All Organic High Brix

[Doc Bud]

Doc,

Once you perfect your soil recipe, will you consider marketing a premixed soil additive?

....not sayin.
But the pre-mixed additive is already on the market. In fact, several companies here in the states sell the exact same fertilizers under different names. One of those is a product called BioSol Forte. Several companies sell BioSol under different names and packaging. Most of the folks using these High Brix products are growing large scale vegetable gardens for organic restaraunts, or commercial nurseries etc.

I would be selling a grow system that can work equally well for forage and food. A true organic system for the purpose of home growing exquisite marijuana AND growing healthy, nutrient dense foods.

As soon as I learn to grow exquisite marijuana I'll get started on this. In the meantime, I've got a lot to learn. I going to be learning in public, right here in front of everyone. It should be interesting.

 

[Doc Bud]

Partial greenhouse update:

High Brix protocol is in place in the greenhouse as well. You can see some tea residue on the leaves of this Purple Jack Herer.

 

[Vapedogg223]

Sorry to just jump in been lurking. Previous grow looks amazing I'm real interested in this oc+ found a bit of info on it but don't no where to get it from could u recommend any where and info on how it works

Thanks and keep up good work looks and sounds amazing.

Hey Smooth! I don't mean to but in, but have you read through the OC+ thread? Osmocote Plus Plant Food: Discuss Its Use With Cannabis Here! If memory serves, Doc contributed a lot of info over there. It definitely works well, and AACTs seem to play well with it, if you want to go down that road in the future, and make a transition to organic!

The soil test is NOT for Cannabis specifically. Cannabis doesn't need anything specific! It's a very adaptable and hardy plant.

Funny, whenever I treat my girls like any other plant, they do really, really well. But, whenever I go down that road of treating them like we are told we need to treat cannabis, or use one of the mysterious "snake-oil" supplements market specifically for cannabis, I run into issues.

Doc, I haven't had time to fully educate myself on High Brix methods, but one of the things I noticed was if you just search for "High Brix Gardening" everybody's trying to sell you there product(s). I'm guessing it can be done without the specialty products, I just need to read up on it. Being on the east coast, shipping rock dusts across the country might not be the best Idea if I can source things locally.

A couple questions about Is the yucca extract... This stuff is about $80 a gallon where I've seen it. How much are you using per gallon of tea? I'm assuming you brew it in your tea. Is the main benefit it's properties as a surfactant? I noticed right away our traditional potting soils seem to dry out too quickly...not good for the beasties living in the soil! I also noticed there are yucca extracts meant for human consumption with preservatives in them...probably not real good for brewing AACTs!

Edit: That Purple Jack looks like she's going to be a beauty!

 

[Doc Bud]

Hey Smooth! I don't mean to but in, but have you read through the OC+ thread? Osmocote Plus Plant Food: Discuss Its Use With Cannabis Here! If memory serves, Doc contributed a lot of info over there. It definitely works well, and AACTs seem to play well with it, if you want to go down that road in the future, and make a transition to organic!



Funny, whenever I treat my girls like any other plant, they do really, really well. But, whenever I go down that road of treating them like we are told we need to treat cannabis, or use one of the mysterious "snake-oil" supplements market specifically for cannabis, I run into issues.

Doc, I haven't had time to fully educate myself on High Brix methods, but one of the things I noticed was if you just search for "High Brix Gardening" everybody's trying to sell you there product(s). I'm guessing it can be done without the specialty products, I just need to read up on it. Being on the east coast, shipping rock dusts across the country might not be the best Idea if I can source things locally.

A couple questions about Is the yucca extract... This stuff is about $80 a gallon where I've seen it. How much are you using per gallon of tea? I'm assuming you brew it in your tea. Is the main benefit it's properties as a surfactant? I noticed right away our traditional potting soils seem to dry out too quickly...not good for the beasties living in the soil! I also noticed there are yucca extracts meant for human consumption with preservatives in them...probably not real good for brewing AACTs!

Edit: That Purple Jack looks like she's going to be a beauty!

The stuff I'm using is pure Yucca.....needs to be refrigerated. It's very fit for human consumption. I use 1/4 per gallon of tea.....after it's brewed.
But that gallon becomes 16 gallons when it's all diluted per instructions.

You need not buy things from fancy vendors. Most stuff can be had at the nursery or lumbar yard.

