The Lost Art of Foliar Feeding

RockDiesel

Member
The lost art of foliar feeding

One of the things I see most people asking about how to increase their bud size, they want the newest big bloom gut buster on the market, and run out to send large amounts of money on it.

FOLIAR FEEDING is the easiest and cheapest ways to increase your size and weight, I use Miracle Grow for foliar feeding plants it works great, but just about any water soluble fertilizer will do. I take that the bottle says per gallon and dived it by 8 and that’s what I start per gallon on new just rooted clones or seedlings that have a true set of leaves. Mist very lightly in the first week.
In the second week I start to drench the leaf system with foliar spray, this will do a couple of things.

1.The plant will start to grow like hell this is due to the fact that it is taking in water and Nitrogen threw the leaf system.
2.This also makes the plant intake more fertz in the root and micro root level.
3.It will make the plant stem system stronger from the extra weight of water it is trying to keep the leaf system up. (Heavier Buds)
4.The best part is it helps keep the bugs from invading your plant, Mites do not like foliar sprays with fertz in them.

I try to foliar feed the plants on their wake up cycle doing this daily will grow big ass buds and monster plants.

The third week I step up the fertz to ¼ tsp per gallon and every week after I step it up until it is full strength or the plants shows signs of over nut burn, whichever comes first.
Also threw out the day you can mist with water to help the plant take more of the dried on Fertz and this also keeps the humidity up a little bit.

Now the flower cycle foliar feeding, I like to use Miracle Gro Bloom Booster with Superthrive.

I mix the bloom booster full strength and add ¼ tsp of superthrive per gallon of water and foliar feed with this for up to four weeks in flowering. Of course this is all dependent on the strain and flower time.
Superthrive does have growth hormones that do get absorbed in the leaf system right were the plant will be blooming and could possibly make the root system a little stronger. Since Superthrive has never been tested in a lab on Mary Jane, we can only go off of what it has been tested on.

I also add 1/4 tsp of dish soap per gallon to help the plant soak up nut threw the leaves by keeping the water wetter longer on the leaves.

Here is my full foliar mix during veg per gallon, the red is the minimum and the blue really kicks the plant into over drive:

1 tsp Miracle Gro all purpose plant food 24-8-16 (any water soluble plant food will work)
1/4 tsp (1ml) Superthrive
1/2 tsp (2ml) Dyna-Gro Pro-Tekt 0-0-3
1/4 tsp Epsom salt

1/4 tsp dish soap
1/4 (1ml) Folic Acid
I use Humboldt Nutrients FlavorFul but any brand will work
1/4 (1ml) Humic Acid I use Humboldt Nutrients HumBolt but any brand will work
1/4 (1ml) Enzyme I use Humboldt Nutrients ProZyme but any brand will work

Here is my full foliar mix during Bloom per gallon, the red is the minimum and the blue really kicks the plant into over drive, I due this until I see a 1/4"DIA size buds on the top colas then I stop:

1 tsp Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster 15-30-15
1/4 tsp (1ml) Superthrive
1/2 tsp (2ml) Dyna-Gro Pro-Tekt 0-0-3
1/4 tsp Epsom Salt

1/4 tsp dish soap
1/4 (1ml) Folic Acid
I use Humboldt Nutrients FlavorFul but any brand will work
1/4 (1ml) Humic Acid I use Humboldt Nutrients HumBolt but any brand will work
1/4 (1ml) Enzyme I use Humboldt Nutrients ProZyme but any brand will work
1 tsp (5ml) sweet carbohydrates I use Humboldt Nutrients Humboldt Honey but any brand will work
1 tsp (5Ml) Ginormous 0-18-16 this is made by Humboldt and it does what it claims

P.S. This is the same nut I feed all my dirt based plants and is use the same nut for the foliar, I like to keep it simple.

I hope you guys like this it has served me well for over 15 years.
Solution 3 from gentlemen growing is what I use. It's the only shit that's not some snake oil BS. Anyone else use it?
 

estee

Member
I've been foliar feeding mine and I use Dyna-Gro, fish emulsion and Naturize Bio Charged plant food, I spray them with this every other day and with plain water in between, they're very happy, then I feed the roots once a week, works great, no burn
 

OG Gardenz

Active Member
If you foliar Kelp its good to add Fulvic Acid, helps penetrate leaf...

