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Boron: The secret to getting more flowers

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sproutco

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Boron is a plant micronutrient. It is needed in small quantities for plants to grow and function. It's the least understood of the plant nutrients.

Some of the functions of boron are:

Translocation of sugars
Dna synthesis
Cellular differentiation
Nitrogen metabolism
Active salt absorption
Hormone metabolism
Photosynthesis
Water relations
Fat metabolism
Phosphorus metabolism

Boron is required in the most quantity in areas of the plant with high metabolism. This would be the growing tips. Plant tips die with a deficiency.

Flowering plants require a larger quantity of boron than just regular growth. Adding boron will increase flowering in plants that have low levels and need a boost.

2 Easy ways to prevent deficiency:

>>>Be sure not to let ph get too high (over 6.2 in a soilless mix) This includes not using too much lime in your soil mix. Don’t ever use more than 1 1/3 tablespoon dolomite lime per gallon of soil and this is still a lot.

>>>Avoid using too much calcium

Its not uncommon for flower growers to add a one time heavy boron application at the start of flowering to their soil or soilless mix. Growers use up to 8 ppm boron but 2-4 ppm is a more normal range for a boost. Borax is a laundry booster you can buy at the grocery store that contains 11.5% boron. It is sodium tetraborate decahydrate (Na 2B4O7 · 10 H20). 1 teaspoon = 3.8 grams. Lets only use 2.8 ppm boron to be safe. 1/8 teaspoon borax (.5 grams) in 5 gallons (19L) of water will give you this. Be sure to dissolve the borax in some very hot water before adding it into the bucket of water. Remember, boron can be toxic to plants. :yoinks: ONLY MAKE 1 BORON APPLICATION LIKE THIS PER CROP!

How to boost existing levels in hydro safely...New!

Put 1 teaspoon borax in 1 gallon of very hot water. Shake till it disolves. Add 1 teaspoon of this boron water per gallon in the rez. Adds .15 ppm boron which is safe to add. Makes 768 gallons. Double this if you see a response and want to experiment.


In summary, boron is the micronutrient that will improve plant quality more than all others.



 
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V

vhGhost

Wow sproutco thats some very informative information!!! i never knew!
thanks for sharing, have you tried this on your crops, and if you have, how much more of an advantage did you notice ?
 

imnotcrazy

There is ALWAYS meaning to my madness ®
Veteran
Cool we have borax brand hand cleaner at work...BTW, sproutco, it's used as a flux in brazing too
 

Tirs

Member
wow interesting, should I still do this if I am using a micro supplement like cal/mag+ ?
 

sproutco

Active member
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vhGhost said:
Wow sproutco thats some very informative information!!! i never knew!
thanks for sharing, have you tried this on your crops, and if you have, how much more of an advantage did you notice ?
Yes I have used boron boosts on thousands of plants. I showed you how to make 2.8 ppm boron. I gave my plants 10 ppms to see what would happen. :yoinks: It burned the tips on the bottom leaves. Don't worry. You can easily wash it out of the soil with plain water. Plants go bonkers with extra boron. Remember only do this once.
 

NOKUY

Active member
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awesome!...thanks for that advice sproutco...never heard that before.

what are some other sources for boron? (just out of curiosity?)...the borax is easy enough tho.

-yukon
 
K

kokua

would you suggest using borax with an organic environment? If so what if any are the effects upon the life in the soil? What is the pH of borax? Do you need to bring it up or down? Thanks...
 

sproutco

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Boron is natural. Some soils in California, for example, may contain 5 ppm boron. I gave you directions for making only 2.8 ppms. 1/8 teaspoon borax in 5 gallons of water. This is literally a drop in the bucket.
 
G

Guest

Why is there not even a trace of this in the GH 3 part nutes?

Very good info Sprout! I apreciate your work!
 
K

kokua

Boron is natural,but that does not mean it is automatically safe for organics. Borax cleans by converting water molecules to hydrogen peroxide, wouldn't that pose a problem for life in the soil?
 

sproutco

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There is some in the 3 part nutes. I just give plants at flower in soil and soilless mixes that extra boost. You could also raise levels in hydro constantly but not like this. :D
 

sproutco

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kokua said:
Boron is natural,but that does not mean it is automatically safe for organics. Borax cleans by converting water molecules to hydrogen peroxide, wouldn't that pose a problem for life in the soil?
Less than 1 ppm in soil is considered too low. Above 5 too much. This is based on what is natural in nature. When your using potting soil, you have to copy what nature is like (or make it better).
 
K

kokua

what about the effects on microbes? What are the symtoms of a boron deficiency? What are the symptoms of a boron overdose? Thanks.
 
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