Dream Berry BRIX/ROLS Newb Contest Entry

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

oh and if you place your plastic pots on your bed of soil they might grow in there but you should really transplant because that could stress out your plant and imo possibly make it hermie. fabric pots are pretty cheap for the benefits you get. just buy one and compare it to another one. you'll notice a big difference in growth. makes it worth the extra buck or two.

 

[tleaf jr.]

im actually considering the switch ive actually used growbags with hoe punched in the sides to get that air to them roots....interesting about the taproots storing the N for later usage for reproductive tissue how rich in N would yellow N depleted leaves be, would it be a significant source for the soil and if that's the case when plants mature and drop there leaves to the soil is the N being used by the plants or are the mostly carbon ,hydrogen and such ? ever seen xmas tree farms , we have the largest one here in Michigan I believe the plant the trees rite in the ground in plastic pots, in the same aspect though their is a big difference in the roots between trees and herbaceous plants so that may be a non factor concering the plastic pots atop soil beds...

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

they probably cut the bottom off the container first before planting in the soil. I know you can do that. i have heard bad things about grow bags cutting off air to roots. i got my 3x3 square bed from Horticulturalsource.com for $22 and they have cheap and quick shipping with amazing cheap prices. shipping can be spendy of course depending on weight and size but for bulbs and small stuff, its crazy affordable. Prune Pots was the cheapest brand and i saw a video featuring them and they looked just as good as any other brand. Costco just started listing cheap hydro stuff as well with fabric pots.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

article i started to read and realized i need to fully digest later. to be contiued..

article i started to read and realized i need to fully digest later. to be contiued..

"Fundamental to the idea of high-Brix crops is the optimal balance of key nutrients via foliar and soil feeding. We examined the impact of several of these key nutrients on pest pressure and did find that this was an area of active research. The impact of nitrogen on plant-feeding insects is well known – excess nitrogen leads to increase insect populations. "

"there may be some association between components of plant sap and insect feeding, however as suggested by Mayse (1996) Brix levels may be too simple a measurement to explain or predict the relationship between insect feeding and plant nutrient status. "

"For potassium the majority of studies demonstrate that increasing foliar K levels can reduce insect pressure (Facknath and Lalljee, 2005; Myers [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]et al.[/FONT][/FONT], 2005; Myers and Gratton, 2006; Walter and DiFonzo, 2007). This finding is in agreement with a compilation of studies by the International Potash Institute (cited in Amtmann [FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]et al.[/FONT][/FONT], 2008). In 63% of the studies, higher K levels were associated with lower levels of insect and mite infestations. "

http://www.certifiedorganic.bc.ca/programs/osdp/I-101 Brix Final Report.pdf

 

[xmobotx]

So, are you developing or applying a strategy for foliar regimen? is calcium nitrate a consideration for you? Am I off-base thinking that a foliar based on cal-phos could be a component of such a strategy?

this post of budrunners foliar regimen seems a bit convoluted & i get a little anxious when he recos genhydro or even earth juice

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

late last night, I started reading that article looking for the foliar feed schedule for brix plans and i was looking for an alternative to the kool bloom. I agree that the foliar part of his thread isn't the best but so far is the only recipe i can find. I was hoping to find some info on how to build my own sprays more naturally and trying to understand the process of using the sprays and how it effects the plants.

what has you concerned about Earth Juice? the rev doesn't like it either but when i was trying to find out how it effects the microbiology, i wasn't getting the same info as he claims. he says the heavy chelation of the organic acids makes it a low ph mix which piss off the myco's but the way to adjust the ph of earth juice is to bubble it for 24-48 hours which he doesn't mention at all making me assume that he just mixes and pours with brewing. that would piss of the mycos but organic acids used to chelate are fulvic and humic acids which said was excellent for driving up brix scores. as far as i know, fulvic and humic acids are good. still trying to understand everything so advice is always appreciated.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

i found a copy of docbuds instructions that explain the feeding program and his kits that the other person was trying to replicate using AG labs first and then coming up with his own recipes that i posted. of course you don't get told exact ingredients but with a little research one can make something that should produce the same effects. In the meantime, the girls will be getting a ewc tea tomorrow with a simple syrup. here's docbuds instructions for using his kits:

3.8 cu ft bale of ProMix HP myco, or Sunshine #4 or Promix BX myco. Perlite can be added to the BX in order increase porosity for indoor growing.

