The joys of foliar spray

[Dobie]

originally posted by duques/jesuis

The joys of foliar spray

I really feel sorry for those of you who are still vegging without using an alfalfa tea foliar spray. A 50 pound bag of alfalfa pellets is $7.95. You could share with 10 friends.

Here it is again, also in Proven Principles, the "Super Growth" link in my sig, and in a thread on supercropping somewhere:

1/2 cup alfalfa pellets (in an old sock) soaked in one gallon tap water for at least 12 hours.
Squeeze sock (teabag) several times.
Remove sock and empty contents.
Dry sock and save.

Drench plants from seedling stage till one week before 12 12 with alfalfa spray 2x a day.

Empty and clean sprayer after each use.

Make new tea every 3 days.

Enjoy!


Foliar sprays are an excellent way to correct deficiencies, esp those due to lockout. No chance of toxifying the growing medium.

__________________
Call me Candide, please.

[Genghis Bong]

Never tried the alfalfa spray. One product I have used that SEEMED to have a positive effect was nitrozyme or Growth plus as it is called in canada. I say seemed because there were many factors that had changed in the grow that I used it on. It is made from cold water algae or seaweed and there is a hormonal component as well as trace minerals, vitamins etc.

Just wondering if there is some type of hormone activity in the alfalfa spray and if not, why only use it in veg?

[plantbuilder]

"Alfalfa

Alfalfa tea (alfalfa pellets soaked in water) is a highly touted concoction, especially when "fortified" with other ingredients. Alfalfa is a good source of nitrogen, being a legume, as well as iron, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and other trace elements. But its value as a fertilizer supplement is in supplying a fatty acid alcohol called triacontanol that acts as a root growth stimulant. Studies at the Organic Gardening Research Center in Emmaus, PA demonstrated that small quantities would increase vegetable yields by 30 to 60% (Large quantities had little effect; once again, more is not better).

On roses, we have found

[Dman]

Hi Folks,

A nice light foliar feeding (5 mls/litre) with Kelp a couple of times a week...keeps leaves lush, healthy, and green. :)

[meloyelo]

My favorite foliar is liquid kelp extract 1/4 tsp/ gal water with 3 drops of Superthrive added. It combines the benefits of both alfalfa (triacontanol) and kelp to some degrees. Only use during veg about once per week is plenty. It is a great pic-me up for the plants if they get in the doldrums, great after a transplant as foliar or root fed. It is also the first feed I give to young seedlings right around weeks 2-3 to help with root development. I learned that one from the birds.
-melo

[plantbuilder]

agreed. ('cept no melissic acid in ST)
my most widely used foliar treatment is ggold boost which is nitrozyme and superthrive solution. also use metanaturals N (16-0-0)
dutchmaster penetrator 1/4 strength with that (or just the N) few times lately, it's very scary am told is regulated wetting agent due to pesticidal and fungicidal properties
plantys don't seem to mind
maybe we could call this the joys of foliar spraying in veg lol
"turn your lights down low"
peace.
pb

[firstavailable]

does the water used for makeing the tea need to be hot, or room temp.?

[clone]

wait till ur plants need water,foliar spray with ur food,wait 20-25 mins. no longer,then water plants.leaned this fro a person who grew for 35 yrs for the griculture dept...peace and great NEW site++we dont die we multiplie and become stronger...clone/xxxx

[meloyelo]

firstavailable, no the water does not need to be hot. Its just called tea because the guanos or what have you are often bundled up in a sock or cheese cloth so they can steep to release their goodness into the water.
-melo

[Dr Pot]

Hello all, just a word of advice, make sure that any folier feed you spray on the plants, that is mixed with or comprised of water, that you ph balance the water as you would, if mixing up a bunch of nutes to feed with.

The water still has to be ph'd in order for the plant to absorb all of the goodies...


Doc

[c-ray]

according to some folks the pH is not quite as important as it is in soil feeding, dutchmaster for instance recommends a pH of 8-9 for max. absorption, but I've seen no probs with pH inbetween 5.5 and 7

[nogoodnamesleft]

Ive been using the VHO from AN and have noticed the new shoots are much thicker and make for very good clones

[marigyp]

Nogoodnamesleft could you lease explain why a Very Hot Orgasm from Any Nun would increase your yeilds? Or am I misreading what the Hell VHO is?

