Quick question about chitosan

[Stoneface Jack]

Hey Guys,
The grow shop I ordered some 3 gallon pots from flubbed the order and sent me some free stuff to say sorry. One of the things they sent was a product containing chitosan as the active ingredient. It's supposed to trick the plant into thinking it's under attack activating it's immune system.

Is this broscience?

There's already chitosan in the nutes I use, so I'm not too worried that it'll hurt the plants. On the other hand, I don't know if there are any side effects, or a maximum dosage.

Does anyone have any info on whether there's a toxic dose of chitosan?

I've already e-mailed the company to ask, but we all know some companies will tell you anything to get you to buy their products.

 

[bobrown14]

Not bro science. I amend my soil with Malted Barley ground fine - its about the best source of chitosan you can get. Even better than crustacean meal.

I use both in my soil mix.

 

[Stoneface Jack]

Not bro science. I amend my soil with Malted Barley ground fine - its about the best source of chitosan you can get. Even better than crustacean meal.

I use both in my soil mix.

Awesome, thanks!
So no problem adding more despite there being some in the nutes?

 

[bobrown14]

I am not familiar with how its being added to your fertilizer so I cannot answer that.

I grow in organic soil and use chitosan as an amendment in a much less refined form. The microbes do my heavy lifting ... well some of it anyways. I just mixed a a few yards of soil and the microbes weren't available. They are growing now. yipee

 

[Stoneface Jack]

Alright, thanks. I'll try adding it to the pepper plants feed first, see if there are any problems. If there are I'll just stick with what's in the Mega Crop.

 

[bobrown14]

Mega Crop is organic. You can add extra. What other form did you get the chitosan in from the bro-store?

 

[Stoneface Jack]

It's a liquid product called Hyshield. It's not the kind of thing I would buy really. I like my garlic/chili pepper spray for insects.
That said, I'm not opposed to the idea. It says it uses crustacean shells sourced from the seafood industry, and that they would've ended up in the landfill anyway.

 

[bobrown14]

They make crustacean meal with that and feed it to animals and birds as a feed.

Its also very helpful as a soil amendment.

It wood be a shame if its going to a landfill. Doubtful on that.

Id take a truckload & dump it in my veggie patch.

 

[Stunger]

I like my garlic/chili pepper spray for insects.

This year growing outdoors I have only been troubled by caterpillars. I wonder if your grows suffer from them and if so does your garlic/chilli/pepper keep them away? Would you spray that regularly, like once a week, or only when you see bugs?
I have seen garlic/onion being praised as good for eradicating spider mites, but I would like something to keep caterpillars away as they seem to be the most frequent pest I get, and I'd like to stay organic friendly if possible. I have found BT spray works quite well for caterpillars but still not completely 100% in my experience. Cheers.

 

[Stoneface Jack]

This year growing outdoors I have only been troubled by caterpillars. I wonder if your grows suffer from them and if so does your garlic/chilli/pepper keep them away? Would you spray that regularly, like once a week, or only when you see bugs?
I have seen garlic/onion being praised as good for eradicating spider mites, but I would like something to keep caterpillars away as they seem to be the most frequent pest I get, and I'd like to stay organic friendly if possible. I have found BT spray works quite well for caterpillars but still not completely 100% in my experience. Cheers.

I'm not sure whether it works on caterpillars or not, the plants in my yard are heavily patrolled by hornets. I saw one lift a tiger swallowtail caterpillar off the rosebush and rip right into it.
I haven't had a budworm yet (knock on wood), and neither have my neighbours. That said the guy next door had to have a huge hornet nest in the roof of his porch removed, so I'm hoping there are enough nests in the area to keep them away.
I only spray when I see bugs, but that turns out to be every few days. The leafhoppers just keep appearing. It works on aphids and scale insects too. I'll look into adding onion to it, maybe chives too as I have several clumps of them around the yard.

 

[013]

BT spray it is thought to be linked to colony collapse disorder that is decimating honeybee populations. Without honeybees all of mankind is done for. Saw a video shot in China a few years ago where CCD was so bad they had peasant workers in the orchards & vineyards hand pollinating the fruit trees and vines. They were using tiny bottles of collected pollen and brushing it on every cluster of blossoms, really sad to consider.

Read and understand the labels and don’t spray until after sundown but the best option is to get your dose of BTi from mosquito bits, mosquito dunks or mosquitoes granules.... add to your water bucket and let them soak or dissolve for 24 hours before use then stir well before application. You simply water the BTi into the soil and the plant takes it up systemically

 

[bobrown14]

This year growing outdoors I have only been troubled by caterpillars. I wonder if your grows suffer from them and if so does your garlic/chilli/pepper keep them away? Would you spray that regularly, like once a week, or only when you see bugs?
I have seen garlic/onion being praised as good for eradicating spider mites, but I would like something to keep caterpillars away as they seem to be the most frequent pest I get, and I'd like to stay organic friendly if possible. I have found BT spray works quite well for caterpillars but still not completely 100% in my experience. Cheers.

