Growing with IV Organic Co-Founder & Author Charles Malki: Planting, Pruning, Whitewashing, Fertilizing, and more!

Charles Malki is on a mission to improve the human condition and save the planet. His company is called IV Organic. Charles didn’t start out with the goal of becoming one of the leading voices in organic gardening. It happened…organically, in medical school, of all places. His dream of becoming a heart surgeon never materialized, but the medical training he received led him to discover that he did indeed have the power to save lives. The lives of plants.

His journey started with a simple observation: Plants can get sunburned, just like humans, especially in the hot, arid climate of his native Southern California. It was common practice for orchard workers to “whitewash” the trunks of their fruit trees to keep them from being damaged by the sun or pests like beetles. But they used latex paint. Or tar. Both of which contaminated the soil.

Charles knew there had to be a better way. So he did his homework, experimented in his home garden, and picked the brains of the leading experts in the field of organic horticulture. The result was a revolutionary product called “Three-In-One Plant Guard,” a whitewash that protected trees and plants against sunburn, insects and rodents. But instead of using destructive chemicals, his product contained natural pest repellants like castor oil, cinnamon oil, garlic oil, peppermint oil, rosemary oil and diatomaceous earth in a long-lasting and effective patented formula. 

Quite simply, there had never been a product like this before. And it wasn’t long before IV Organic was attracting legions of likeminded followers—people who didn’t think of gardening as a hobby, but as a calling.