[BubbaBear]

Originally Posted by shaggyballs

Hey there BubbaBear

OO and I have spoke on the subject, he is very smart!

Chitosan is so versatile it can be used so many ways for so many different reasons, the stuff can be made into so many different forms.

So when OO says:

"Concentration is somewhere between 50 and 2000 ppm depending on the use (soil drench, foliar, systemic resistance induction etc.) and quality (molecular weight, degree of acetylation, etc.)."

He is not trying to be vague, he is telling you it at different PPM it has a different effect....Also all those other factors are just as important in determining the mode of action of the end product.

It is a crazy product, that is for sure.

Best wishes
shag

Hey Shaggy, thanks for your input.
Can you share your experience with chitosan? Did you notice a increase in terpine production? Any increase or decrease in yield?

[BubbaBear]

Originally Posted by Only Ornamental

Fulvic acid is an anionic polymer, chitosan a cationic. Mixing both, depending on chemical structure of both (which is usually not well known and my differ from batch to batch), may lead to full precipitation or gel formation. Both not very practical.
Whether or not this 'cross-linked' macromolecular complex retains the advantages of either or both partners remains to be seen (but I'd guess you're more likely to lose at least some of the activity).

Priceless info thank you.
Do you know why root feedings are at such a higher ppm ?
I apply fulvic to all my root feed and most of my foliar feeds, l thought it was more of a universal chelate, what should I not use fulvic with?

[shaggyballs]

Originally Posted by BubbaBear

Hey Shaggy, thanks for your input.
Can you share your experience with chitosan? Did you notice a increase in terpine production? Any increase or decrease in yield?

I haven't actually used it yet, Stormshadow has if you can find him.

Sorry
shag

[TrinZilla]

Originally Posted by Iffy

What organic acid would you recommend dissolving the chitosan into?

Originally Posted by Only Ornamental

You can also use hydrochloric acid, lactic acid or nearly any other acid instead of acetic acid. Phosphoric acid works too but might increase viscosity and cause precipitations at high concentrations, same goes for sulfuric acid but not as pronounced... other organic acids would have to be tested because show different additional effects such as increased viscosity.

Would Salicylic be a good choice?

[Only Ornamental]

Originally Posted by BubbaBear

Priceless info thank you.
Do you know why root feedings are at such a higher ppm ?
I apply fulvic to all my root feed and most of my foliar feeds, l thought it was more of a universal chelate, what should I not use fulvic with?

It's a rule of thumbs .
As soil drench, quite a bit of the active ingredients get lost somewhere between soil particles, run off, or get eaten by microbes. With foliar, the whole brew hits the plant. Because the leaf surface is way smaller than the root surface and also not designed for resorption, leaves can only handle small amounts.
Regarding chitosan: as 'immunostimulant' it doesn't need to be super concentrated.

Fulvic acid is good in soil/water for many reasons, chelation is just one of them. I know that many use it also as foliar; I can not comment on this as I lack personal experience and/or backed up scientific insights. BTW chelation isn't always good or necessary . Although, if you have clearly better results and healthier plants with foliar application of fulvic acid, then certainly don't stop using it !

Originally Posted by TrinZilla

Would Salicylic be a good choice?

Oh no! For one, to dissolve 1% salicylic acid (actually, you would need roughly 2%) you need over 60°C (nearly 80°C, respectively) hot water and for another, 1% SA will be as effective killing your grow as a lawn mower .
And even if you use less SA and chitosan, it still remains a bad choice because the main effect of chitosan on stimulating plant immunity is mediated via jasmonic acid: SA and JA are in most regards mutually antagonistic. Although, chitosan is compatible with both 'mediators', it's not recommendable to externally add one UNLESS you have a specific pest where you know the main signalling/resistance pathway. I think that most of the commonly encountered pests in cannabis growing (I can only guess without a poll ) are mediated by JA or first SA than JA. Adding SA to chitosan will hamper any JA mediated response.
And finally, the effects of JA on plant immunity coincide with several beneficial effects for tokers (like resin production and control of DELLA proteins) whereas SA causes unwanted effects in the eye of a grower (like stomata closure).

Got to go (for now)...

[BubbaBear]

Thanks OO, I think I got a grasp on using chitosan, I really appreciate the info. I love the effect Bud Factor X a chitosan has on my flowers but hate the price tag. When I run out of Bud Factor X I'm gonna get me a kilo of chitosan oligo lactate, do you think pharmaceutical grade would be any better than Ag grade for foliar feeds? Check out the link, they have a liquid too.

https://www.bestchitosan.com/e_produc...s,-Others.html

[green thumbs]

As stated earlier in the thread, nutrifield cargo boost also contains chitosan. Has anyone used cargo boost and noticed good results ?

[Only Ornamental]

Originally Posted by BubbaBear

...do you think pharmaceutical grade would be any better than Ag grade for foliar feeds?...

Usually, there's no need for pharmaceutical grade. The advantage is a better defined and more homogeneous product. But you don't need a narrow weight distribution, a well determined degree of acetylation, or a high batch-to-batch consistency. That's only good for pharmaceuticals or lab tests.
On the contrary, having a broader size distribution and an irregular acetylation pattern increases efficacy with regard to boosting an immune response and increases the action spectrum. You may lose a bit efficacy regarding one single effect but in a normal growers life you're confronted with a broad set of low to medium impact 'threats' making a slightly weaker but brother ranged product favourable.
One point might be microbial contamination: For one, you don't use it as a medicine on ill people but during growth and early flowering on a plant. If you grow in soil or use compost tea on your plants, a few microbes more won't change a thing.
Another could be 'inorganic contamination', something important with regard to human medication but as grower, you call them 'micro-nutrients', 'trace elements', or 'fertiliser' . Harmful stuff like cadmium and lead should be low in both.

Maybe try the two products, run a side-by-side, and post your findings here? That would be great!

[BubbaBear]

Damn Shaggy was right your one smart guy I had to read that twice for it to sink in. Based on what you said I think i'll stick with the Ag grade but I'll try both the liquid concentrate and the powder. Thanks again for your help. One last question Iif you dont mind, Ive heard chitosan and harpin protien applied together have a synergistic effect. Do you have any info or experience using that combo?

[BubbaBear]

Originally Posted by green thumbs

As stated earlier in the thread, nutrifield cargo boost also contains chitosan. Has anyone used cargo boost and noticed good results ?

I have used cargo boost, I did not know it had chitosan. I did have an exceptional batch when I used cargo boost, I root fed cargo boost and did weekly foliar feeds of Bud Factor X another chitosan product.