20-40 pounds of organic worm castings that show an NPK of zero K. (1-1-0)

A proper growing environment, basic gardening skills, 7 gallon pots and a sprayer capable of putting out a fine spray.

The Products:

Drenches

Growth Energy: This product provides vegetative growth energy and bulking of fruit and flowers once formed.

Transplant: This product, being organic, slightly favors reproductive growth of seeds, flowers and fruit. It is used to feed the microbial colony in the soil and is used when tranplanting.

Cat Drench: This product highly favors reproductive growth and provides cations and the ammonia form of nitrogen, which strongly stimulate fruiting and flowering, as well as seed production.

All drenches are mixed at 1/2 ounce per 6 plants(30 sq. feet of garden space for those in raised beds) Applications up to 1.5 oz can be applied without harm, but very few plants require this much. Heavy feeders might try .75 oz before mixing stronger.


Foliar Sprays:

Brix: Sprayed every week to 10 days, this product encourages reproductive growth and essential oil and resin production.

De-Stress: This product helps plants heal, deal with stress and provides a broad spectrum of trace minerals. This can be sprayed 1-2 times per week when there are signs of plant stress. Also, mixed at 50% strength it helps high brix clones root much faster.

Both foliar sprays are mixed at 1oz per quart of RO. Use Brix immediately after mixing. De-stress can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Soil Amendments

Amendment: this product is mixed into the bale of Promix, watered, and allowed to "cook" in a barrel for a minimum of 30 days in order to get the soil ready for planting. Please note that the most recent version of amendment has the old "conditioner" added to it already!

Re-Charge: This product is similar to Amendment, but has a few additions and ommisions. It is designed to be top dressed during the 3rd week of the bloom cycle. Outdoors, apply re-charge when buds have set.

Roots!: This is a microbial inoculate designed to work with in conjuction with Transplant. A light dusting on rootballs during transplanting and a small amount at the bottom of the hole where seeds are planted is the proper use for this product.

Tea: This is a liquid humate product loaded with beneficials. It is mixed with each feeding at the rate of 2.5 mil per 6 plants (30 square feet)


So, how does all this work together?

Upon acquiring the Promix HP myco, the worm castings and enough plastic barrels to contain 60 gallons of soil:

Carefully and thoroughly mix the following:

Amendment
Promix
Worm castings.

Place the above dry mix into barrels and water with 3-5 gallons of water. Stir it, mix it, turn it over....and let it sit covered for one month. Temps must be no lower than 62 degrees and no higher than 85 degrees. Lower temps can take another week to "cook" while higher temps might be ready sooner. 1 month is usually spot on.

Once the soil has cooked, it's now time to plant!

Seeds:

Using a gallon sized container of newly cooked High Brix soil, make sure the soil is still slightly moist from the barrel. Not soaking wet....but moist.

Using a pencil, or chopstick or a non-functioning vape pen, make a divet in the soil about 1/4 inch deep. Add a small amount of ROOTS! in and around this hole, in which you deposit the seed and lightly cover with surrounding dirt.

Clones:

Pretty much the same as seeds, but use enough ROOTS! to completely dust the roots and put a small amount at the bottom of the whole. Water with 1 pint of Transplant Water.

Upcanning of larger plants:

Vertically score the roots, dust all roots with ROOTS!, place some in the bottom of the hole, gently position rootball and soak the medium with Transplant Water.

Water All seeds, all newly transplanted clones and newly tranplanted vegging plants with Transplant Water.

Recipe for Transplant Water

1 oz of Transplant per 1 gallon water. Use in the following manner:

1. Seeds and freshly potted cuttings/clones: water with 1 pint of transplant water.
2. Upcanning of larger plants: thoroughly soak medium with Transplant Water.

