Kelp- root stimulator when foliar fed?

[Dignan]

Kelp is a proven growth stimulator, which of course includes root development.

But with foliar applications when the kelp is going directly to the leaf tissues, does it still stimulate growth at the root zone?

Or do you have to apply it to the root zone to stimulate root growth?

Dig

 

[BurnOne]

Both ways will work. Foliar may be faster, but do you need to?

 

[Dignan]

Thanks, B1. Do I need to what? Do I need it to be faster? Not really. I just see phenomenal growth with foliar kelp application, so I was wondering if when I transplant clones I should just continue with the foliar application like I always do, or should I be applying the kelp directly to the root zone to stimulate root growth in new clones/transplants.

Dig

 

[Suby]

I think foliar would take care of it equally well Dman.

We take for granted sometimes that elements are flowing to and from the leaf and rootzone.

I've been foliar feeding sometimes with a little neem oil (for N and pests) and liquid kelp, they stretch ever so slightly but the growth is worth the space.

I've said it before foliars are highly underated

 

[jaykush]

alternate ex: soil, foliar, soil, foliar. because you dont want to be foliar spraying only kelp on the leaves all the time. plants like foliar's of plain water and of course the other things. you could have build up of some things as not everything is absorbed through the plant cells.

foliars kick ass

 

[Dignan]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate having all my buds to lean on when I have simpleton questions.

I bought a silly little pressurized spray bottle for $6 a month or so ago... it holds 1/2 gallon instead of just a quart like my regular garden atomizers, plus your hand doesn't get tired. So I've been going apeshit with the foliar sprays this Spring.

I spray them 3-4x a week with straight water... and then once a week or so I've been spraying them with seaweed, molasses and tiny bit of soluble yucca.

The straight water is muy importante, especially here in the high desert. I've noticed that everyone else's veggie plants that I see online are booming all through May/June, but here, everyone's gardens seem to stall out during that time. Even if you are watering regularly (I have a nice drip system), the plants stall out until July when monsoons hit. My belief is that the plants simply don't like the aridity here... they sense the harsh conditions and go, "fuck that, I'm not putting out more leaves until Mother Nature shows me some humidity dammit!" Monsoons hit, and everything goes nuts.

Ramblin'Dignan

 

[BurnOne]

Dignan-
Suby and jaykush are right (as always). I just don't foliar feed unless I have a problem. You have low humidity, I have high humidity. Foliar feeding for me can cause mold.
Foliar feeding fresh cut clones is a great way to help them root.
Look for products with fulvic acids in them for foliar feeding. Fulvic acids are absorbed immediately through green leaves. Liquid Karma is a good source of fulvics.
I would not use anything except plain water during flowering. The buds will capture anything you spray on them and be smoked. YUCK!
Burn1

 

[Dignan]

Thanks again. What do I owe you guys?

 

[Dignan]

Stumbled across this online today:

Heart and Soil – Foliar Feeding
(Reprinted with permission from Kellie Petersen, Gordon’s Garden Center)

I like to remind gardeners that the secret to garden success is in the soil. When we feed our plants we are actually feeding the microorganisms in the soil, or the soil ‘food web’. But there are times when acute nutrient deficiencies or other stress factors call for a nutrient application directly onto the foliage – that’s called ‘foliar feeding’.

The leaves of plants have thousands of tiny pores called stomata, primarily on the bottom surface, through which they absorb the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that are used to manufacture sugars. The process allows plants to absorb dissolved nutrients and minerals and spread them throughout the plant’s system.

Tests confirm that foliar feeding results in immediate absorption and efficient use of nutrients. The nutrients spread at the rate of one foot per hour throughout the plant; other studies report that 90 per cent of foliar fed nutrients appear in the smallest roots just an hour after spraying.

Liquid organic fertilizers may be sprayed directly onto the foliage to supplement nutrient deficiencies, which is sometimes indicated by discoloration or mottling on leaves. Seaweed extract, which is bountiful in trace minerals and growth hormones, can be particularly helpful for revitalizing plants.

Apply foliar feed in the early morning, when the stomata are open wide, or in the cool of the evening – never in the afternoon. Use a sprayer reserved for fertilizers only, with the nozzle set to the finest possible mist. Spray the entire surface of the leaf, especially the undersides.

Foliar feeding is not a substitute for feeding the soil, but it’s a great supplement, and a remedy for plant stress.

hey jay, lover of foliar feeding...

How do you strain the solution you put into your sprayer? I have no problem with kelp extract, of course, but yucca and fish emulsion (or the pollen that's in my rainwater barrel) will clog up the nozzle in no time. If I try to foliar with anything other than kelp and molasses and a teensy bit of yucca, I burn through atomizers faster than Cheech through a bag of Oaxacan.

MoHo

 

[BurnOne]

Thanks again. What do I owe you guys?

You owe your grow.

 

[Dignan]

You owe your grow.

What grow? I don't see any grow around here. Who said I had a grow? Nope, nothing to see here!

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Kelp is a proven growth stimulator, which of course includes root development.

But with foliar applications when the kelp is going directly to the leaf tissues, does it still stimulate growth at the root zone?

Or do you have to apply it to the root zone to stimulate root growth?

Dig

Dignan

The founder of Maxicrop, W.A. Stephenson, wrote a book titled Seaweed in Agriculture & Horticulture back in 1968. It is easily available via Amazon.com's used book service. It can usually be found for under $15.00 and I highly recommend it.

