Is Foliar Feeding Beneficial With Great Soil?

[mad librettist]

coffee plus sativa... and he's off!


If a treatment has no benefits, all you have left is potential harm. In the case of foliar feeding I believe one risk could be encouraging the wrong microbes on the leaf surface. In other places it's just stupid to raise your RH in any way. Use it if the benefits outweigh the risks in your situation.

I would say:

use it when the root system is smaller than the leaf system (clones)
use it when your soil has dried out too much
use it if your relatively new soil has not yet matured enough to stay in balance
don't forget to drench the soil
try to repair your system so it is not out of balance



try to fix the problem that leads to deficiency alleviated by foliar fertilization.

 

[DARC MIND]

In an optimal soil, foliar feeding isn't necessary, but it can be beneficial.

word
used it for veg

beneficial when used in flwr as well

& other goods

nothng at all was wrong with the above plants,soil wasnt dry,not a symptom deficiency in sight etc but i foliared because like mad, i smoke sativa's & like to do a little more for my girls then just design ther soil & prune..

believe spurr was going to do a thread on foliar spraying but dont no if he ever got around to it..

also fermented plant extracts for the most part,got some funk to ther aroma & im sure those vapors arnt made of magic but some kind of element being gassed off
if stomata is used for gas transportation,i think ther maybe a possibility that the wonderfully smell of fermented comfrey,nettle,yarrow, lavender etc maybe beneficial...

fact is fermented plant extracts have been sprayd on my ladies since jay started workn with me & the results make me happy
no ill effect what so ever when diluted

 

[mad librettist]

is anyone doing a foliar application with a bib of some kind to prevent fertilizing the soil?

IMO, that would be evidence that foliar works the way people say.

 

[h.h.]

"If "
If I lived in a humid climate, I might have a concern with leaf mold or what not.
With dust, dew, and rain, nature foliar feeds. My desert willow is always weeping on the garden below. It's all part of the system that we are so fortunately able to optimize on.
More than often though, a gentle spray of water is sufficient. More of a wash then a feed.

 

[headband 707]

Yeah I have actually seen some amazing side by side results that are pretty sweet.. Not in flower and obviously don't over do it but yeah this can really help.There are times when you use fert and you can lock them out or you over do it this is very common. You also need to bring your PH down to 5 to get your iron in and this is where foliar feeding is helpful but you can burn your plants so take your time and do this right. They do love the kelp to this give them that extra energy they need to fight mold ect. It's pretty impressive when you see it. peace out Headband707

Big problem with the spray is spraying the lights lol .. be very careful with this one as I have broken more then one light doing this lol..

 

[DARC MIND]

that would be evidence that foliar works the way people say.

dont think no one here is claiming it is to be used as a primary fertilizer madL

In an optimal soil, foliar feeding isn't necessary, but it can be beneficial.

its beneficial in my garden(.)
all the evidence needed
is in lungs & bellys of family and love ones

its about as necessay as shoes are to walk to the mail box

 

[mad librettist]

that's not what I meant Darc, I meant maybe the mode of action is not what people believe, maybe it is. As stated above the vast majority see a benefit from using the technique. This is a separate issue from why it works.

I get great results applying seaweed and fish hydrolysate to the soil very lightly with a sprayer.

 

[self]

kelp foliar is awesome at helping heal broken branches too, thats probably where I've seen the most benefit, but I think I get a good burst of growth from my FPEs too.

 

[jaykush]

i foliar spray my plants all the time. even if its just plain water. my fav foliar has got to be nettle tea. makes plants go boom.

 

[Sam the Caveman]

I read an agricultural study on foliar feeding nutrients, can't remember which plant though. The most effective ph for their application of Phosphorous was 5.0, which produced the highest yields. These applications were done in conjunction with the normal fertilizer applications. They also mentioned that foliar feeding allows plants to produce more root exudates which help communicate with soil microbes.

In my next grow, starting in about 1.5 months I'll be doing a side by side using all clones of the same mother. I've got 3 modular scrogs, so I'll probably do one without foliar, two with foliar with different ph adjustments to see which is more effective.

 

[GoneRooty]

I read an agricultural study on foliar feeding nutrients, can't remember which plant though. The most effective ph for their application of Phosphorous was 5.0, which produced the highest yields. These applications were done in conjunction with the normal fertilizer applications. They also mentioned that foliar feeding allows plants to produce more root exudates which help communicate with soil microbes.

