DopyLemontree's High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow Jour

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Well DL looks like you've got it going on my friend. You have a mighty fine group of ladies puttn' on da sugar.... I thought too much light/heat caused that taco effect.... still soaking knowledge....

Hi Rooster
I believe you are also correct regarding the heat and light causing taco, as I had that problem when I first started with the hps lights being too close. I have led lights running this grow and I do as Duggan does, hoist them as high as they go and leave'em there the whole bloom, and the temps stay under 79*F.

The OG's in the past have always taco'ed real bad, but this time they are doing much better, the only difference this time is the Epsoms I have been top dressing every 2 weeks on the OG's, and the 1 OG drench I used so far. I am excited to taste the OG this grow, because it has always been the best tasting of what I've grown...a crowd favorite for sure.

Doc's has stated there is a fine line with the mg and cal ratios, and we want to be just barely mg deficient for resin production. I know the new formula addresses this and other things, so I just got to use this stuff up....still grows fine herb!

It will be interesting to see how they will respond to the super Drench that is next!

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

More info:

Last night I took brix readings of the 5 plants in bloom.

Here are the parameters:

Readings taken 4 hours after lights on.
Three fan leaves were taken from the lower canopy.
Rolled them up and crushed them in a clean vise.
One drop of leaf juice on refractometer.

HBOG C1. 12 brix
HBOG C2. 11 brix
BD C2. 10 brix
BD C3. 8.5 brix
BG C3 8 brix

Now I was curious if brix levels would be different if I used "better" looking leaves from the top canopy, so I did just that on the last two plants in the list above that were in the 8's to see.

BD C3. 10 brix
BG C3 13.5 brix

Hmm...interesting, gonna have to do some more research on taking brix levels...does anyone have any insight on this?

Cheers!

 

[Morglie]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

More info:

Last night I took brix readings of the 5 plants in bloom.

Here are the parameters:

Readings taken 4 hours after lights on.
Three fan leaves were taken from the lower canopy.
Rolled them up and crushed them in a clean vise.
One drop of leaf juice on refractometer.

HBOG C1. 12 brix
HBOG C2. 11 brix
BD C2. 10 brix
BD C3. 8.5 brix
BG C3 8 brix

Now I was curious if brix levels would be different if I used "better" looking leaves from the top canopy, so I did just that on the last two plants in the list above that were in the 8's to see.

BD C3. 10 brix
BG C3 13.5 brix

Hmm...interesting, gonna have to do some more research on taking brix levels...does anyone have any insight on this?

Cheers!

I've never taken any myself, but one thing that I've consistently seen people mention is that you want to always be consistent in what leaves you take. It might not be totally comparable to others brix reading, but you will always have a good baseline for your plants so that you know how you are progressing with your plants. Also, I'm pretty certain that moisture level in your plants affect it as well, so I would be aware of your watering schedule when checking as well. The dryer they are, the higher the brix readings I believe. I really need to pick up a refractometer and test this myself.

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

I've never taken any myself, but one thing that I've consistently seen people mention is that you want to always be consistent in what leaves you take. It might not be totally comparable to others brix reading, but you will always have a good baseline for your plants so that you know how you are progressing with your plants. Also, I'm pretty certain that moisture level in your plants affect it as well, so I would be aware of your watering schedule when checking as well. The dryer they are, the higher the brix readings I believe. I really need to pick up a refractometer and test this myself.

Thanks for the info Morglie, That all seems to make sense. Im gonna post over in Docs journal and get his take on it too.

 

[Morglie]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Thanks for the info Morglie, That all seems to make sense. Im gonna post over in Docs journal and get his take on it too.

Doc is the main person I've seen give specifics in taking brix readings. There should be plenty of non cannabis info on brix taking as well on the interwebs.

