Outlaw tree
Outlaw tree
Wow, that looks like an amazing grow!
Outlaw tree
Wow, that looks like an amazing grow!
Magnesium sulfate is a chemically made magnesium form where they add sulfuric acid to it. Only in this form to my understanding (I may be wrong on this one) it is the only form that will inflate several times and cause this problem.
Folks often get confused regarding pH and calcium.
I run all my crops at 85% calcium (including my grow). No problems.
This isn't meant to offend, but I don't think there is a grow on this planet with no problems. No nutrient is an island (from the mouth of Graime Sait), in other words overload one thing and availability of other things decreases. I've read/heard it from different sources and found it to be true in practice.
I tried testing my pH's of the sap as suggested by Kempf and the company in the UK. My pH here in these soils runs about 6.8 to 7.2 depending on the quantity of sodium in the soil. The more sodium, the more the pH spikes. Same with nitrates. In the same soil and the same conditions, each root stock of my avocado showed different pH's. This does not seem to be a real science. I have very little insect and almost no fungal problems. All my farms are certified organic for Europe and the US. I export directly. Been farming and exporting for more than 30 years.
This setting is much different than a cannabis grow. Often we're working with homogenous soils or medias and not stratified soils that change dramatically every foot. The media I've been working with for the past two years now fluctuates between 6.2-6.6pH and the sap of my plants between 6.0-6.5pH. Its only now that I've not had to deal with pests like I have in the past with variable or unknown soils or medias. Monitoring sap pH is the single most important piece of information next to brix and visual observation. I don't think Nova Crop Control would be in business if they weren't practicing good science.
This may explain your problems as everyone pounds nitrates in their grow, resulting in rising pH's and some major blocking of elements like Mn and Cu.
I haven't had to dump bottles like so many do to hit acceptable numbers with my current soil. Interestingly enough, the high pH scenario that gave me problems was with Coot's mix. If you're not familiar with it, its a over-rich, compost based mix that grows what would appear as healthy plants to most people, but K saturation is at least 10%, sometimes 15% without adequate Calcium (55-60%). I knew low Calcium was going to be an issue so I increased the amount a bit and ended up with 67% Ca, 17%Mg, 10%K, 2% Na, 50ppm NO3-, 7.4pH. Plant sap in this mix was 7.2pH; it attracted mites into the room, while the plants in my main grid did not get infested. 50ppm nitrate is still on the low end of what you may find in common medias.
I have applied gypsum in acid soils in citrus where calcium carbonate at 10 MT/HA (1 ha=2.4 acres) (1 MT=2200 lbs) took three years to get response on a 4.5 pH clay soil. We tripled yields with gypsum in 1 year. Gypsum does not lower or increase pH, it is neutral.
Calcium carbonate will increase pH.
Obviously at this level of calcium at 85%, one must be super careful to manage potassium correctly. Keep Mg low. If you see a Mg problem, it is most likely a P problem, not a Mg problem. If you really believe there is a Mg problem, apply Mg foliarly. 1 or 2% foliarly with Mg sulfate works fine and Mg is very mobile in the plant and will allow Mg to make it to the roots.
Many people in this industry run really high P. So high, that is increases demand for Mg. This is one thing that you'll see right away when you walk into many rooms. I really want to get to the point where foliars aren't required, so I'm constantly adjusting mixes now with lower P.
I have also done this with blueberries, which everyone thinks need acid soils.
I'm on board with that. There isn't really anything I'm interested in growing where I'd use acid soil. Acidic=lacks fertility. Plus, I need to have enough calcium available so the berries can withstand oriental fruit fly pressure.
Realize with gypsum, this is a constant process, not a one time application. Three or four applications over the season, in quantities that are well calculated. Also understand that when you push other elements out, you need to maintain your K where it needs to be (I personally push for 5 to 6% K).
I've seen what one, massive application of gypsum can do a few years ago. Not pretty. It's not really a starting option in the pacific northwest. We always start with lime.
Some of the best grapes here are in sandy soils are at 7% Mg!
Don't take my word for it, nor that of anyone else. Please only do trials until you are satisfied and convinced. THIS IS THE GOLDEN RULE.
My experience so far in medium with cannabis is limited only in Oregon and so far, looks pretty good. The cupped leaves are starting to flatten out and the grow is getting pretty good. What the grower is after is quality, not quantity. But these are not mutually exclusive objectives, it is quite possible to achieve both!
Agreed. Quality drives quantity
As me again in a couple of months when the grow is finished and we have the THC reports in.
We are pulling foliar analysis this week. Stay tuned. I will post numbers and photos.
Print out this article and then write in the THC values in table 6 to the right of Table 3. Then look at soil 2 vs any other. Then look at the soil and take a look at these base distributions..... LMAO. K%=1.8%, Mg%=3.9% and Ca%=93.5%, Na%= 0.8%
Also look at the level of Mg in this soil, which actually would worry anyone... Yet, the results? Nearly double the THC!!!!!
Science is amazing when used properly. Amazing article. Looks to be funded by our tax dollars so that they could find crops and then try and tell you where it was grown based on the leaf analysis.
Excellent post and I bow to your experience.
Glad you choose to experiment.
Hope my comments help.