Use of Foliar Sprays:

Spray Brix and De-Stress 1 time weekly, not on the same day! De-Stress can be sprayed twice a week if the plants continue to exhibit signs of stress.

Mix each spray at 1 oz per quart of RO, using a fine mist try to get the underside of the leaves.

Using Drenches:

Tea: All drenches are "served" with 2.5 mils of Tea. No execptions.

In High Brix growing, drenches do far more than feed the plant. They signal the plant to grow or re-produce, and they keep the biology in the soil happy and productive. This is where the magic happens! Water with straight water between drenches with one exception.*

Growth Energy: used nearly exclusively in veg, with the exception of Transplant water. This is where strong stems and healthy leaves come from. It is also used during the latter half of the bloom cycle to bulk up fruit and flowers. Mix at 1/2 oz per 6 plants. Stronger doses can be used if needed, but generally you'll just waste product. Finishing the growing cycle on Growth Energy results in a sweeter produce.

Transplant: used as Transplant Water. Also should be used during the bloom phase alternating with Growth Energy. It is used at 1/2 oz per 6 plants (30 square feet.) Some growers have found that essential oil and resin production can be increased by using 1/4 oz of Transplant evenly distributed to every plant with each and every watering....whether with a drench or with just plain water. Please note, this does not mean 1/4 TO EVERY PLANT, but 1/4 oz divided equally to all plants.

**Cat Drench: This is used right when buds set. It is strongly reproductive in effect and if used at the wrong time will result in stunted growth and lower yields. Used at the proper time, unprecedented resin formation takes place. It is used twice in a row (no water in between applications). Using Cat Drench late in bloom may increase certain flavors and smells, but it also results in a more "gamey" flavor in produce.

These are the basic instructions for using the kit! A few pointers:

When in doubt about which drench to use, use Growth Energy.
Stay tuned for instructions on how to recycle the soil for an improved second and third run. This saves money AND produces better results!

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

I also have in my nute cabinet Greenfuse Bloom Stimulator which is a 100% organic blend of plant extracts that initiate blooming which would be good for the reproductive (cationic) spray substitute. I've heard amazing results but the bottle is so small, i keep forgetting about using it lol!

**edit**
this product is supposed to be used in the beginning before bud formation while kool bloom is more of a bulking product so perhaps I should rethink this a little.

 

[xmobotx]

"a little anxious" makes it sound like i fear the product but what i really mean is that, like you; i would rather produce my own or understand the ingredients vs buying a bottle.

i don't understand the hi-brix stuff so much. just asking what you're doing & what you think doing your research

 

[Peton]

Very inspiring log, i will tune in for sure!

 

[Spaceman_Spliff]

Instead of Kool Bloom Alaska More Bloom is also a 0-10-10 but if you want to make your own I would tray a tea with potash and phos guano buffered in your EWC tea.


As for nitrogen it is a mobile element stored in the leaves and moved up the plant as flowers set, that is why plants yellow from the bottom up as flower progresses. Carbs can be substituted for nitrogen in flower.

Peace, SSSSpaceman SSSpliff

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

NEW FEED SCHEDULE DESIGNED FOR ORGANICS

NEW FEED SCHEDULE DESIGNED FOR ORGANICS

Week One:
Per gallon: Feed with 2 tsp Earth Juice High Brix Grow and 1 tsp Bloom, 5ml each Microblast and Catalyst, 1 oz Nectar for the Gods Yucca extract, man sized handful of EWC then stir in a tablespoon of simple syrup then brewed till pH’d 6.0-6.2 tea
Foliar spray next day after drench then toss remains: 1oz Neptune’s Fish, 5 ml Nitrozime, ½ oz simple syrup, 5 ml Microblast, 1 tsp Nectar for the Gods Yucca extract per gallon.
Water rest of week: 2 Tablespoons Ful-Power and 1 tsp simple syrup per gallon


Week Two:
Repeat week one except 4 tsp grow and 2 tsp bloom


Week Three:
Repeat week two


Week Four:
Repeat week two and also start to add 3 ml Hygrozyme into the brewed tea right before you feed. Repeat until the end of desired veg period, then when ready to flip lights, continue below.


