Sweeteners Causing Weak Stems?

On my last batch of 14 Pineapple Skunk from HSO, turned out great BTW, in the last two weeks I added generous amounts of Snow Storm Ultra, Crystal Burst and GH Flora Nectar Sugar Cane. Within about 2 days every single branch started bending over and the plants fell all over themselves. Now this isn't the first time branches have bent the buds are almost fully mature after all but it seemed to happen really quickly and all of a sudden after adding these products. Didn't really think much of it other than, wow those 3 products must have made them gain some real weight real quick. However, I just purchased and read a book called Small Spaces, Big Yields by Read Spear. I pretty much buy and read every book that looks like it could contain any useful information on the subject of growing. In this book he has a chapter titled "Sweeteners and other Lore". In this chapter he basically says sweeteners don't work and are a waste of money. Which seems very plausible. However there was something else he said which made me think the sweeteners may actually be causing the stems to get weak and droopy. Or is he saying the cell doesn't take up the sugar but if it did it would result in flaccid tissue? Thoughts?

Directly from the book:

"Adding sugars, or Country Time ® lemonade (I once met someone who swore by this addition to his lemon skunk) to the nutrient or soil does not add sugar to the plant. This is because the sugar molecule is too big to be absorbed by the plant through osmosis. Osmosis is the transportation of solvent through a semipermeable membrane to a concentration of higher solute in the direction that tends to equalize concentration on either side of the membrane. Osmosis creates pressure (turgor) in the plant cell and causes the plant to stand upright. So, in a plant, that means if the plant cell has a high concentration of solute (think nutrient salt) and the water outside the cell has a low concentration of solvent (think pure water), the plant will absorb water, resulting in turgid plant tissue. If, on the other hand , the plant cell has a high level of solvent and the material surrounding the cell has a high concentration of solute , the plant cell will lose water, resulting in flaccid plant tissue."

Spear, Read (2013-07-29). Small Spaces, Big Yields (MJAdvisor)

Sweeteners are a waste. Grab some molasses. Snowstorm Ultra though is a pgh/pgr so it really does work. Crystal burst, i havent used so im not 100% sure what it is.

Id just stick to snow storm and molasses. about 5ml/gal each once a week max.

the reason the buds fell over was because they got very heavy. You can tie them up. Most buds, if mainlined or lollipopped will be very top heavy and fall over no matter how tough the stems are. Try tying all the branches to the main stem or to branches on opposite sides.

The sugars are for feeding beneficial bacteria if you give your plants them, if not you will be feeding a bunch of nasties instead.

Who has bought weed on the street and said WOW - that fkn budcandy taste amazing?!

budman111 said:

The sugars are for feeding beneficial bacteria if you give your plants them, if not you will be feeding a bunch of nasties instead.

Who has bought weed on the street and said WOW - that fkn budcandy taste amazing?!

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100% truth indeed. Feeds benificials only.

I guess what we are saying, in respect to your inquiry, unless you are soaking your stems in sweets I dont see it. At best your soaking roots but the sugars arent going anywhere from there.

Were temps warmer? This can cause weaker stems. Also could be old bulbs/lights too far away or less air movement stress.

I use molasses to feed the beneficial bacteria in my medium so it converts the sugars into usable energy for them which makes them convert more raw material into nutrients for your roots to absorb, which, along with the already available nutrients in the molasses, can cause the buds to swell a tad. Not immediately though, its no over night process.

Well if the 3 products I added didn't weaken the stems then they added a bunch of weight really quickly. 14 plants under one 1000w Hps on a mover yielded .75 grams per watt in a 3x6 aero setup. Can't complain. Thanks.

"Sweetners" or carbohydrates increase the BRIX levels in plants, the higher carbohydrate content the plants have, the easier they are to bend. When using simple carbohydates such as dextrose, glucose ect... , the use of silicates is needed to stiffen the lignin(glue) in the cellulose.

