yucca root, sulfactant and wet betty

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
is there any way of making homemade wet betty with yucca root? is anybody using that stuff with subcool`s soil?
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
http://www.gdnctr.com/wet_water.htm

How To Make Water Wetter.

Wetter Water Is Absorbed More Quickly By Soils
And Gets To The Plant's Root System
Where It's Needed.

For the third year in a row, York County and surrounding central Pennsylvania, as well as most of Maryland, are in a drought emergency state. But all of us in the horticultural business, as well as farmers and gardeners already knew that.

Little Spring rainfall, meager Winter snow and low precipitation have contributed to make gardening a real challenge. Especially when it comes to watering plants and getting the water to go where it's needed: the root system.

Just keeping plants alive can be a real problem.

Without adequate water getting to any plant's root system, dieback can occur and the plant can become so stressed that it dies.

The problem is the water and its inherent surface tension, and resistance to being absorbed. Ever seen how a dusty country road makes water bead-up and evaporate before it's absorbed into the dust? That's what the super-hardened and inhospitable local soils do: resist absorption due to unusual surface tension of water. No wonder so many people have trouble getting water to a plant's rootball. The water takes the path of least resistance and simply runs-off on top of the soil, never being absorbed by the soil and getting to the rootball.

One answer is Surfactants.

Surfactants are chemicals that affect the surface tension of water most commonly to help with cleaning. They are also used in activities involving solids and aqueous liquids such as in resource development as flotation aids, frothers, defoamers etc. Surfactant chemicals may be used directly but most applications require their mixing (formulation) with other chemicals and solvents to form surfactant preparations.

For the average gardener, that's a daunting proposition. But there's an easier way.

To make the soils absorb more water, faster, gently stir a teaspoon (no more) of Ivory Liquid Detergent into a 5 gallon pail and pour the resultant solution carefully around the base of the plant. Even on dried, caked and hardened soil, it's absorbed quickly and completely without runoff. And subsequent waterings are much easier when this simple, homemade surfactant is used. The diswashing liquid won't harm the plant and becomes trapped in the soil; root systems simply ignore it and uptake the water.

Each time you water, try it. By following the initial surfactant watering with a deep root system watering with your garden hose, water gets to where it's most needed: the root system. Simply lay the hose at the base of the plant, run it at a trickle roughly the diameter of a pencil for 30 minutes and you'll have given the plant the equivalent of an inch of rain, or 30 gallons of water.

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Drop by our Website on The InterNet for a tour of the Garden Center & Nursery. It's located at www.gdnctr.com for those digerati among you out there who are connected on-line.
Now the last thing I wanna put on my plants is Ivory, I am just wondering though if WetBetty is not just it! hehe...although, I am considering buying Yucca root, peeling them, smashing em up and put the chunks in a tea bag in a 5 gall bucket and shake it or leave it to sit for a while...then use this water for foliar spray, any objection? Please say something if it is such a bad idea!!!
 

snew

Well-Known Member
I use soaps when applying some foliar sprays outside. A small amount helps sprays adhere better. I see know problem with an initial soil application.
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
http://www.toxicdude.org/make-your-own-organic-‘go-green’-planting-mix;6518144 said:
First, begin with a good bagged soil of some sort. It need not be the expensive name brands for which you pay a premium. Just a reasonable quality soil as a base for the rest of the mix. For our project let’s say you buy a 20 quart bag of this product – a common size in most nurseries.

Next, buy a small bag of pure worm castings. You will need 4 quarts about 10 lbs for this mix. Ensure you have real,good quality worm castings and not some dilluted product which is commonly on the market. Natures Big Bud Worm Castings makes a premium liquid version which can also be used. Worm castings (worm manure) are nature’s miracle fertilizer and soil enhancer. They are organic, all natural, and contain more than 60 beneficial elements your plants need and use in growing healthy, robust root systems, strong stems and branches and beautiful flowers or fruits. Once moistened, they retain water in your soil thereby providing an additional benefit of saving watering time and money.

Buy a small bag of composted steer manure. This is inexpensive and will add nitrogen to the soil in abundance. The key is to not use too much of this in your mix. I am suggesting only 4 quarts.

Finally, you will need one pound of natural powdered Shidigera yucca (Mohave Yucca) to add to the mix. Yucca is another organic, all natural product; it is a wetting agent (surfactant) which makes water wetter. This will allow water to be retained in the soil and will give your plants a quicker way to absorb nutrients from the soil mix. Yucca also contains natural steroids such as saponin which will assist in insect and disease control once your plants absorb it into their system.

