Petrik has worked with biology and chemistry since 1947 and has developed a system to support the in-field bio-organo-mineral complex, by employing a three dimensional management approach utilizing our own Petrik Bio-Organo-Mineral System (PBS) which complements the in-field needs on an over-all scope to help growers maximize their potential for growing quality food.
The foundational concern of the PBS is the production of active stable humus by proper decomposition and buildup of quality organic matter, along with the balancing of nutrients, both the mineral and biological, in the soil solution.
The starting point is to work with the soil carbon base that has accumulated through decomposing plant material of which most has been either excreted by the plant roots or from dead plants. It is this raw material, the input into this pool, that the grower needs to manage. This organic pool of materials is the "organo" portion of the natural bio-organo-mineral complex, and is very important to the biology of the soil (the microbiology and the plants) and to the mineral cycling in the soil; thus the organic portion needs to be managed to the growers' advantage, adhering to our statement: "Feeding the soil to feed the plant."
Petrik recognizes that all inputs directly influence the biological environment of the soil and plant; thereby addresses the "bio" portion of the Petrik Bio-Organo-Mineral System through applied biochemistry and biology. This provides the best possible conditions for the biology to function at its full potential.
It is important to realize that none of the Petrik tools is a "magic bullet" and all are utilized in a cooperative fertility system requiring proper fertilizer and pesticide usage. In short, the Petrik Bio-Organo-Mineral System can help with better utilization and retention of simple nutrient fertilizers in the soil, so that lesser input amounts are generally needed for crop production as the soil is improved, leading to improved profits and a buffer during unfavorable weather. Also important, leaching of fertilizers into drinking water and streams is reduced. Careful attention to nutrient balance in the soil is addressed throughout the PBS. We will be very helpful in the selection of kinds and amounts of fertilizing materials needed for the fields where PBS is utilized.
Balanced mineral nutrition is vital to the PBS. Petrik's view of nutrition in the soil is seen not only as mineral-nutrient nutrition, but also as the full range of bio-chemical co-products including the mineral nutrition and water; it also involves various gases, such as oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, etc. For this reason, the PBS looks at the plant, microbiology, soil minerals, and organic matter as one unit that needs to be cultivated into production.