Keep in mind that it was written 40 years ago and much of the research used was in studies going back to the 1920's. There is also a ton of anecdotal information provided as one would expect.

So with that in mind this is what Stephenson suggests in his book - when you apply seaweed extract (or kelp meal tea) to the soil/roots then the majority of benefit to the plant will be to the roots.

Stephenson goes on to claim that when these agents are applied as a foliar spray then the benefit shifts to the leaves, flowers, fruit, stems, branches, plant stalk, etc.

Keep in mind that the science of the microherd was unknown and wouldn't be researched for another 25 years after the book was written.

I think that he is wrong and I base that on conversations with both Kelpak and KelpGrow. Both of these seaweed extracts differ from Maxicrop in that these are extracted using a cold-method process. This results in a clear liquid with absolutely no smell at all. Or taste.

Both companies go further by raising specific auxins in their respective products. KelpGrow is better for root growth because of the manipulation of a group of auxins. They advise applying this product to the soil and not as a foliar spray if root growth is the goal. Applying it as a foliar spray will obviously provide you with 'good stuff' for the plant above the soil line.

In the case of Kelpak, their product is manipulated to facilitate heavy fruit & flower setting. Applied to the soil/roots will give them the usual benefit as any seaweed extract will but not to the extent of KelpGrow.

Unfortunately very little research has been done on a basic kelp meal tea that you can make vs. a seaweed extract like Maxicrop, Kelpak, KelpGrow, et al.

Your call!

HTH

CC

 

[Clackamas Coot]

Here's a link to a chapter from Stephenson's book.

Good read.

CC

 

[Vetus Fossor]

Damn, Dignan, you got off cheap with the "You owe your grow". Last time I asked a question and got an answer, I had to sacrifice a virgin. Being in a military area, a virgin was hard to come by. Burn1 finally let me off with 5 slightly used hookers. A little easier to find but cost me a few dollars more. Still a bargain.

 

[Dignan]

Vetus: LMAO! B1 is one funny old coot. GrumpyOne. You gotta love the guy.

CC- thank you once again. So... do these kelp companies disagree with the idea from the article I posted that foliar fed nutrients move from leaves to stem to roots at the rate of 1 foot per hour?

Dig

 

[Suby]

I use Acadie Seaweed, it`s a locally made product and I`ve always loved it`s hulk green toothpaste consistency.

It seems logically that kelp would benefit the area it is sprayed or used on before anyplace else.

Good point about follow up plain water foliars, the cycle goes 1 feeding for 3 plain water foliars.



5 hookers....you mean dead or alive because the price really differs there lol.

 

[Clackamas Coot]

So... do these kelp companies disagree with the idea from the article I posted that foliar fed nutrients move from leaves to stem to roots at the rate of 1 foot per hour?

Dig

No they do not. Both companies promote foliar application for the reasons that your article mentioned.

The other side of that is the fact that using anything other than a foliar application would be cost prohibitive for an organic farmer. For us the costs are a minor issue for the scale that we grow.

The only point that KelpGrow makes with regard to soil drench vs. foliar application is that if a massive increase in root mass is the goal as in the case of cuttings and/or seedlings, then there would be about a 20% advantage in applying it directly to the soil.

What I learned though is this: based on another thread in the 'Coir' section about cloning with coir, I did a small test of 15 cuttings of the same strain from the same mother. All were placed in an organic loose coir product distributed by a company around here. I paid $8.00 for 2 cf. - I hope that it is a fair price. I didn't do much research.

3 of the cuttings were treated with water only.

3 of the cuttings were treated with Maxicrop.

3 of the cuttings were treated with kelp meal tea.

3 of the cuttings were treated with Kelpak.

3 of the cuttings were treated with KelpGrow.

The cuttings treated with water, Maxicrop & kelp meal tea rooted beautifully and with huge white roots. I was very impressed.

The other cuttings that had been treated with Kelpak & KelpGrow never did root. It's my 'opinion' that because these products have been so heavily manipulated that it came at the expense of not being able to use these products in the same way as conventional seaweed products.

After the cuttings had rooted and were treated with KelpGrow the root growth was very, very impressive. The Kelpak product wasn't far behind though.

I will stick with the kelp meal teas that I make. They're effective as a soil drench, cloning aide and an outstanding foliar amendment.

HTH

CC

 

[Clackamas Coot]

I use Acadie Seaweed, it`s a locally made product and I`ve always loved it`s hulk green toothpaste consistency.

Suby

That's the brand name of the kelp meal that I buy at the farm store. It's running $58.00 per 50 lbs. - seems fair.

They also have a liquid product called 'KelpGrow' as well as a dried seaweed extract. Both are outstanding products.

CC

 

[clowntown]

I'm with Suby. Canna says you can use Rhizotonic directly to the medium and/or as a foliar application.

I wonder if Rhizotonic is just a kelp extract? Bottle says it's derived from marine algae. Whatever it is... at $60/L and very high application rates (4mL/L), I'd love to know how to replace it with something much cheaper.

 

[Dignan]

I say 'thanks' a dozen times a day around here. I appreciate all you fine gents (and the ladies).

Curious... what do the feedstores sell kelp meal for? I assume cows or horses eat it or something?

Dig