Doc opened my eyes to high brix gardening. Something I haven't implemented this year, but I did institute the 6/5/3 method of mineralization this year as a step in that direction. Unfortunately, the chicken coop litter got spread on the garden as well with scratch grains still in it. And the whole monsoon rainy season followed by no rain for almost a month, that we had this year, wrecked havock on my crops, while the weeds loved it. My garden is now a seven foot tall jungle of some weed type plant that was very prolific in the scratch grains. Lesson learned. The tomatoes are fantastic once you wade your way in and find them though. Probably should break out the machete.

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Doc is the main person I've seen give specifics in taking brix readings. There should be plenty of non cannabis info on brix taking as well on the interwebs.

Doc opened my eyes to high brix gardening. Something I haven't implemented this year, but I did institute the 6/5/3 method of mineralization this year as a step in that direction. Unfortunately, the chicken coop litter got spread on the garden as well with scratch grains still in it. And the whole monsoon rainy season followed by no rain for almost a month, that we had this year, wrecked havock on my crops, while the weeds loved it. My garden is now a seven foot tall jungle of some weed type plant that was very prolific in the scratch grains. Lesson learned. The tomatoes are fantastic once you wade your way in and find them though. Probably should break out the machete.

Yeah same here never heard of brix till Doc. I know I can do better, but Docs method so far has blown my other grows over. It's that terpene profile taste I'm after and Docs gear unleashes it for sure.

We joined a CSA the last couple of years to get our organic produce. I grow mostly berries, fruits, herbs, and nut trees now mostly.

I used to have chickens...great egg layers and producers of fertilizer for the garden. I hope to get some again...they ate all the ticks too as I use to free range them

 

[Morglie]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Yeah same here never heard of brix till Doc. I know I can do better, but Docs method so far has blown my other grows over. It's that terpene profile taste I'm after and Docs gear unleashes it for sure.

We joined a CSA the last couple of years to get our organic produce. I grow mostly berries, fruits, herbs, and nut trees now mostly.

I used to have chickens...great egg layers and producers of fertilizer for the garden. I hope to get some again...they ate all the ticks too as I use to free range them

Ours are free range which is great as the tick and super flea population that we had last summer, our first here, was greatly diminished this year. We're planning on putting in fruit trees here, hopefully in the fall. We have walnuts and gobs of wild black raspberries and blackberries already.

Yea, the terps are what I'm after. I only had two plants I successfully grew before going with the kit. I'm convinced the terpenes play a major role in the effect and I want to bring that out as much as possible. Plus, it's a very forgiving system.

I've grown tomatos in it and am currently growing two types of basil and spearmint in it. Eventually I want to have a large selection of fresh, high brix herbs for the wife to utilize in her cooking and soap making excursions. She tries to use as local as possible. We had our first hive swarm this spring, so we're back to waiting again, as the second hive we started in the spring gets its feet under it and begins producing surplus we can utilize. The honey and beeswax will be an awesome addition, and once I get ahead on my cannabis stock, there'll be cannabis oil added to that as well. Things are looking good.

Now if they can just figure out this nausea issue. We're back in the hospital again. No pain this time as the gallbladder removal took care of that, but the nausea is back.... I'm glad it sounds like they're making some progress in helping your other half. Safe journeys my friend.

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Ours are free range which is great as the tick and super flea population that we had last summer, our first here, was greatly diminished this year. We're planning on putting in fruit trees here, hopefully in the fall. We have walnuts and gobs of wild black raspberries and blackberries already.

Yea, the terps are what I'm after. I only had two plants I successfully grew before going with the kit. I'm convinced the terpenes play a major role in the effect and I want to bring that out as much as possible. Plus, it's a very forgiving system.

I've grown tomatos in it and am currently growing two types of basil and spearmint in it. Eventually I want to have a large selection of fresh, high brix herbs for the wife to utilize in her cooking and soap making excursions. She tries to use as local as possible. We had our first hive swarm this spring, so we're back to waiting again, as the second hive we started in the spring gets its feet under it and begins producing surplus we can utilize. The honey and beeswax will be an awesome addition, and once I get ahead on my cannabis stock, there'll be cannabis oil added to that as well. Things are looking good.