For watering in Kelp use Humic Acid... at a 5:2 ratio... 5parts humic to 2parts kelp. At those ratios each one works 50% better! This is from a Virginia Tech. studies
 

OG Gardenz

Active Member
Forgot to mention key player in foliar sprays, that would be Yucca... this is a spreader or wetting agent also loaded with saponins and micros. Yucca helps make sure you get the most out of whatever your spraying.

Also in my opinion yucca should be added with all nutrient solutions, this allows everything to penetrate and be absorbed by the roots. This creates more roots and uptake and ensures we get the most out of our nutes
 

h8ter

New Member
The lost art of foliar feeding

One of the things I see most people asking about how to increase their bud size, they want the newest big bloom gut buster on the market, and run out to send large amounts of money on it.

FOLIAR FEEDING is the easiest and cheapest ways to increase your size and weight, I use Miracle Grow for foliar feeding plants it works great, but just about any water soluble fertilizer will do. I take that the bottle says per gallon and dived it by 8 and that’s what I start per gallon on new just rooted clones or seedlings that have a true set of leaves. Mist very lightly in the first week.
In the second week I start to drench the leaf system with foliar spray, this will do a couple of things.

1.The plant will start to grow like hell this is due to the fact that it is taking in water and Nitrogen threw the leaf system.
2.This also makes the plant intake more fertz in the root and micro root level.
3.It will make the plant stem system stronger from the extra weight of water it is trying to keep the leaf system up. (Heavier Buds)
4.The best part is it helps keep the bugs from invading your plant, Mites do not like foliar sprays with fertz in them.

I try to foliar feed the plants on their wake up cycle doing this daily will grow big ass buds and monster plants.

The third week I step up the fertz to ¼ tsp per gallon and every week after I step it up until it is full strength or the plants shows signs of over nut burn, whichever comes first.
Also threw out the day you can mist with water to help the plant take more of the dried on Fertz and this also keeps the humidity up a little bit.

Now the flower cycle foliar feeding, I like to use Miracle Gro Bloom Booster with Superthrive.

I mix the bloom booster full strength and add ¼ tsp of superthrive per gallon of water and foliar feed with this for up to four weeks in flowering. Of course this is all dependent on the strain and flower time.
Superthrive does have growth hormones that do get absorbed in the leaf system right were the plant will be blooming and could possibly make the root system a little stronger. Since Superthrive has never been tested in a lab on Mary Jane, we can only go off of what it has been tested on.

I also add 1/4 tsp of dish soap per gallon to help the plant soak up nut threw the leaves by keeping the water wetter longer on the leaves.

Here is my full foliar mix during veg per gallon, the red is the minimum and the blue really kicks the plant into over drive:

1 tsp Miracle Gro all purpose plant food 24-8-16 (any water soluble plant food will work)
1/4 tsp (1ml) Superthrive
1/2 tsp (2ml) Dyna-Gro Pro-Tekt 0-0-3
1/4 tsp Epsom salt

1/4 tsp dish soap
1/4 (1ml) Folic Acid
I use Humboldt Nutrients FlavorFul but any brand will work
1/4 (1ml) Humic Acid I use Humboldt Nutrients HumBolt but any brand will work
1/4 (1ml) Enzyme I use Humboldt Nutrients ProZyme but any brand will work

Here is my full foliar mix during Bloom per gallon, the red is the minimum and the blue really kicks the plant into over drive, I due this until I see a 1/4"DIA size buds on the top colas then I stop:

1 tsp Miracle-Gro Bloom Booster 15-30-15
1/4 tsp (1ml) Superthrive
1/2 tsp (2ml) Dyna-Gro Pro-Tekt 0-0-3
1/4 tsp Epsom Salt

1/4 tsp dish soap
1/4 (1ml) Folic Acid
I use Humboldt Nutrients FlavorFul but any brand will work
1/4 (1ml) Humic Acid I use Humboldt Nutrients HumBolt but any brand will work
1/4 (1ml) Enzyme I use Humboldt Nutrients ProZyme but any brand will work
1 tsp (5ml) sweet carbohydrates I use Humboldt Nutrients Humboldt Honey but any brand will work
1 tsp (5Ml) Ginormous 0-18-16 this is made by Humboldt and it does what it claims

P.S. This is the same nut I feed all my dirt based plants and is use the same nut for the foliar, I like to keep it simple.