I got all my rock powders from Miner's Ace Hardware and Home De Pot.

I would suggest getting a commercial qualtiy foliar spray.

 

[Vapedogg223]

The stuff I'm using is pure Yucca.....needs to be refrigerated. It's very fit for human consumption. I use 1/4 per gallon of tea.....after it's brewed.
But that gallon becomes 16 gallons when it's all diluted per instructions.

You need not buy things from fancy vendors. Most stuff can be had at the nursery or lumbar yard.

I got all my rock powders from Miner's Ace Hardware and Home De Pot.

After its brewed! Doc, that helps! I might have ended up with a room full of foam if I'd added it at the beginning.

So your dilution is 1 cup of tea per gallon of water... Is that the same dilution you used without High Brix? I'm assuming still full strength for the foliar feeding...

I would suggest getting a commercial qualtiy foliar spray.

I'm guessing that's something for High Brix... do you still use the teas as a foliar spray with this method? Okay, no more questions... I'll do my own damn research now!

Thanks again bro!

 

[Doc Bud]

After its brewed! Doc, that helps! I might have ended up with a room full of foam if I'd added it at the beginning.

So your dilution is 1 cup of tea per gallon of water... Is that the same dilution you used without High Brix? I'm assuming still full strength for the foliar feeding...



I'm guessing that's something for High Brix... do you still use the teas as a foliar spray with this method? Okay, no more questions... I'll do my own damn research now!

Thanks again bro!

I don't mind the questions! Not at all.

This tea I'm using says to brew it a certain way, and I'm following their directions. I don' think you can overdo it with the microbes.....but there comes a point where you're just wasting tea.

I will begin to use the new sprays instead of the tea. The purpose built sprays are much better!

 

[Doc Bud]

Things are moving along nicely! Even though I diluted my soil 2 to 1 with unamended soil, the plants are still adapting to it. We're short of the claw....but there are definite temporary leaf distortions. They'll clear right up.

Growth is very good, but I can tell much more is happening under the soil. The roots are growing, which is very good.

Nodes are tight, stems are getting strong, leaves have the right feel, are the right color and show insanely strong phototropism. I left the door open for about 5 minutes about 20 minutes before the lights came on and the plants had all oriented towards the open door. As soon as the lights came on, I could see the plants bend towards the light, the leaves perked up and everything looked wide awake.

Very interesting! I've never seen these things happen before.

We'll have some bud porn in a few weeks, and we've got Blue Dream, Purple Jack H. and Lemon Thai to look forward to.

Growing weed kicks ass!!

 

[Doc Bud]

Alright! Foliar sprays are here just in time for the next watering!

These sprays are not organic.....bummer, but not really. The goal or growing organic is quality, which means taste, effect and safety.

These sprays will improve the taste and effect, and probably the yield...and they are absolutely safe, with no toxic warnings, no respirator or mask, no protective clothing.....but they're not organic.

What do they do? Well, I think this quote sums it up best:

Foliar Feed Regularly

Have you ever used an old-fashioned hand pump to draw out water from the ground? The first thing it needs is some water poured down the shaft followed by vigorous pumping on the handle. It only takes a small amount of water to “prime the pump.”

Foliar feeding is like priming the pump on a growing plant. A prerequisite prior to foliar feeding is to ensure adequate minerals and biology have been added to the soil. When this is coupled with regular nutrient drenches to keep the soil energy at its peak, the plant is now ready to be “primed,” via foliar feeding, for optimum production.

Lets take a closer look at what happens when a foliar spray is applied to plant leaves. A well-made foliar spray is a dilute nutrient solution. If properly constructed it will pas through the leaf surface and increase the photosynthetic capability of the plant. In other words it will allow the plant to take in more energy from the sun. The difficulty is in properly constructing the foliar spray. It is very important to fully understand what effects specific nutrients have on plants. The wrong foliar spray at the wrong time can create a tremendous yield decline. Here is a very important caution when foliar spraying: Either know what you are doing or work with a consultant who does.

When a foliar program is properly applied the mineral density within the plant is increased, as are the carbohydrates or plant sugars. This increase of plant sugars and minerals are sent to the roots of the plants, some of which are excreted out of the roots as plant exudates. This increase of plant root exudates, caused by the foliar spray, creates a ready food supply for the bacteria that live symbiotically on the plant roots. Bacteria respond to this increased food supply by making more nutrients in the soil available to the plant. These minerals are picked up by the roots and sent to the aerial part of the plant. This process explains how a foliar spray can increase brix readings.

