-KiNgMaKeR- said:I can appreciate the fact that it's difficult for people to know what's complex; and what's not.
It's one that most certainly holds the legalization of weed back. More growers: more pressure.
Here is what i know about Boron.
I grew up in Louisiana. As you might know, they've got some famous Botanical Gardens place down there in either New Orleans or Lake Charles. Pretty serious agriculture country: rice, soybeans, etc.
And flowers.
Massive, walls, arbors, garden space. Massive flowers; and the ladies there used to go outside with their big-ass sun hats, and their eternal, blue rubber gloves, and take a spray bottle, and sprit Boron, all over the flowers, of some of their plants.
Now. The Boron was in Borax. That same shit you see in the photos or at the grocery store.
Now, again: There is the primary function of the economy for the state: Farming.
And, there are many, many men down there: and, since it was commercial farming bigtime, were then: who were college graduate farm managers: degreed Horticulturalists.
My grandfather, was a small time farmer; he had a job, but a 1.85 or so acre garden. Big tractor, all this other shit. And, we lived next door to him. He, lived next door to professional farm manager. And, he and my grandfather would do the 'stop by the driveway, park the truck, chat on farming, smoke and laugh.
I stood there and listened.
One of the things my grandfather asked, was about this 'Borax Laundry" thing.
I remember as we all do, the brief flash, of them talking about it; and he said what is common knowledge today: it's safe, as far as killing the thing, but not, totally: it'll make them sometimes wilt, and incidentally:
they also said, that it made them 'shiver'. And the WORSE THAT SHIVER the more likely you're overdosing the plant; some leaf movement is ok; most plants do it, more or less: however it think.. if i can remember correctly, the ones that TAKE IT BEST move, and respond outright, the least.
Now i would never have remembered that without Sproutco saying the leaves moved, but i can tell you this:
that is EXACTLY what my grandfather, told MY grandmother, later; and i was like Huh? (i didn't remember that being said; i don't know why.)
At that time, she had turned to him, and looked like "what?" (it would be 90+degrees out. 80 at night.)
He told her, it 'made the plants look like they'd been through ( i can't remember exactly but he said something on the order of) a 'cold snap'.
Now: this was me about 12 or 14; and i cruised all over town, (Alexandria) - actually a small town near there: on a bike, and with my mom. And all these ladies would be spraying this shit on some of these plants. The hardcore grower ladies more so;
and sometimes, they'd spray some, on another plant than the regular joes, who got their seasonal one, to three shots of this stuff.
And the plants, would indeed, start to quake, at times; and, was a sign, that this was not the correct answer; for, when the plants shivered, what (it turns out, years later) was happening, was a reaction to the skin of the plant, being drenched in this high-polarity molecule: and literally, they would look,
(so help me God i remember actually seeing this: i was small, as a boy; and these ladies' plants were enormous: HUGE leaves, more than a foot across, just gargantuan fucking monsters of floral swish: like a huge dude in a nice sequined gown:
pretty flowers? maybe. Scary motherfucker? You bet.
the plants would get lightly browned, around their leaf edges; and, look VERY much, to a typical non farmer - my grandmother wasnt: like a cold-snap burn.
However, i also remember this because the tone of color i saw in others lightly burned, was (the big bastard i mentioned) enhanced; a burn color: but at the edges, ( i cant remember inside or outside edges - i think inside:
the burn color would be this dark, ominous maroon red.
The color of a picture of Borate straight out of the fuckin ground.
Now: whaddya know, about that shit.
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Now: this, i do not remember when i learned: but it as well has been with me for a long time:
It turns out, that the mechanisms of Boron have been known: but not widely disseminated for a long time.
The analysis of what it does, and it's various responses is solid, sure, OLD horticultural science.
It's in those articles they charge you for from College and University research archives, i'm sure.
Cause i for DAMNED sure got hold of a medium depth overview, of Boron's functions.
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The reason i remember ''B o r o n" was
(1) my mom also didn't use that Borax; so i didn't even know what it was, and i remembered it for that: it was a strange item: at least to my young ass.
(2)The Farm manager was a Soybean Farmer. And he knew about this Boron stuff, as well as for Rice; he told my grandpa that, too; which i remember.
(3) That great big ass, fucking plant I saw a lady had burned: i dunno what the fuck that giant motherfucker was, but here's a tip, kids:
When cruising through the double canopy jungle in cutoff jeans, and a tee shirt, with a b.b. gun in one hand, trying to ambush a bird or one of your friends, in b.b. gun wars:
Stay away from the giant, bizarre, scary looking plants: bizarre, scary looking shit will jump off those motherfuckers: like spiders with leg-spans the size of a 7 inch saucer:
and try to bite the living fuck out of you.
Just a hint for the next time you're 12 years old, crawling around some double canopy jungle.
So: anyway. Here's the lowdown on how it 'basically', works:
Boron is used by plants, all over the world, for several purposes, combined:
It functions as an antibiotic. A strong, low-level life suppressor, because the core, Boron atom, has a strong +1 charge on it. It is a highly POLARIZED, substance.
Plants, some to more degree than others: flood the inter-cellular walls of growing tips: and particularly, growing FLOWER parts: with Boron. Because it is a strong, natural, anti-septic, and flower parts are VERY susceptable to microbial, and higher level, parasitic invasion.
Things that like the nice mild comples sugars environ, to live in it, and kill it as they eat and multiply
Since flowers are SO critical to the evolutionary survival of the plant, plants go a step further:
They invest the Boron not only as a hi-charge, natural, chemical antiseptic: but also as a carrier mechanism for other, more negative atom groups; as well, as a sometimes, electron recipient: across cell walls:
Hormone triggering. That's the Jist, i can't go into it now, i don't remember i'd have to look it up; and most of you who aren't asleep, can yourself, and know where to go for it.
