well, it's 1-3 weeks before harvest, and the fish emulsion advice worked out well. !
Yes try larger containers next time.
stomata open signalsBTW I noticed someone said again that organic N can be assimilated through the leaves (stomata). Please provide evidence for this. I'm dying to see it and become convinced. Evidence is not 'I sprayed my plants and they looked better, etc.'
nitrogen
concentration.
normal levels of nitrogen in plant tissue are 5-6% n in the dry weight of the third leaf from the top, or, 0.5-1.5% n03 in the dry weight of the fully developed young leaves, or 2-3% n (or 0.6-1.2% n03) in the sap of mature petioles. nitrogen-deficient plants contain nitrogen less than 3% or 2% in the dry weight of young and old leaves, respectively.
correction.
correct a nitrogen deficiency with a foliar spray of urea dissolved in water @ 2-5 g/l...
2.The preferred elements for foliar-feeding include iron (and iron cheleates), urea nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen, potassium and magnesium.
As a process, foliar fertilization is not a plant efficient process! Leaf uptake of nutrients is only a tiny fraction of what is taken up in the soil solution by roots. This is why you still need to water in foliar-feed sprays, so they reach the roots. This is why spoon feeding requires lots of closely spaced foliar applications.
Foliar fertilizer does not penetrate the stomates of leaves. The inner walls of the stomates (water control valves for leaf cooling) are covered with globs of wax, to repel outside water from entering the stomates, themselves. Also, foliar absorption is actually greatest at night (when stomates are closed). This shows that stomates play no role in foliar feeding.
fwiw, the foliar regime that is used in imaginary garden is here:maryjohn said:mistress, from the second link you posted:
Quote:
As a process, foliar fertilization is not a plant efficient process! Leaf uptake of nutrients is only a tiny fraction of what is taken up in the soil solution by roots. This is why you still need to water in foliar-feed sprays, so they reach the roots. This is why spoon feeding requires lots of closely spaced foliar applications.
and not to quibble, but your article discusses turf grasses, which are essentially a leaf with roots, and the author goes on to say it has to get to the roots to really work anyway.
It does appear though, from what you posted, that urea can be absorbed through the leaf in small amounts, and urea is indeed an organic compound. But your article also points out that most nutrient compounds are too big to fit through the available pore.
At this juncture it seems best to stick with microbeman's advice if foliar feeding can have any adverse effects (humidity, etc...), and otherwise go ahead but you are probably wasting your time; you could have just dumped it on the soil. The advantages described in your article have to do with the way mowing tends to disperse fertilizer pellets. Are you mowing your plants? If not, what are the advantages to foliar spraying of organic nutrients if they need to reach the soil to be effective?
let me further point out that your second article contradicts your first point with regards to open stomata. Is this because we have switched to turf?:
Quote:
Foliar fertilizer does not penetrate the stomates of leaves. The inner walls of the stomates (water control valves for leaf cooling) are covered with globs of wax, to repel outside water from entering the stomates, themselves. Also, foliar absorption is actually greatest at night (when stomates are closed). This shows that stomates play no role in foliar feeding.
In conclusion let me point out some other things: 1)MJ is not a turf grass, and it's either lazy or disingenuous to treat it like one to backfill the facts for your conclusion. Without some research or explanations, you can't always conclude that monocots and dicots work the same way, especially when it comes to absorbing things. In this case all the obvious differences seem to have been overlooked, leaving you out there with a ridiculously hasty conclusion and some baseless assumptions. Was this article fully read before it was posted?
2)Cucurbits in general seem to absorb everything and anything, and they do so passively, and this makes them a bit special among dicots. That's why Cucumbers often show up in greenhouse studies. Just one example: guess what I found when researching silicon? Cucmbers. Guess what else? Monocots like horsetail and rice. What conclusion could I draw for MJ, given the research on grasses and cucumbers? NONE.
3)feeding at night, especially during 12/12, is a problem for most. I guess with a grow room and a special light you could do it, but would it be worth the trouble to achieve something less effective than feeding via the soil?
from:*mistress* said:here is a marketed blackstrap molasses product, recommending foliar spray, w/ ~npk 0-.5-3:
GreenSense Blackstrap Molasses
Phosphorus(p205) - Min. 0.5%, Potassium(k200 - Min. 2.0%
http://www.beorganic.com/products/im...ckmolasses.pdf
organic fertilizer is stating that it is an "excellent nitrogen source"... and that they recommend foliar feeding...*mistress* said:and another, claiming 'horticultural molasses'. may be sugar-beet derived:
http://www.agorganics.com/products/H...lon/13/44.html
Quote:
"A product of the cane industry very high in natural minerals, enzymes and amino acids. An excellent nitrogen source, molasses feeds the soil microbes and energizes the microbial life of the soil. Excellent for compost piles. Application to plants will increase sugar levels improving resistance to chewing and sucking insects."
"Foliar Feeding: 1-1 1/2 tablespoon per gallon of water every week to 10 days during the growing season."
no npk found.
interesting to note that states 'excellent nitrogen source'. though highest n found relevant molasses report has been 1-0-5. may be that the wetting/surfacant ability of the molasses, + the high mobility of the n get the charge thru to the plant?...