Week Five:
Repeat previous instructions but add 3 tsp each of grow and bloom instead for transition period of bloom.


Week Six:
Feed with 2 Tablespoons Earth Juice Rainbow Mix Pro Bloom dry, 5ml each Microblast and Catalyst, 1 tsp yucca, then stir in 1 Tablespoon simple syrup, brewed pH’d 6.0-6.2 tea per gallon and then add 5 ml Hygrozyme before feeding .
Foliar Spray: Per gallon, ½ ml of Greenfuse Bloom Stimulator, 2 Tablespoons Alaska More Blooms, 5ml Microblast, ½ oz simple syrup, and 1 tsp yucca per gallon the next day after feed.
Water rest of week: 2 Tablespoons Ful-Power and 1 Tablespoon simple syrup per gallon


Week Seven:
Repeat week 6 but add 3 Tablespoons Earth Juice Rainbow Mix Bloom dry.


Week Eight:
Repeat week but increase to 4 Tablespoons Earth Juice dry and add 10ml of Hygrozyme right before feeding brewed tea.


Week Nine:
Repeat week 8


Week 10:
Repeat week 8


Week 11:
Per gallon, feed 1 Tablespoon Earth Juice dry, 1 tsp yucca, 2 Tablespoons simple syrup,
2 Tablespoons Alaska More Bloom, 5 ml each Microblast and Catalyst brewed pH’d 6.0-6.2 and then add 10ml Hygrozyme before feeding.
Foliar Spray: Per gallon, 2.5 Tablespoons Alaska More Blooms, 5ml Microblast, ½ oz simple syrup, 1 Tablespoon Ful-Power and 1 tsp yucca per gallon the next day after feed.
Water rest of week: 2 Tablespoons Ful-Power and 1 Tablespoon simple syrup per gallon


Week 12
Water rest of week: 2 Tablespoons Ful-Power and 1 Tablespoon Simple Syrup per gallon


BRIX Testing
Refractometer readings at least 2 hours after lights come on before feeding teas. Then again two hours later to see if improvement was gained to show that the plant is taking up nutrients I just fed them. I’m pretty sure I read this on AG Labs website and a few other threads.


Plant sap pH: It’s also good to measure sap pH, since low pH and low brix indicate a potassium deficiency while low pH and good brix indicate a calcium deficiency. An ideal sap pH of 6.4 reflects the optimum vibratory frequency for that plant. If plant sap is acidic, then the vibratory profile of that plant attracts disease. Conversely, if plant sap is alkaline, insects are attracted. There is a beautiful synergy in Bruce’s concept, in that the measurable number (the vibration that represents the state of balance, also reflected as a sap pH of 6.4) comprises the sum of the vibrations of all of the elements that determine the sap pH. That is, each element vibrates in a unique manner, and these vibrations can now be categorised numerically. If there is a deficiency in a cation – calcium, potassium and magnesium being the key players – then there will be more hydrogen in the plant sap, the sap will be acidic and the plant will attract disease. At the other end of the pH-spectrum, the anions are shaping the scenario. If the acidic anions – nitrates, phosphates and sulfates – are deficient, then the balance is blown. The sap pH becomes alkaline and it’s ‘tucker time’ for the sap-suckers. There is no incongruity here.

ERGS testing: 200 veg minimum/600 bloom minimum to make sure the soil web is active enough to promote high brix and overall health of plant. Energy in the soil is measured by electrical conductance. The unit of measurement is microSiemens (mS) per centimeter on a conductivity meter. On the soil test electrical conductance is shown as ERGS. This is an acronym, given by Dr. Reams, which stands for Energy Released per Gram per Second.