In my next grow, starting in about 1.5 months I'll be doing a side by side using all clones of the same mother. I've got 3 modular scrogs, so I'll probably do one without foliar, two with foliar with different ph adjustments to see which is more effective.

Would love to hear the findings on your side by side when you're done.

 

[BagC'd]

Foliar feeding is like giving your plants vitamins the same way you would take them daily, although you wont feed them daily this practice is well used to prevent molds, fungus, pests, etc. It is not necessary to do this but the benefits are great. Think of how much dust and dirt accumulates on the glass of a reflector, that same dust n dirt is stickin to the leaves of your plant. Seeing how that dust can take 5-10% of light away when cacked on the glass the same should go for it collecting on your plants, that could be 20% total. Even if you do not want to foliar feed w/ nutes misting them to wash away the dust is very beneficial and should be done weekly up until wk 3-4 in flower. If you used nothing except a wetting agent and neem oil once a week you can kiss pests goodbye.

Bag

 

[Scrogerman]

Whats everyone PH their foliar solutions too, & what you use to adjust? 5.0 i see two have mentioned now, seems a little acid to me, do plants like acid rain?

anyone considered carbonated water?

 

[Sam the Caveman]

I'll post the thread in the side by side section when the time comes.

 

[grapeman]

is anyone doing a foliar application with a bib of some kind to prevent fertilizing the soil?

IMO, that would be evidence that foliar works the way people say.

All over the world, I can't think of ANY farmers of ANY crop that does not apply foliar feeds. And these guys need to return 2 cents for every cent spent.

To state that you don't need to because of "perfect" soil is ignorant.

Each to his own, but to say you don't, shouldn't or can't because you have perfect soil is bullshit.

 

[rrog]

Sam, that would be really excellent reading. I hope you do this. Would there be other variables other than foliar / no foliar?

I think MadL's thought about foliar treatments quickly becoming soil treatments after overspray of application and dripping is a great thought.

See, it's all the little loose ends like this that leave this debate open. And while anecdotal evidence isn't as (generally) reliable as careful, thoughtful lab testing, it's hard to discount testimony from someone like Darc

 

[Sam the Caveman]

Sam, that would be really excellent reading. I hope you do this. Would there be other variables other than foliar / no foliar?

There shouldn't be any other variables, I use organic soil with a couple compost tea feedings to all through floweing. Each row of three plants (9 for a 4x4 tent under 1kw) gets moved one spot over every couple of days, so there shouldn't be any differences in light distribution in the end. Other than the different foliar feedings or not, there shouldn't be any other variables. The way I mix my soil, the amendments get measured out for each plant and mixed into just enough soil for one pot. This way I know each plant has exactly the same food quantities as the others, whereas mixing up huge batches "MAY" create uneven distribution of amendments.

I think MadL's thought about foliar treatments quickly becoming soil treatments after overspray of application and dripping.

A few drops isn't going to make a difference, a few as in 4 or 5. If you are not using a surfactant, you will have a lot of run off. If you use a surfactant and stop spraying as soon as you see a run off drop, the run off shouldn't have an effect. Besides foliar solutions are very dilute compared to normal root feeding solutions.

 

[BagC'd]

Good deal, thats the best way to do it. Cant wait for the comparison.

Bag

 

[mad librettist]

There shouldn't be any other variables, I use organic soil with a couple compost tea feedings to all through floweing. Each row of three plants (9 for a 4x4 tent under 1kw) gets moved one spot over every couple of days, so there shouldn't be any differences in light distribution in the end. Other than the different foliar feedings or not, there shouldn't be any other variables. The way I mix my soil, the amendments get measured out for each plant and mixed into just enough soil for one pot. This way I know each plant has exactly the same food quantities as the others, whereas mixing up huge batches "MAY" create uneven distribution of amendments.



A few drops isn't going to make a difference, a few as in 4 or 5. If you are not using a surfactant, you will have a lot of run off. If you use a surfactant and stop spraying as soon as you see a run off drop, the run off shouldn't have an effect. Besides foliar solutions are very dilute compared to normal root feeding solutions.

I think it's a bit of a stretch to assume most people spray like that without some data. When I spray I tend to get the soil pretty wet. I don't use any strong root treatments, so I'm not sure I buy that either.

how long are you watching your plants after spreaying?

 

[rrog]

Sam, that really sounds excellent. Very valuable information.