On thousands of acres of orange groves in Florida, farmers are adding beneficial fungi and bacteria to the soil, which makes the oranges grow bigger and sweeter–and makes the soil suck up enough extra CO2 so that each acre offsets the emissions from a passenger car. Call it probiotics for soil.

Using fresh, customizable “probiotic” treatments to increase crop productivity from the ground up has quickly become a primary strategy for growers across the country—and the trend is now expanding into organic agriculture. The Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) recently approved an organic formulation of Rhizolizer, a line of non-GMO microbial soil amendments that has proven to be highly successful in increasing yields and reducing time to harvest.