On the outskirts of Reno, Nevada, far from the high-tech labs of Silicon Valley and the chemical giants of the Midwest, a small team of innovators has been quietly rewriting the rules of agricultural science.
Itronics Inc., born from its early operations in the photographic waste space and shaped by decades of research and development, has developed a breakthrough in plant nutrition—a series of liquid fertilizers that don’t just feed plants, but change how they grow.
At first glance, Itronics might look like a niche player in a crowded industry. But behind its modest profile is a well-established technology that’s already been used on more than 2 million acres of farmland, golf courses and nurseries. More than fertilizers, its products are a new class of chemistry, and one that has only recently begun to receive the scientific recognition it deserves.
“Ours is the story of how a company started with photo-processing waste and ended up inventing a new category of agricultural inputs, years before the science world had a name for it,” says John W. Whitney, President, CEO, and Director.
Dr. Whitney, with a pH D. in Mineral Economics from Penn State, and Bachelors and Masters degrees in Mineralogy and Geology from the University of Nebraska, over his career has become a skilled Minerals Technologist in mining, plant nutrition and waste-recycling with a focus on zero waste and energy saving.
Born from the Darkroom
The origins of Itronics trace back to a time when photographic film was still king. As photo labs processed film, they produced gallons of spent fixer solution— liquid waste laced with silver and other metals. For most companies, it was a hazardous waste headache.
But for Dr. Whitney, it was something else; potential.
With a background in materials science and an eye for opportunity, Dr. Whitney founded Itronics in the early 1990s to recover silver from photo-processing waste. Silver recovery alone was valuable, but as the process evolved, something unexpected happened.
“We were left with this silver-free liquid that was high in nutrients—especially nitrogen and sulfur,” says Dr. Whitney. “Instead of treating it as waste, we asked, What if it’s actually useful?”
That “what if” turned into a pioneering experiment in fertilizer formulation. Using the recovered liquid as a base, Itronics began testing a new kind of fertilizer, one with unusually high solubility and micronutrient content. Early field trials, supported by researchers at UC Riverside, showed strong results. Against nationally distributed, well-established turf fertilizers, the Itronics blend consistently outperformed the competition.
What began as a recycling project became the core of a fertilizer business—and not just any business. It was one that would eventually upend conventional thinking in the field.
Innovation in the Face of Obsolescence
As the digital camera revolution took hold in the early 2000s, the supply of photo-processing waste began to vanish. For many, that would have been the end of the road. But for Itronics, it was the beginning of a deeper innovation cycle.
Rather than walking away from the original formula, Dr. Whitney and his team chose to reinvent it using virgin raw materials. The goal was to replicate the unique behavior of the recycled formulas, particularly the way nutrients stayed in solution, resisted leaching, and entered plant roots more efficiently.
The result was the GOLD’n GRO® product line - a suite of liquid fertilizers formulated not just for N-P-K balance, but for bioavailability, solubility and systemic plant uptake.
Traditional fertilizers can remain partially locked in soil or are quickly washed away, but GOLD’n GRO® formulas stay in the zone where plants need them most.
They work through a type of chemistry that wasn’t formally recognized until 2014; deep eutectic solvents (DES). These are molecular blends of two or more compounds that form a stable, low-melting-point liquid with unique chemical characteristics. At Itronics, the DES approach produces nutrients that are typically insoluble—poorly mobile in soil—to remain in solution in a plant-available form.
What’s remarkable is that Itronics was using this chemistry nearly two decades before the term was coined in academic circles. While many companies boast about being "ahead of their time," Itronics quietly embodied that reality.
Deep Chemistry Meets Dirt-Level Results
No matter the complex chemistry behind it, the true test of a fertilizer is what happens in the field. That’s where Itronics shines. Today, its products are used on high-value crops like almonds, wine grapes and citrus, as well as turfgrass, ornamentals and vegetables.
Setting Itronics apart isn’t just efficacy, but efficiency. Because the nutrients are highly bioavailable and remain in solution, they are absorbed faster and more completely. This allows growers to use less fertilizer while achieving better outcomes.
One large East Coast nursery, using Itronics’ 8-8-8 GOLD’n GRO formulation, recently documented a game-changing result. Plant maturity accelerated by a full year across key species. That meant faster inventory turnover, reduced holding costs, and stronger seasonal sales, all while reducing spending.
Growers in California report similar gains. Itronics' formulas work particularly well in drip irrigation and foliar feed systems, and blend smoothly with other standard nutrients and additives. There's no special equipment required, no exotic handling instructions, and no compatibility concerns. It’s plug-and-play—with better chemistry.
Small Team, Big Chemistry
At the heart of Itronics’ operations is a team of fewer than a dozen people, many of whom have been with the company for over 10 years. The production process is semi-automated, but it still relies heavily on observation, timing and skill.
