Bacillus subtilis concentrate (makes 100L)

Bacillus subtilis concentrate (makes 100 litres)

A vial of Bacillus subtilis spores, a common soil bacterium that growers use as a root and leaf inoculant. One vial makes 100 litres of soil drench or foliar spray.

At a glance

• Type: bacterial inoculant (Bacillus subtilis spores)
• Analysis: 1.5 × 10¹¹ CFU per gram
• Use for: soil drench and foliar spray on seedlings, cuttings, transplants and beds
• Rate: 0.4 g per 5 litres of water; one vial treats 100 litres
• Pairs with: Trichoderma harzianum

What it is

Bacillus subtilis is one of the most common bacteria in topsoil. It is motile, swimming through soil water with its flagella, and it is a strong producer of enzymes. Under stress it forms an endospore that stays viable for decades and shrugs off drought, salt, extreme pH, heat and chemicals. The vial holds those spores at 1.5 × 10¹¹ CFU per gram. Mixing them into water brings them back to life.

What it does

• Films the root: Bacillus subtilis colonises the root surface and forms a biofilm, taking the space before a pathogen can.
• Secretes enzymes: amylases and proteases that break down starches and proteins in the root zone, which frees nutrients for the plant and other microbes.
• Works on leaves as well as roots, which is why growers use it as a foliar spray and as a drench.

How to use

• 0.4 g per 5 litres of water. Shake until dissolved.
• One vial treats 100 litres of water as a foliar spray or a soil drench.
• Use with Trichoderma harzianum spore concentrate to cover the root with a bacterium and a fungus.

Learn more in fifteen seconds

• The root's bodyguards
• Rhizophagy: roots eat microbes

Handling and storage

• Keep the vial sealed and dry until you use it.
• Wash hands after use.
• It is a living bacterium. Do not mix it in the same tank as copper or any other antimicrobial spray.