You now have the ingredients for success in making a nutrient rich, water retaining bedding plant soil mix. Putting them together is the next step. Dump the 20 quart bag of soil onto a flat clean dry surface. To it add 4 quarts of the worm castings and the 4 quarts of composted steer manure. Next add the yucca extract powder. With a shovel, turn the pile a few times until all the ingredients are well mixed.
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Yucca-Root-Herb-Herbal-Certified-Kosher-Organic-1-oz-/140562435955?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20ba2c8f73#ht_1282wt_1110
How much Yucca I use!?

I am getting sold on this stuff!! I know it looks like I am talking to myself this morning but at some point someone is going to say something!!
Cheers
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
I use soaps when applying some foliar sprays outside. A small amount helps sprays adhere better. I see know problem with an initial soil application.
I didnt even realise you had said something! what kind of soap do you use?

I will not be able to claim that my buds are 100%certified organic if I use Ivory!! and dont want to use it at all!!
 

Afka

Active Member
I just take some unrinsed quinoa seed, and rinse those off to extract the saponin.

Otherwise: non detergent soap will work fine, even insecticidal soap should you have some :)

edit: If insecticidal soap is organic approved why wouldn't Ivory?
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
I dont know ... for some reasons Ivory rimes with Chemical in my head hehe... that is really good to know , got shit loads of quinoa here !! does Quinoa also contain surfactant? so basically say I take 3 cups of quinoa in 3liters of water, shake everything really good, filter the quinoa out, then the water is ready for foliar spray or you pour into soil for insect and disease control? THANKS
 

Afka

Active Member
The surfactant only reduces the surface tension of the water, preventing it from forming beads. It helps "melt" the water onto the surface of the leaf, to better aid in coverage of whatever you're spraying WITH it.
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
ok but does the quinoa also contains surfactant^? or is saponin a surfactant^? how much do you use say for 2 gallons of water? and how do you do it, just shake and filter^? THANKS

I read that it also helps the roots absorbing nutrients
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
I eat yucca all the time, most excellent! The Latin American potato. It's also know as Cassava.

Always tossed the water it was boiled in though.

Wet
I just mixed 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups of water, shaked it really well and filter the quinoa out, I will spray my plants with it when the lights go off. guess I will be eating quinoa for lunch!! The water look the way it should I would say, kind of soapy.

Is Yucca similar to quinoa in terms of what it does to the water? how much Yucca do you use for your foliad feed and how do you do it! ? THANKS :leaf:
 

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
I've never used it on my plants, never knew you could. But, growing up in SoFl, I've been eating it for well over 40 years. It's a very common staple there and I only know it as food.

No experience with Quinoa. Does it have another name?

Wet
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
it`s a high protein grain, you cook it like rice, it`s really good!! I think it worked really well too on my plants the water was evenly spread on them
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
oh I see, then saponin is a surfactant! anyway I will keep using quinoa water once a week, thanks a lot!!
 

snew

Well-Known Member
I've never used it on my plants, never knew you could. But, growing up in SoFl, I've been eating it for well over 40 years. It's a very common staple there and I only know it as food.

No experience with Quinoa. Does it have another name?

Wet
Quinoa looks strange when its cooked. It becomes some what translucent you can see the endosperm in the seed so some people cant get over the look. I always cook it in stock not water. As already stated it is high in protein and is one of the current supper foods.
I've found it makes nice cold salads.
 

Endur0xX

Well-Known Member
haha Snew I never looked at quinoa this way!! I love this grain, very versatile, awesome in salads or really good hot with soy sauce as a side dish. Since I am vegetarian, it`s totally in my diet!!.... You have to make sure you buy non pre-wash if you want to use it for foliar feed!
 

baldhead

Member
Quinoa is also anti-fungal, I know because I tried to grow fungus (mycelium) on it and it did not work very well. That's good news for folk's who eat quinoa, in addition to it having a complete amino acid profile.
 

Pattahabi

Well-Known Member
Now the last thing I wanna put on my plants is Ivory, I am just wondering though if WetBetty is not just it! hehe...although, I am considering buying Yucca root, peeling them, smashing em up and put the chunks in a tea bag in a 5 gall bucket and shake it or leave it to sit for a while...then use this water for foliar spray, any objection? Please say something if it is such a bad idea!!!
For a surfactant I'd use a little aloe instead. They also sell yucca powder which works well. As stated, quinoa has tons of saponins on the outside of the seed, and can be rinsed.

P-
 
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