Brix Aware 1.0

[R2MNot]

Ok so maybe i am over thinking this but i would hate to screw this up before i even get started.
I was reading vapdogs grow the other day and noticed that one or more of his 6-5-3 ingredients where in granular form so he ground them down into a powder before the mix.
My soft rock and gypsum both were in granular form while the limestone was a powder. It would seem that means my ratio is off...short on both soft rock and gypsum. I could grind some and figure out how much i am short and add to the mix, but i also wonder if the granular that is already in there will be available to the critters in the same way a power is ??? less surface area and bigger chunks would take more time to break down i would think

 

[Doc Bud]

Ok so maybe i am over thinking this but i would hate to screw this up before i even get started.
I was reading vapdogs grow the other day and noticed that one or more of his 6-5-3 ingredients where in granular form so he ground them down into a powder before the mix.
My soft rock and gypsum both were in granular form while the limestone was a powder. It would seem that means my ratio is off...short on both soft rock and gypsum. I could grind some and figure out how much i am short and add to the mix, but i also wonder if the granular that is already in there will be available to the critters in the same way a power is ??? less surface area and bigger chunks would take more time to break down i would think

Hopefully, your gypsum is merely bound with molasses. The SRP will break down quickly as well. You're good.

Don't feed the kelp to the soil. It's too high in potassium and while it will make larger buds, the quality will suffer. Big, Red, Shiney Apple with no taste.......or smaller, heavy, delicious apple......same deal with our favorite plants.

You'll do great with this grow!

 

[R2MNot]

Thanks Doc, i wasn't looking forward to dumping and re mixing...hard on this old mans back Roger on the kelp.

BTW the room that all that soil is "cooking" in smells wonderful when i walk in a take a peak...must be a good sign

 

[Doc Bud]

Thanks Doc, i wasn't looking forward to dumping and re mixing...hard on this old mans back Roger on the kelp.

BTW the room that all that soil is "cooking" in smells wonderful when i walk in a take a peak...must be a good sign

One of these days, if I'm stoned enough, I might actually try a bite of soil.....it smells so rich and good...must taste fantastic! No, seriously, that good, rich, lovely smell is indeed a sign that things are on the right track.

 

[shizznizzle]

Hey R2mnot I have been doing alot of looking into high brix, as I would like to do it on my sophmore attempt, I would love to follow along and learn. I have read some others hi brix journals and the results look fantastic. Looks like you are off to an awesome start, best of luck I am rooting for you!

 

[R2MNot]

One of these days, if I'm stoned enough, I might actually try a bite of soil

I hear ya man it does smell good nuff to eat, it smelled like mushrooms out of the bag but now it has taken on a whole new profile

best of luck I am rooting for you!

Thanks shizznizzle! Docbud is the brix pioneer in these parts, stick close to him and you will have happy plants.
Give yourself plenty of time to gather up all the goodies, cause if your area is anything like mine the garden shop guys will look at you with a funny face when you give them your shopping list

 

[R2MNot]

For the record this is the tea i used to get the soil cooking. The plan was to make my own tea but Doc doesnt like the kelp I was planning on using so I just ordered some Natures Own. I will use it when it gets here.

The cheese is looking as happy as can be. I will top these and try to get a few cuttings, then they will be the first to go in the brix buckets and flowered in about 3 weeks.

The bloom table is getting a little crowded...this is my best looking batch of hempy to date...Im finding that i need to pop 4 seed to get one happy healthy girl that is worth growing out...so pop 4 cull the males and runts and you end up with one nice one.
The girl in the center will get some pollen on the lower branches to replenish the seed supply... she is very happy and health and has the makings of a 2 foot main bud

Tonight I am moving both 1k lights over this one 6x3 table in the hopes that focusing my time and energy on a smaller foot print will pay off in the end. I have a 3rd 1k bulb i will put over the other 6x3 table that i will use as a bloom staging area...sex stretch and cull...as space opens up on the main table the strongest plants will move in. I think i will sex,stretch and cull in 2 gal buckets then move the winners to 5 gal buckets before going to the main table.

 

[ajagunle]

Taking a seat at the back, fascinating stuff!

