Growing knowledge

Maybe I'm to old to dab. I have never known any one with a rig or whatever. In the videos it just looks painful. I'm trying to achieve the opposite. Also I like to eat fan leaves. I don't they won't get you much instant gratification. However, over time I believe I can feel a nutritional boost so to speak.
 
Glad I'm not the only one. I find it increases with age. Maybe I'm just now developing into my full potential. After all my hair is a nice silver now and I'm no longer Increasing in size. We mature much like the plants I suppose. Think they could do a revege? Anyhow I'm off to the gettin' place, need some supplies for this years vegetable garden.
I want to add one more thing, It is kinda personal so please don't go around telling every one. I eat fan leaves. I mean I love them. I had a few I didn't like the taste, but most of them taste great! I want to learn more about the nutritional side of things. What if...well that will be another chapter folks.
 
Always been a bit of an early bird. But I'll never eat a worm, well at least not after that one in the tequila! hope y'all got that. Do they even make that anymore? When kids were tougher and we old folks were younger! Hey while my friends were puking it up with tequila worms I was smoking the best and strain hunting. Wish I only had a portion of them now. But they were fun times. Back before the safe zone for your feelings and. ...
blanked out sorry. More distractions like what if John Wayne had a strain. What type of potency would that hit with?
I wonder if someone could teach me how to do a go fund me. I was going to try some of them CBD crystalline extracts. Then I nearly had (another) stroke when I saw the price! Maybe I can find it at a lesser cost. My oils and vegetable supplies got me tapped out momentarily.
 
Brix?
Taking a brix measurement is standard operating procedure for hydroponic crop advisors in Europe. Brix percentages measure the sugar content contained in plant sap. Brix is an indicator of both health of a plant and nutrient-density. Let's discuss how to improve the brix in your garden. Some of the best organic farmers have been using brix for years, and many indoor farms are adapting the science to their environments. Simply put the higher the brix, the healthier the plant. Brix measurements are taken with the aid of a brix refractometer. The more sugars and dissolved solids the more the mixture bends the light that passes through it. A brix refractometer reads how much the light bends (refracts), and displays the results as a percentage of sugars in the sap. And it’s easy to use—just take a leaf sample, roll it into a ball and squeeze a couple of drops onto the glass slide of the refractometer. Then look through the hand-held device towards a light source, and read the brix number on a graduated scale. If you want an even more accurate measurement, digital refractometers are also available. The more efficiently your plants take up water and nutrients, the higher the brix. Since organic biostimulants improve the uptake of minerals, use of additives such as amino acids, and seaweed extracts can help improve brix. The proper balance of minerals in the nutrient solution can also have a positive effect, particularly the potassium-to-nitrate ratio.
Here are some suggestions for improving the brix of your favorite crops.
Increase the Potassium-to-Nitrate Ratio. For example, if a leaf sample in a hydroponic tomato greenhouse shows low brix, often the first thing the consultant will recommend is raising the potassium-to-nitrate ratio until the brix reaches the target level. That way, nutrient problems can be avoided before the first signs of deficiency appear. Once visual nutrient deficiencies appear, the plant is already suffering and may not ever be able to reach its true genetic potential. Taking brix readings and making adjustments will help prevent problems before they happen.
Excessive nitrates burn carbohydrates and reduce brix. In fact, nearly 30% of the energy of photosynthesis is used just to assimilate the nitrates. So to ensure high brix, don’t give plants more nitrates than they need. Excessive nitrates produce large cells with thin cell walls, making them a target for pests and diseases. And since the sugars are burned to produce more top growth, root growth can become restricted and fruit and flower production can be delayed. A brix refractometer can show the signs of excess nitrates before it’s too late.
If nitrates are adequate but brix is still too low, it may be beneficial to increase the potassium levels. Potassium is a catalyst for carbohydrate metabolism, helping to increase brix. A grower has three choices for increasing the potassium-to-nitrate ratio: lower the nitrates, increase the potassium or do a little of both. Once you find the sweet spot, no pun intended, the brix should start to improve.
Use Humic and Fulvic Acids
Humic and fulvic acids are intermediate chelators, helping plants take up important trace elements. Since trace elements activate enzymes in the plant, the plant is able to do more chemical reactions per second, resulting in higher brix. Iron uptake is especially important. In nature, humic and fulvic acids hold onto iron ions like a claw and make them more available to the plant. Iron is a catalyst for chlorophyll synthesis, the green pigment in plants that actually manufactures sugars during photosynthesis. In fact, if iron availability is at optimal levels, plant genes will be activated to produce more chloroplasts to hold the extra chlorophyll, turning the plant into a more efficient sugar-making machine. The result? Higher brix.
Fulvic acid can be used as a foliar spray. The fulvic acid molecules transport the iron and other trace elements through the cell membranes, and release them inside the cell where they are needed the most. The carbon skeletons can then be metabolized by the plant. For best results, use a natural surfactant such as yucca extracts when using fulvic acid as a foliar feed. The surfactant prevents water from beading up on the waxy leaf surfaces, so the foliar spray spreads out in a thin film for better absorption by the leaf. Better absorption of iron results in higher brix.
Use Amino Acid Blends
Amino acids are also intermediate chelators, improving the uptake of minerals. In particular, amino acids improve the uptake of calcium. Certain amino acids stimulate root cells to open up calcium ion channels, allowing calcium to be taken up many times faster than simple osmosis. Calcium strengthens the stems and vascular system of the plant, allowing water and minerals to be taken up more efficiently. The more efficiently water and minerals are assimilated by the plant, the higher the brix.
I found out later that for every 1% increase in brix, there is a half-degree lower freezing temperature. So the improved calcium uptake provided by the amino acid blend resulted in higher brix, better flavors, longer shelf life and higher sales prices.
Use Seaweed Extracts
Seaweed extracts also have a positive effect on brix. Seaweed extracts include mannitol, a natural sugar that chelates micronutrients and makes them more available to the plant. Seaweed extracts are also loaded with natural plant growth hormones that stimulate cell division. When used at the root zone, seaweed extracts stimulate cell division of root cells, resulting in more lateral root growth and greater root mass. Improved root growth creates more surface area for the uptake of water and minerals, further improving the brix of the plant. Seaweed extracts are synergistic with other organic biostimulants, so using a combination of additives is better than using any single additive alone.
Remember, plant growth is part of a complex system with many variables, so don’t expect a magic bullet to increase your brix overnight. Instead, use your refractometer along with other management tools in your garden. Light levels, air flow, pH, electrical conductivity and nutrient balance all affect brix in one way or another, and continuous improvement is the goal. I suggest you start by testing the brix of your healthiest, most productive plants and using the reading as a gold standard. Then take small steps to see if you can raise the brix in subsequent crops. As your brix goes up, you will soon see the relationship between brix and quality, and you will better enjoy the fruits of your labors.
 