Now if they can just figure out this nausea issue. We're back in the hospital again. No pain this time as the gallbladder removal took care of that, but the nausea is back.... I'm glad it sounds like they're making some progress in helping your other half. Safe journeys my friend.

Sounds like you have a pretty cool farm there! So much work but a lot of fun. Ahh man she's back in for nausea..?? Well I hope they can figure this out.

My father just had his gall bladder out after 4 months of misery, jaundice, nausea, whole bunch of symptoms.

Sending my best intentions to you and the Mrs. Morglie

 

[Rooster1]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Me too !

 

[Morglie]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Sounds like you have a pretty cool farm there! So much work but a lot of fun. Ahh man she's back in for nausea..?? Well I hope they can figure this out.

My father just had his gall bladder out after 4 months of misery, jaundice, nausea, whole bunch of symptoms.

Sending my best intentions to you and the Mrs. Morglie

We're trying to get a small homestead going. We've been here a year and a half. It's been going slow as money has been tight and my wife's health hasn't cooperated, but we're getting there. Profit sharing check just came in, so there's some money to accomplish some of the things we want to do. Now we just need her healthy.

 

[CannaCountry]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Good Morning DopyLemon,

First and foremost, and I'd like to mention Morglie here as well; I hope the best for both of your wives and yourselves. Ya'll are in my thoughts and I hope healing and better health is merely a step away for everyone involved. God bless.

Before I ask the question, let me state that the last 17 years of my career were centered around Brix; what it means, how it's affected by all types of variables and how to mitigate those variables. With that being said, I don't claim to know it all, but I've also been around the block a few times.

My questions are: When you state your refract gave you a Brix of let's say 12; what does that number mean to you? What does it represent in terms of what your 'kit' tells you? What is the correlation between Brix value in terms of cannabis leaves and the quality / potency of your flowers?

I'm not trying to be smart; I simply don't know those answers in terms of your mind, nor do I know the answers in terms of cannabis. I'm simply trying to learn, and it's quite possible, there is something to be learned here.

Anywho, your grow, both inside and out looks fantastic. You've got girls scattered all over the place; I'm jealous!

Have a great day...

 

[Duggan]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Mornin to ya CC.We strive for high brix cuz its our way of telling us our plants are as healthy as possible ..allowing them to perform at their highest level ...with as much resin produced as...is possible.Without this high level of health and vigor the plants will simply not perform at there absolute best!cheers CC....have a great day sir!....btw....great to have all your experience around too!!

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Good Morning DopyLemon,

First and foremost, and I'd like to mention Morglie here as well; I hope the best for both of your wives and yourselves. Ya'll are in my thoughts and I hope healing and better health is merely a step away for everyone involved. God bless.

Before I ask the question, let me state that the last 17 years of my career were centered around Brix; what it means, how it's affected by all types of variables and how to mitigate those variables. With that being said, I don't claim to know it all, but I've also been around the block a few times.

My questions are: When you state your refract gave you a Brix of let's say 12; what does that number mean to you? What does it represent in terms of what your 'kit' tells you? What is the correlation between Brix value in terms of cannabis leaves and the quality / potency of your flowers?

I'm not trying to be smart; I simply don't know those answers in terms of your mind, nor do I know the answers in terms of cannabis. I'm simply trying to learn, and it's quite possible, there is something to be learned here.

Anywho, your grow, both inside and out looks fantastic. You've got girls scattered all over the place; I'm jealous!

Have a great day...

Hi CC,

Well wishes much appreciated! I hope is all well with you too!

The measurement of brix levels is new to me. I learned about it when I was researching techniques and important factors regarding growing connoisseur grade cannabis, and found Doc Buds journal here at 420mag. I filtered through a lot of bs before I found Docs knowledge, and I gravitated towards his confident explanation of his system, and just knew I had stumbled upon something solid here.

