How do I calibrate my sprayer and how can I avoid spraying issues?

• Please click here and read this PDF in its entirety! ProVide, ReVive, and Fish are made with natural products and some components are not as small as what you may be used to with chemical inputs. Note, RLS also strongly advises to take all screens out to avoid plugging.

What can I tank mix biology products with?

• ALWAYS JAR TEST FIRST.  There is nothing worse than clogging your systems.

• There are some products biology can mix with, such as fish, and others it can’t - “cides” and salt heavy fertilizers. Ideally you would be moving away from products that are hard on biology in general on your operation.  You can test your other products with a biology test to determine how detrimental they might be.

How do I mix the Provide, Revive, and Fish?

• Thoroughly stir the Provide tote between each use. You don't want to contaminate the Provide with the stir stick in the tote. You can use a drill powered paddle or air compressor wand. You will lose the shelf stability of Provide if you contaminate it with a food source and activate it. 

• The Revive comes in a powder form. You want to mix it thoroughly so it doesn’t glob up.  There are many ways to do this, but the way we suggest is to use a bucket and vigorously stir up the appropriate amount of powder Revive into a slurry and then pour it into your spray tank or irrigation tank system.

• Thoroughly stir the Fish barrel or tote between each use as it settles like paint.  You can use a drill powered paddle or air compressor wand. We recommend to not use the same stirring tool you used for Provide to avoid contaminating the Provide tote.

How long does it last mixed?

• Ideally, you will apply the mixture immediately after you mix it. Once the dormant microorganisms from Provide come into contact with the food from the Revive or Fish those microorganisms are activated. If you leave this mixture too long it will start to eat itself and go anaerobic. Although we recommended applying as quickly as possible, producers have still seen success after letting the mixture sit for a day or two.  Lower temperatures can make that window longer. 

Do biological inputs replace my chemical inputs? 

• Biological inputs accelerate soil regeneration in conjunction with other regenerative practices like biologically based fertility, cover crops, proper grazing/watering, etc. In some cases, the biological inputs can replace chemical inputs if combined with other regenerative management practices. In other cases, such as row crops, they will reduce the amount of chemical inputs needed in a transition to a more biologically friendly fertility program. Tissue or sap analysis, soil testing (direct microscopy, chemistry, DNA sequencing), will help assess what your roadmap might look like.

What is the difference between Provide and Revive? 

• ProVide is a soil inoculum. It introduces a wide spectrum of natural biology, balanced between bacteria and fungi. It comes in 250 gallon totes in bulk pricing.

• ReVive is a soil conditioner. It contains humic acid, kelp and other complex carbohydrates to feed the biology and activate it, specifically fungi, which is often the main culprit of low soil activity. You can buy it in 50 lb increments in bulk pricing.

How are the biological inputs applied?

• They can be put down however is easiest for your operation — pivot injections, boom sprayers, helicopters, irrigation ditches, etc. That said, please click here and read the spraying tips before you do so to avoid any issues!

What if I’ve missed my ideal window to apply directly at seeding? 

• ‘Perfect’ is often impossible in large scale agricultural production. So it’s ok if you don't get your product in the ground at the exact right time. Waiting a couple days so that you can put Provide and Revive down with a rain event or irrigation works too. 

Can I still apply if there is snow on the ground?

• A little snow is not a problem, but once the ground is frozen, we would not recommend applying product. If the snow is a light dusting (less than 1/2-1 inch) that will melt within a day or two. If this is the case, it is okay to apply over the snow. However, a heavier snow, or one that is not likely to melt off should be avoided.

What if I can’t time my application with the rain or get irrigation on in time?

• We always prefer ideal conditions. Plan ahead, make sure your irrigation system will work, do your best and don’t stress too much. Revive/Fish will start working whenever you are able to get water on the fields and it is unclear how much a dry spell effects Provide.  Our guidelines are only guidelines. Do your best and don’t stress too much if it isn’t perfect.

What kind of results can I expect from applying RLS products? 

• The answer varies depending on your specific situation. Every operation and set of management practices are different. Results can be narrowly or broadly defined and some of the most important results are hard to measure simply.  Water holding capacity, disease and insect resistance, long term nutrient cycling, soil organic matter, just to mention a few.  Looking closely at your plants, digging into the soil with a shovel, using your human senses, looking at yields and input costs, and testing your soil can help you quantify your results.  The positive results from looking holistically at your fertility program are key to reaching your operations potential in an ever changing environment.  RLS’s product lines are a couple of tools that can help you get there, but education and deeper understandings of soil life and health are paramount.

How do the costs of Provide and Revive and a biological fertility program compare to synthetic fertilizer?

• This depends on your unique situation. That said, most producers spend significantly more on synthetic fertilizers, which become less useful every year you use them, as they damage the life in their soil. In contrast, ProVide and ReVive, combined with biological fertility programs, create a system of decreasing inputs, especially when combined with better management practices. 

What is the benefit of Provide over a local compost tea or extract? 

• Homemade compost teas and extracts can be a great option for producers. The overall biomass, biodiversity, and fungal levels in homemade products, however, can vary greatly. It is important to ensure they contain microbiology that will be beneficial for your soil. In addition, homemade products have a short shelf-life, limiting when they can be applied. ProVide is carefully formulated to ensure a healthy, diverse fungal/bacterial population and are shelf-stable, meaning you can apply when it works for you and know you have a product that has been tested for quality. 

• Even more importantly, these locally made extracts and teas work best if they are put down with a food source, such as ReVive. Putting a local tea or extract down without ReVive is like sending in the Marines with no bullets. Producers who make their own extracts and want good results test the biology first and mix it with ReVive when they apply.

What is the impact of bringing biology that is not native to my geography? 

• Biology is quite similar across the world. Even though the natural biological components of ProVide might be from a different geography, your soil will take the biology it needs and the biology that isn’t needed will not survive. We recommend using ProVide on broken dirt. If you already have a thriving population of native biology that suits your production goals, then you won’t need to introduce new biology. Testing can help you determine that. If your biology is good, adding Revive as a food source can help increase the activity of your existing biology.