Rock Star Treatment for Your Plants – Micronutrients Taking Centre Stage

From Encore to Evolution

September marks an important moment for S-Chelate Plant Nutrition. At Glee 2025, held at the NEC Birmingham from 16–18 September, we will be unveiling our full retail range alongside our partner SoilSmiths. Visitors will find us at stand 9E97 in the GIMA Business Village, where our products will take centre stage.

Our August blog introduced the concept of the Rock Star Treatment for plants, a way of celebrating the often-overlooked micronutrients that drive healthy growth. This article builds on that introduction, taking the encore further by shining a bright spotlight on the science, the products and the role of independent garden retailers in bringing this range to customers across the UK.

Just as a music festival introduces headline acts and breakout performers, Glee will give us the platform to show that micronutrients are the true stars of plant health. With chelation technology, innovative formulations and a dual approach that combines nutrition with biology, we are ready to deliver a performance that will resonate with gardeners and retailers alike.

Key Takeaways

• Micronutrients are the true stars of plant health, powering growth, resilience and fruiting.

• Chelation technology keeps essential nutrients stable and available across pH conditions.

• S-Chelate offers a complete retail-ready line: 12 Star, Protom, Cultiv-8 and SoilSmiths Living Feed.

• Each product is concentrated, soluble and British-made, designed for independent garden centres.

• Meet us at Glee 2025, NEC Birmingham, stand 9E97 in the GIMA Business Village.

Did you know micronutrients originate from minerals formed in stars? Share your thoughts below.

Why Micronutrients Are the Real Rock Stars

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are widely recognised as the primary nutrients in gardening. They are the headline acts, appearing prominently on every fertiliser label. Yet a strong performance cannot rely on headline acts alone. Supporting musicians are needed to create harmony, depth and impact. In plant nutrition, those supporting musicians are the micronutrients.

Micronutrients are required in much smaller quantities than NPK, but their absence can stall plant health entirely. They play roles in photosynthesis, enzyme regulation, reproductive success and stress tolerance. Without them, plants fail to use water efficiently, cannot process macronutrients properly and often succumb to disease.

S-Chelate Plant Nutrition is founded on the principle that micronutrients deserve more than a supporting role. Our chelation technology ensures that even in soils with variable or extreme pH values, these elements remain soluble and available for plant uptake. Traditional fertilisers often suffer from nutrient lock-up, where vital elements precipitate and become unusable. Chelation prevents this and guarantees efficient use of every gram applied.

The Rock Star Treatment metaphor is not just creative branding. It is grounded in the origins of these nutrients themselves. Minerals are formed from rocks, and ultimately from stellar fusion processes that took place billions of years ago. By making these star-forged elements available to today’s plants, we are literally putting the stars into the soil.

Meet the Band – The Micronutrient Line-Up

Every band has its distinctive members. In our Rock Star line-up, each micronutrient plays an essential role, with chelation acting as the amplifier that keeps the music playing.

Copper

Encourages reproductive growth and strengthens plant tissues, enhancing resistance to pathogens.

Zinc

Supports enzyme activity, plant hormone balance and the elongation of stems and leaves.

Iron

The driving force behind chlorophyll production, iron powers photosynthesis and keeps leaves vibrant.

Manganese

Important for nitrogen assimilation and protection against oxidative stress.

Boron

Vital for cell wall strength and successful fruit set. Without boron, flowers often fail to convert into fruit.

Calcium

Provides structural stability in plant cells. Deficiencies are linked directly to blossom end rot in tomatoes.

Sulphur

Essential for amino acid production and the formation of proteins. Also improves flavour in crops such as brassicas.

Magnesium

Central to the chlorophyll molecule and responsible for capturing light energy during photosynthesis.

Molybdenum

Although required in trace amounts, it is essential for nitrogen metabolism, especially in legumes.

Individually, each of these nutrients contributes to the performance of a plant. Together, they create harmony. Chelation technology ensures they remain bioavailable, allowing gardeners and growers to enjoy the full effect of the band playing in tune.