In addition to increasing nutrient density, a foliar spray is a command to a plant’s physiology. A foliar spray can either push a plant toward vegetative production i.e. growth of leaves, stems, and stalk or it can push a plant toward reproduction i.e. promotion of blossoms, flowers, and fruit set.

And here they are!

Amaze is for general use. Brix levels are greatly boosted with this product.

Serving as a Plant Growth Regulator, PGR is derived from seaweed and contains amino acids, long chain sugars, macro and micro nutrients, and of course, plant growth regulators. Since plant growth and development is controlled by plant growth regulators—or hormones—foliar applying PGR enhances plant growth and development by encouraging cell elongation and division resulting in larger produce, extended shelf life, improved plant vigor, and better fruit set. Applying PGR in conjunction with AMAZE yields superior results.

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.

Obviously, I'll be interested to see how Bloomit helps seed production, but I've got a hunch it will also work well to make the plant concentrate on bud development. We'll see about that, but it stands to reason.

Amaze will increase brix, PGR will make a hardier plant and improve yield, and Bloomit will help with seed production and hopefully bud production.

Notice the helpful usage instructions: 2 qts per acre.......Is that a fantasy or what?

 

[OrganicTreees]

that will last you forever bro! Since it's not organic, do you just mix up normally like you would synthetic nutes? Do you plan on using this exclusively, or do you still plan on using the occasional foliar tea spray?

I've recently been alternating my foliar from my oil spray for the mites to a light nutrient solution from the BPN organics.. I mix up a splash of micro primarily and apply that as a spray to help wash the oil off and give them some extra attention.. It seems to help so far I've seen an improvement in the leaves, but I've been more focused on using teas as a spray (just waiting on an air pump).

This is making me rethink this a little

 

[Doc Bud]

that will last you forever bro! Since it's not organic, do you just mix up normally like you would synthetic nutes? Do you plan on using this exclusively, or do you still plan on using the occasional foliar tea spray?

I've recently been alternating my foliar from my oil spray for the mites to a light nutrient solution from the BPN organics.. I mix up a splash of micro primarily and apply that as a spray to help wash the oil off and give them some extra attention.. It seems to help so far I've seen an improvement in the leaves, but I've been more focused on using teas as a spray (just waiting on an air pump).

This is making me rethink this a little

Good questions....and the answer is "I don't know."

I sprayed with the new stuff last night. We'll see how they look today. I will probably still use a tea once in a while if these sprays work as advertised.

However, the real test will be when I get my Brix meter and I can test how they're actually doing.

Spraying the tea should keep the bug pressure under control all by itself. These sprays I'm using will probably do the same, but with the added bonus of really kicking up the sugar production.

We shall see. This is the first time I've grown like this.

Here are a couple things I've noticed already:

1.)The plants "move" faster than any plants I've ever seen. You can watch them orient to the light...very interesting.
2.)the soil stays loose, like it is dry and just out of the bag...even though it's moist. It doesn't crust over on top
3.)the leaves are not as deep a green as I used to get, but for some reason they appear healthier....the node spacing is tight and pre-flowers are large and obvious.

I know from the clone's performance in the small pots that the roots are growing like crazy. I'm very optimistic! But there's a long way to go.

 

[OrganicTreees]

I'm honored to be learning along side you

I'll share some of this LaDiva I'm smoking on right now.. It's surprisingly nice for being an auto that I just had in the veg tent going on auto pilot.. Gave it some HPS the last few weeks of bloom and chopped a bit early, but it has a really nice sativa buzz to it. It's not much special on the weight/flavor/bag appeal side, but the buzz is really nice and relaxing yet focused.. not too strong, but strong enough to space you out for a bit if you get too deep in thought.

Not bad for a freebie

 

[Doc Bud]

I'm honored to be learning along side you

I'll share some of this LaDiva I'm smoking on right now.. It's surprisingly nice for being an auto that I just had in the veg tent going on auto pilot.. Gave it some HPS the last few weeks of bloom and chopped a bit early, but it has a really nice sativa buzz to it. It's not much special on the weight/flavor/bag appeal side, but the buzz is really nice and relaxing yet focused.. not too strong, but strong enough to space you out for a bit if you get too deep in thought.