Dont feed the birds as in dont put out bird feed. They will find the caterpillars. Feed the birds they get fat and lazy and pesty af to go with. I love birds but they do a great job without any help from me.

Actually I dont really like wood peckers .... wakin me up crack of dawn everyday pecking the side of our home. Wont let it go either fvckers .... I'm afraid to shoot them I might hit a window or something. Be ok if it wasn't like right over my head outside my bedroom wall ffs.

Anyways outdoors I only had a few pests there's a good natural balance pests vs predators. Birds work great for the larger pests. Grow some marigolds right along side your cannabis. All sorts of critters hate that plant including the moths that lay the eggs.

I had corn borers last year and they only messed with plants that were the farthest away from the marigolds. There are other plants that are good companion plants to help deter pests.

 

[SmokingWings]

BT spray it is thought to be linked to colony collapse disorder that is decimating honeybee populations. Without honeybees all of mankind is done for. Saw a video shot in China a few years ago where CCD was so bad they had peasant workers in the orchards & vineyards hand pollinating the fruit trees and vines. They were using tiny bottles of collected pollen and brushing it on every cluster of blossoms, really sad to consider.

Read and understand the labels and don’t spray until after sundown but the best option is to get your dose of BTi from mosquito bits, mosquito dunks or mosquitoes granules.... add to your water bucket and let them soak or dissolve for 24 hours before use then stir well before application. You simply water the BTi into the soil and the plant takes it up systemically

The problems we are starting to have with our pollinators is getting dangerous. If for no other reason than what it will do to the economy. Imagine the prices of apples, pears and peaches if the orchards had to pay people to hand pollinate the blossoms.

Regular BT (sometimes called BTK or BTk) is for caterpillars and insects that eat on leaves. That regular BT is the stuff that messes with the bees. Seems to be a direct correlation between it and the Colony Collapse Disorder.

The BTi is for mosquito larvae and works on small larvae that live in moist soil.The BTi is still considered safe for bees, butterflies and most pollinators.

 

[Stoneface Jack]

Hmm. I thought mosquito larvae lived in stagnant water.
I'm going to have to look into the link between BT and CCD.
Ive only ever used BTK in my garden, but I have to be careful where I spray it. I have milkweed plants in my back garden for my dad and my sister. They raise monarch caterpillars indoors for release, and those little buggers only eat milkweed. LOTS of milkweed.
If you have the space for it, a patch of milkweed would really help the butterflies, and Swamp Milkweed is sometimes planted as an ornamental. The Monarch Watch website would be a good resource for anyone who is interested.

 

[SmokingWings]

Hmm. I thought mosquito larvae lived in stagnant water.

The BTi is for mosquito larvae in water. Warren, Michigan will send a crew out to drop Mosquito Dunks into the storm drains. It was part of their efforts to reduce the West Nile Virus disease that is transmitted when someone or some animals are bit by adult mosquito.

It was found out that when BTi is mixed with water and the water applied to soil it will work to kill off fungus gnat larvae and several other insect larvae. BTi can also be sprinkled on the soil and then when it rains or is watered in the bacteria will wake up and start to live in the soil long enough to kill larvae.

 

[Nunyabiz]

I use Optiveg which i believe is derived from mushrooms for Chitin.
Also Crustacean meal and malted barley are in my soil and amendments.
It helps bring out the trichomes.

 

[greenjeans]

Actually I dont really like wood peckers

I had a metal ridge cap - they love those!!! Me, not so much!!!!!

 

[bobrown14]

I had a metal ridge cap - they love those!!! Me, not so much!!!!!

They use that to tap tap tap then a loud ass call. I can even hear them purring when the female shows up and approves the hole he just made in the side of our house. Then I bring the love affair to a end. The female does not approve of disturbances and she flies off and leaves the stud male in the wings.

Then he's back at it the next day... and it goes on for weeks every morning crak of dawn. By 9am both woodpecker and me are exhausted.

 

[greenjeans]

Then he's back at it the next day

I feel your pain!!! I've had this stupid ass Robin that will spend weeks fighting with it's reflection in the windows - covering them with beak spit and shit!!! The sills are a damn mess!!!! I think I should put it out of it's demented misery before it has babies that may be as stupid as it is - I would be doing nature a blessing!!! But my wife is softer hearted. Putting out mirrors and covering the lower part of the window helps - but - the back of the house has 22 windows!!!!

 

[Nunyabiz]

I had a Woodpecker pounding on the house like 2 feet from my head at 6:30am .
Grabbed my AMT Automag .22 magnum walked outside peeked around the corner, I jumped around took aim, he flew off away from me.
He was about 75 feet from me when on house and I took one shot when he was at least another 75 feet away.

So about 150 foot and 30 feet off ground, hit him right in back of the head on the fly.
Probably couldn't do that again with 1 million rounds.