 

[R2MNot]

Lots of activity this weekend.
Moved the lights around so I now have 2k on movers over a 6x3 bed full of hempy buds.
As it turned out i needed to run a new electric circuit and re do all of the venting....why is it when you put hammer to nail its never as easy as the vision in your head

The biggest best looking female was isolated and got some pollen on all her lower branches. I just "paint" the pollen on with a q-tip, let the plant sit for a day or two, spray it down and then return her to the flower table.

I have 4 or 5 that are close to harvest...gave them a shot of Bloomit last week and they all started pushing out new pistols...not the reaction i was looking for but ok

22 seeds went into solo cups filled with soil. Some of these will end up in the brix buckets...I pretty much culled the whole veg room, they were all looking pretty scraggly and week.

The seeds were soaked for 5 or 6 hours in PHC Biopak root inculcation, planted and then watered in with the PHC. The left over PHC went into the brix buckets that are cooking, about a quart each.

This is the first time i have tried to pop seeds right in the soil. I put just a little humus on top to help keep the top layer moist between misting. The 5 Fem Cheese plants are looking good and should be ready for 2gal pots in a week or 2.

 

[Doc Bud]

I have 4 or 5 that are close to harvest...gave them a shot of Bloomit last week and they all started pushing out new pistols...not the reaction i was looking for but ok

Bloomit is an anionic foliar spray designed to encourage and support reproductive growth. Pistils are reproductive structures.....so I'd say the spray worked as advertised.

What did you think it would do?

 

[R2MNot]

What did you think it would do?

Guess i thought it would push them to finish up but more flowers is a good thing so i will take it

 

[Doc Bud]

Guess i thought it would push them to finish up but more flowers is a good thing so i will take it

Well, foliar sprays are a delicate, precise thing when it comes to high brix. Too many people are just making up their own sprays, adding all kinds of stuff, not having a friggin' clue what they're doing.

From the manufacturer of Bloomit:

With an analysis of 2-18-0.1Mn, Bloomit® creates an environment conducive to seed development. This liquid foliar product is extremely beneficial in soybeans as it has the potential to increase the number of pods per plant and aids in reducing alternate bearing in fruit trees. By increasing plant reproductive properties, yield should improve as well. Do not apply Bloomit® when vegetative growth is desired.
Recommended Application

2 qts/acre Bloomit®
2 lbs/acre Dextrose
20 gal/acre Water
Typically Recommended Crops

Soybeans
Legume Crops
Fruit Trees

Fruit trees determine buds in the fall. After a heavy fruit bearing year, apply Bloomit® after harvest but before fall dormancy to potentially reduce alternate bearing. Bloomit® has also been used to encourage more blossom development after a damaging spring frost.

Apples
Oranges
Lemons
Peaches

Seeds come from ovules, which include the calyx and the pistils. So....if you spray a product that "creates an environment conducive to seed development" You can expect pistils. No pistils=no fertilization=no seeds.

The time to spray Bloomit is BEFORE the plant is in bloom, as it is about to bloom, and during the early phase of the bloom cycle when calyxes are forming.

Amaze slightly favors vegetative growth, but it also acts as bulking agent, ONCE THE FLOWERS AND FRUIT IS FORMED.

In part I of this advertorial series we looked at the surprising turnaround on Dwayne Bowman's apple orchard. AMAZE, a 5-16-4 with 5 units of calcium, was highlighted as a calcium foliar spray used to increase apple size, quality, and yield. In part II of this series we looked at AMAZE’s mode of action and some important attributes necessary for a truly effective calcium foliar spray. In this third and last of our advertorials I want to place AMAZE in the larger context of how it works when incorporated with other products and a good soil program.

One of the unique teachings of Dr. Carey Reams is that fertilizers can push a crop toward vegetative growth or reproduction. This concept is very important to understand, especially when foliar spraying crops. The wrong product at the wrong time can drastically reduce yield. Since AMAZE is slightly on the growth side of the energy spectrum, it is not recommended for continuously flowering crops such as soybeans. On the other hand, growth energy is what bulks crops, so it works great on bulking fruit and vegetables—particularly fruit trees, bramble fruit, salad greens, root veggies, and vining fruits. For reproductive fruit and vegetables begin application after blossom drop.

