Catnip

Plant name: Catnip (Nepeta cataria)

Date: Planted in spring 2024, the photos where taken in June, 2024

Location: Residence in Woodside, California.

Application method:

Catnip has its name derived from the intense attraction cats have toward the plant.  We planted 2 plants, with 2 different treatments on 22 April 2024. Control is native soil, with a 16-16-16 fertilizer granules. The other plant was planted with JB and a water retention ingredient that we have experimented with in 2024.  

Results:

The JB treated plants exhibited the same overall results that we seen in nearly all of the other fields trials in 2024: the JB plants grew taller, with a wider canopy- increased plant volume, and with larger leaves.   

Photo left:  Following a massive heat dome (July), this is what the 4 plants looked. At that time, the JBarea + BG treated plant (back right) had a plant volume 4.6x greater (height * width * length) than the control plant (back left). The JB treated plant also had 1.6x more flowering stalks than the control plant, with more flowering shoots/stalk. You can see by the color (darker green) of the leaves, that this plant suffered much less during the heat dome, than the other 3 plants. 

Photo 2: shows the difference in the size of the largest leaf of the control plant (l) and the JB plant (r). The JBarea + BG  largest leaf was 3.3x larger at that time.

Plant name: Zinnia

Date: Planted in spring 2024, the photos where taken in June, 2024

Location: Residence in Woodside, California.

Application method:

 These zinnias were planted on 28 April 2024. The three “control” plants received a 16-16-16 fertilizer, as did the three treated zinnias. The SAI treated plants used John’s Blend (‘JB’). These zinnias were planted at a 4:1 ratio, soil to JB.  This planting was our first of four cycles of learning in 2024.  We subsequently identified the 4:1 ratio as “too hot”, and we will not use this ratio again.  

Results:

Note that we did measure taller plants with wider canopies, producing more flowers/plant, and larger root balls, on these JB treated plants, but over the 4 cycles of learning, we achieved significantly better results with other plants and ratios of soil:JB.

Photo showing flowers:  The JB treated plants were running 1.63x larger, with 1.5x more flowers/plant (control plants on left, JB treated plants on right).  The JB treated plant has a plant volume ~2x greater than the plant volume of the control plant (control on left, JB treated plant on right).

Photo showing roots:  The JB plant had a root ball volume that was 5.5x larger.

We revised the “formula” throughout 2024, and further widened the plant response gap, between JB treated annuals, and control annuals. 

Plant name: Coxcomb Celiosa

Date: Planted on June 14, 2024

Location: Residence in Woodside, California.

Application method:

These coxcomb Celiosa flowers were planted on 14 June 2024. The control plants received a dose of 16-16-16 fertilizer, as did the treated plants. The SAI treated plants used 4 certified organic materials: biochar, plant compost, animal manure compost, and microbes; our internal name for this is John’s Blend (‘JB’).  These flowers were planted at a 6:1 ratio, soil to JB. We performed 4 “cycles of learning” over 2024; this was the 2nd cycle of potted annuals. We subsequently identified the 6:1 ratio as “too hot”, and will not use this ratio again.  

Results:

 Note that we did measure the JB treated plants with greater plant volume, larger leaves, larger root balls, and greater flower volume and weight, than the control plants.  

Photo 1: (taken on July 14, 2024)   The largest leaf on the JB treated plant was 2.7x larger than the largest leaf on the control plant.   

Photo 2:  (taken on July 14, 2024)   The JB treated plants produced flowers which had 2.8x greater volume, and 2x the weight, of the flowers from the control plants. 

Photo 3: (taken on November 18, 2024)   The JB treated plant (r in photo) produced a root ball 15.8x larger than the root ball of the control plant, and had a plant volume ~2x greater than the plant volume of the control plant.   

You can see how we widened the gap on plant response, from the first cycle of learning, to the second cycle of learning, in 2024.  

Plant name: Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias eriocarpa)

Date: June, 2024

Location: Residence in Woodside, California.

Application method:

 Unfortunately, we suffered through a pair of massive “heat domes” in 2024. One was in July, and lasted a week. One was in October, and lasted 2 days.  Unfortunately, all of the plants in this study wilted, and lost all of their leaves. Since milkweeds shed their leaves in winter, I thought to do an additional experiment: why not replant the roots in soil, and watch to see if they re-grow? I put some in pots, and some in the soil. Since the original soil looked and felt like peat moss to me, I also transplanted some into potting soil more like topsoil. What we learned was surprising.   None of the control A. eriocarpa “came back”   JB treated A. eriocarpa, which regrew following the heat dome (left in photo 4), while none of the control A. eriocarpa came back. 

Results:

All of the JB treated plants came back, except for one A. eriocarpa.

This shows that these soil amendments provide some “resiliancy” towards excessive heat or drought. When replanted in a pot, the JB treated plant grew 4x taller, with leaves about 3x larger, and a root ball with about 5x greater volume. (photo 5)