The governor for electrical conductance in soils is humus. When humus levels are high the Ergs reading is stabilized and does not “climb the highest peak and then plunge to the deepest valley.” When striving for high brix plants on soils with low humus levels it is important to keep the Ergs up. As the growing season progresses plants draw heavily on soil reserves and the Ergs reading drops. In other words the soluble nutrients in the soil are taken up by the plants, which results in a decrease of electrical conductance in soils. Low soil energy causes plant growth to slow way down.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

Today at work was VERY SLOW so i grasped the opportunity to learn about high brix gardening for a full 8 hours! My brain is tuckered out after designing this, looking at each individual nutrient, learning about the soil drenches but I've gotta be a chemist to understand the process of using the drenches and foliars to drive the microbiology towards a different type of growth using cations and anions.it crazy deep and there are no brix gardening websites offering recipes or any info without buying their products. after the day was over, I'm half convinced that these labs are making BRIX growing complicated on purpose to have poor farmers purchase their products. the soil drenches are explained as giving the soil web energy and driving up ergs ratings so fulvic acid and humic acid stood out stating that this energizes your microbiology which is why it causes more nutrient uptake. So I'm not going to worry about soil drenches and anionic sprays and reproductive/cationic sprays because what seems to be the most common and most important factor is the ergs ratings of the soil and using the testing to find out how much of what kind of nutrients are making your brix go up. using the refractometer before and after feeding will do this. if you see an increase, then your plant wants more of that until the brix reading stabilizes. This is how I am going to determine after every feeding and then adjust the next weeks feeding and compare results.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

Dream Berry: gave her some water today and everyone is looking healthy and happy. 82F highs and 70F lows for day/night temps with RH 55% day/65% nights. would include a pic but she hasn't changed in appearance. 1000w MH on Adjust a Wing lights almost the whole 4x8 tent.
EDIT: will add dehumidifier back when harvest is done and ready to jar. couple more days.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

Albrecht Principles


Back to Gardening for Maximum Nutrition

Agricultural/Nutrition Truths
based on research of Dr. William Albrecht, Ph.D

1.If you breed crops and animals for increased yield (profit) tests will show you get less nutrition.
2.If you push nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) to get increased yield (profit), you get less nutrition.
3.Size does not reflect nutritional value excellent taste is a better indicator (high brix produce tastes better and is more nutritious).
4.Animals instinctively choose more nutritious forage, probably because it tastes better.
5.High, but unbalanced, nutrient content in food from unbalanced, low fertility soils is not as well utilized by the body. The nutrients (minerals) may be excreted/lost in higher amounts when you eat these foods.
6.High vitamin C levels may be an indication of a plant under stress because of poor soil quality. (Dr. Albrecht found that healthier spinach plants had lower levels of vitamin C.)
7.Hybrids are bred to give high yields on depleted soils fertilized by commercial NPK fertilizers. Soils become depleted because of lack of attention to the full range of factors affecting soil fertility. (Commercial agriculture tends to mine the soil of vital minerals with little thought to replacing anything other than NPK.) The result is food of lower nutritional value.
8.Heirloom plants and animals are bred for flavor and sturdiness, and as a result tend to be more nutritious. The best way to get increased nutrition is to save your own seeds from the tastiest (high brix) and healthiest plants in your carefully tended garden. Barring that, select heirlooms from areas of the country similar to your own.
9.Realize that high quality food must command a higher price, but you will meet your nutritional needs and be satisfied with less food, so it may not cost any more. (Lower quality food tends to be fattening as your body consumes more food looking for the nutrients it needs.) And think of the potential savings in health (illness) care costs, as high quality food brings vibrant health.
10.Additional principles - A coarser grind of rock dust is better because it gives residual fertility, lasting through the growing season and longer

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

great read with links to all sorts of stuff on brix growing: http://home.roadrunner.com/~krisjohnson/Garden/GardeningforMaximumNutrition.htm

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

The why and how to testing the Electrical Conductivity of Soils.

Electrical Conductivity is a very quick, simple and inexpensive method that farmers and home gardeners can use to check the health of their soils. Whereas pH is a good indicator of the balance of available nutrients in your soil, Electrical Conductivity can almost be viewed as the quantity of available nutrients in your soil. (NOTE: Only nutrients that are dissolved in the soil water is “Available” for crops to take in).