AMAZE is not a silver bullet, nor does it replace a good soil program. Rather, it complements it by increasing the return from the nutrients applied to the soil. A good soil program must address four important areas; soil energy, foundational minerals, humus and biology, and trace elements. For a complete overview please see the article 4 Bases of Mineralized Soil included with this information. You must keep soil energy up in order for AMAZE to work properly. If soil energy, as measured on a conductivity meter is low, i.e. less than 200 micro Siemens/centimeter (ERGS) for non-saline soils, the effectiveness of the foliar program is drastically reduced. A good rule of thumb is 400 ERGS for non-saline soils.

So, during veg.....Spray Amaze and PGR. A week before bloom, spray Bloomit and PGR and spray maybe once or twice more in order to encourage the formation of reproductive structures. Once they are formed, you can make them bigger and bulkier using Amaze and PGR.

Bloomit has absolutely no relation to products like MOAB, Bushmaster, Gravity or other flower hardeners or finishers. Bloomit is completely safe for human consumption, whereas those other products are intended for ornamentals only.

I hope this helps you out! I'm always shocked how folks go out and buy stuff and don't really know how to use it, and when it's stuff that I introduce and recommend, I sort of take a personal interest, because I don't want people to mess up their grows after misunderstanding what I'm doing.

To sum up:

In proper soil, the following foliar schedule can be used:

1.)beginning when the plant has 4 or 5 sets of leaves spray weekly with Amaze and PGR. You could also add Dextrose or even a very acidic fish fertilizer as well:

AMAZE is frequently combined with other products such as liquid calcium nitrate, phos acid fish, PGR, ferric nitrate, manganese nitrate, and liquid B12.
Liquid Calcium Nitrate:

Holds a reputation for producing bulk through strong growth energy components. This product can be added to AMAZE at 1 quart per acre.
Phos Acid Fish:

This product is a liquid fish that has been acidified with phosphoric acid to bring the pH down to 3.5 or less. Phos acid fish is reproductive in its effect on plants. International Ag Labs large produce customers in Mexico report that AMAZE combined with phos acid fish gives greater color intensity in melons. When combined with AMAZE use 1-2 quarts per acre.
PGR:

A liquid seaweed-based product from International Ag Labs that provides seaweed-derived auxins and cytokinins. These natural plant regulators cause cells to elongate and divide. It functions as a bulker and works synergistically with AMAZE to induce larger sized produce. It also supplies potassium and an extensive array of trace minerals. PGR is used at the rate of 1 quart per acre.

One new application for AMAZE is to combine it with the nitrate form of trace elements and use AMAZE as the carrier to deliver mobile trace elements into the plant. Ferric nitrate has been used when iron is tied up by high soil pH’s.

There are many variables! Don't shoot from the hip with a blindfold on.....ask before you spray.

 

[R2MNot]

There are many variables! Don't shoot from the hip with a blindfold on.....ask before you spray.

Got it Doc, Great post, this should be in the "Best Practice" thread.

 

[Doc Bud]

Got it Doc, Great post, this should be in the "Best Practice" thread.

I've been meaning to update that thread when I start my new journal. The soil still isn't quite ready yet.

Back to the topic, these sprays aren't goofy crap you find in the hydro shop, stuff that barely does anything. It's not like foliar feeding cal/mag.....these sprays are very powerful.

I sprayed 15 columbian gold starts last night with PGR and Amaze. It was their first spraying and I was only able to get them from 3 sides due to the tray being up against the wall. So the backside of the plants didn't get much spray. Today, the plants all look like they were LST'd toward the wall. The PGR caused the cells to elongate more on one side than the other.

Damn powerful stuff....but the Amaze and Bloomit are even more powerful....but full results depend on the soil in conjunction with the sprays.

 

[NCDude]

Nice...

 

[gittergreen]

Great read! Im in the back row sir.

 

[R2MNot]

Cheese looking happy, Got a shot of 1tspAmaze+1tspPGR+40oz RO

The Buckets are alive!

Hempy looking strong

No Sprouts yet.

 

[Bchris22]

Great journal.. I will be following along if ya dont mind

 

[R2MNot]

10 seeds came up today

24 hours of growth after pgr/amaze
i would say that's pretty close to double in mass

 

[R2MNot]

Ok I admit it...patients is not one of my best virtues.
All but 2 seeds were above ground this morning.
I have 20 days to go before the soil is ready, with the current growth rate the veg room will be over run in that amount of time