Everything I know about brix (I'm a learning student) is from Doc's writings, and his veteran followers, like Duggan and many more. Here's a quote from page1 of Doc's journal, I highly recommend reading through it. Note it starts back in 2013 and has evolved quite a bit to the present.

Doc Bud - High Brix Q&A With Pictures

From page 1 (Doc Bud)

Here's a short description of what I mean by High Brix Gardening.

Brix is a unit of measurement that tells us how much sugar, minerals and other dissolved solids that are in a liquid. In our case, the liquid is leaf juice and occasionally a small bud. Average brix for a solid organic grow is going to be 7 to 10. Moderate brix levels clock in at 10-12. Once you get over 12 brix you're in High Brix territory. The highest I've measured to date is 17.

Once brix gets over 12, pests aren't a problem and it is very unlikely any diseases will ruin your crop. The higher the brix, the healthier the plant.

The high changes a bit as well. It's still strong, but its also softer and fuller."

Doc Bud

Finally I had a way to measure something, although my nose and taste buds are keen too. I like to tinker and continuously move in bettering whatever I do. Brix will be a way for me to measure my plant care techniques I employ, and compare them to past practices I have recorded. I have much to still learn, and I like it that way.

Please share your experiences with brix, I'm all ears.

Cheers

 

[Morglie]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Good Morning DopyLemon,

First and foremost, and I'd like to mention Morglie here as well; I hope the best for both of your wives and yourselves. Ya'll are in my thoughts and I hope healing and better health is merely a step away for everyone involved. God bless.

Before I ask the question, let me state that the last 17 years of my career were centered around Brix; what it means, how it's affected by all types of variables and how to mitigate those variables. With that being said, I don't claim to know it all, but I've also been around the block a few times.

My questions are: When you state your refract gave you a Brix of let's say 12; what does that number mean to you? What does it represent in terms of what your 'kit' tells you? What is the correlation between Brix value in terms of cannabis leaves and the quality / potency of your flowers?

I'm not trying to be smart; I simply don't know those answers in terms of your mind, nor do I know the answers in terms of cannabis. I'm simply trying to learn, and it's quite possible, there is something to be learned here.

Anywho, your grow, both inside and out looks fantastic. You've got girls scattered all over the place; I'm jealous!

Have a great day...

Thank you for the well wishes. After I discovered Doc's kit here I did some research on high brix gardening. I found a lab where you can get your soil tested and get a custom amendment blend made, and all the drenchs and foliars. I'm pretty certain it's the same place Doc works with. That's the goal eventually, but we're talking small steps so that we don't overwhelm ourselves.

I've been using the kit since I managed to get a plant to harvest in my own soil mix. That mix ended up being horrible except for a palm that we have in a giant pot. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger. We've managed to sprout 4 avocados and a Mango in the pot as well, just by sticking the seeds in it. I haven't looked back since switching to the kit, although I have to admit I think I'm going to try a few hempys for something to play with. I'll have to see how things are once I get my new space up and running. I may have my hands full.

I look at high brix the same as Duggs and DL, it's a sign of great health, so that the plant can grow to its potential. I've not checked brix on any of them, but the ones where I feel I've truly hit high brix, there definitely is a higher quality in flavor and buzz.

Please help unlock this knowledge. I'm amazed watching Conradino grow high brix without using the kit. I'd love to know how to do that. I would love to grow my veggie garden high brix without needing to rely on a lab year after year. I think for indoor cannabis though, the kit is just way too easy on its own. It grows great product even when you mess up, which I'm pretty good at. I tend to want to experiment.

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Thank you for the well wishes. After I discovered Doc's kit here I did some research on high brix gardening. I found a lab where you can get your soil tested and get a custom amendment blend made, and all the drenchs and foliars. I'm pretty certain it's the same place Doc works with. That's the goal eventually, but we're talking small steps so that we don't overwhelm ourselves.