What is Electrical Conductivity?



In the soil, the Electrical Conductivity (EC) reading shows the level of ability the soil water has to carry an electrical current. The EC levels of the soil water is a good indication of the amount of nutrients available for your crops to absorb.



Think of it like this, all the major and minor nutrients important for plant growth take the form of either Cations (positively charged ions) or Anions (negatively charged ions). These ions that are dissolved in the soil water carry electrical charge and thus determine the EC level of your soil and how many nutrients are available for your crops to take in. Knowing your soils EC can allow you to make more educated farming decisions.



To support these claims, Researchers at Clemson University documented the correlations between EC and different crop inputs, documenting these at multiple sites over multiple years. They found unmistakable evidence showing that yield data have consistently supported the EC correlations with water, fertilizer, and pesticide use.



Using EC data to develop zones, in six on-farm tests, they overlaid yield maps developed after the crops had been harvested over EC maps developed before the crops were planted and found that the two maps match perfectly.



They also found that where EC levels were high (More available nutrients) less fertilizer is needed but more weed control in places where they had a morning glory problem. For example on sandier soils with low EC ratings, it took only a quarter-pound of active ingredient in the herbicide to get 80 percent control morning glory. On heavier soils with higher EC ratings, it took up to five times that amount to achieve the same level of control.



Other factors also contribute to soil EC variability include the connectivity of the soil water through soil density, soil structure, water potential, precipitation, timing of measurement, soil aggregation, electrolytes in soil water (e.g. salinity, exchangeable ions, soil water content, soil temperature). Also the conductivity of the mineral phase affects the EC reading for example the types and quantity of minerals, degree of isomorphic substitution, and exchangeable ions. Regardless of what these multiple causes of EC variability are, what still remains is that EC measurements are consistently correlated to soil properties that affect crop productivity, including soil texture, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), drainage conditions, organic matter level and salinity, so knowing your soils EC level is a great predictor of your plants health.



For example if the soil EC is too high, it can be indicative of excess nitrogen based fertilizer or a high level of exchangeable sodium. Soils with an accumulation of exchangeable sodium are often characterized by poor tilth and low permeability making them unfavorable for plant growth. Soil EC is also related to specific soil properties that affect crop yield, such as topsoil depth, pH, salt concentrations and water-holding capacity. Thus EC is a great tool for explaining what your yields could be and taking action to get better yields.



Testing the EC of your soils



The way that Electrical conductivity can be measured is using an EC meter. The probe or sensor consists of two metal electrodes and a constant voltage is applied across the electrodes resulting in an electrical current flowing through the sample. Since the current flowing through the water is proportional to the concentration of dissolved ions in the water, the electrical conductivity can be measured. The higher the dissolved salt/ion concentration, the more conductive the sample and hence the higher the conductivity reading.



The unit of measurement for Electrical Conductivity is microSiemens per centimeter (µS/cm). Up until about the late 1970's the units of EC were micromhos per centimeter (µmhos/cm) after which they were changed to microSiemens/cm (1µS/cm = 1 µmho/cm). Also a 1000 microsiemans is equal to 1 millisieman (1MS/cm)



Interestingly, the unit "mhos" derives from the standard name for electrical resistance reflecting the inverse relationship between resistance and conductivity - the higher the resistance of the water, the lower its conductivity. This also follows from Ohm’s Law, V = I x R where R is the resistance of the centimeter of water. Since the electrical current flow (I) increases with increasing temperature, the EC values are automatically corrected to a standard value of 25°C and the values are then technically referred to as specific electrical conductivity. A good EC meter will have ATC (automatic temperature compensation) so you can get accurate results regardless of sample temperature.



To get a soil extract we recommend a similar method as we do for testing pH so that both EC and pH measurements can be taken at the same time.

