So You Think You Know Something About Biostimulants

By Richard Jones|February 28, 2019

At this point, you have almost certainly heard about biostimulants. You may even have trialed them in your production. But you’re forgiven if you can’t explain just exactly what biostimulants are. In fact, there’s no universal, officially agreed-to definition. Let’s start by talking about what they’re not.

Unlike crop protection products with their familiar (and strictly worded) labels, biostimulants are not — so far, anyway — regulated by EPA. That can make things a little confusing for you as you’re trying to evaluate different biostimulant types and determine which products to use.

Despite what you might have heard about some products, they aren’t fertilizers. Biostimulants can help plants take up the nutrients they need more efficiently, but these are not plant nutrition products. Likewise, while they can help improve the overall health of a plant, making it a bit more resistant to damaging insects or diseases, biostimulants are not crop protection products either.