Is Foliar Feeding Beneficial With Great Soil?

[h.h.]

I was going back to your first comments about bibbing the soil and any benefit imagined being from residue falling on the soil and not from the actual spray on the leaf. That many are tricked by this process into believing there were benefits. Or at least how I perceived your postings. Now while I'll admit to being tricked a time or two, maybe even three times, I can't see the vast majority of foliators being tricked so easily.
There should be some interpretation between foliar feeding, foliar spray, misting, or washing off though misting a dirty plant could possibly be considered feeding.
Then again, what are you feeding?
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/153504/randy-tries-it-out

 

[mad librettist]

I was going back to your first comments about bibbing the soil and any benefit imagined being from residue falling on the soil and not from the actual spray on the leaf. That many are tricked by this process into believing there were benefits. Or at least how I perceived your postings. Now while I'll admit to being tricked a time or two, maybe even three times, I can't see the vast majority of foliators being tricked so easily.
There should be some interpretation between foliar feeding, foliar spray, misting, or washing off though misting a dirty plant could possibly be considered feeding.
Then again, what are you feeding?
http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/153504/randy-tries-it-out

yes I do think bibbing the soil is a must for the experiment above, but you're making it something negative. trying to think through a problem and all the possible ways we could be forgetting something important is a good thing.

 

[h.h.]

yes I do think bibbing the soil is a must for the experiment above, but you're making it something negative. trying to think through a problem and all the possible ways we could be forgetting something important is a good thing.

Sorry. I was taking it as a conclusion.

 

[mad librettist]

this forum is mostly conclusion-free, thank the dog

 

[Scrogerman]

I PH at 6.2, and not under the lights as someone pointed out, it will burn'em. Usually about 45mins before lights on is when I do it. The plants absorb the most from your foliar feed in the morning than evening.

BAG

Thanks for the reply man. why 6.2? i usually PH to around 7 myself, i catch my timer, switch my HID/s off & use a standard incandesant room light, just switch that on, foliar, fans to full, till dry, usually 5-10 mins or so, turn my fans back down & switch my HIDs back on. (not forgetting to switch the room light back off-potentially fkin everything up)
I hear people using various PH's for foliar feeding, anyone else? also i dont see many people commenting on what they use to foliar feed & more importantly, When & Why? couldnt call it off-topic!

Cheers &^ G'Luck!

 

[DoobieDuck]

..since we are including water only as "foliar", I would like to share my trick for reducing mite invasions in the fall that conincide with dropping RH: foliar spraying! Mites do not like moisture. They are after your warm, dry garden when they are coming in from the cold. I pay extra attention to the lower 1/3rd of the plant....

Mad I'm a little ignorant on some of this, but I just started a morning/afternoon spray for mites that sounds like yours. I read something similar about mites not liking moisture. I took off all my misters this year and went to drippers only as I thought the sprayers were a part cause of my PM last year, I'm in a very-extreme dry region, and the mites have showed early. I am now foliar spraying with a small pressure tank just a bit of water each morning and again in the afternoon. I am using Doctor Earth as a nute foliar every couple weeks, only early morning. Now all I need to add is something for PM. I can't tell you if the mite population has changed but i'll try and report back as time goes on. I can say that my plants were growing well but just didn't seem the dark green color I am used to. After starting the foliar nutes they greened up nicely. I know this may just be the nitrogen but what-ever..it makes better pix! Tagged...DD

 

[DARC MIND]

I hear people using various PH's for foliar feeding, anyone else? also i dont see many people commenting on what they use to foliar feed & more importantly, When & Why? couldnt call it off-topic!

Cheers &^ G'Luck!

as for when & why, i shared a little on the first page
"a hit with kelp extract mayhelp speed up harding off clones or younglings,influence natural plant defense,root growth, etc
were
alfalfa hands down does wonders (for my garden) when foliared before and or after some pruning,tie downs,T planting & so on

this link kind of gets to the bottom of it IMO
Foliar Feeding: A Waste of Time and Money? ?"

its also obvious among most that use fermented plant tea's,that nettle helps in veg,yarrow,chamomile veg/flower,comfrey with budding,lavender all around veg/flwr/pest & so on

also i dont ph because a. never felt a need to obtain a meter & b. from my understanding ph is cool between 5.5-8.5... a pretty big window

the Basics of Foliar Feeding guidelines are found in the ATTRA link i also posted were i think you will find more answers to your questions

http://www.agriculturesolutions.com/images/Articles/attra%20foliar%20feeding.pdf
for the general ph and when its best to spray Q's

 

[GoneRooty]

@DoobieDuck, Check into Lactobacillus for your PM problems. Living in the NW, we get PM like crazy, and the Lacto has been working wonders for everyone I know up here.

Also, would spraying Lacto be considered foliar feeding?

 

[jaykush]

folair spraying yea, i dont think foliar feeding would be the right term.

 

[GoneRooty]

Yeah, Jay I wasn't considering it "feeding" just wondering what everyone elses' take was, since some people like to classify anything being sprayed on foliage as "foliar feeding". I think that's where a lot of the confusion comes in, is the misuse of terms. Kind of like the use of common names for plants instead of scientific names. Certain people mean one thing, and other people mean another, causing confusion since they are both using the same name/term but meaning two different things. This is why proper terminology is so important.

 

[tr1ck_]

My plants aren't looking quite as good as I would like them too. I recently top dressed with EWC and watered with an EWC/Kelp tea and they are improving, but still not where I want them.

I figured this would be a great time to try a foliar. What would you guys recommend for ingredients and amounts? (Last round plants weren't as sturdy as I would like so I recently picked up silica blast and would like to get that in the foliar if you guys think it would fit)

I have EWC/Kelp Meal/Liquid Karma/Silica Blast/Calmag+/Molasses

I was thinking some Liquid Karma, Silica Blast/Calmag and then PH to 6.2 Or would you advise something different?

