Plant Marvel Laboratories .

What Plant Marvel Laboratories . does

Plant Marvel Laboratories, Inc. is a privately held, Illinois-incorporated specialty fertilizer manufacturer founded in 1922 and headquartered in Chicago Heights, IL. The company designs, formulates, and sells water-soluble N-P-K fertilizers under its Nutriculture brand, along with a suite of chelated micronutrient supplements (Mor-Green iron chelate, Mag-Iron, Sol-Trace, Chemec-B, Aqua-Sol in three chelated-iron formulations), specialty inputs (OBR bicarbonate reducer, Sodium Molybdate, Blue Tracer Dye), and ancillary products such as Lustre-Glo leaf polish and Silk-Renu artificial flower cleaner. Its core technology centers on high-concentration, fully soluble nutrient formulations in which all N-P-K plus minor and trace elements are delivered in immediately plant-available forms, supporting foliar feeding, drip irrigation, and hydroponic application without risk of fertilizer burn.

The company operates a B2B, distributor-exclusive go-to-market model with no direct e-commerce; customers are routed through a 'Find a Distributor' portal segmented by US state, product type, and order volume (from under 1 ton to more than 40 tons). Its commercial focus spans four vertical segments — greenhouse growers, vegetable growers, turf managers, and ornamental/florist operations — each supported by dedicated product guides and application charts. The product portfolio includes more than 50 stock formulas and approximately 200 custom non-stock formulations engineered for specific crops, growth stages, and toxicity-mitigation scenarios.

Plant Marvel employs 11–50 people, has never disclosed funding or M&A activity, and has maintained continuous operation as an independent, owner-operated enterprise for over a century. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is set through wholesale distributor arrangements rather than list pricing. The business relies on technical content marketing (product guides, tech sheets, application charts, and safety data sheets) as its primary demand-generation channel, and operates exclusively within the United States.

Name

Plant Marvel Laboratories .

Legal name

Plant Marvel Laboratories, Inc.

Website

https://plantmarvel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1922

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Plant Marvel Laboratories manufactures water-soluble fertilizers under the Nutriculture brand, serving commercial greenhouse operators, vegetable growers, turf managers, and ornamental growers through an authorized distributor network across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Fertilizers

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531)

SIC

Agricultural Chemicals (2870)

akta.pro primary industry

Water-Soluble Fertilizers (WSF) & Fully Soluble NPK Blends (AFABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Liquid Specialty Fertilizers (Suspensions, Solutions, UAN Blends) (AFABACAF), Custom Blending & Private-Label Specialty Fertilizers (AFABACAN), Specialty Fertilizers for Horticulture & Controlled Environment (Greenhouse, Hydroponic, Nursery) (AFABACAL), NPK & Compound/Blended Fertilizers (IMAEAEAD)

Keywords

• Water-soluble fertilizers
• Horticultural nutrition
• Greenhouse fertilizers
• Crop nutrient solutions
• Turf fertilizers

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago Heights

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Water-Soluble Fertilizer Sales: The company generates revenue through the sale of its water-soluble fertilizer products, including the Nutriculture brand and related supplements. Products are sold in various formulations (NPK ratios) and sizes (25lb bags, cases of 6x5lb bags).
2. Specialty Supplement Products: Sale of specialty supplement products including iron chelates (Mor-Green, Aqua-Sol), Mag-Iron, Sol-Trace, Chemec-B, and other trace element products for commercial agriculture and horticulture applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Plant Marvel Laboratories manufactures and sells water-soluble NPK fertilizers under its Nutriculture® brand, formulated for commercial greenhouse, vegetable, turf, and ornamental crop applications. The portfolio includes over 50 stock formulations and approximately 200 custom non-stock formulas, plus specialty chelated iron and trace element supplements. Products are packaged in 25lb bags and 6×5lb case packs and distributed exclusively through an authorized U.S. distributor network.

