Understanding Brix

[JackTheGrower]

Brix as a factor in plant growth is something I want to understand better.

I thought to start a thread on Brix so we all might come to understand what seems to be an important tool in growing high quality bud.

So I welcome all input.

I have ordered a Refractometer from Peaceful Valley farm supply tonight.

Jorge Cervantes writes at http://www.marijuanagrowing.com/article.php?sid=5

"A Brix meter takes indoor growing to new highs! It is one of the most useful tools a grower can own. This elementary refractometer measures natural brix (sugar) content. The simple test is an excellent barometer of overall plant health and fertilizer uptake. Widely used in the wine industry to test sugar content in grapes, growers use a Brix meter to determine plant health by measuring the sugar level."



So what does this mean for Organic soil?

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From http://www.pikeagri.com/tissuetest.html


" REFRACTOMETER
Refractometers are simple optical instruments for measuring the dissolved solids content of fruits, grasses, & vegetables during all stages of growth. The solids (sugars, proteins, amino acids, etc.) that are dissolved in the juice of plant tissues will bend light rays in proportion to: the quantity of all the atoms, the atomic weight of the elements, & the number of covalent bonds in the combinations of atoms such as sugars. Refractometers measure in weight % sucrose in water (Brix°) and can be calibrated with distilled water and/or sugar standard solution. Note: the ATC-1e automatically removes errors (up to 2 Brix°) due to changes in temperature (50-86°F).
The Brix indicates the level of balance of nutrient uptake and complexing into sugars or proteins in the photosynthesis factory – the leaf. If Brix is low, some element(s) are missing. Ions, if present, have not been "complexed" into sugars or proteins. If soil nutrients are in the best balance and are made available (by microbes) upon demand by plants, Brix will be higher."


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That's what I have so far.

My bad..

There is a thread already

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=16159&highlight=brix

 

[JackTheGrower]

What this thread can do is focus on the Organic soil and what we can do to keep it at a maximum.

 

[BurnOne]

JTG-
Good study there. I do think you can get into a "money pit" when trying to grow better plants. To quote Lavender Cowboy...

"Stick with a single strain or two until you understand how it grows and what it likes."

...I think you can spend a lot of money with very little payoff compared to using patience and care. I have boxes of expensive stuff that never paid off. I always go back to the old "tried and true" methods. Thank goodness for Ebay.
Burn1

 

[JackTheGrower]

JTG-
Good study there. I do think you can get into a "money pit" when trying to grow better plants. To quote Lavender Cowboy...

"Stick with a single strain or two until you understand how it grows and what it likes."

...I think you can spend a lot of money with very little payoff compared to using patience and care. I have boxes of expensive stuff that never paid off. I always go back to the old "tried and true" methods. Thank goodness for Ebay.
Burn1

Thanks for the look out.

If nothing more it will be interesting to see.

and as you say there is always Ebay.

 

[guineapig]

Let me see what Brix threads i can dig up here....

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=16159&highlight=Brix

Hope this helps out!! It would be great to see a group of Brix growers share
and compare Brix data from veg to flower.....perhaps using one strain as a
control so different nutrient formulas can be more accurately evaluated?

guineapiggin' can you dig it?

 

[JackTheGrower]

Thanks Cavy Dood.

I compost their pellets every year.

I'm swimming out into the deep end for me..

Mostly it's been a hunch and intuition thing when it came to Organic soil.

 

[BudZad7]

Brix= Great Plants!

Brix= Great Plants!

Hi All!
I bought a brix refrac meter back in 1986....for
corn crops we know what grows next to corn...lol...;>) so, if you keep your
brix sugar reading between 8-12 your doing good, I like it at 10-12. Since last year, the mold and bugs were a pain in the ass and decided to use MaxiCrop
seaweed for the soil and spray on leaves, and a better feeding for the plants
and this year hardly a outbreak at all, Seaweed is GOOD STUFF!!!!
The brix meter is a good tool to have along with your EC/PH meter,and in soil
you need a low EC of 0.6---1.0 that's it, and a steady PH of 5.8---6.2....
REMEMBER feed your soil not the plant!!! Peace!

 

[JackTheGrower]

Interesting...

I have been looking for a meter can you suggest one?