I've been using the kit since I managed to get a plant to harvest in my own soil mix. That mix ended up being horrible except for a palm that we have in a giant pot. It just keeps getting bigger and bigger. We've managed to sprout 4 avocados and a Mango in the pot as well, just by sticking the seeds in it. I haven't looked back since switching to the kit, although I have to admit I think I'm going to try a few hempys for something to play with. I'll have to see how things are once I get my new space up and running. I may have my hands full.

I look at high brix the same as Duggs and DL, it's a sign of great health, so that the plant can grow to its potential. I've not checked brix on any of them, but the ones where I feel I've truly hit high brix, there definitely is a higher quality in flavor and buzz.

Please help unlock this knowledge. I'm amazed watching Conradino grow high brix without using the kit. I'd love to know how to do that. I would love to grow my veggie garden high brix without needing to rely on a lab year after year. I think for indoor cannabis though, the kit is just way too easy on its own. It grows great product even when you mess up, which I'm pretty good at. I tend to want to experiment.

Morglie,

Have you heard of Elaine Ingham?

Watch every video, online, fascinating soil biology stuff. Easy to understand. I purchased her books. Thermal composting and actively aerated compost tea, minerals, customized biota, etc...I even bought a microscope...she explains it all...you can even take courses with her. Great for outdoor farming.

 

[StoneyMemoirs]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Good Morning DopyLemon,

First and foremost, and I'd like to mention Morglie here as well; I hope the best for both of your wives and yourselves. Ya'll are in my thoughts and I hope healing and better health is merely a step away for everyone involved. God bless.

Before I ask the question, let me state that the last 17 years of my career were centered around Brix; what it means, how it's affected by all types of variables and how to mitigate those variables. With that being said, I don't claim to know it all, but I've also been around the block a few times.

My questions are: When you state your refract gave you a Brix of let's say 12; what does that number mean to you? What does it represent in terms of what your 'kit' tells you? What is the correlation between Brix value in terms of cannabis leaves and the quality / potency of your flowers?

I'm not trying to be smart; I simply don't know those answers in terms of your mind, nor do I know the answers in terms of cannabis. I'm simply trying to learn, and it's quite possible, there is something to be learned here.

Anywho, your grow, both inside and out looks fantastic. You've got girls scattered all over the place; I'm jealous!

Have a great day...

Hey CC! Welcome aboard sir--new perspectives and experiences are always welcome in these parts. Here's a snippet about Brix copied/pasted below for you, as well with some more 'advanced' science below that--for those inclined.

For most of us, the kit seems to be the easiest way of consistently achieving 12+ Brix (for me, 13 and 14).


What is High Brix?

The strictly technical answer is that Brix is a measurement of how much light bends, or 'refracts' as it passes through plant sap. What causes light to bend?

1. The amount of carbohydrates in the plant sap.

2. The amount of dissolved minerals in the sap.

3. The amount of covalent bonding.

In other words: The more nutrients and sugars present in the plant sap, the higher the Brix reading and the more Nutrient-Dense that crop is. High Brix = Nutrient Density. Simple as that. The cool part is we can measure this any time we wish with a Refractometer.

--then---

The Four Foundations of High Brix Growing

If you want to grow the best produce in the world and get your plants to express their full genetic potential and enjoy the dankest, most terpene-laden harvest, there are four key things that simply must be present.

These are not suggestions, or a "style" of growing. These Four Foundations are hard science and they are an absolute "must" in order to achieve High Brix.


Everything below is based on the assumption that your plants will have a proper growing environment from seed to harvest.

If you are attempting to grow in a hostile environment, you simply will not get good results. On the other hand--given a proper environment, plants in High Brix soil will do some cool tricks. So, let's get started.

1. Mineralize the soil. By now, we all know about how corporate farming and sterile soils have ruined our food supply. We all know that organic, living soil is the way to go for healthy, delicious produce. With High Brix growing, we not only want living soil with organic ingredients as opposed to chemicals, but we want the maximum amount of life from the soil we can possibly get.

