Plant Food Company, Inc. was founded in 1946 by Edward Austin Platz, and conducted business in the early years under the name of Brookside Spreading Service. During those early years Ed developed various dry fertilizer and lime application truck spreaders with boom systems. He contracted with local lime quarries and fertilizer producers to apply lime and fertilizer on large field areas.

In the late 50's he heard of a new Nitrogen liquid fertilizer and started selling it. He developed liquid fertilizer application equipment and mounted the units on trucks for open lawn and field application. Side dress application equipment was developed for use on row crops such as Corn. Out in the mid-west, liquid fertilizers were being developed and Ed was excited about the idea of creating his own Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash liquid fertilizers.

In 1962, fifteen acres were purchased in Cranbury, New Jersey with a plan to build a fluid fertilizer formulation facility. In early 1963 the first batch of liquid fertilizer was produced at the new facility and the business name became Plant Food Chemical Company. Plant Food was the first Fluid Fertilizer Formulation Company in the state of New Jersey, and it maintained steady growth for the next fourteen years.

Many fluid fertilizer products were developed during the early years. Some of the formulations include:

Also, during the early years, Ed put a lot of time into creating equipment for what he called Urban Sprawl. Two machines he patented were the Jug-App® and Root-App®. Both were developed to promote the use of fluid fertilizers. The Jug-App®, with two wheels, an electric pump and a battery, was a self-contained liquid lawn applicator with the fertilizer shipping Jug, also serving as the Tank. The Root-App® was a Deep Root injection tree and shrub feeding machine incorporating an electric jackhammer which drove an injection probe into the soil.

On May 7th, 1977 Edward A. Platz passed away due to a sudden heart attack. Since Ed had put together such a strong, well respected Company, the Platz family agreed to continue the business and maintain its ownership. On March 13, 1981 the Company that Ed had started was incorporated and became Plant Food Chemical Co., Inc.

In the years that followed, vegetable farmers became very interested in using and applying liquid fertilizers. We worked with them in creating equipment for applying liquid fertilizers and sold Tanks and pumping systems to them, which we helped set up. Custom fertilizers were created to supply the specific nutrients they needed to grow such crops. Through soil testing and tissue testing, we continue to help growers with their specific formulation needs and then we formulate special liquid fertilizers for them.

We formulated a fantastic new multipurpose liquid fertilizer called Blu-Gro® during the 1980's which was originally brought to market in a one (1) gallon jug with a hose end sprayer for homeowners to apply to their lawns, ornamentals, and garden areas. It is still available as such, but Blu-Gro® has really taken off as our most popular top-of-the-line trickle fertilizer product and starter solution. It is widely used for tomatoes, peppers, blueberries and many other vegetables and fruits. Many green industry customers use Blu-Gro® when establishing new lawns and for other purposes.

Another market that we focused on during the 1980's was the Professional Turf Market. We updated and improved our Green-T® formulations by incorporating clear, slowly available Nitrogen into them. We make many Green-T® formulations including custom ones.

On July 9, 1987, our official Company name became Plant Food Company, Inc. Interest in Natural Organic Products was brought to our attention by many customers during the late 1980's and we decided to offer a new line of Natural Organic Products, known as "Roots" Products to fill this market need.

Our most popular Tree and Shrub Liquid Fertilizer, known as P.F.C.'s 16-4-5, was developed for the tree care industry during this time period. It contains 40% slowly available Nitrogen, Magnesium, Sulfur and Minor elements. The 1990's were busy years with continued focus on creating the best liquid fertilizers for commercial vegetable farmers, professional lawn care companies and serving all of our diverse customers, both large and small.

At the beginning of 1999, Plant Food Company, Inc. introduced its new logo. This logo not only gives us a new look, but was created to prepare our Company for a burst of growth and fresh outlook to take us well into the new millennium. Best of all, since introducing our new logo and launching AdamsEarth® , our own Natural Organic Soil Amendment in January of 1999, we have been busier than ever.

During 1999 we introduced, packaged, and launched fourteen (14) new plant and soil fertility products to the market, such as GREEN-T® Sugar Cal, GREEN-T® Micro Mix and GREEN-T® 12-3-12. Most of the products are targeted to the Golf Course, Lawn Care and Tree Care Industry.

We have always marketed products and services to the Golf Course market with in the last two years since our introduction of our many new products we have become a major player in this business. To ensure greater product availability, our liquid fertilizers are now being used not only locally but all over the country and distributors are being set up as you are reading this.

We are excited about our new products, customers and continued growth. We hope you are a part of our company growth.