Does brix mean anything in solid material? I've always known it to be a liquid solution measurement.. I guess sap brix could be measured, but it wouldn't be that meaningful beyond telling us the s.g. since we don't exactly know the composition..
How much it can help the plant would be highly variable.. If the plant still had the resources to do those reactions itself in the roots unimpeded to the maximum extent the plant could draw these products up then I doubt it would be of any benefit at all.. These organisms are tweaking basic nutrients etc.. The plant still needs alot in late growth to finish what it has started in the bud etc in a healthful manner..
My hypothesis is that 'flushing' is a misnomer.. I think once nutrients are in the bud they are there to stay.. But the plant needs time to finalize the product that it endeavored to create, and thats in short supply since the plant's own energy supplies to make certain basic conversions is dwindling.. Luckily some nice organisms downstairs are willing to help 'knead the bread' to provide the plant with some easier to work with building blocks to put together as only it knows how.. Atleast when you flush you're preventing more unprocessable stuff from getting up to the buds so the plant doesn't fall further behind..
My guess is it helps unhealthy more than it does healthy ones, and as I mentioned, I did read that extended dark periods stimulates that carb dump.. Thats why I think it would be interesting to experiment with this using lowryder type genetics as well..
These are just hypotheses btw, but I have spent more than a few sleepless nights pondering this

Great thread...


It's my understanding that complex carbohydrates feed the microorganisms in the soil rather than feeding the plant. The sugars are food for them, and are too big to be absorbed by the plant.

I use AN carboload, and sweetleaf (molasses mix).

The carboload is food for the microorganisms that break down the sugars into edible form for the plant...

To grow beneficial bacteria and fungus, AN tarantula, piranna, voodoo, carbo load is their food.

This is what your talking about, I'm just not as scientific... Nothing I've read is incorrect on this thread...

Most people don't understand the whole molasses thing, they think it's like adding KoolAid. Good posts.

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Yes it basically iswhat I'm talking about.. If I was growing at the moment though, I'd try playing with some of the yeast energizers/micronutrients they sell at beer/wine ,aking stores for fermenting.. Might be more bang for the buck, fermentation is one area they've studied micro-organism response quite thoroughly in..

Kinda like the thread about feeding beer to your plants...
Just using the ingredients to make the beer... Instead of actual beer.

I use the AN line, with Sensizym, I think that their products simplify all the hard work, and put it into a bottle.

I've used AN for 4+ years, and they have more and more products as time goes by, so I've researched what their products are composed of, and what they do for the soil...

I'm finding some of their stuff is able to be made out of ordinary crap you can get at specialty stores, like brewing stores.

Sweet Leaf- Molasses base with other micronutes.

Sensizym- typical enzyme that breaks down complex sugars... What is this comparable to?
Yeast?

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Ok, Self admitted Dumbass here, but if we add yeast, wouldnt the yeast produce alcohol? wouldn't the alcohol be bad for the roots? Or, is my understanding of yeast wrong, don't they all produce alcohol as a by product?

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I don't know...

Yeast eats sugar, and has byproducts... But I doubt it would create enough alcohol to matter.

Anyone know what type of enzymes are best?

What is in Sensizym?

I don't have any problems shelling out$ for AN, but would like to know what I'm paying for.

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The action of breaking complex sugars and carbs is enzymatic.. In fermentation the primary enzyme is called alpha amylase, but there are other amylases involved as well depending on the carbon chain getting broken up.. Yeast themselves to produce these enzymes, but not in sufficient quantity to thrive in only a complex carb environment.. Thats what the processes of malting, and mashing are for.. Malted barley etc supplies the amylase which can be found in good quantity in any germinated sprout.. This, acid, and heat break up the carbs by cleaving them into simpler sugars that the yeast will selectively steal oxygen and nutrients on based on difficulty..
Now when I say thrive, I mean hyper-thrive.. Fermentation gets some hardcore yeast activity going on.. Yeast are truely masters at surviving harsh environments though, they are virtually inactive, and most will die, but its amazing what you can actually cultivate from.. (I retrieved live sacharomyces carlsbergus from a bottle of Carlsberg beer)..
Also, contrary to popular belief, yeast do not consume sugar (sucrose).. They simply take its oygen when there is no other oxygen available.. They actually need a balanced diet to reproduce/thrive, and sucrose is built ONLY from hydrogen, carbon and oxygen.. Even in the presence of sugar, if there is easier to get O2, then the yeast won't produce much alcohol at all.. The vast majority of reactions yeast participate in have nothing to do with converting sucrose to ethanol, but in an anaerobic environment like what exists in fermentation, that is by far the most noticable due to the CO2 production..
Many (if not all) other protozoa, and bacteria behave the same way.. Using the same cultivation techniques, certain fermentations actually aim for bacterial growth.. Sounds off I know, but thats what 'sour mashing' is..

I guess that kind of confirms my hypothesis.. Just out of curiousity what stereates if any are in the AN products, and do they encorporate diammonium phosphate?

Carb loading will not benifit your hydro plant. That being said carbo loading can help a plant in pro-mix (or similar soiless mix) with a large pot. Carbo ,oading can create a huge fungal colony whose only benefit from living is giving the plant nitrogen.(and minute levels of other nutrients.) I think carbo loading would be better during the growth cycle to develop a good fungal colony in a large pot. I still think that a plans weakest link in terms of gowth will be light so the carbs won't do much, your better off with spending the extra cash on some good nutrients.

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Just quoting your hypothosis "I think once nutrients are in the bud they are there to stay" I disagree politely. When you put a plant into increase dark periods (24 hrs or more) a decrese in nitrogen will be seen in the tips of the plant. Because the nitrogen in a plant stayes fairly constant in a plant after curing I belkeive a lengthy dark period will potentially increase the taste of the product(like tomatoes.) The main reasoning your hypothosis is false is the fact that nutrient levels will differ greatly in plant matter. Again I mean everything politely.

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Well, that being true, it may not mean the nutrients have left the flower, but merely converted into an unrecognizable form.. On the otherhand though, nitrogen does tend to form alot of volitile compounds that could essentially evaporate.. Ammonia being one of the major ones.. Depending on soil/climate, alot of farmers have a real problem keeping nitrogen in the soil..