The Lost Art of Foliar Feeding
- Thread starter spl1
- Start date
jojodancer10
Well-Known Member
hello family i was wondering if i could use foliar feeding with my hydro system? 4x4 tent table and 1000w?
sebastopolian
Well-Known Member
Yes you can...I use House & Garden and on it's the feeding schedule to Foliar Spray Magic Green every other week throughout the 8 week flowering. I also use it on Mother plants & vegging. Great stuff. I spray in one hour before lights come on.
endogarden
New Member
So check out this bad ass auto sprayer! http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPA5772S674215201P?prdNo=39 Any ideas about creating one, or know of a cheaper one, more designed for gardening?
-Hello all, first post. Came to this thread not to learn whether I should foliar feed, but what the maximum is. I read every post, and I have a hard time understanding "experts" who claim there are no benefits to foliar feeding. There is great evidence to the contrary, at least in the cases of specific crops.
"A grower's first focus should be on providing nutrients to the root system, as nature intended it to be."
--That is true, but there is nothing in the statement to indicate that foliar feeding is a bad addition to a good regimen.
Then there are those who conclude that foliar feeding is not indicated by nature and therefore should be avoided. I care only if it is beneficial, not that it is natural. I am not Amish. Hydroponics is unnatural. Artificial lights. So is the internet. Or a book. Or the interstate system. What the hell does it matter? The net effect is what matters.
Is there a real benefit to foliar feeding of cannabis plants? Try it and find out for yourself, be as scientific as you can, and don't confuse your own mistakes or disbelief with the failure of the system.
My reason for foliar feeding is simple. I don't believe in the unnatural system of overpumping nutrients through the grow medium which then need to be flushed at the end of the grow. It's wasteful, and it certainly isn't natural. I want to give my plants what they need to eat using the most efficient manner of uptake, nearest to the place where it is needed. I don't want to have to flush nutrients. I grow in an organic potting mix with organic living microgarbage in it, that measures on the low end of fertile, and my plants will grow beautifully with nothing added to them but water (and neem oil). The yield may be less than max, but they will grow green and pretty with no worries and nothing else added ever.
To increase the yield I foliar feed, because I want my soil media to be stable and alive and not loaded with salts. Why would I want that? Isn't it better to consume 1/10 of the ferts and apply them directly to where they are needed if in fact they can be absorbed and utilized that way?
There's more than one path to the finish line.
"A grower's first focus should be on providing nutrients to the root system, as nature intended it to be."
--That is true, but there is nothing in the statement to indicate that foliar feeding is a bad addition to a good regimen.
Then there are those who conclude that foliar feeding is not indicated by nature and therefore should be avoided. I care only if it is beneficial, not that it is natural. I am not Amish. Hydroponics is unnatural. Artificial lights. So is the internet. Or a book. Or the interstate system. What the hell does it matter? The net effect is what matters.
Is there a real benefit to foliar feeding of cannabis plants? Try it and find out for yourself, be as scientific as you can, and don't confuse your own mistakes or disbelief with the failure of the system.
My reason for foliar feeding is simple. I don't believe in the unnatural system of overpumping nutrients through the grow medium which then need to be flushed at the end of the grow. It's wasteful, and it certainly isn't natural. I want to give my plants what they need to eat using the most efficient manner of uptake, nearest to the place where it is needed. I don't want to have to flush nutrients. I grow in an organic potting mix with organic living microgarbage in it, that measures on the low end of fertile, and my plants will grow beautifully with nothing added to them but water (and neem oil). The yield may be less than max, but they will grow green and pretty with no worries and nothing else added ever.
To increase the yield I foliar feed, because I want my soil media to be stable and alive and not loaded with salts. Why would I want that? Isn't it better to consume 1/10 of the ferts and apply them directly to where they are needed if in fact they can be absorbed and utilized that way?
