DrunkenMessiah
Member
Tsk Tsk Tsk, all this talk of folair feeding and not one person mentions hormone treatments? Shame on you all!
Foliar treatment is a great way to sneak in some extra nutes, but I believe it has already been mentioned that this is a bit of a stop-gap solution. If your root zone is good and you are providing tons of oxygen in it then there isn't a whole hell of a lot to be added by foliar nutes alone.
That said, I relied heavily on foliar treatments during my experimental days and dabbling with high concentrations of the hormone cytokinin in combination with supercropping was making for buds too big to get both hands around on plants barely a foot tall. The stuff is a bit hard to find but is commercially available in the form of Bonide's Tomato and Blossom Set Spray.
Cytokinin is a naturally occuring hormone in cannabis. It is used to signal sexing, growth tip development and flower development. There is some extreemly hard scientific evidence to support the idea that regular cytokinin treatments will push mono-sex plant populations (including cannabis) in a vastly female direction. 95% female or more is completely possible from ordinary seed. This is not heresay, it is hard and fast scientific fact as extolled here:
http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/94/4/1535
Personal experience has also seen cytokinin have massive effect on budding. The 'budswell' period comes on stronger, earlier and lasts longer when using this hormone.
Now, when we use hormone treatments, especially cytokinin, it forces very rapid growth in the plant. So rapid in fact that the cell division that results can outstrip the plant's ability to deliver nutrients to the growth tips. As I have seen myself this can lead to stress, wilting and some very unusual-looking nute deficiencies. This is where foliar nutrients come in. Combining foliar nutes with cytokinin in a single spray make for a powerful combination. The hormone drives rapid cell division and the accompanying nutes supply the substances needed for that division to yield healthy new cells.
So, cytokinin, good stuff then but it isn't the whole package. There are many other hormones, auxins especially, that can also increase growth and yields. These hormones are heart-breakingly difficult to get a hold of in a purified form but happily there is a natural alternative:
Ascopyllium Nodosum Seaweed is a wonderus substance. Aside from being a nice mild organic provider of nitrogen and potassium it is also one of the most potent sources of natural plant hormones in existence. This particular breed of kelp has been found to have the greatest amount of hormonal compatibility with cannabis. The hormones found in this kelp allow it to be one of the fastest-growing organisms on the planet, easily adding over a foot of growth a day. When applied correctly to cannabis the results can be just as astonishing. It packs both great nutritional value and hormone content in one neat package. Liquid kelp extract should be at the top of every foliar feeder's ingredient list.
But we aren't done yet! Foliar feeding is a great way to leverage hormones but it is also a wonderful platform for another additive that gardeners have used for years: pro-biotics!
Strong aerobic bacteria cultures can create huge benefits in the root zone, but applying the correct ones to the vegetation of the plant can pay dividends as well. One of the best bacteria for the job are Lacto Bacilli! These are some of the most ferocious aerobic bacteria found in nature. They destroy pathogens swiftly and without prejudice. They break down complex organic substances into their simplified building blocks and are generally awesome all-around. When applied to the upper vegetation of a plant Lacto B. will crowd around the stomata and other pores, subsisting off of excess moisture and carbohydrate put off by the plant. In exchange the bacteria act as gatekeepers from hell! They will attack anything that gets near and are not particularly bothered if it is an organism much, much bigger than them. Lacto B. will break down and destroy the eggs and larva from muli-celled organisms, even ones millions of times larger than they are. Any organism that holds still long enough will eventually succumb to the fury of Lacto B. Pretty much all parasitic life cycles involve laying an egg in the soil or anchoring it to one of the pores on the surface of the plant. These are Lacto B's favorite places to live and they will defend their home with a ferocity that is unique in nature.
One of the greatest things about Lacto B is that is is very simple to get a hold of. User jaykush has written up a fabulous guide that every gardener interested in beneficial microbes needs to read:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=96325
Using this method your bacterial culture will be local to your area. This means they'll be even better at fighting off local pathogens. Totally win-win.
