Biosys 2.0: Behind the Microscope & Into the Root Zone

When Ecothrive began, it didn’t start with products on a shelf. It started with compost. Gareth, our founder, spent a lot of time worm farming, chasing the perfect vermicompost. The balance between bacteria and fungi, the sweet, earthy aroma that tells you the biology is thriving. Every batch was a lesson in what helped or hindered the soil food web. He wasn’t following a recipe; he was observing the biology. Over time, he crafted a vermicompost that was rich in life, bacterial diversity through the roof, fungal strands crisscrossing through castings, and protozoa hunting through the mix. When you looked under the microscope, it was alive with motion.

But as soon as that compost was packed into a small container, the race against time began. Biology doesn’t like sitting on a shelf. Heat, sunlight, and lack of air can all knock the life out of it. So the question became: how do you take that living ecosystem and make it shelf-stable without killing it? How do you give growers the ability to improve their soil life, without needing to ship live compost?

That’s when the idea for Biosys began to take shape.

The Spark That Started It

It started in 2014 during a conversation with a Dutch soil agronomist who’d been studying compost teas and extracts for years. He mentioned that most growers brewing compost teas had no idea what was actually in them. They were brewing with poor-quality compost, with little to no active biology, and the results were all over the place. One grower would see explosive growth; another would crash their crop. The inconsistency wasn’t the fault of the idea; it was the variable compost and brewing process.  

That was the lightbulb moment. Suppose you could capture the right kind of biology, the species that actually do the work, and put them in a form that wakes up after application. In that case, you’d give growers the benefits of a microbial tea without the uncertainty. No need for air pumps, buckets, or brewing. No waiting 24 hours to find out if your brew went anaerobic.

Biosys was born out of that need. A microbial inoculant that’s instant, reliable, and verifiably alive. You add it to water, stir, and within minutes, you’ve got a living solution full of beneficial bacteria, fungi, and biological activators. It’s not marketing fluff; if you put a drop of freshly mixed Biosys under a microscope, you can see it come to life. Bacteria moving, spores swelling, and communities forming in real time.

Built for All Growers

From the start, we didn’t want Biosys to belong to one kind of grower. It had to work across all systems, soil, coco, rockwool, or hydro. It had to support both organic growers and mineral-fed systems. Because in the end, biology doesn’t care what feed program you use; it just needs a home and a purpose. Biosys gives biology a head start in any medium.

When it first launched, it quickly became one of those products that spread by word of mouth. Growers tried it once, saw what it did, and told their friends. Some used it to rejuvenate tired soil. Others ran it in coco to improve root growth and boost nutrient uptake. People began testing it in ways we hadn’t even thought about, seed soaking, cloning cube pre-treatment, and hydroponic reservoirs. And everywhere it went, it delivered results.

Clones rooted faster. Leaves stayed greener. Plants handled stress better. And what really mattered was that growers could see it for themselves. Biosys didn’t just sound scientific; it proved itself in their rooms and greenhouses.

Why We Reformulated Biosys

Biosys has always been about getting proven, living biology into the root zone fast. But when a supply chain issue forced us to find a new mycorrhizal source, we took the chance to rethink the whole formula. Every part got reviewed – spore viability, bacterial diversity, ingredient uniformity, and even the microbial foods. We swapped in a finer humic and seaweed extract for more even scooping, added new microbe strains with proven synergy and fixed the occasional clumping issue. The result is Biosys 2.0: cleaner, sharper and even more reliable.

During development, the biggest shock came when we started testing commercial mycorrhizal products. We assessed several “premium” blends, the same ones many brands repackage, and the results were almost laughable. Under the microscope, there were barely any viable spores. Some samples were basically empty powder with a nice label. We sent them off to an independent lab for quantification, and the numbers confirmed what we’d seen. This is when we made a firm decision: quantify first, formulate second.

That’s why the mycorrhizal blend in Biosys 2.0 is lab-verified. We tested for active spores, not just listed species. If it’s in the formula, it’s there for a reason and in the numbers that matter.

The Science of Cooperation

Microbes don’t just coexist; they communicate. They talk to each other chemically through quorum sensing, releasing compounds that signal when it’s time to form biofilms, cycle nutrients, or defend the root zone. When a formula is poorly balanced, one species can dominate and suppress the others, throwing the whole ecology off. We selected strains that cooperate instead of compete.

Our Bacillus species build structure and protection in the rhizosphere. Pseudomonas helps mobilise nutrients like phosphorus and zinc. Trichoderma defends roots from pathogens while stimulating growth hormones. The nitrogen-fixing endophytes, like Azospirillum brasilense and Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus, go a step further; they actually enter the plant tissue and help the plant regulate stress and metabolise nutrients more efficiently.

When you put it all together, you’re not just feeding the plant. You’re reactivating the plant’s microbial network, the living interface between roots and soil that controls everything from nutrient availability to flavour expression.

From the Lab to the Grow Room

We didn’t want to rely on theory, so we tested it in-house and with growers across the UK and Europe. In our own trials with peppers and sunflowers, we saw faster recovery from transplant stress, better leaf turgor, and explosive root growth. Plants in identical media without Biosys lagged behind, the difference was visible within days.

Then came the grower trials. Living soil growers reported healthier plants. Coco growers said their root systems were more robust. Cloners saw faster callus formation. Some even noticed stronger terpene profiles by the end of flower, something that aligns perfectly with what we know about endophyte-driven secondary metabolite production.

And it wasn’t just about anecdotal results. We verified it under the microscope. Healthy Trichoderma hyphae wrapping around roots, active Bacillus rods swimming through the solution, and mycorrhizal spores germinating and linking to root hairs. That’s how we know Biosys doesn’t just claim biological activity, it shows it!

What’s Inside

Biosys 2.0 contains a verified consortium of microbes:

• Bacillus species (9 total) including B. subtilis, B. amyloliquefaciens, B. firmus, B. megaterium, and B. pumilus — form biofilms, suppressing disease and aiding nutrient cycling.
• Pseudomonas fluorescens and P. putida — fast colonisers that solubilise nutrients and protect roots.
• Azospirillum brasilense and A. lipoferum — nitrogen-fixers and rooting promoters.
• Gluconacetobacter diazotrophicus — an endophyte that enhances stress tolerance and root function.Trichoderma harzianum and T. viride — powerful root defenders and enzyme producers.
• Endomycorrhizal fungi (5 species) Rhizophagus irregularis, Funneliformis mosseae, Septoglomus deserticola, Claroideoglomus etunicatum and Claroideoglomus claroideum — for direct nutrient exchange and plant-plant signalling in the rhizosphere.

Biosys does not just use a carrier blend; it includes a suite of microbial catalysts and plant growth stimulants, including seaweed extract, humic and fulvic acids, amino acids, simple carbohydrates, and proteins, everything microbes need to establish quickly and start working.

How to Use It

For soil, coco or rockwool; mix 0.5 to 1 gram per litre of tepid, dechlorinated water. Use weekly in veg and fortnightly in flower. 

For propagation, soak cubes in 1 gram per litre before sticking cuttings. This solution is also ideal for soaking seeds pre-germination. 

If you’re on tap water, treat unwanted chlorine or chloramine with Neutralise before mixing. Shake, stir, and water in. No waiting, no brewing, just active biology ready to work.

Built by Growers, Backed by Science

We’re not a faceless lab – we’re growers who put everything under the microscope. From Gareth’s worm farming trials to today’s refined blend, the aim has never changed: real, functional biology that works.

No mystery ingredients. No magic dust. Just a tool that gets you one step closer to a healthier, more resilient root zone – whatever your growing style.

This is Biosys 2.0.