Research has shown that a large amount of calcium in the soil, with the right ratio of calcium-to-magnesium and a relatively low amount of organic matter (less than 8%) will allow the microbial life in the soil to thrive.

Think of a volcanic soil, full of minerals. Minerals are where it's at--this is what we're after in High Brix. Our amendments are designed to bring every mineral into the right ratio in the soil, making the microbes hyperactive and happy. Calcium is king here. No other mineral is as important in the soil as calcium and we've yet to find a commercial potting soil with even close to the optimal amount of calcium in it. High Brix soil is unlike any other SuperSoil, or potting soil out there. We have WAY MORE calcium than they do. The first surprise most growers get on their first High Brix crop is how strong the stems are and how much less support they need. Thank calcium for that!

2. Microbiology. Rock-based soil minerals are great, but often not readily available to the plant's roots without mycorrhiza--the symbiotic, beneficial bacteria and fungi that live in the soil. Our products contain specific microbes that make our herbaceous plants thrive. In addition, our microbes are born and raised eating rocks....not molasses! Proper microbes are happy to break down rocks and feed them to the plant, which is why they come along with finely ground rock powder. Microbes provide an army of highly skilled micro-cultivators that, if allowed to just do their thing, will produce the healthiest plants possible. High Brix gardening is massively fixated on microbial health in the soil.
3. Major and minor elements. Here, we're concerned about balance. Sure, we need N, P, and K. We also need Mg, S, Cu, Fe, and a bunch of other micronutrients. More importantly, we want them in the right balance. For example, we always aim for 18 times more calcium than potassium. Ditto phosphorus. We (yes, always) want between 6 and 10 times more calcium than magnesium. In addition, we want those trace elements present in the right (trace) amounts.

While common, It would be wrong to think that providing an abundance of everything to the plant will result in the plant grazing "smorgasbord" style and never lacking a thing. This type of approach does work in salt based or sterile farming methods, but in living soil we want to maximize microbial action--and having too much salt in the soil decreases microbial action. Having too much potassium or not enough phosphorus will do the same thing. So instead of over-abundance of everything, we've found balance is best. We're not worried about feeding the plant--We feed the soil, and let the microbes take care of the plants! They're far better at it than we are.

When everything is balanced and in the right ratios the plants get everything they could ever wish for, and in the most efficient manner possible; via microbial action in the soil. This is how plants were created to grow and we believe is unequivocally the best way to grow them.

4. Soil Energy. I'm sure most of us are familiar with the idea that our bodies are electric. Well, soil is also electric!

Not only can we measure voltage in soil, it turns out that this electric charge plays a crucial role in making plants grow. If the soil goes 'flat', with no measurable voltage, plants will not grow. If the soil is massively over-fertilized and super high voltage, plants will "burn" and not grow. But, with proper voltage, the plants spring to life and grow like crazy.

Soil energy is increased in two primary ways: The Nutrient Root Drench and Foliar Feeding.

With drenches we're directly increasing the electrical energy in the soil. Depending on the type of ionic charge in the drench, we can stimulate the plant and allow it to grow vegetatively, or reproductively. An example of this can be seen with two of the drenches we use: Growth Energy and Cat Drench.

Growth Energy is primarily supplying the Nitrate form of nitrogen, which has a negative ionic charge. Using this in the soil stimulates growth of leaves and stems and will bulk up fruits and flowers. At the other end of the spectrum is Cat Drench, short for Cationic root drench. Cat Drench features "cations" or positively charged ions, due to the ammonia form of nitrogen along with sulfates and phosphates. This positive charge also makes the plants grow, but instead of growing leaves and stems, they grow reproductive structures: calyxes, pistils, etc.

When we understand the natural cycle of plant growth we can time the application of these drenches to enhance nature, improve yield, and most of all, improve quality.

But wait, there's more!

Using root drenches is just one way of increasing soil energy. The other way is via Foliar Feeding which is feeding the soil via feeding the leaves. We can look at soil as the engine that grows the plant. However, we must also realize that photosynthesis feeds the soil! In this way, it's good to look at foliar feeding like a turbo charger on that soil engine.