So, we have discussed all of the elements. I like to bring them together into a single solution using two different ones for veg and flower respectively.
DM's ultimate veg spray:
1 32 ounce bottle Bonide Tomato Spray
1 20 ounce bottle liquid kelp (ascophylium nodosum)
5 tablespoons fish emulsion (5-1-1)
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon coco moist (organic wetting agent)
Dilute with 128 ounces of Lacto Bactilli culture
I mix all of this up and put it in my 2 gallon pressurized hand sprayer. I leave it sit in the reservoir with the top off. I string an air hose off of my manifold into the container with a small cylindrical air stone attatched. It bubbles away in the spray container whenever I'm not using it. This air injection and the molasses are only for the benefit of the bacteria. The carbohydrates in the molasses give them something to eat and all the dissolved oxygen makes sure that only beneficial bacteria thrive in the solution.
DM's ultimate flower spray:
1 32 ounce bottle Bonide Tomato Spray
1 20 ounce bottle liquid kelp (ascophylium nodosum)
5 tablespoons fish emulsion (2-4-2)
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon coco moist (organic wetting agent)
Dilute with 128 ounces of Lacto Bactilli culture
Ph balance is not an issue with this spray. As long as you let it sit with the bubbler on for a few days before using it you will be fine. The Lacto B will multiply and start to consume the edible organic material in the spray. As they do this they will adjust the chemistry of the solution on the fly so that it settles down right around 6.8
Other users might suggest different combinations of nutes and that is fine. The really important parts of these recopies are the kelp, tomato spray and bacteria. Sources of nutritional content do not necessarily need to be limited to fish emulsion, its just what I prefer. Feel free to futz with this part of the spray as you wish.
I consider this type of spray to be superior to all others due to its completeness. It covers the bases of hormones, beneficial microbes and nutritional content. Sprays that do not include all three of these elements are, in this gardener's opinion, a waste of time. I'm sure my recopy is not the only way to go about creating a fully complete foliar regime but it is the simplest method that I know of. Good luck and happy gardening!
-DM
Foliar treatment is a great way to sneak in some extra nutes, but I believe it has already been mentioned that this is a bit of a stop-gap solution. If your root zone is good and you are providing tons of oxygen in it then there isn't a whole hell of a lot to be added by foliar nutes alone.
That said, I relied heavily on foliar treatments during my experimental days and dabbling with high concentrations of the hormone cytokinin in combination with supercropping was making for buds too big to get both hands around on plants barely a foot tall. The stuff is a bit hard to find but is commercially available in the form of Bonide's Tomato and Blossom Set Spray.
Cytokinin is a naturally occuring hormone in cannabis. It is used to signal sexing, growth tip development and flower development. There is some extreemly hard scientific evidence to support the idea that regular cytokinin treatments will push mono-sex plant populations (including cannabis) in a vastly female direction. 95% female or more is completely possible from ordinary seed. This is not heresay, it is hard and fast scientific fact as extolled here:
http://www.plantphysiol.org/cgi/reprint/94/4/1535
Personal experience has also seen cytokinin have massive effect on budding. The 'budswell' period comes on stronger, earlier and lasts longer when using this hormone.
Now, when we use hormone treatments, especially cytokinin, it forces very rapid growth in the plant. So rapid in fact that the cell division that results can outstrip the plant's ability to deliver nutrients to the growth tips. As I have seen myself this can lead to stress, wilting and some very unusual-looking nute deficiencies. This is where foliar nutrients come in. Combining foliar nutes with cytokinin in a single spray make for a powerful combination. The hormone drives rapid cell division and the accompanying nutes supply the substances needed for that division to yield healthy new cells.