There's more than one path to the finish line.
alphawolf.hack
New Member
foliar feed every day twice a day on the wake up cycle in flower. meaning at lights on and at lights off. if your vegging 24 hours a day just pick 2 times a day 8-12 hours apart on a regular schedule and they will begin to open up stomata for you. also another way to tel if stomata are open for good feed is a small jump in humidity when the stomamta are open to intake water they also lose water. i use compost tea lightly sprayed then followed up with clear water so no nute burn can occur.. honestly if it wasnt for foliar feeding i dont think i would have beeen impressed with my origional results. becuz second time around i didnt and well it was pitiful. foliar feeding just helps keeps a cleaner healthier plant and an xxtra way to get nutes. oh and i forgot to mention it alows you to run higher temps and prevent heat stress. jus make sure water is atomized look it up and not big drops
theDEEDO
Well-Known Member
so if I am already adding a line of ferts to my plants weekly (or however often you perfer) during veg, I can still feed foliar weekly or daily depending on the dilute? I was thinking foliar feeding was used for adding say additives (hormones/amminos), I just dont want to start burning the plants...feeding N pretty safe this way, as long as there is a nice dilute?
medicine21
Active Member
Read this whole thread. Anybody pH balance their solution on foliar feeds or it makes no difference?
Nice Ol Bud
Well-Known Member
Amazing, thanks for this 
endogarden
New Member
sso said:
I think he meant spray them with water to rinse residues off. I failed to do this after spraying a mix of low potency snow storm ultra and bushmaster, and forgot to spray with ro water after it dried. It burned a few of the plants a little bit, but overall everything is fine.
I'm not sure how necessary it is, or what makes it necessary if it is, but from what I've read on here: https://www.rollitup.org/general-marijuana-growing/10149-how-foliar-feed.html "Make sure the PH of your solution is between 6.2 and 7" so I've been pH'ing my sprays to 6.3ish. It seems to be working alright.
alphawolf.hack
New Member
keep it same ph a water in soil or between 6.4-6.7 thats the best ph. i usualy keep it 6.6
Breeder
Well-Known Member
Stay away from chemmy nutes I will be the first to say foliage feeding is the way to roll. I use a few products that work like nitrozime,molasses(organic blackstrap),pure flower.
Nitrozime I use from roots to 2nd week of flower. I mix it with h2o and either dutch master penetrator or Dr. Brawners hempsoap 1/8tsp,and Azamax.
I do molasses once per week on Sunday for a snack until 2nd week of flower. I spray pure flower two times per week till 2nd week of flower also. The day after I spray on foods I spray plain spring water to wash off residuals. Best of luck misterz
Nitrozime I use from roots to 2nd week of flower. I mix it with h2o and either dutch master penetrator or Dr. Brawners hempsoap 1/8tsp,and Azamax.
I do molasses once per week on Sunday for a snack until 2nd week of flower. I spray pure flower two times per week till 2nd week of flower also. The day after I spray on foods I spray plain spring water to wash off residuals. Best of luck misterz
alphawolf.hack
New Member
what the fuck are you talkin about? the fucking indians in 1896 didnt have no fuckin mykos. they fuckin had water and shit (literally shit) and still produced killer you need to go get some education jack cuz you dont know jack shit
endogarden
New Member
jack47 said:
Well, I am using Xtreme gardening's Cal Carb spray, and so far it seems awesome. I'll report the results when they are in. Just sayin don't knock CalCarb, it might be badass, and unless you've tried it, how can you know?
alphawolf.hack
New Member
your right im just talkn shit to his shit and ive used compost tea forever and i think its the shit but your right dont knock till you try it
Lots of the stuff at xtreme-gardening.com (where the MYKOS line is) looks interesting. Soil fungus, for one. I don't like flushing and I'll try about anything else first.
Otokehort
Member
Here are some links to articles on Foliar feeding for your edification... Maintstream Horticulture uses the technique exrtensively. However, alwasy keep in mind that mainstream growers don't have near the light levels on their crops and the dangers of wetting your cannabis foliage in a high light situation can result in burning and/or disease if not properly managed... always ask yourself if the gains are worth the risks?
If you are properly managing your root zone and nutrition... it's not clear you need to be thinking foliar ...
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=286
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg070757004211.html
http://www.ipni.net/ipniweb/pnt.nsf/5a4b8be72a35cd46852568d9001a18da/688627694f30cb2e8525740c004c6971!OpenDocument
If you are properly managing your root zone and nutrition... it's not clear you need to be thinking foliar ...
https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/viewhtml.php?id=286
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/organic/msg070757004211.html
http://www.ipni.net/ipniweb/pnt.nsf/5a4b8be72a35cd46852568d9001a18da/688627694f30cb2e8525740c004c6971!OpenDocument