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Five raw materials. One reason: healthier soil grows better food.

Every Zylem product starts with an ingredient chosen for what it actually does in the field: feed soil biology, carry nutrition into the plant, and help crops hold their ground under stress. Here is what each one does, and why it earns its place.

See the five materialsTalk to an agronomist
A handful of dark, crumbly, biologically active soil held in a farmer's hands

Why the ingredient matters

A product can only be as good as what goes into it.

Synthetic inputs feed the plant and bypass the soil. Biological raw materials do both. They deliver nutrition in a form the plant can use immediately, and they feed the microbiology that keeps releasing nutrition long after the spray tank is empty.

Feeds the biology

Carbon, amino acids and sugars the soil food web can actually eat.

Nutrition in usable form

Naturally chelated trace elements take less plant energy to absorb.

Traceable and sustainable

Renewable sources, by-product streams and locally grown crops.

Jump toFish hydrolysateKelp / seaweedMolasses solidsMoringaFulvic acid
Aquaculture fish pens floating in sheltered coastal water

01Cold-processed whole fish

Fish hydrolysate

A natural alternative to synthetic nitrogen. Because it is enzymatically digested rather than heat-processed, the amino acids, oils and calcium stay intact, so the plant and the soil both get something they can use straight away.

Soil biologyFish oils and chitin feed fungi and beneficial bacteria, shifting worn-out soils back toward a fungal-dominant, aggregated structure.
Plant nutritionAmino acids are absorbed directly, so the plant spends less energy converting nitrate, alongside slow-release nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium.
On the farmStronger early root development at planting, better colour retention through the season, and a lower synthetic-fertiliser bill.
Found inSea Brix™SeaBrix NPKPopUp
The full benefits of fish hydrolysate →

02Cold-water seaweed extract

Kelp / seaweed

The most complete natural source of plant growth regulators we work with. Kelp does not feed the crop so much as tell it what to do, which is why it shows its value most clearly when a crop is under pressure.

Stress resilienceNatural cytokinins and betaines help crops recover from heat, drought, transplant shock and hail, and hold flowers and fruit they would otherwise drop.
Trace elementsDozens of ocean-derived macro and micro elements in naturally chelated form. This is the trace nutrition most South African soils are short of.
Soil structureAlginates bind soil particles into stable aggregates, improving water-holding capacity and root penetration.
Found inSea Brix™SeaBrix NPKPopUp
The full benefits of kelp →
Brown kelp forest swaying beneath the ocean surface with sunlight filtering through
Tall green sugarcane field beside a farm dirt road

03Fermented cane by-product

Consolidated molasses solids (CMS)

Soil microbes run on carbon, and molasses is the most available carbon we can give them. A by-product of the local sugar industry, it turns a waste stream into the fuel that drives biological activity in the root zone. Amino K, our own brand of liquid fermented CMS, is this material in its purest form.

Microbial fuelSimple sugars trigger a rapid multiplication of beneficial soil organisms, which in turn build structure and unlock nutrients already in the soil.
Holds nutritionNatural chelation keeps potassium, sulphur and trace elements plant-available in the root zone instead of leaching past it.
In the tankImproves the spread and stick of foliar sprays, and lifts leaf brix, the sugar reserve behind drought tolerance and natural pest resistance.
Found inAmino K™Sea Brix™
The full benefits of molasses solids →

04Locally grown leaf extract

Moringa

Known as the miracle tree for good reason. Moringa leaf is one of the richest natural sources of the growth hormone zeatin, and it grows well in Southern Africa, so the crop that improves your crop can be produced close to home.

Growth stimulantZeatin, a natural cytokinin, drives cell division, supporting stronger vegetative growth and better fruit set at low application rates.
Crop protectionNaturally occurring compounds in the leaf deter a range of insect pests, giving organic and IPM programmes another tool that leaves no residue.
Broad nutritionVitamins, antioxidants, amino acids and minerals in one leaf: nutrition for the plant, and a route to more nutrient-dense food.
Found inSea Brix™PopUp
The full benefits of moringa →
Moringa oleifera branches with vibrant green pinnate leaves
Green seedling pushing up through dark, carbon-rich soil

05Carbon-rich humic extract

Fulvic acid

The smallest and most active fraction of soil carbon. Fulvic acid works as a carrier: it takes hold of nutrients, moves them into the plant and keeps them available in the root zone. That is why it makes everything else in the programme work harder.

Nutrient uptakeFulvic molecules are small enough to cross leaf and root membranes, carrying chelated nutrients straight into plant cells at very low application rates.
Holds nutritionImproves cation exchange in the root zone, keeping calcium, potassium and trace elements plant-available instead of locking up or leaching away.
Roots and biologyStimulates root development and feeds microbial activity, adding the stable carbon that healthy, living soil is built on.
Found inSeaBrix NPKRealCalPopUp
Ask us about fulvic acid →Full benefits page coming soon

Better together

No single ingredient does everything.

We blend these five because their strengths overlap where it counts and cover each other where it matters. Here is where each one pulls its weight.

Raw material
Feeds soil biology
Supplies nutrition
Buffers stress
Natural protection
Fish hydrolysate
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Kelp / seaweed
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Molasses solids
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Moringa
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Fulvic acid
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Lime = a primary strength of that material in a Zylem programme.

Ask us about our raw materials

Whatever the size of your farm, we want to hear from you.

Want to know which of these materials your soil and crop would benefit from most, or are you looking to source them in bulk? Speak to one of our agronomists.

Call+27 33 347 2893
Emailadmin2@zylemsa.co.za
VisitUnit 20, 3 Cascades Crescent, Chase Valley, Pietermaritzburg, KZN, 3201
See all productsImport our products

Read further

Fish hydrolysate in farming

Rates, timing and what enzymatic digestion changes.

Kelp in farming

How seaweed extract buffers heat, drought and shock.

Molasses solids in farming

Feeding soil carbon, and lifting leaf brix.

Moringa in farming

Zeatin, pest deterrence and a crop grown close to home.

Laboratory analyses

Test first, then choose the material your soil is short of.