friend about organic cultivation and he made a great point; if you could click your fingers and, magically, all of the food in your family’s kitchen would become organic, would you do it? Of course you would, why wouldn’t you? You want to feed them the healthiest, cleanest food possible, so why would it be any different for your plants?
BioBizz is a very slim range of products, what made you go down the “less is more” route?
You said it! “Less is more.” When you grow with BioBizz, you are providing your plants with everything they need to produce a high yielding, flavourful crop. Most importantly, you are doing it naturally and with minimum impact on our environment. You will get a great result with the basics; Bio Grow or Fish Mix, Bio Bloom and Top Max, our flavour and density enhancer. But, there is a lot more to our range than those staple products.
If you want accelerated growth and a significant boost in yield, add our organic metaboliser – Bio Heaven. For a faster start and to develop a super-friendly rhizosphere for your beneficial inoculants, add Root Juice. Our Acti Vera product is a 100% organic, vegan enzyme which will keep the root zone clean and improve uptake. Leaf Coat is our natural protector and Alg A Mic is one of the most versatile products in the industry, I’ll speak about that one later.
So, which would you say are the stand out products?
Well, they are all great, but I’ll give you three;
Bio Heaven is our top-shelf, premium metaboliser it contains L-Amino Acids derived naturally from soya beans and will increase assimilation of mineral elements into the plant from around 35% up to an incredible 90-95%. Yes, you read that right! That is a staggering leap in performance. Growers will experience accelerated growth through veg and significant yield increases.
Alg A Mic is the ultimate stress reliever and growth promoter. It is an organic seaweed extract full of natural hormones and a special type of algae. It is one of those “wow” products where you see the plants respond within hours of use. It stimulates photosynthesis and chlorophyll absorption giving you lusher, greener plants. It can be used during extended periods of heat or cold to improve your plants resilience to temperature, will relieve stress during and after periods of transplanting, training and pruning. Plus, Alg A Mic and water will unlock an over fertilized plant within a few days. Amazing!
Leaf Coat is our plant protector and should be on the wish list for any grower taking cuttings. Made from natural latex derived from beeswax, Leaf Coat is a ready-to-use foliar that creates a permeable, self-degradable barrier around the plant that dissolves within 3-4 days. This barrier safe guards the leaf from temperature fluctuations and, most importantly, prevents against water loss which enables faster root development in seedlings and cuttings. The natural latex in Leaf Coat contains a natural plant protector and strengthener that provides your cuttings with an extra zing!
Awesome, what are your top 3 tips with the BioBizz range?
- Use Bio Grow from start of veg all the way through to flushing your plants. It is a common misconception that you stop using Bio Grow and switch to Bio Bloom when the plants begin flowering, but this can have a detrimental effect on yield and quality. Bio Grow and Bio Bloom should be used in tandem during the flowering period. The natural sugars and potassium in Bio Grow will power the bacterial flora in your substrate which are key to feeding your plant and sweetening your crop. This is why it is so important to continue use of Bio Grow all the way through.
- Foliar, foliar, foliar! This method of feeding should be part of every growers regime, regardless of the nutrient brand they are using because you’re getting elements into your plant as quickly as possible with the minimum amount of the plants energy being expended. When Alg A Mic is applied as a foliar you will see visibly lusher, perkier plants within a few hours. For the ultimate results foliar Alg A Mic with Fish Mix in the same solution (at 1ml per litre of water each). Plants love this combo!
- Fish Mix is an incredibly powerful fertiliser that offers explosive vegetative growth and stimulates the production of microorganisms and bacterial life in the soil. From speaking with our North American team, a lot of their commercial clients will start young plants on Bio Grow for the first week, then switch to Fish Mix for turbo-charged growth through the vegetative period and then switch to Bio Grow and Bio·Bloom once plants begin the flowering period. I’d highly recommend trying that.
What sort of growers would you recommend using BioBizz? (Without telling us it's for everyone!)
For starters, anyone looking to grow using an organic philosophy, minimising their impact on the environment and avoiding synthetic chemicals, pesticides and fungicides should look to join the BioBizz family. We will welcome you with open arms!
Any grower looking for the highest quality, cleanest and healthiest produce possible, for example growers cultivating medicinal crops who are interested in extracting the essential oils of their plants, should certainly look at BioBizz, as there will be no chemical residues or heavy metals left in produce crafted with our range.
Finally, joking aside, any grower can improve their quality and yield by adding one or two BioBizz products to their mineral fertiliser regime. Using Top Max in flower alongside your regular boosters will increase essential oil production. All growers will benefit from the stress relieving qualities of Alg A Mic (great for clearing a lock out and getting your plants through periods of high-stress). Any grower preserving genetics will benefit from using Leaf Coat on their cuttings and will achieve faster rooting times. Lastly, Bio Heaven significantly increases assimilation of naturally present mineral elements and micronutrients, try it instead of your regular flowering booster. You won’t be disappointed.
Lastly, why should people use BioBizz when there’s other organic nutrient ranges on the market?
We’ve been around for a very long time (27 years and counting!) and our longevity is down to offering the finest organic quality products on the market and enabling our customers to achieve excellent results at an affordable price.
It’s also worth mentioning that BioBizz products carry more organic certifications than any other nutrient brand in the industry. We hold seven separate certifications in total, my two favourites being the EnviroCann and Clean Green Certs which I was familiar with from working over in the US medicinal market. These certificates are a quality assurance mark for consumers guaranteeing that the produce they have purchased in a dispensary has been cultivated using 100% organic practises.
Plus, the BioBizz family are friendly and approachable! We love speaking to our customers over social media, when we’re out visiting retailers or exhibiting at trade shows. If you have any questions or would like to share your BioBizz experience, just reach out to @biobizzwwo on Facebook and Instagram and info@biobizz.com.
If you'd want to learn more about the BioBizz range, checkout our website for more details on the products featured. We'd like to give a big shout out to Dan as well for his time and knowledge and everybody at One Stop wishes him the very best in his first year of BioBizz, the range is in very good hands.
Happy Growing