“This isn’t button-pushing chemistry,” says Whitney. “It’s a living process. You have to understand it, see it, smell it, and know what it’s telling you.”
Each batch of fertilizer goes through multiple checkpoints and a continuous flow process that ensures consistency across large production volumes. This artisan-like approach may sound old-fashioned, but it’s one of the reasons customers report such strong year-over-year performance.
Growing with Integrity
Perhaps most remarkable about Itronics is how it has grown; not through flashy marketing campaigns or aggressive sales tactics, but almost entirely through word of mouth. In California, it has worked with the same regional distributor for over 20 years, quietly building a base of loyal growers who have come to rely on the performance of GOLD’n GRO.
Now, with a maturing production process, a robust product line, and proven results, Itronics is preparing for its next chapter. It is actively seeking new distributors, particularly those focused on specialty crops, tree nuts, greenhouse growers, and nurseries, who understand that results in the field matter more than buzzwords in a brochure.
“We’re not looking to be the biggest,” Whitney says. “We’re looking to be the best at what we do, and to work with people who care about quality and outcomes.”
The Next Generation Formula
One of the most exciting developments at Itronics is the upcoming release of an all-in-one formula that combines nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and micronutrients into a single, shelf-stable product. It’s taken years to develop, largely because of the challenge of keeping all the nutrients in a stable liquid state without settling or reacting.
Field trials have been promising, and the product is now in late-stage testing. Once released, it could become a cornerstone offering—not just for convenience, but because it maintains Itronics’ hallmark advantage; superior nutrient bioavailability.
Also being explored are applications beyond agriculture, including in waste remediation and mineral recovery, areas where DES chemistry has shown great promise. But for now, the focus remains squarely on the field.
Quietly Radical
In an industry full of hype and short-term thinking, Itronics stands out for its quiet, deliberate path. It doesn’t chase trends or dress up its formulas in buzzwords. Instead, it focuses on making products that actually deliver measurable, repeatable, long-term results.
That may not be the fastest way to grow a business. But in the long run, it’s the surest.
As one long-time nursery client put it, “They’re the only company we work with where the product actually does what the label says. That’s all we need.”
In a world that’s hungry for sustainable agriculture, better plant health, and smarter inputs, Itronics may just be the right kind of company at the right time.
Not flashy. Not famous. Just effective.
Itronics Inc., born from its early operations in the photographic waste space and shaped by decades of research and development, has developed a breakthrough in plant nutrition—a series of liquid fertilizers that don’t just feed plants, but change how they grow.At first glance, Itronics might look like a niche player in a crowded industry. But behind its modest profile is a well-established technology that’s already been used on more than 2 million acres of farmland, golf courses and nurseries. More than fertilizers, its products are a new class of chemistry, and one that has only recently begun to receive the scientific recognition it deserves.
“Ours is the story of how a company started with photo-processing waste and ended up inventing a new category of agricultural inputs, years before the science world had a name for it,” says John W. Whitney, President, CEO, and Director.
Dr. Whitney, with a pH D. in Mineral Economics from Penn State, and Bachelors and Masters degrees in Mineralogy and Geology from the University of Nebraska, over his career has become a skilled Minerals Technologist in mining, plant nutrition and waste-recycling with a focus on zero waste and energy saving.
Born from the Darkroom
The origins of Itronics trace back to a time when photographic film was still king. As photo labs processed film, they produced gallons of spent fixer solution— liquid waste laced with silver and other metals. For most companies, it was a hazardous waste headache.
But for Dr. Whitney, it was something else; potential.
With a background in materials science and an eye for opportunity, Dr. Whitney founded Itronics in the early 1990s to recover silver from photo-processing waste. Silver recovery alone was valuable, but as the process evolved, something unexpected happened.
This isn’t button-pushing chemistry. It’s a living process. You have to understand it, see it, smell it, and know what it’s telling you
“We were left with this silver-free liquid that was high in nutrients—especially nitrogen and sulfur,” says Dr. Whitney. “Instead of treating it as waste, we asked, What if it’s actually useful?”
That “what if” turned into a pioneering experiment in fertilizer formulation. Using the recovered liquid as a base, Itronics began testing a new kind of fertilizer, one with unusually high solubility and micronutrient content. Early field trials, supported by researchers at UC Riverside, showed strong results. Against nationally distributed, well-established turf fertilizers, the Itronics blend consistently outperformed the competition.
What began as a recycling project became the core of a fertilizer business—and not just any business. It was one that would eventually upend conventional thinking in the field.
Innovation in the Face of Obsolescence
As the digital camera revolution took hold in the early 2000s, the supply of photo-processing waste began to vanish. For many, that would have been the end of the road. But for Itronics, it was the beginning of a deeper innovation cycle.