I hope you guys like this it has served me well for over 15 years.






made an account just so i could make fun of ur stupid a**....... moms has been using this homemade weed killer concoction that uses specifically epson salts, vinegar and dish soap.

back to the drawing board ahole! telling people the completely wrong sh*t!
 

thetallguy

Active Member
Definitely add Fulvic Acid to the foliar feed mix!

Like OG Gardenz said, it will help chelate your nutrients so they are more readily accessible to the plant! I grabbed a liter of Nutri-Plus Pure Gold (31% FA) a few months back and it's been great.
 

qwizoking

Well-Known Member
made an account just so i could make fun of ur stupid a**....... moms has been using this homemade weed killer concoction that uses specifically epson salts, vinegar and dish soap.

back to the drawing board ahole! telling people the completely wrong sh*t!

i posted in this thread just to make fun of your stupid ass..but dont feel bad, the idiocy in this thread is truly astounding and ive seen some real doozies
 
UB,I really like your growing approach. It's no BS, cut through the marketing and keep it simple-- all leading to great results. My grows are better for what I have learned from you.

What I don't appreciate is the way you hijack threads that don't precisely match your growing regimen. After reading through this thread, you come off as more of a bully than anything else.

Foliar feeding has enough apparent benefit, backed by scientific research and practice, that it is worth allowing a thread about it to continue without turning it into literary jujitsu. For the sake of civilized discourse LET IT GO. You have your own threads to promote your fine growing techniques.
Exactly my thought after reading through this whole thread from the beginning. UB is like an irrelevant old timer trying to be relevant again and failing miserably. For people reading just the last few pages, the OP already debunked all UB's bullshit with scientific proof back on the first 10 pages or so. Now UBs bullying people with his usual 40+years of irrelevant experience.

Foliage feeding works well in conjunction with your normal feedings.
 

since1991

Well-Known Member
After years of gardening, I've rethunk my view of foliar feeding or using it to correct nutrient disorders. There is no art to foliar feeding and no real value compared to uptake by the roots. This busts the myth regarding the value of foliar feeding, where "it" all started, etc.

http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda Chalker-Scott/Horticultural Myths_files/Myths/Foliar feeding.pdf
This report and this lady have since been proven to be full of shit. Iam going with what a respected doctor and botanist told me in Lansing (inside a giant msu greenhouse none the less) regarding "foliar feeding". Kelp and fulvics to be exact. It is by far the best bloom "setter" during the first 2 weeks of 12-12. From experience i spray Nitrozime and Fulpower (or Fossil Fuel) every 5 to 6 days from rooted cutting until the first 18 days of flowering. This and a base nute like dyna or Ionic is all i use most of my crops and rooms. Maybe a pk booster during week 4 or 5 and thats it.
 
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Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
FWIW, last year was a record year regarding my small vineyard, all vines were foliar fed with a very small application of high N plant food to the soil. 195 vines, sold 3,050 lbs.! Used frequent applications of DG Foliage-Pro for no other reason than convenience - 3 pt. tractor mounted, PTO driven, 60 mph air blaster with adjustable nozzles. The root system is the primary unit for the uptake of nutrients.

Dr. Chalker is as good as it gets when it comes to blowing thru the myths. Her Bottom Line must be taken into context.

The Bottom Line
• Tree and shrub species differ dramatically in their ability to absorb foliar fertilizers.
• Proper plant selection relative to soil type is crucial to appropriate mineral nutrition.
• Foliar spraying is best accomplished on overcast, cool days to reduce leaf burn.
• In landscape plants, foliar spraying can test for nutrient deficiencies, but not solve them.
• Micronutrients are the only minerals that are effectively applied through foliar application.
• Foliar application will not alleviate mineral deficiencies in roots or subsequent crown growth.
• Foliar spraying is only a temporary solution to the larger problem of soil nutrient availability.
• Minerals (especially micronutrients) applied in amounts that exceed a plant’s needs can injure or kill the plant and contribute to environmental pollution.
• Any benefit from foliar spraying of landscape trees and shrubs is minor considering the cost and labor required.