I'm not a pro chemist so i don't read the rags much.
Boron is also used as a cell wall stiffener, for the MOST recently split cells: the growing tip; which justifies it's weight being slung up in the sky, by the plant further. The more boron's there on demand, the faster the cells heal after splitting; and the less likelihood they're going to be attacked in that vulnerable period.
So anyway: the Boron invests heavily, into the cellular walls, of those things, associated with growing: survival: because the central, Boron Atoms, when they are put into an environ even for larger things to eat: like big gulps of flower or immature, unsoftened seed husks:
will kill an animal, such as an insect, from the INSIDE, BECAUSE OF THE bORON'S UNSHAKABLE, +1 CHARGE, BEING ABLE TO QUICKLY disrupt, the chemistry inside the bug's own, low-level, chemical structures. In several places: not just one.
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Now.
The effectiveness of Boron treatment ON a plant, is heavily dependent, upon which type of plant it is.
"If the flowers are white, then it is often Boron responsive. If the plant's leaves are SHINY naturally: having that thick, dense slick 'feel' - that's another indicator, alongside the flowers.
If the plant's flowers are normally red, and particularly, a maroon/pink, at their core,
then that is also, an indicator a flower might tolerate Boron being put on it. "
That's all i can remember of what the ladies would say; i was young, and can't remember anything more.
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I HAVE SEEN BORON PUT ON; and HAVE SEEN the SPEED at which, the flowers will literally, JUMP out of plants; the flowers ARE NOT LARGER IN ADULT SIZE; INDEED: IF YOU PUT TOO MUCH ON, EVEN IF THEY JUMP FAST, THERE CAN BE A SIZE REDUCTION OF ABOUT 15% OR SO, YET THE FLOWERS: STILL LOOK PERFECTLY OK.
The Boron SPEEDS the TIME of FLOWER FORMATION. Nothing more.
Not bigger;
Not more numerous, typically;
I don't think pot is going to tolerate noobs fucking up. HOWEVER.
I ALSO LEARNED THIS, ALONG THE WAY, IN THAT TOWN WHERE EVERY OTHER MOFO WAS A JOHN DEER-CAP WEARING FARMER:
Plants, that DO NOT DO WELL with BROAD BORON APPLICATIONS: CAN BE MADE TO RESPOND, IN SMALLER, MORE ACCURATELY PLACED DOSES, ON THE FLOWERS, THEMSELVES.
THIS, IS A PROVEN, UNDISPUTED FACT IN THE WORLD OF HORTICULTURE; AGRICULTURE: and and is still trying to be precision delivered in research, i'd imagine.
And, it is about here, that this thread began.
Being knowledgeable about Boron's great importance, in the growing tips of flowering plants; and of it's attendant dangers, i have wanted to be able to make a post, for some time.
But i couldn't, because of the conflict.
There's more: The PROPER WAY TO APPLY BORON TO THE FLOWERS OF A PLANT: AND NOT MAKE THE BITCH GO SPAZ, IS THIS:
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DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT
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spray it, all over the plant.
Plants with the propensity to give off adventitious roots, do not, on the whole, respond well to FOLIAR, OR STEM, SURFACE APPLICATIONS, BECAUSE OF THEIR SKINS, NOT BEING OF SUFFICIENTLY TIGHT BOND, (remember the 'dense&shiny vs rough, not shiny textures?'
TO RESIST THE STRONG, IONIC PULL, OF BoRoN AtOmS. kapish? ==========================================
HOWEVER: THERE ARE PLANTS, WHICH DO VERY WELL, WITH BORON TREATMENT, ON THE FLOWERING CALYXS, THEMSELVES.
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We could have had this much more swiftly, and efficiently, lined out if you people had realized THESE ARE THE WORLD, FORUMS, KIDS.
THE WORLD FORUMS.
i don't think, pot is the candidate for the noob to throw some soap onto the flowers. It's good stuff, but you gotta know what you're doing: for the plants that CAN'T TAKE the CHILL to coin a phrase, YOU CAN'T SPRITZ IT ALL OVER EVERYTHING OR THEY'LL DO EXACTLY WHAT, KOKUA HAD:
FALSE HORMONALLY TRIGGER.
THAT IS THE INDICATOR THAT YOU SPRAYED THE LEAVES: or it's a 'high sensitivity' species.
IF YOU DID INDEED GIVE IT A GOOD, MEDIUM-HIGH SPRITZ, on the - i said only on the- CALYXES
and it hermied: pot is NOT going to respond well typically, EXCEPT AT: a lower ppm. SOME PLANTS THAT DO WELL ON BORON WILL TAKE A LARGER PPM: IN THE LOW HUNDREDS, 160 ETC; 130, 190, WHO'S COUNTING....
IF THE PLANTS DON'T TAKE TO IT WELL, EVEN SPRAYING THE CALYXES WITH MEDIUM WEIGHT BORON SOLUTE WILL MAKE HERMIES HOWEVER:
for you attention deficit types the all caps will only hold you in check for so long so:
however:
it is a very well known, very well documented, very much 'everybody knows' thing in the REAL horticulture community,
that there are indeed plants that take QUITE well to LOW PPM concentrations of Borax, and I HAVE been PERSONALLY THERE WATCHING APPLICATIONS, dozens of times.
The place this ends, is here: if you spray some on the calyxes, and the adjoining LEAVES and STEMS:
with a low, (less than about 70 ppm) ppm spray and they DON'T HERMIE then YOU WILL FIND a dose at which the plants flower more quickly, most likely. Some plants, just don't perk up that fast, no matter how large or small, the dosage.
VERY FEW: VERY FEW: VERY FEW:
i cant believe how much time you're wasting