[nogoodnamesleft]

nope, you aint missreading.....its nun cum, plain and simple

[clone]

heres som good links by a man,know as timbo http://www.ecochem.com/t_foliar.html and http://www.ext.vt.edu/news/periodicls/commhort/2002-11-03.html

[clone]

let me try ast link again http://www.ext.vt.edu/news/periodicals/co... dont know wats up with link...

[Glass Man]

Been brewing tea for the hillside grow. Think I'll spray a bit on the little girls vegging under the lights. Thanks for the inspiration.

[jaharvester]

I beleave Superthrive to be pretty much 100 percent fermented Alfalfa Meal
extract( i love Superthrive). I use it with Nitrozyme and Hygrozyme in my Folier mix. Once every 7 days.

No wetting agent.

[c-ray]

yucca extract is a fine organic wetting agent, should one want to use a wetting agent...

nitrozyme is great for vegging plants, not so great for flowering plants...some info about it here:
http://www.agriorganics.com/products/nitrozyme.html

[Carpet Muncher]

not that i'm doubting anyone.. well maybe.. but i just did an experiment ff with alfalfa. i took one plant/9 and doused it good.. and nothing. and i have to say, though i haven't done an official experiment on it yet, i have never found ff to do much, if anything, at all. (except to help revive wilted plants.)

i use 0-8-16-5 and my plants are already lush.. no necrosis, etc.. my only thought is that people who see any, or dramatic, improvements must be because something was off to begin with?

[jaharvester]

I would never folier feed a flowering plant...

[S4v]

Dutch Master Penetrator with Folitch works really good in veg. The first time i used it on my seedlings the very next day i had fatter leaves along with bright green new growth. Been using it ever since

[clone]

i def. agree foliar sprays are not always ph ed,before usin,it depends on watstuff ur using to foliar spray with.

[Strawberrycough]

i rotate Pen+Folitech and Pen+Seaweed every couple of days and my plants love it (during veg)

im very curious about the MAXFX from DM if it really direct feed carbs from foliage.....

[humble1]

does anyone have a clue as to what's in penetrator?
most wetting agents/spreader-stickers are just some form of lauryl sulfate
or DEA combo (diethyl-something...... not the bad DEA). It's materials lists DEA (because DEA is mildly carcinogenic) but is that it? i can get dea by just dropping in some shampoo for chrissakes

[c-ray]

here's an msds I found here (http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:5GWRnkke_J4J:www.dutchmaster.com.au/PDFs/MasterPenetrator.pdf+dutchmaster+penetrator+msds&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=3), doesn't say much

[Reverend Budbreath]

DEA sounds like diethylamine.

I used to make a spray that really seemed to perk the girls up somethin' fierce. It was a three-way combo of neem spray with maxicrop and epsom salt (a quarter tsp per quart). I gotta get back into using it. Used it about once a week in veg.

[plantbuilder]

just sprayed...

1 L water
100 ml rtu defender
50 ml penetrator
30 ml earth food
20 ml neem
10 ml boost (nitrozyme + superthrive)

[firstavailable]

has anyone used hemp seed milk in foliar feeds. People are always outing the nutrition content of hemp seeds, would it provide any benafit to plants?

[dpn]

Hi reverend nice recipe do you use 1/4 tsp for all the ingredients or just the epsom salts? cheers. Firstavailable ive used urtica dioica aka stinging nettles juice (crushed tops) foliar fed to my babies and they liked that, the nettle is a close relative of cannabis. Ill try a tea made out of fresh powdered hemp seeds next and post my results.

[Green Supreme]

Mad nettle disease LOL

[Reverend Budbreath]

Hi dpn, that ratio was just for the epsom. The neem oil was the standard teaspoon per quart, and the Maxicrop was hmmm lemme think... I think I just used about a quarter capful per quart. It's not too critical with Maxicrop as long as you don't use a gross excess. It's kind to plants and a wide range is okay.

BTW I just remembered that I also always threw in a dab of Dr. Bronner's liquid soap as a surfactant. It's chemical-free (as a soap can be anyway) and fit in with the "organic" approach.