[pumpkinpie eyes]

use it sparingly. attracts varmints and can do damage if too much applied.

[TheOutlawTree]

Originally Posted by Only Ornamental

Taken from my notes (agricultural recommendations for common field crops):
Chitosan and its oligosaccharide are used at 50-200 ppm for foliar application on seedlings, at 1’000 ppm to soak seeds, and at 1’000-2’500 ppm as soil drench or foliar application against bacterial diseases.

I tried 1 teaspoon in 1 gallon of water and it's only .1 mS/cm which I think is 100ppm? If that's right , I would need 125ml per gallon to achieve 2500ppm which isn't really cost effective in any commercial agriculture. I must be wrong in my conversion of this measurement to ppm?

Years ago I remember reading 1 gram per gallon but some people were saying that was potentially over kill.

[Only Ornamental]

You can only use the EC readings to estimate ppm with mineral salts. Chitosan is an organic molecule which brings a good part of carbohydrate with it and that isn't detectable. As a fun&learning experience add common sugar to water and use the EC meter .
The ppm are easier to determine with a scale. Weigh your spoon full of chitosan and divide it (in milligrams!) by 3.785 (if you're using US liquid gallons) and that's your ppm. A heaped teaspoon full of chitosan weighs probably a few grams, for ease's sake let's say 3.785 g. That's 1'000 ppm and that's used 1-3 times per crop cycle or year on agricultural crops. For everyday (or rather everyweek) use I'd try 50-200 ppm. The high doses are meant to really give the plant's immune system a kick in the a and have it full throttle in war mode (the treated plants likely have a pest or disease already and need a "cure"). That comes at a cost; you can't have it both, growth and defence (ask your president... well, HE might indeed say that economic growth and war can be had at the same time but that ain't true in biology LoL).
BTW the conversion of EC in mS/cm to ppm is a factor of 500 for US standards or in your case 50 ppm.

[jidoka]

Is it 100% Chitosan?

[TheOutlawTree]

Yeah I think it's nearly pure, not sure on exact %

[Lyfespan]

got some of the chitosan from ben and yes, you will see a difference in your bloom yields. looking to get a drum ordered up

[beta]

Great thread, thanks to everyone who has participated (and in particular Only Ornamental)!

I'm helping a friend deal with a 'dud' type problem - Yields are fine but the flower itself is trash, very little smell / trichome / essential oil production. It started with GG#4 and spread to WiFi he started from seed. His first run of WiFi was awesome, the second run and everyvone afterward was basically hemp.

Here's the plan, based on the input of everyone in this thread:

I'll purchase Chitosan Oligosaccharide with a low molecular weight (~1500) from eBay.

For the first dose (which will only be applied to vegging / very early bloom plants), I'll foliar AND soil drench with a ~1000ppm solution (appx. 3.785 grams per gallon).

After the first dose, I'll do a weekly maintenance foliar with a ~200ppm solution (appx. 0.757 grams per gallon).

Two questions:

1) Is it safe to use this maintenance foliar from clone to harvest or should I stop after a certain point of flower?

2) Is it safe to combine my chitosan foliar with a seaweed extract foliar or my weekly JMS stylet oil spray?

Thanks again for all the great advice here!

[beta]

Originally Posted by beta

Great thread, thanks to everyone who has participated (and in particular Only Ornamental)!

I'm helping a friend deal with a 'dud' type problem - Yields are fine but the flower itself is trash, very little smell / trichome / essential oil production. It started with GG#4 and spread to WiFi he started from seed. His first run of WiFi was awesome, the second run and everyvone afterward was basically hemp.

Here's the plan, based on the input of everyone in this thread:

I'll purchase Chitosan Oligosaccharide with a low molecular weight (~1500) from eBay.

For the first dose (which will only be applied to vegging / very early bloom plants), I'll foliar AND soil drench with a ~1000ppm solution (appx. 3.785 grams per gallon).

After the first dose, I'll do a weekly maintenance foliar with a ~200ppm solution (appx. 0.757 grams per gallon).

Two questions:

1) Is it safe to use this maintenance foliar from clone to harvest or should I stop after a certain point of flower?

2) Is it safe to combine my chitosan foliar with a seaweed extract foliar or my weekly JMS stylet oil spray?

Thanks again for all the great advice here!

[kalopatchkid]

Originally Posted by Only Ornamental

You can only use the EC readings to estimate ppm with mineral salts. Chitosan is an organic molecule which brings a good part of carbohydrate with it and that isn't detectable. As a fun&learning experience add common sugar to water and use the EC meter .
The ppm are easier to determine with a scale. Weigh your spoon full of chitosan and divide it (in milligrams!) by 3.785 (if you're using US liquid gallons) and that's your ppm. A heaped teaspoon full of chitosan weighs probably a few grams, for ease's sake let's say 3.785 g. That's 1'000 ppm and that's used 1-3 times per crop cycle or year on agricultural crops. For everyday (or rather everyweek) use I'd try 50-200 ppm. The high doses are meant to really give the plant's immune system a kick in the a and have it full throttle in war mode (the treated plants likely have a pest or disease already and need a "cure"). That comes at a cost; you can't have it both, growth and defence (ask your president... well, HE might indeed say that economic growth and war can be had at the same time but that ain't true in biology LoL).
BTW the conversion of EC in mS/cm to ppm is a factor of 500 for US standards or in your case 50 ppm.

Thanks for this. I have been using an EC meter and it takes a fair amount of chitosan to reach 200ppm on the meter....If I've done the math correctly 3.785g/1000ppms = 0.757 grams/200ppm

[Lyfespan]

chitosan has been working best if used in the mid flower times, along with the plant being already loaded with endo&ecto mycorhizia. seems they really love the simple sugars and boost the fuck out of buds