Liqui-Dirt
Grow Good Soil to Grow Good Crops
by Connie Lewis
Cory Sackett stands by a display of his products. Photos by Braden Latimer.
Most farmers in Utah have heard the old-fashioned term “dirt farmer”—it harkens back to the Great Depression when the plains lost most of their top soil, the greatest asset of any farmer. But Cory Sackett is, literally, a dirt farmer.
The best word to describe Sackett is passionate. And not just about his product, but about saving the world, one garden at a time.
After years of research, Sackett developed Liqui-Dirt. The product is a vitamin, mineral, microbial, and beneficial bacterial complex that helps increase nutrition and growth for gardens and plants both indoors and out.
When Sackett was asked how he got into soil conditioning, he said, “I was born in the dirt.” He continued, “In our family, we have a long tradition with gardening and outdoor life. That is where it all started. When I was little I started thinking about what it took to grow plants. I watched my grandma. There were certain things she would put on the garden and things she would never add to the soil.”
His interest and affection continued as he got older. Along with academic studies, he worked with farmers in Sanpete County, experimenting with fertilizers. He said, “The conception was that you could use cow manure and you’d grow food.” He questioned that model because “if cow manure was so great, more vegetation should be growing in cow patties.” And that was not the case. Throwing chemicals into the mix was an even worse proposition.
Over a ten year period, he found out what worked by touring all over the United States, bringing back rocks and soil samples. He did his own lab work to figure out what exactly was wrong with the soil.
He discovered that the deficiencies stemmed from a lack of vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients. The next question was how to improve the fertility of the soil.
He studied and experimented. He looked at composting and how it breaks down microbes and micro-fungus into beneficial material absorbable by plants.
The result was Liqui-Dirt, for which he uses only the very best ingredients. Each batch is processed for 5 years in a 40-stage bio-digestive process, resulting in a super concentrated nano product.
After developing his product, Sackett needed to market it. He continued to work with Sanpete farmers, but also started attending events such as farmers markets, and started selling online as well as in retail centers. He said Lambert Growers use and sell Liqui-Dirt. He also said, “Frost Farms grows heirloom tomatoes, and last year had over 50 percent more plants than he has ever had, and they were ready three weeks before he was ready to start selling.”
Once his process was perfected and he staved off corporations wanting to buy him out (he doesn’t trust anyone to continue the meticulous attention to detail that he imbues into each bag), he branched out.
Sackett now offers heirloom vegetable and herb seed kits, string planting balls and kits, log planters, and a project near and dear to his heart—The Bee Green Project.
The bee project is Sackett’s way to save endangered bee species. To that end, he offers not-for-profit seed packets with over 60 flower types essential to feeding bees. Each $5 packet will cover 144 square feet.
Sackett believes that growing food should not only contribute to overall health, it should be fun. “If you learn how to do it and have success by doing all the right things, there is always a reward in the end through hard work and passion.”