Also I would like to add that sweetners have to be in a "simple complex" form in order for the plant to take it up. Carbohydrates are energy/food for plants, but in a "organic" garden where the soil must be fed, we cater to the microflora and nourish them, in hand they feed the plants. The plants sense the presence of microbes and a bond is made. The plants "blueprint" or genetic need and usage of nutrients changes and the plants now exist to reproduce AND feed micro herd. They send down the roots and excrete carbohydrates to feed and retain the microbes that have bonded. Kinda like a thank you card that never stops coming. This display of generosity costs the plant some of its carbohydrate reserves and that takes away from it's energy reserve. That's why growers give molasses, bud candy, sweet leaf, carboload, karma, ect... to replenish and maintain a reserve of carbo's, particularly for during flowering. And the reason that buds swell so and smell so sweet is because the sucrose that is constantly being stored. Sugar is heavier than water. Dried buds are heavier than dried buds grown without carbohydrates. Ultimatley it come down to the grower and what he feels is appropriate. molasses has Ca 8%, Mg 7%, Fe 2%

I would also like to add that I am a diabetic and I use glucose tabs (chewable tablets) to raise my blood sugar levels when they get to low. Glucose is a simple carb and is very fast acting. I have had such a low sugar before, that I started to go into a coma. My sugar was at 35. After someone helped me chew 3 glucose tabs, within 20 min I was coherient again with a blood sugar of 150. And my pancreous doesn't work at all, Type 2, insulin dependant. The point here is that you can use glucose tabs as a sweetner. They even come in fruity flavors and I really like using them with cheese, skunk, kush strains. They are a lot cheaper than a liter of Bud Candy. $7.89 for a bottle (med sized).

carbohydrates are stored by and made by the plant. when you add a carbo load (sweetener) you are feeding the microbes, which in turn help your plant produce and store carbs.

a plant uses carbs to overcome stress and for production

when a plant in veg is in 24/0 light, it has no chance to store these carbs, it will grow fine, but won't have as many carbs stored as it could. (which is why i like 20/4)

also a night time temp drop of 10-15 degrees will allow the plant to save the carbs for the next day. optimal temps are 70-80 during the day, and 60-70 at night. the root zone (if using a soil thermometer) should hover from 67-74 ( microbes thrive at these temps)

when you water you want to match the temperature of your soil, as to not shock the microbes in your pots

carbo loads are only to feed the microbes carbs, which in turn, give your plant carbs

Nizza said:

carbohydrates are stored by and made by the plant. when you add a carbo load (sweetener) you are feeding the microbes, which in turn help your plant produce and store carbs.

a plant uses carbs to overcome stress and for production

when a plant in veg is in 24/0 light, it has no chance to store these carbs, it will grow fine, but won't have as many carbs stored as it could. (which is why i like 20/4)

also a night time temp drop of 10-15 degrees will allow the plant to save the carbs for the next day. optimal temps are 70-80 during the day, and 60-70 at night. the root zone (if using a soil thermometer) should hover from 67-74 ( microbes thrive at these temps)

when you water you want to match the temperature of your soil, as to not shock the microbes in your pots

carbo loads are only to feed the microbes carbs, which in turn, give your plant carbs

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All factual, however not to argue r anything, but the complexity of the sucrose matters. Certain forms are more easily assimilated by the plants without the assistance of the micros. However that still doesn't dismiss the fact that you still need to feed the microbes. You gotta keep them happy to keep them around, and giving a complex form (one that has to be broken down) encourages them to feed and breed. Also you are spot on with the night time. Lots of people think that plants are sleeping at night, but infact they are growing, thy just aren't active with phyohormone manipulation.

not to mention last grow i found out how important it is to keep the exhaust or some sort of fresh air on 24/7, your plant does A LOT at night, and fresh air is really important!

fresh air is very important, but plants don't transpire or respire at night as much as they do during the active photo period, and the stomata are active during certain periods. This is one reason why we don't supplement c02 at night. Fresh air is most important at night to assist in the balance of RH and to assist in gas exchange in the roots. The roots are always growing 24/7. When I am using c02 I like to saturate the room right before lights on. Stomata activity is highest in the early hrs of lights on and close to lights off. There is an exception to this rule and tats when your supplementing organic acids and a dominance in certain nutrients that assist in the regulation of stomata activity.