Rather than walking away from the original formula, Dr. Whitney and his team chose to reinvent it using virgin raw materials. The goal was to replicate the unique behavior of the recycled formulas, particularly the way nutrients stayed in solution, resisted leaching, and entered plant roots more efficiently.
-
Ours is the story of how a company started with photo-processing waste and ended up inventing a new category of agricultural inputs, years before the science world had a name for it
The result was the GOLD’n GRO® product line - a suite of liquid fertilizers formulated not just for N-P-K balance, but for bioavailability, solubility and systemic plant uptake.
Traditional fertilizers can remain partially locked in soil or are quickly washed away, but GOLD’n GRO® formulas stay in the zone where plants need them most.
They work through a type of chemistry that wasn’t formally recognized until 2014; deep eutectic solvents (DES). These are molecular blends of two or more compounds that form a stable, low-melting-point liquid with unique chemical characteristics. At Itronics, the DES approach produces nutrients that are typically insoluble—poorly mobile in soil—to remain in solution in a plant-available form.
What’s remarkable is that Itronics was using this chemistry nearly two decades before the term was coined in academic circles. While many companies boast about being "ahead of their time," Itronics quietly embodied that reality.
Deep Chemistry Meets Dirt-Level Results
No matter the complex chemistry behind it, the true test of a fertilizer is what happens in the field. That’s where Itronics shines. Today, its products are used on high-value crops like almonds, wine grapes and citrus, as well as turfgrass, ornamentals and vegetables.
Setting Itronics apart isn’t just efficacy, but efficiency. Because the nutrients are highly bioavailable and remain in solution, they are absorbed faster and more completely. This allows growers to use less fertilizer while achieving better outcomes.One large East Coast nursery, using Itronics’ 8-8-8 GOLD’n GRO formulation, recently documented a game-changing result. Plant maturity accelerated by a full year across key species. That meant faster inventory turnover, reduced holding costs, and stronger seasonal sales, all while reducing spending.
Growers in California report similar gains. Itronics' formulas work particularly well in drip irrigation and foliar feed systems, and blend smoothly with other standard nutrients and additives. There's no special equipment required, no exotic handling instructions, and no compatibility concerns. It’s plug-and-play—with better chemistry.
Small Team, Big Chemistry
At the heart of Itronics’ operations is a team of fewer than a dozen people, many of whom have been with the company for over 10 years. The production process is semi-automated, but it still relies heavily on observation, timing and skill.
“This isn’t button-pushing chemistry,” says Whitney. “It’s a living process. You have to understand it, see it, smell it, and know what it’s telling you.”
Each batch of fertilizer goes through multiple checkpoints and a continuous flow process that ensures consistency across large production volumes. This artisan-like approach may sound old-fashioned, but it’s one of the reasons customers report such strong year-over-year performance.
Growing with Integrity
Perhaps most remarkable about Itronics is how it has grown; not through flashy marketing campaigns or aggressive sales tactics, but almost entirely through word of mouth. In California, it has worked with the same regional distributor for over 20 years, quietly building a base of loyal growers who have come to rely on the performance of GOLD’n GRO.
Now, with a maturing production process, a robust product line, and proven results, Itronics is preparing for its next chapter. It is actively seeking new distributors, particularly those focused on specialty crops, tree nuts, greenhouse growers, and nurseries, who understand that results in the field matter more than buzzwords in a brochure.
“We’re not looking to be the biggest,” Whitney says. “We’re looking to be the best at what we do, and to work with people who care about quality and outcomes.”
The Next Generation Formula
One of the most exciting developments at Itronics is the upcoming release of an all-in-one formula that combines nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and micronutrients into a single, shelf-stable product. It’s taken years to develop, largely because of the challenge of keeping all the nutrients in a stable liquid state without settling or reacting.
Field trials have been promising, and the product is now in late-stage testing. Once released, it could become a cornerstone offering—not just for convenience, but because it maintains Itronics’ hallmark advantage; superior nutrient bioavailability.
Also being explored are applications beyond agriculture, including in waste remediation and mineral recovery, areas where DES chemistry has shown great promise. But for now, the focus remains squarely on the field.
Quietly Radical
In an industry full of hype and short-term thinking, Itronics stands out for its quiet, deliberate path. It doesn’t chase trends or dress up its formulas in buzzwords. Instead, it focuses on making products that actually deliver measurable, repeatable, long-term results.That may not be the fastest way to grow a business. But in the long run, it’s the surest.
As one long-time nursery client put it, “They’re the only company we work with where the product actually does what the label says. That’s all we need.”
In a world that’s hungry for sustainable agriculture, better plant health, and smarter inputs, Itronics may just be the right kind of company at the right time.
Not flashy. Not famous. Just effective.