When the soil is dialed in and the microbes are happily chomping away at rocks and delivering them to the plant as food, the plant produces sugars and other compounds in the leaves and sends them down to the roots in the form of Root Exudates. The microbes crave these sweet exudates and will work day and night eating rocks for a sweet hit of that sugar!

By using a properly designed foliar spray (which is itself a dilute nutrient solution), we can increase the plant's ability to photosynthesize more energy from the sun or indoor lighting as the case may be. This increased photosynthesis results in increased root exudates, which increases microbial activity, which increases plant health/vigor/produce....which increases photosynthesis, and around and around.

Foliar Feeding speeds up plant metabolism, increasing nutrient density, brix readings, plant health, and terpene and essential oil production. The trick here is to design a foliar spray that works properly.

Depending on the makeup of the spray, we can use the microbes to signal the plant to grow or to reproduce. It's very important to know what you're doing with foliar feeding, as using the wrong spray can result in stunted growth and decreased yield. Just spraying some crap on the plant because your cousin knows a guy in Mendo won't cut it!

These are the basics of High Brix Gardening. High Brix Soil is an organic-based, living soil that is meticulously designed for maximum microbial action and optimal soil energy. We go a step further and make those microbes into super-athletes by increasing root exudates using carefully designed foliar sprays.

This is nature's way of producing healthy plants. We bow in humility to the wisdom of God's nature and seek to help and assist the natural processes of soil, root, and stem by careful application of minerals and microbes....thus allowing them to do their magic.

If you read this and understand these simple concepts, you now have enough science to practically apply High Brix concepts and amaze your friends and family.

Questions? Just ask! I hope I don't speak out of turn when I say the gang here are all happy to help. Hope this helps give you some of our perspective and understanding. Cheers CC, this rip's for you!



Blue Dream hitting 13 brix, with 4 weeks to go, in 2nd run soil in the kit.

 

[Morglie]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Morglie,

Have you heard of Elaine Ingham?

Watch every video, online, fascinating soil biology stuff. Easy to understand. I purchased her books. Thermal composting and actively aerated compost tea, minerals, customized biota, etc...I even bought a microscope...she explains it all...you can even take courses with her. Great for outdoor farming.

I've not, although I've studied aact while I was building my Los soil. There's a good deal of knowledge there, but nothing mentioning high brix that I came across. It all seemed to be compost heavy which can kill high brix.

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Hey CC! Welcome aboard sir--new perspectives and experiences are always welcome in these parts. Here's a snippet about Brix copied/pasted below for you, as well with some more 'advanced' science below that--for those inclined.

Wow thanks for dropping that here SM! I remember reading this when I discovered all this...and now it's found me....such a great reference! Well that is High Brix!

That Bluedream is otherworldly! Mine doesn't have that amount of resin production...that is a special cut you have there.

 

[DopyLemontree]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

I've not, although I've studied aact while I was building my Los soil. There's a good deal of knowledge there, but nothing mentioning high brix that I came across. It all seemed to be compost heavy which can kill high brix.

Yeah she doesn't mention high brix now that I recall, but there is this berry farmer I think in Oregon, using her techniques. He was claiming to have high bricks readings. But like you said, it's a lot more than just dumping compost everywhere.

 

[StoneyMemoirs]

Re: DopyLemontree's DocBud High Brix Soil Blend - Headband OG & Bubblegum Combo Grow

Yeah she doesn't mention high brix now that I recall, but there is this berry farmer I think in Oregon, using her techniques. He was claiming to have high bricks readings. But like you said, it's a lot more than just dumping compost everywhere.

It's not that it's impossible to achieve high brix numbers using hot composting techniques, it's that it's MUCH harder. We're shooting for the optimal ratio of about 18 to 1 Ca to K ratio in the soil, which can be touch to achieve tossing stuff in.

--Stoney