Can beneficial soil bacteria survive in powder/tablet form?

August 30, 2020 7:51 AM

I'm looking at sourcing organic fertilizer tablets from a local dutch company. Their product listing describes the tablets as containing "2% beneficial root bacteria" . Can beneficial bacteria actually survive like this in a dry, tablet form, inside a plastic package?

I reached out to the supplier but they're being evasive with their answers. So, any way this is legit? Or are they misleading customers?

posted by PardonMyFrench to Science & Nature (6 answers total)

Best answer: Yes, bacteria can survive all minds of environments, from volcanoes to the vacuum of space. For root bacteria, keep in mind that soil around plants isnt always wet, or even damp. Bacteria go dormant in dry environments and begin to eat and reproduce once moisture returns.
posted by ananci at 8:20 AM on August 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

I’ve used mycorrhizal bacteria on plants for a few years now.
The product I’ve used is Rootshield and it comes as a vacuum-sealed powder which you mix with water to apply to the soil.
posted by sciencegeek at 8:57 AM on August 30, 2020

Yes. As an example, bifidobacterium infantis 35624 is digested in a usable form in an oral probiotic (Align/Aflorex) used to treat IBS.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:43 AM on August 30, 2020

Yes, they are prepared for survival. The rate is low, but once rehydrated and given a supportive environment they can then multiply.

Same goes for "probiotic" supplements. Tons of dead bacteria, but some are still viable.

There is a shelf life.

If the company is being evasive, it means they probably haven't extensively tested survival rates (and it might end up being very far from 2% - what 2% weight/ weight?).
posted by porpoise at 9:43 AM on August 30, 2020 [3 favorites]

Porpoise is very correct re evasiveness, I've found a lot of companies very dishonest, altho my experience only NZ.
posted by unearthed at 10:47 AM on August 30, 2020 [2 favorites]

Yes they can survive dehydration, but unless they tell you the type of bacteria they are there's no way to know if they will do anything for your little ecosystem. Different bacteria have different hosts under different conditions. You can dump all the beneficial bacteria you like into your garden or indoor plants, but if the pH isn't correct or the moisture is high/low or any of dozens of different scenarios are not optimal for that bacteria, they won't stick around. Chances are that if you use organic soil or compost and don't over fertilize you have plenty of the appropriate bacteria anyway. Most root bacteria continue to hang out on host plant roots in spite of re potting and moving as long as you aren't getting wild with systemic insecticides or too much Miracle-Gro.
posted by oneirodynia at 3:00 PM on August 30, 2020 [2 favorites]