FRANKFORT, Ky. — A couple of well-known names with Kentucky roots have come together to produce a natural-based line of plant products designed to grow beautiful gardens – and do it in an environmentally friendly way.

Jon Carloftis, a famous garden designer, author, lecturer and Rockcastle County native, is partnering with Nicholasville-based Alltech, known globally as an animal health and nutrition company, to create this new line of products made for both the soil and plants, known as Soil & Root and Bloom & Fruit.

Carloftis said the idea started during his time spent working on a garden area for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games last year at the Kentucky Horse Park. In his gardening endeavors, Carloftis said he tries not to use chemicals, but natural fertilizers such as compost can have other problems – like smelling bad. He wanted to know if there were alternatives.

“We’ve just grown up where we go and get a chemical, and it’s not good because sooner or later it comes back on you and you eat that stuff,” he said.

Alltech had the answer, having developed a form of natural-based fertilizer used in its operations for years in Brazil. In fact, the company has been producing a range of plant nutrition brands all derived from yeast fermentation, since 1993. From that knowledge, a line was developed that Carloftis has used for more than a year to make sure it does what it is supposed to do.

“Our gardens have never looked better,” he said. “Soil & Root is good right now to apply to your lawn and even in your vegetable gardens to promote microbial growth that’s beneficial to plants for next year.

“Bloom & Fruit, you can hook it up to a hose and apply it when your plants are growing. This is a premium product and like most things that Alltech makes, it’s highly concentrated so one small bottle covers more square footage than all the leading fertilizers, whether they are organic or chemical.”

Carloftis emphasized if a product is going to bear his name it has to be something he uses and knows is good. In these two new products, he has found just that – and they are good for everything, he said.

“What I’ve learn is, you don’t get crazy, quick growth with this. It’s slow and steady and the plants are sturdy,” he said. “It’s incredible stuff, I will tell you. I totally trust Alltech, but I had to use it for over a year before I really believed in it.

“It’s unbelievable what it does to the lawn and to vegetables and flowering plants, scrubs, trees, anything, and you’re not putting chemicals on your plants.”

In a year of testing the products, Carloftis hasn’t just used it around the house. He has taken it to some major projects, including the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Mount Brilliant Farm in Lexington, Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Ky., the Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort, the new Google Headquarters in New York, N.Y., and the Ultimate Kitchen Garden for Country Living magazine at the University of Kentucky Arboretum.

Another important aspect of the plant products to Carloftis is they are being produced in Kentucky. Once the application process is complete, they will carry the “Kentucky Proud” label.

Melanie Rounsaville, brand manager for Alltech’s Crop Science Division, said the company’s presence not just as a company but also as a participant in the community is important to Alltech founder Dr. Pearse Lyons and his wife, Deirdre. She said it makes a lot of sense to have a product such as this, and that the company can partner with someone like Carloftis.

“The more I’ve gotten to know Jon and seen how he really approaches gardening with a natural philosophy, I think to have a product that is naturally-based, that works and to stand behind, it’s just a fit. We’re really excited about it and hope for great things in markets beyond Kentucky, but at the same time, stay true to the fact that it is a Kentucky-made product,” Rounsaville said.

That regard goes both ways. Carloftis said he is excited to do something with Alltech and that putting his name on a product is not something he takes lightly.

“I’ve worked too long and too hard to just put my name on something to make money,” he said. “My thing is about trying to make things beautiful without polluting the earth. I’ve been so lucky and now I’m trying to do good stuff, and this is one of them.

“Right now the products will be in smaller independent, family-owned venues because that’s where people go to learn something and get good service, and that’s what I’m all about,” said Carloftis.

For more information and a list of retailers selling the products, go to www.joncarloftis.com/products.html