•Gather a fresh soil sample in a plastic zip-loc bag. Try to get a profile from the top 6” of soil that the plants will grow in and take care not to contaminate the sample by touching with anything.
•Open the bag and let it air-dry for a few hours until it is mostly dried.
•Mix the soil in the bag to ensure a homogenous sample and then use a sieve with approximate 2mm spacing to remove any large soil clumps.
•Measure out ½ of a cup of the dried soil and put into a glass beaker.
•Measure out ½ of a cup of distilled water and put this into the glass beaker with the soil.
•Stir the mixture gently for 30 seconds. Do not mix to harshly as you may destroy the humus structure and the soil may give up elements that it otherwise would not do in nature.
•Let the soil-water suspension stand for 30 minutes.
•Stir water gently again before taking the EC measurement.
•Insert the EC meter into the beaker and swirl it gently around in the soil-water extract.
•After approximately 30-60 seconds or after the EC reading has stabilized, read the digital display on your meter.

Ideal EC Levels.



It is difficult to say what your ideal EC levels will be because there are so many variables affecting the EC level that it almost depends on your individual conditions which if you analyze over time, will give you a meaningful set of data based on the performance of your crops and the changes you have made to your fertility program.



As a general guideline however, a good soil EC level will be somewhere above 200 µS/cm and 1200 µS/cm (1.2 MS/cm). Any soils below 200 means there is not enough nutrients available to the plant and could perhaps show a sterile soil with little microbial activity. An EC above 1200 µS/cm may indicate too much high salt fertilizer or perhaps a salinity problem from lack of drainage so keeping your EC within this range. Also watch to see how EC changes over the growing season, you may see it increase as microbes are releasing more nutrients from the soil or you may see a decrease as your crops use up all the available nutrients. Either way you can fertilize accordingly.



Other uses of an EC meter.



Water purity testing: Water purity testers are nearly always conductivity meters. Pure distilled water as very very low EC as it has no contaminants in it. Generally good distilled water is < 20 μS whereas good tap water is < 200 μS. If you find your drinking water above these levels then it is not a good water source.



Compost: You can also use your EC meter to monitor your compost pile and analyze how well your pile is doing. Compost in early stages may have an E.C. number of 10,000 μS as the pile becomes active and At the peak of breakdown it can even reach >100,000 μS. High quality finished compost should have an E.C. number of approximately 1,500 - 2,000 μS.



Foliar Fertilizers: You can use the EC meter to ensure your mixture is not to potent and to also ensure you get a consistant foliar spray potency each time. The potency of your spray should depend on what is in your spray, but as a rule of thumb, 15,000 – 35,000 is good for a normal spray mixture that you use only occasionally.



Leaf sap testing: Measure the leaf sap to find out how many ions are being processed into sugars. As the EC level goes down you can expect Brix levels (sugars being produced by photosynthesis) to go up before being transported around the plant. Expect leaf sap to be between 2,000 - 12,000 µS.
http://www.agriculturesolutions.com...-testing-the-electrical-conductivity-of-soils

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

Woke up and went to check on the girls and Dream Berry is sad. The others look like they've grown and are happy. Soil damp from feeding. I waited two days to water to make sure it had time to dry a little but not dry, dry. I might be able to get another cut. I could focus on another strain but can I change the title to my thread? So sad!

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

Dream Berry and Blackberry Kush comparison.

Dream Berry and Blackberry Kush comparison.

 

[DoubleDDsNuggs]

I'm a woman and I can change my mind if I want to

I'm a woman and I can change my mind if I want to

After reading the second half of Teaming With Microbes and reflecting on all of this info in my new found world of organics, I want to find more naturally derived ingredients for my feedings which will force the microbes to break down natural products to feed the plants needs which in turn will drive up my ERGS numbers. By feeding my plants liquid organic fertilizers, I make the nutrients more available to the plant which doesn’t need the microbes as much thus making them less active which in turn drives down my ERGS. I still couldn’t find much on why organic liquid nutes and what exactly is bad for them, but thinking about it like this really doesn’t make it matter much anymore.

​

I THINK I’M FIGURING OUT THE HOWS AND WHYS AND WHATS!
So stay tuned in this learning process! I’m in super study mode right now, focused and determined to figuring this out and sharing my nuggets of info with you fine folks!