Not bad for a freebie

Free is good! Is LA Diva a cross between LA Woman and ruderalis?

 

[OrganicTreees]

Actually it's Blueberry x Diavolo (Critical+ x Ruderalis). It's from Delicious seeds, said to have 15% THC. I never choose to grow autos but everytime I get free seeds, one is an auto. The only other auto I grew was road runner, and this is much better than that.

 

[Doc Bud]

OK....I used the foliar sprays, PGR and Amaze last night. Definite changes that had me very worried when I checked on them at about noon, in the middle of the dark cycle. Then, I came back about 20 minutes after lights on, and I was very much relieved. The leaves perked up and got some turgor back.

The plants grew like bamboo last night.....the leaves got all twisty and the stems lost a good bit of purple. I think I'm going to dilute the spray for the next round.

I also watered them at the same time and I think I could have waited another 2 days, but I had the tea mixed up, so I gave them a gallon each. I could have temporarily decreased oxygen to the roots. They'll recover.

To me it looks overwatered in this picture. But if you were able to see it from other angles you'd see distorted leaves. They do this many times when the roots first start licking the supersoil and things are a little twisty for a couple days then they straighten out. I'm hopeful that's all this is.

This is the largest plant in the middle of the tray. Note how much it's grown in just a couple days since my last update.

This is about 20 minutes after lights on. The plants will "recover" although they grew like crazy last night, even though they got some leaf distortion. I'll back off on the foliar just a bit, me thinks.

 

[OrganicTreees]

that does look like significant growth. They still look happy though so I'm sure they will snap out of it

 

[Doc Bud]

that does look like significant growth. They still look happy though so I'm sure they will snap out of it

They'll recover.....and I'll use a weaker spray next time. I think they're over watered a bit too....nothing permanent.

 

[OrganicTreees]

Doc, what's your take on Cali Connection seeds? They seem to be using the real OG cuts and males to make the seeds.. Trying to get as close to the real thing as I can

 

[Dr.Blue]

Going over my notes of grows past and focusing on the ones organically oriented I found a foliar spray that is made up of 1 teaspoon dawn dishwahing liquid and 1 tablespoon corn oil (cooking oil). I made this up initially to combat some bug action but my notes call it an instant greenup spray. The dishwahing liquid has two properties, one adding phosperous and the other making the oil mix with the water. It would appear that corn oil would contain many things a plant would need. The notes say I sprayed once with water a day or so after after spraying the mentioned solution. I don't spray anything on my plants anymore, not wanting to raise humidity as my humidity levels are usually pretty high anyway. Well with the exception of Snow Storm Ultra.

 

[Doc Bud]

Going over my notes of grows past and focusing on the ones organically oriented I found a foliar spray that is made up of 1 teaspoon dawn dishwahing liquid and 1 tablespoon corn oil (cooking oil). I made this up initially to combat some bug action but my notes call it an instant greenup spray. The dishwahing liquid has two properties, one adding phosperous and the other making the oil mix with the water. It would appear that corn oil would contain many things a plant would need. The notes say I sprayed once with water a day or so after after spraying the mentioned solution. I don't spray anything on my plants anymore, not wanting to raise humidity as my humidity levels are usually pretty high anyway. Well with the exception of Snow Storm Ultra.

Snow Storm Ultra is a Plant Growth Regulator, as well as a source of potassium. The foliar spray I'm using now also has a PGR component. In addition to that is a carefully formulated spray that has calcium and phosphorus in the right ratio's and in a non-combined form....which is very tricky chemistry.

This isn't a "green up" foliar spray, or a spray for deficiencies. It's nothing like that....it is designed to ultimately feed microbes at the roots....via increase phosphates, sugars and minerals in the leaves.

As far as I know, no one has used the commercial products on cannabis....certainly no one has documented the use. The usage intructions talk about mixing it up per acre.....so I've got to play with it a bit before I find the right amounts. Thankfully, I haven't killed the plants with the first application.

I've sprayed my plants with various sprays over the course of several grows....but never with anything that had such a drastic effect in a short period of time. This is powerful, no-nonsense stuff.

I can't wait to see the plants today and see how they're doing.

 

[Doc Bud]

Checked on the plants.....all is well. The leaves are nearly back to normal, everything is green.....

But the plants grew like steroid freaks last night. It's "stretching" but the node spacing is still very tight. I've not seen this before.