Product overview

Plant Marvel Laboratories operates as a manufacturer of water-soluble fertilizers and crop nutrition products, established in 1922. The product portfolio centers on the Nutriculture® brand of NPK soluble fertilizers—the core offering that includes standard Nutriculture® formulas and Nutriculture® Plus variants with elevated trace element levels. Supporting the fertilizer line are trace element and micronutrient supplements including Mor-Green® (iron chelate), Mag-Iron® (iron/magnesium), Sol-Trace® (trace element mix), Chemec-B® (minor element complex), and Aqua-Sol® (chelated iron in three formulations). Specialty products include OBR (bicarbonate reducer), Sodium Molybdate, and Blue Tracer Dye. The company offers over 50 stock fertilizer formulas and approximately 200+ custom non-stock formulations. Products are available in 25lb bags and 6×5lb case packs. Application support includes concentration (PPM) charts, area application charts, and proportioner application charts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nutriculture: Nutriculture soluble fertilizers - the company's core water soluble fertilizer product line. The original commercial fertilizer to deliver a total nutrient feed to crops without fear of burning.
• Nutriculture Plus
• Mor-Green
• Mag-Iron
• Sol-Trace
• Chemec-B

Products and services

• Nutriculture® Soluble Fertilizers The company's flagship line of water-soluble NPK fertilizers that pioneered the commercial delivery of total nutrient feed to crops with trace elements included in every formula. Provides instant plant response as all nutrients are immediately available to plants without risk of burning.
• Nutriculture® Plus

Quantifiable outcome

• Instant plant response due to all nutrients being in immediately utilizable forms
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Dyna-Gro: Dyna-Gro manufactures water-soluble nutrient solutions for hydroponics, soil, and foliar feeding applications. Their product range directly overlaps with Plant Marvel's Nutriculture line in serving commercial growers with complete NPK and micronutrient delivery.
• Jack's Classic (J.R. Peters): J.R. Peters is a direct peer in water-soluble fertilizer manufacturing, offering the Jack's Classic line of professional-grade soluble fertilizers with trace elements. Both companies target greenhouse, nursery, and professional growers with similar NPK-plus-micronutrient formulations.
• General Hydroponics (Hawthorne): General Hydroponics (now part of Hawthorne Gardening) is a leading manufacturer of water-soluble nutrient solutions for hydroponic and controlled environment agriculture. Their Flora Series and other product lines overlap significantly with Plant Marvel's Nutriculture offerings.
• Botanicare: Botanicare produces nutrient solutions for hydroponic and soilless growing systems, including Cal-Mag supplements and base nutrients. They compete directly in the commercial greenhouse and hydroponic segments where Plant Marvel's Nutriculture products are used.

Broad incumbents

• Yara International: Yara is a global fertilizer incumbent producing a wide range of crop nutrition products including specialty water-soluble formulations. While focused on commodity nitrogen products, their specialty segment competes with Plant Marvel in commercial agriculture.
• Haifa Group: Haifa Group is a global specialty fertilizer manufacturer offering water-soluble NPK fertilizers and micronutrient products. Their Haifa MKP and other products compete with Plant Marvel's high-phosphorus and specialty soluble fertilizers in professional horticulture markets.
• ICL Specialty Fertilizers: ICL Specialty Fertilizers (including Peters Professional) is a broad incumbent offering water-soluble fertilizers, controlled-release products, and specialty plant nutrition. They compete with Plant Marvel across greenhouse, turf, and ornamental segments with greater scale and international reach.

Others

• Perlite Vermiculite Packaging Industries: PVP Industries produces growing media and complementary horticultural inputs used alongside water-soluble fertilizers in greenhouse and nursery operations. They serve as an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor but share the same professional grower customer base.

Emerging players

• Advanced Nutrients: Advanced Nutrients specializes in premium hydroponic nutrient formulations with a focus on pH balancing and chelation technology. They compete with Plant Marvel's chelated iron and micronutrient supplements in the high-margin specialty hydroponics segment.
• FoxFarm Soil & Fertilizer Company: FoxFarm produces premium water-soluble nutrients and growing media for both commercial and hobbyist hydroponic/greenhouse markets. They represent an emerging premium brand competing in similar specialty plant nutrition categories as Plant Marvel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Plant-Marvel-Laboratories-100063560260734
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plant-marvel-laboratories-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Plant Marvel Laboratories .