Basically wondering if anyone has experience employing a foliar feeding schedule in combination with a true organic/tlo style grow. If so, does foliar feeding contribute to or detract from the plant/microbe/fungus interaction? I assume an organic foliar feeding program would not negatively affect micro-life but I would love to hear from anyone with first-hand experience. I am currently using a nitrozime/fulvic foliar program in combination with some plants grown tlo style and so far things seems to be moving along positively/normally. Suggestions for other organic foliar programs that have shown positive results would be great to hear about.
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Foliar feeding and tlo/organics
- Thread starter COrganic
- Start date
!PeAcE!
Active member
I would say your style for foliar isnt a bad one, It definitely works. Id only imagine its just another way for the plant to absorb nutrients in addition to what the roots take up, If anything depending on what you spray which in your case fulvic and nitrozyme which I believe is a kelp supplement would only help the current microbial situation going on in the soil, I believe there would be more synergy with the addition of foliar feeding, so no I dont believe it would hinder things. There are many great ways to foliar your plants, teas are a good way to go IMO.
goodluck and happy growing.
goodluck and happy growing.
S
SeaMaiden
This year I used very few things on my girls. Well amended soil, using soil-food-web methods. I gave them two foliars of Sea-90 (which stopped blossom end rot in its tracks on my tomatoes and squash, then I learned that an experiment had been done in Italy that showed 'maters perform better if you use a little seawater on 'em), and two foliars of milk diluted to 10%. I can't say they were knocking it out of the park in terms of yield, because I can't say a thing about that at all. But they were HEALTHY, and so easy to care for! No bugs, no nothin' to worry about. Maybe not even bud rot post-harvest.
I agree also about the teas, and would add some interest for you in the form of fermented plant juices or extracts (there seems to be some controversy and no small disagreement about the use of terminology).
I agree also about the teas, and would add some interest for you in the form of fermented plant juices or extracts (there seems to be some controversy and no small disagreement about the use of terminology).
S
Sat X RB
sorry. misunderstood the question.
cheers!
cheers!
I assumed that foliar treatments wouldn't necessarily hurt things, just havent come to a final conclusion about how it might affect soil life. I suppose that rain water is the only normal foliar treatment a plant has evolved to expect/be used to which I know keeps leaves clean, photosynthesizing at their full potential and stomata clean and able to function properly as well. I seem to remember reading somehwere recently the effect a foliar feed has on plants in the terms of encouraging the producion of more root exudes which in turn would kick up your microbial action a bit.
SeaMaiden or Peace, do either of you have an example of a tea recipe you use specifically for foliar feeding? I have been using tea recipes developed by the Rev but unfortunately I haven't seen a foliar specific tea in any of his articles or his book. I know that you can basically use ANY tea for a foliar given that you dilute it enough although I assume there are some teas that are better suited to foliar feeding then others.
SeaMaiden or Peace, do either of you have an example of a tea recipe you use specifically for foliar feeding? I have been using tea recipes developed by the Rev but unfortunately I haven't seen a foliar specific tea in any of his articles or his book. I know that you can basically use ANY tea for a foliar given that you dilute it enough although I assume there are some teas that are better suited to foliar feeding then others.
S
SeaMaiden
Milk diluted to 10% is one. And I think I mentioned the Sea-90, that was only a couple of applications but they went a long way. Stuff that stinks, like fish emulsion, for me is a no-no. Fermented plant extracts, depending on how they're made (if they've fermented into alcohol vs just steeped, say overnight) are also good. If they're fermented strongly you may need to dilute at a ratio of 500:1. Lavender tea made overnight or over 2-3 days is one such tea, as is alfalfa tea, which MUST be used with care when well into flowering.
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Sat X RB
the 3% N + 7% Ca I use stinks to high heaven (smells like it's based on Chicken manure) yet it seems very effective.
I wonder if you'd care to explain yr thinking on this one, SeaMaiden?
cheers ...
S
SeaMaiden
Ah, well my thinking is very straightforward. I used FE as a foliar once, on plants that were living pretty much right outside our bedroom window. Once was enough! We couldn't sleep until I finally sprayed them all down and washed it off.
!PeAcE!
Active member
yea ive had great success with milk dilution for pest control, another in addition to the great examples sea maiden gave, im assuming you (CO) want to utilize natural herbs to blend your own foliar applications as apposed to buying a supplement? Why buy it when we can just grow it right? but anyways KELP is a great foliar feed, also I have tried experiementing with blue green algae and have had some crazy results. not sure what the sea-90 product has in it but I do know its like a multi-mineral/vitamin supplement. To get those all seperate what sea-90 offers would be more cost effective just to buy the product. Its like a human taking theyre multi vitamin everyday...it doesnt hurt at all.