Kelp, fulvic acid, pk boosters and other rocket fuels targeted by greedy vendor to sucker bets do not "set blooms". Hormones and leaves do.
 
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Flowki

Well-Known Member
If you have half a L of left over neut from soil feed, is it a particularly bad Idea to dilute it down with half/full L of fresh water and use that for a weeks worth of fol feed?.

Further more, is it not possible/easier to add this water to a in range set humidifier and let that do all the work?.
 

since1991

Well-Known Member
Kelp extracts sprayed on the plant every week or so until 3 weeks into flower....very noticeable difference for me with it. I done side by sides several times. It is the hormones iam after. And kelp is LOADED with the hormones my crops like. I invite anyone that knows what they are doing and has a decent reliable and consistent variety and setup to try a kelp extract and fulvic acid spray (make sure to use a yucca based wetting agent - just a little bit per quart spray bottle) themselves once a week next to the same plant without. Go ahead and top and prune for bushy lateral growth but give one cutting the foliar hormone spray and the other with out. Then flip to flower as usual. Nothing different....same base nutrient feed...same everything....rite alongside each other under the lamps in the room...except the weekly foliar spray. Stop spraying about 3 weeks on the one (if you veg long...it will be obvious before then the effects of the foliar sprayed plant....WAY before the flip to flower). Then report your results here after chop...trim...dry ...cure...and weigh in. I have.....and its not even close.
 
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Flowki

Well-Known Member
Kelp extracts sprayed on the plant every week or so until 3 weeks into flower....very noticeable difference for me with it. I done side by sides several times. It is the hormones iam after. And kelp is LOADED with the hormones my crops like. I invite anyone that knows what they are doing and has a decent reliable and consistent variety and setup to try a kelp extract and fulvic acid spray (make sure to use a yucca based wetting agent - just a little bit per quart spray bottle) themselves once a week next to the same plant without. Go ahead and top and prune for bushy lateral growth but give one cutting the foliar hormone spray and the other with out. Then flip to flower as usual. Nothing different....same base nutrient feed...same everything....rite alongside each other under the lamps in the room...except the weekly foliar spray. Stop spraying about 3 weeks on the one (if you veg long...it will be obvious before then the effects of the foliar sprayed plant....WAY before the flip to flower). Then report your results here after chop...trim...dry ...cure...and weigh in. I have.....and its not even close.
What exact products do you use for this, do you ph, do you spray under side of leaves, does it matter if the soil fed neuts are synthetic.
 

Uncle Ben

Well-Known Member
And kelp is LOADED with the hormones my crops like.
How do you know that, because some sucker ad said so? Had it tested at a lab? Does the plant need supplemental hormones and if available would they interfere with its own natural hormonal processes or actually help?

You drank the cannabis rocket fuels kool-aid. It's human nature to see what you expect or want to see to justify your approach.

Here's the skinny on kelp for those who seek a sound professional approach: https://puyallup.wsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/seaweed-extracts.pdf

You're also contributing to screwing up a fragile eco system.

5) Marketing: “Manufacturers’ claims for the benefits of these products go beyond what is
substantiated by the research.” “The number of products now on the market seems to outnumber the
published papers.”

These researchers’ conclusions say it all – seaweed extracts are aggressively marketed with little regard
for objective, scientific research.
There is a final concern never addressed, which is the justification for
large-scale removal of vegetation from one ecosystem (the marine kelp “forests”) for application to
another (terrestrial landscapes). The ecological impacts of increased seaweed harvesting are currently
under investigation and the possibility of significant ecosystem damage is real. There is no argument that
seaweed products are useful and valuable to humans for the reasons discussed earlier. However, given
that there are few documented benefits from applying seaweed extracts to plants, this is not a justifiable
nor sustainable practice. The marketing of such products as “earth friendly” in this context should be
repugnant to environmentally conscious consumers.
 
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