So, cytokinin, good stuff then but it isn't the whole package. There are many other hormones, auxins especially, that can also increase growth and yields. These hormones are heart-breakingly difficult to get a hold of in a purified form but happily there is a natural alternative:
Ascopyllium Nodosum Seaweed is a wonderus substance. Aside from being a nice mild organic provider of nitrogen and potassium it is also one of the most potent sources of natural plant hormones in existence. This particular breed of kelp has been found to have the greatest amount of hormonal compatibility with cannabis. The hormones found in this kelp allow it to be one of the fastest-growing organisms on the planet, easily adding over a foot of growth a day. When applied correctly to cannabis the results can be just as astonishing. It packs both great nutritional value and hormone content in one neat package. Liquid kelp extract should be at the top of every foliar feeder's ingredient list.
But we aren't done yet! Foliar feeding is a great way to leverage hormones but it is also a wonderful platform for another additive that gardeners have used for years: pro-biotics!
Strong aerobic bacteria cultures can create huge benefits in the root zone, but applying the correct ones to the vegetation of the plant can pay dividends as well. One of the best bacteria for the job are Lacto Bacilli! These are some of the most ferocious aerobic bacteria found in nature. They destroy pathogens swiftly and without prejudice. They break down complex organic substances into their simplified building blocks and are generally awesome all-around. When applied to the upper vegetation of a plant Lacto B. will crowd around the stomata and other pores, subsisting off of excess moisture and carbohydrate put off by the plant. In exchange the bacteria act as gatekeepers from hell! They will attack anything that gets near and are not particularly bothered if it is an organism much, much bigger than them. Lacto B. will break down and destroy the eggs and larva from muli-celled organisms, even ones millions of times larger than they are. Any organism that holds still long enough will eventually succumb to the fury of Lacto B. Pretty much all parasitic life cycles involve laying an egg in the soil or anchoring it to one of the pores on the surface of the plant. These are Lacto B's favorite places to live and they will defend their home with a ferocity that is unique in nature.
One of the greatest things about Lacto B is that is is very simple to get a hold of. User jaykush has written up a fabulous guide that every gardener interested in beneficial microbes needs to read:
http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=96325
Using this method your bacterial culture will be local to your area. This means they'll be even better at fighting off local pathogens. Totally win-win.
So, we have discussed all of the elements. I like to bring them together into a single solution using two different ones for veg and flower respectively.
DM's ultimate veg spray:
1 32 ounce bottle Bonide Tomato Spray
1 20 ounce bottle liquid kelp (ascophylium nodosum)
5 tablespoons fish emulsion (5-1-1)
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon coco moist (organic wetting agent)
Dilute with 128 ounces of Lacto Bactilli culture
I mix all of this up and put it in my 2 gallon pressurized hand sprayer. I leave it sit in the reservoir with the top off. I string an air hose off of my manifold into the container with a small cylindrical air stone attatched. It bubbles away in the spray container whenever I'm not using it. This air injection and the molasses are only for the benefit of the bacteria. The carbohydrates in the molasses give them something to eat and all the dissolved oxygen makes sure that only beneficial bacteria thrive in the solution.
DM's ultimate flower spray:
1 32 ounce bottle Bonide Tomato Spray
1 20 ounce bottle liquid kelp (ascophylium nodosum)
5 tablespoons fish emulsion (2-4-2)
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon coco moist (organic wetting agent)
Dilute with 128 ounces of Lacto Bactilli culture
Ph balance is not an issue with this spray. As long as you let it sit with the bubbler on for a few days before using it you will be fine. The Lacto B will multiply and start to consume the edible organic material in the spray. As they do this they will adjust the chemistry of the solution on the fly so that it settles down right around 6.8
Other users might suggest different combinations of nutes and that is fine. The really important parts of these recopies are the kelp, tomato spray and bacteria. Sources of nutritional content do not necessarily need to be limited to fish emulsion, its just what I prefer. Feel free to futz with this part of the spray as you wish.
I consider this type of spray to be superior to all others due to its completeness. It covers the bases of hormones, beneficial microbes and nutritional content. Sprays that do not include all three of these elements are, in this gardener's opinion, a waste of time. I'm sure my recopy is not the only way to go about creating a fully complete foliar regime but it is the simplest method that I know of. Good luck and happy gardening!
-DM