Kelp (ascophyllum nodosum) is a biggy in foliar applications, it will increase the plants ability to utilize the light its under more effeciantly. also spray times are key, make sure its a time where the stomata are open and a temp that would allow optimal absorbtion, below 69 degrees for me. I would blend it with the other herbs sea maiden mentions and brew it for a day or two before application. aside of fish foliar spraying cause who in the world likes that smell especially if its cooped up indoors with you, the other foliar spray mentioned smells kinda nice.
goodluck CO
Kelp (ascophyllum nodosum) is a biggy in foliar applications, it will increase the plants ability to utilize the light its under more effeciantly. also spray times are key, make sure its a time where the stomata are open and a temp that would allow optimal absorbtion, below 69 degrees for me. I would blend it with the other herbs sea maiden mentions and brew it for a day or two before application. aside of fish foliar spraying cause who in the world likes that smell especially if its cooped up indoors with you, the other foliar spray mentioned smells kinda nice.
goodluck CO
!PeAcE!
Active member
hey co take a gander at this, very informative stuff on tea recipes also breaks down the science of mixtures. goodluck bud
http://microbeorganics.com/
http://microbeorganics.com/
S
Sat X RB
S
SeaMaiden
Peace, the Sea-90 is simply minerals extracted from seawater with most of the salt removed. It's still salty (it's actually pretty tasty), so it's completely counterintuitive to use it on terrestrial plants. But damn if I didn't see some fascinating results!
Now, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae, a misnomer)? I'd like to know what's up with that, how you got the culture going, etc.
Now, cyanobacteria (blue-green algae, a misnomer)? I'd like to know what's up with that, how you got the culture going, etc.
S
SeaMaiden
I've only ever used alfalfa, in dry form, either hay or meal. If I sprout alfalfa I end up eating it all. Same with the broccoli, we end up eating it all.
Foliar sprays are great with organic systems, for example you wouldn't ever want to add Epson salts to tour soil but as a spray they work great without disrupting microbes populations.
I use kelp, potassium sillicate, aloe, molasses, alfalfa, fulvic acid, and on rare occasions epsomsalts in foliage sprays.
Plants enjoy getting sprayed with just water too
I use kelp, potassium sillicate, aloe, molasses, alfalfa, fulvic acid, and on rare occasions epsomsalts in foliage sprays.
Plants enjoy getting sprayed with just water too
!PeAcE!
Active member
The culture increases in whats known as an algea bloom, which can be triggered by warm water and nitrogen gas aswell as other limiting factors. Here is a nice little interesting read. its still very new all the research but I love experimenting, its the main reason i love doing what i do. but check out this read. its not the replacement of all nutrients but hey if you have a source for free bluegreen algae...why not
in this article you will see it performs better than some organic material used in soil and not as well as others. Its more for its nitrogen fixing abilities, where I feel a foliar application would help in early veg.http://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2012am/webprogram/Paper72219.html
S
SeaMaiden
I ask about the cyanobacteria because it is literally the bane of many an aquarium-keeper's existence, along with diatom blooms. This paper demonstrates how easily it's able to fix N. I know factually how easy it is to grow!
What do you do, whip it up in a blender before application? The cyanos I'm familiar with form rather thick mats of material, often so thick it traps gas bubbles. Care to share your observations? Perhaps it might deserve its own thread, I know lots of aquarium-keepers are growers, and vice versa.
What do you do, whip it up in a blender before application? The cyanos I'm familiar with form rather thick mats of material, often so thick it traps gas bubbles. Care to share your observations? Perhaps it might deserve its own thread, I know lots of aquarium-keepers are growers, and vice versa.
!PeAcE!
Active member
I have always had a fascination of somehow seeing if there are unlocked secrets within, supplementing with nitrogen gas at very small levels immediately after a foliar application and do a side by side comparison with a co2 tank and see if it can provide similar results. (during veg only however)
also it sounds like it would make sense to be using a bulb with UV properties to eliminate the potential of microcystins developing after a foliar application, this is why aquarium lighting (higher kelvin range, deeper penetration through water) is used for sterile production I would assume, I need to do more research on that but im pretty confident either way that still means nothing without the facts so let me get back to you on the uv lighting but im pretty sure. But I do agree a thread would be cool and I do plan on starting one, just waiting til I get all the tests I want to run in a row. To answer your question with the algae I never thought of whippin it up in a blender, I just do the good ole shake in my spray bottle and spray, then after the weekly rinse I hypothesize the rinsed off algea from the leaves will drop into the soil reactivating again since wet and pulling nitrogen once more but through the soil instead of the stomata. but the idea is to apply the foliar after the rinse to hopefully try to get the best of both worlds.
My goal is to hopefully achieve a superior veg time to majority of methods used. I am however trying to figure out more things to utilize in this experiment to hopefully create more synergy between everything.
sea-maiden now you got me thinking and all giddy to experiment, I think you might see that thread you mentioned poppin up sometime soon. But first off to google I go.
So much great info, and I do agree, why not grow/make your own instead of buying something in a bottle. Is there a specific source for blue/green algae? One foliar I've used at regular intervals with great results is organicare's seaplex - cold pressed seaweed, seems to make plants exceptionally happy.