A few minutes in everybody's garden can help you grow a lot! Just want to express my joy and heartfelt thanks to the entire 420 community here. I wish I was growing and this place fills that void. I mean sure I do vegetables and house plants. One day hopefully I will have a chance, but for now these journals and threads are all I got.
 
Happiness is a choice! Its that easy!
I was told recently by a friend. "You have an Eeyore thing going on" I wasn't like this until recently in life. The complexity of an illness and dealing with loved one passing has taken its toll. Everyday is now a struggle but I'm fighting hard to get back to normal. I'm fighting so hard! Its not easy losing control of your body but it's even harder when it is your brain as well. I'm not me sometimes. Where did "I" go? I'm faced with not knowing myaelf. I need to learn to be me again! I was always the top percentage the best at anything. Life flowed so easily and took so little effort. I have problems now. My memory is so bad I can't remember conversations. I forget people's names I have known for years. I can't remember how to do simple tasks anymore. I've not been able to work and Its all put me in a dark deep depression. Coming to this community has changed my out look. For so long I felt alone, like me and my disease are going to die alone! I've been though all that grief and anger and I'm healing and not going back! So I chose happy! I choose Love! My time may be short and it will be the best I can make it!
 
That smell of cold soil in the morning. I was sniffing away at the petrichor ( I think that's the word) That fresh wet soil smell. Of course this morning it was not as strong like a good storm however fragrant in distinctive yet subtle ways. I could detect the scent that pleased the , memory unlocking side of things. I can actually smell when this garden is balanced. Turning the soil quickly reminded myself the value of manual labor. I soon had too rest but thankful for my simple lesson. Does it smell ok?
Questions from curious humans.
In all seriousness it was more than that I could smell deeply. It may seem odd but I'm pretty sure I could detect vitamins and such. Distinctly vitamin B. Is that strange? It was a memory. From a small detection in a smell. Ok the insomnia is grasping hold, fighting to type, farewell. ..
 
In the words of John Prine "Hello in there".

I, Sir find your writings a breath of fresh air.

Perhaps you could show off some of those vegetables and house plants in the Non-MJ forum (off topic), I for one would love to see them.
 

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