Product Showcase – The Discography

Our retail range is designed to give gardeners a complete setlist of products, each with a specific focus but all sharing the same values of concentration, solubility and efficiency.

S-Chelate 12 Star

• Complete powdered feed combining NPK with chelated micronutrients.

• Approximately 225 litres of feed per 500 g tub.

• Performs across a wide pH range.

• Manufactured in the UK, packaged in recyclable tubs.

• Poster-supplied insight: Indoor and outdoor trials have reported higher yields, including avocado trials.

S-Chelate Protom

• Tomato-specific formulation designed to reduce the risk of blossom end rot.

• Effective in rainwater or soft tap water, as well as hydroponic systems.

• Produces up to 900 litres of feed per tub.

• Poster-supplied insight: UK tomato trials highlight improvements in yield and fruit quality.

S-Chelate-O Cultiv-8

• Soil Association approved for organic growing.

• Contains eight chelated micronutrients plus sulphur.

• Complements organic composts and peat-free substrates.

• Provides around 100 × 4.5 litre watering cans from one 350 g tub.

• Poster-supplied insight: Basil trials demonstrate consistent improvements, while previous case studies confirm significant benefits in orchids and aquatic plants.

SoilSmiths Living Feed

• Biological input developed under the SoilSmiths brand.

• Positioned for regenerative and no-dig gardening.

• Already listed in one independent garden centre.

• Poster-supplied insight: Combines seven micronutrients, five macronutrients and living microbiology. Reported benefits include improved resilience against pests, drought and stress.

Product Data

This discography shows how every gardener can select the right album for their collection, whether aiming for abundant tomatoes, thriving organics or resilient soils.

How Gardeners Can Give Plants the Rockstar Treatment

Selecting the right product depends on the plant and the growing system. Our range makes this decision simple.

• Choose S-Chelate 12 Star for an all-round feed that suits both indoor and outdoor plants.

• Select S-Chelate Protom if growing tomatoes or other fruiting crops prone to calcium deficiency.

• Opt for S-Chelate-O Cultiv-8 when gardening organically or in peat-free composts.

• Incorporate SoilSmiths Living Feed to boost soil biology and resilience.

Each product is soluble and concentrated, ensuring ease of use and minimal waste. Garden retailers can confidently recommend them knowing they are backed by trials, British manufacturing and eco-conscious packaging. Independent garden centres in particular can use these products to differentiate themselves from mass-market alternatives and offer customers something genuinely new.

Linking Back to Glee – From Stage to Stockists

Glee is Europe’s leading garden retail trade show, attracting over 450 exhibitors and thousands of buyers. Taking place at the NEC Birmingham from 16–18 September 2025, it provides a platform for innovation, sustainability and growth in garden retail.

S-Chelate Plant Nutrition and SoilSmiths will be exhibiting together at stand 9E97 in the GIMA Business Village. This collaboration represents the next step in expanding into the garden centre market and offering independent retailers products that perform differently from the mega-brands dominating many shelves.

The Future – Micronutrients Centre Stage

Our commitment does not end at Glee. We continue to invest in trials, research and innovation, combining the precision of chelated micronutrients with the resilience of soil biology. Together with SoilSmiths, we are developing a dual strategy that will allow gardeners to benefit from both advanced formulations and living soil support.

Independent garden centres remain our focus. By working closely with them we can ensure customers access unique, eco-friendly and British-made products. Micronutrients are the future of plant nutrition, and our mission is to keep them firmly in the spotlight.

Conclusion – An Ovation for Micronutrients

Micronutrients have moved from supporting act to headline star. With S-Chelate Plant Nutrition and SoilSmiths, they are ready to transform how gardeners feed their plants and how retailers stock their shelves. Our Rock Star Treatment is about celebrating the science, delivering proven results and creating a gardening experience that truly performs.

We look forward to meeting visitors at Glee 2025 at stand 9E97 in the GIMA Business Village. Join us there to see how your plants can take centre stage and contact us with any questions.