 

[BagC'd]

Thanks for the reply man. why 6.2? i usually PH to around 7 myself, i catch my timer, switch my HID/s off & use a standard incandesant room light, just switch that on, foliar, fans to full, till dry, usually 5-10 mins or so, turn my fans back down & switch my HIDs back on. (not forgetting to switch the room light back off-potentially fkin everything up)
I hear people using various PH's for foliar feeding, anyone else? also i dont see many people commenting on what they use to foliar feed & more importantly, When & Why? couldnt call it off-topic!

Cheers &^ G'Luck!

Hey scrogerman whats up, so there are many ways to skin a cat I have found out how I like to do it so thats what I preach. But Im sure many others have ways that work. If you dont have the book "Ed Rosenthal's marijuana growers handbook" I highly recommend it. It helped me w/ many many answers that I have/had I go back n read this often. So I'll tell ya what ol Ed says bout foliar.

TO GET NUTRIENTS TO THE PLANT PARTS IMMEDIATELY, SPRAY THE LEAVES WITH NUTRIENTS. IF PLANTS DO NOT RESPOND TO THE FOLIAR SPRAY BY PRODUCING NORMAL NEW GROWTH, THEY ARE BEING TREATED WITH THE WRONG NUTRIENT. CALCIUM DEF IS NOT EASILY CORRECTED WITH A FOLIAR SPRAY. FOR FOLIAR APPLICATION IT IS ESSENTIAL TO USE A VERY MILD STRENGTH NUTRIENT, 250-500PPM IS TYPICAL (EC 0.5-1.0Ms), PH SHOULD BE 6.0-6.2. PURIFIED WATER ENTERS FOLIAGE MUCH MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN HARD WATER. DO NOT FOLIAR FEED DURING THE FLOWERING PHASE. IT RESULTS IN BAD FLAVOR AND CAN PROVIDE MOLD AND MILDEW AN ADVANTAGE. DO NOT FOLIAR FEED DURING DARKNESS OR WITHIN THREE HOURS OF THE NIGHT CYCLE, MORNING IS BEST.

Hope this helps yo
BAG

My plants aren't looking quite as good as I would like them too. I recently top dressed with EWC and watered with an EWC/Kelp tea and they are improving, but still not where I want them.

I figured this would be a great time to try a foliar. What would you guys recommend for ingredients and amounts? (Last round plants weren't as sturdy as I would like so I recently picked up silica blast and would like to get that in the foliar if you guys think it would fit)

I have EWC/Kelp Meal/Liquid Karma/Silica Blast/Calmag+/Molasses

I was thinking some Liquid Karma, Silica Blast/Calmag and then PH to 6.2 Or would you advise something different?

Check out the response I gave scrogerman, I wouldnt use cal mag. And Im not sure about the other nutes for I havent used them before but 6.2 is a good ph and keep the ppm 250-500

Take Care
BAG

 

[303hydro]

A lot of grow books say never to spray during flower but really why not? I mean EVERYBODY should at least be spraying amino acids. Even in a "perfect" soil your roots can only take in 10% of aminos. Spray it on and watch your plan't ability to uptake other nutrients go off the wall.



So does this stop during flower or..?


http://www.newearthsupplier.com/pages/The-Foliar-Food-Web.html

The Foliar Food Web
What is the foliar food web?

Dr Elaine Ingham explains that:
“The foliar food web is the set of organisms, similar to the Soil Foodweb, on the foliage of your plant. The plant leaf, blossoms, stems, etc. release exudates, just like the roots, to feed these organisms and keep a protective layer around the plant so disease can’t attack, and nutrients will be cycled correctly for the plant.

Improving the activity of the biology on leaf surfaces increases the carbon dioxide in the leaf surface layer, which increases the length of time the plant stomates are open. This increases the nutrient uptake that can occur. Of course, in drought conditions, this doesn’t happen."

Below is a diagram of the foliar food web.

 

[mostnonymouse]

spraying DURING flower and spraying flowers are two different things. I won't even spray mold preventatives on my buds.

 

[L-Immortal]

nothing wrong with spraying during early flower and throughout veg. It is my single greatest weapon. If you arnt doing it you arnt pushing your plant to the max. My plants love it and it is always in a veterans tool bag

 

[GoneRooty]

Dr Elaine Ingham explains that:

Just a word or warning, take what she says with a grain of salt. She has been proven wrong many times about many things.

 

[zymos]

I mean EVERYBODY should at least be spraying amino acids.

Cause why exactly?

Plants MAKE amino acids from N. I guess I can see how amino acid chelates could be useful, but plants don't have any requirements for being fertilized with amino acids.

 

[grapeman]

I spray through week 5 of flower on a 8 week strain. Why not?

It's an old wives tale that you should not.

 

[h.h.]

It is a bit of a stretch to think foliar apps can impact the soil, but it can happen.
For decades we applied soil sulfur and gypsum. but after about 30 years of spraying wettable sulfur as a foliar to combat PM, we found that using soil sulfur was required (thru soil tests) less and less. At first we couldn't figure out why this was happening. Then we put a pencil to the accumulated amount of wettable sulfur applied over many years via foliar sprays and there was the answer. It included the dried vegetation that fell or was pruned to the ground and reincorporated' back into the soil also. But it took over 20 years.

By chance, was the testing done by the SCS?
I remember hearing similar stories.

 

[grapeman]

By chance, was the testing done by the SCS?
I remember hearing similar stories.

No we do our own soil and tissue testing. A friend of mine at the SCS did confirm it though. Did that son of a bitch then write an article putting his name up front taking credit for this??? LOL - it wouldn't be the first time.