i had not heard of brix before,
and upon research, it seems it is a strange device for opening up portals for spending more money.....
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to increase "brix levels", you buy a refractometer, that then tells you, that your really expensive nutrients are rubbish, and then you have to buy more and more things
(you have to listen to it also, because it was really expensive, and you are already too deep down the rabbit hole to turn back).
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if you are at the level of botany of ammending your own compost, then i don't really think one is required.
but hopefully someone who knows what they are talking about will come along with an adequate reason for purchase.
isn't brix refering to the measurement of carbohydrate levels ?.
i only grow tomatoes, not very well mind (lot of admiration for home-veg growers).
but flavour seems very much genetic based to me ?
i can totally see why it is usefull for boosting fruit / veg >TASTE< because they taste great when "sweet and carbohydratey"
but for something you smoke / whatever, i don't get why high carbohydrate is of benefit ?
don't you infact want LOW carbohydrate at harvest time ?, with cannabis ?,
it sounds a bit like the marijuana community has found a new toy to play with ?
but i am obviously miserable / narrow minded / >insert insult here<
from https://www.agriculturesolutions.comRefractometers (A.K.A Brix Meter)
Refractometers are a simple optical instrument that measures the amount of light refracted in a liquid. Refractometers measure on a "Brix" scale and measuring the Brix level of fruits and vegetables is very important because it is a great indicator of flavor and quality.
The higher the brix level of your fruits juices is, the higher the dissolved solids in the foods juices such as sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, hormones and all the other goodness that the plant puts into the food is. It is estimated that in a healthy fruit or vegetable, approximately 80% of the brix is represented by the natural sugars which give the food its great flavor and goodness. It is believed by many people to be the best indicator of quality available in one quick and simple test.
Refractometers are a standard piece of equipment for many Agronomists and is a standard tool used in the fruit and citrus industries. Juice factories and vineyards especially use refractometers so they can measure the level of flavors in the juices and blend them to consistent brix level every time. Many companies are also now offering big bonuses to farmers who can produce high brix fruits because it means they have to add less artificial sweetener to the juices which are devoid of any nutritional value (unlike natural sugars).
We hope that someday, every kitchen will have a refractometer so people can test the quality and nutrient density of the foods they are consuming.