Anybody have a good foliar spray recipe they would like to share?

[Lucky13]

I have been reading about the many benefits of foliar sprays, quick uptake of essential nutes, reduced costs in feedings, miracle overnight cures.. I was wondering if anyone used them regularly, because I am full of questions!

Have you done a side by side comparison? How did it go?
Can I use some base nutes in the spray bottle the whole time (calMag, kelp extract, superThrive) and supplement with soil based treatments?
Or is it ok to just mix it all; nutes in the same container for a few ~ days/week?

I assume I can just pH some water to what I need it to be to correct any pH issues? Does anyone have any experience with pH problems and how they solved them using foliar spray?
Im good so far with the ArmorSi, but I would like to stay on top of pH because I know how quickly it can get out of hand.

What about a recipe? Something for veg? Something for flower?
How about timing? The bottle says "spray leaves till dripping wet once every 4 to 7 days" and I totally believe them, and I'm certainly not out to test what every 3 days or every 10 days is like, but do you have a good schedule that you have developed that you would like to share? This spray method is only for one [kelp extract] of my many, ever expanding collection of nutrients. This schedule may differ depending on the recipe that you are using. My goal is to not burn my plant. Like the whole time, for a change. lol

Are there nutrients that shouldn't be put in a foliar spray? Or, rather, did you use something once and immediately said "poop Poop POOP!"?

What about spraying only with nutrients, and feeding soil with just water? So long as it doesnt burn, right?

Please feel free to chat, share and add anything you think I forgot or don't know about foliar sprays, and thanks in advance!

Currently, I am just starting to try out a kelp foliar spray on my tomatoes, green peppers, and habaneros outside because they are in flower mode now... lol and yes, I actually mean garden vegetables!
I am just starting this and would like to try it out on something I can totally screw up and just go buy at the store for like 40c/lb instead of like $300/oz

[oldjarhead100]

all good questions Lucky 13 the only folier spray I use is folier Essence ,other than that I hope someone gives you your answers ,I know there someone here that does just folier feeding with great results

[Rwise]

At this time I am using "Microbe life root dip and foliar spray" from a freeby kit intended for hydro. I am using it daily, each evening before sunset. I tried it first on plants that were behind, the improvement was fast and I use it on all now. I first spray the under side of the leaf and then the top until it is dropping off.
I have heard of using compost teas, worm pee and many other things. I want to make my own at some point and would likely add some chicken shit (not much its hot!) to the compost.
Tag!!

[oldjarhead100]

I was flipping my compost bin I had cleaned out the coop beginning of the year .man you could really smell the ammonia

[Rwise]

LOL,, I need to clean the hen house,, na I'll move it instead! It really is bad,,,

[Lucky13]

Cool, thanks for the tips so far! I had no idea there were foliar sprays already formulated for this sort of thing, but I guess that makes sense. The foliar essence is organic, which is what I have been trying to keep, but with the addition of a few new nutes in my collection, thats gone out the window. I have heard of using chicken shit in compost before, but I moved out of the country years ago, and sadly, ...? have no access to that anymore. Im sure if I could distill some of my neighbors bullshit into a bottle, that might work, but alas.. I am working with.. what have I got..
ArmorSi
Go Box from General Organics
SuperThrive
kelp foliar spray
calMag
Honey Chome

My first attempt will probably be to just use some kelp extract, and I have only applied to my garden twice so far, so its too early to tell quite yet. However, the Strawberry Sno Cones I have going in veg now will be the final call on how well this works. I would try just kelp extract on one, and a mix of kelp, superthrive, and BioBud from the Go box in the other if they're both female.

[Rwise]

If one was to offer to come out to a farm and pick up cow chips, or clean out the hen house for free (just take the bull shit chicken/rabbit/horse shit as pay) I bet many farmers would do this.

[Canuck147]

I use Foliar Essence as well - says to spray once a week - I only grow autoflowers and I spray them about every 5 days until the buds are developed. Most of my plants get 24/7 lighting so doesn't matter when I spray them - but - best to spray them within the first hour after the lights come on - stomatas underneath the leaves are more receptive within that first hour.
Never did a side by side but have noticed that all it really does is make big buds.

[Lucky13]

Cool, thank you! I hadnt thought about the stomatas yet! So you spray during veg as well then? When you say, developed buds.. do you mean when you think they are hitting the last few weeks before you pull em? Or just when they start forming?

[Canuck147]

Buds start forming 30 days after they come out of the ground. Spray them when they have lots of pistils and frost - stop spraying before the last few weeks when the buds really get big and dense.

[Lucky13]

Well, it seems you guys that picked up the Foliar Essence got it at the right time! I have looked up Foliar Essence, and even on their own site, I still can't buy it!

http://foliaressence.com/shop

well, for now at least.. Im sure they are just revamping the web site ATM.

However, the microbial life supplements are very affordable...
https://www.amazon.com/Microbe-Life-...24635802&psc=1

I did some more searching, and found out basically what I thought was true.. These are nutrients, and yes, they can be mixed together. I just have to be careful how long I keep them for. The kelp spray I have is supposed to be good in the spray bottle for several weeks, which is awesome, and I can add calMag to that without much worry. Its supposed to be the superThrive that I have to use right away, and the ArmorSi that will alter my pH drastically that I'm concerned about. I can add these to the soil, but I may just wind up buying a few extra spray bottles and label them well.

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

Some say...
(Harley Smith of NPK industries - https://www.maximumyield.com/humic-o...ants-on/2/1352
, G. Low of manicbotanix.com - https://medteknutrients.com.au/fulvic-acid-hydroponics/ )

you can mix up fulvic acid and seaweed/kelp in a 5:2 ratio with water for foliar spray...

for a weekly foliar, just the fulvic acid in water as seaweed has amino acids in it that promote branching.

happy spraying

[Lucky13]

"Humic acid molecules are larger than fulvic acid molecules and make great soil conditioners. Fulvic acids are smaller, more biologically active molecules that are faster-acting and make excellent foliar sprays." https://www.maximumyield.com/humic-o...ants-on/2/1352
This is a cool takeaway from this paper, thank you! I know I use humic acids in my Go Box kit with the Diamond Black, but I never really knew how they worked until now. Maybe I can replace them with fulvic acids in my foliar spray when the bottle is finally gone!
Loving that equation for ppm in final solution at the end of the second paper too! That will be handy as I have to convert my nutes into my 8 and 16oz sprayers!

[HappyDaze]

I use a commercially available fulvic acid. It works great....I'd recommend buying the cheapest one you can find as the source doesn't really vary from one manufacturer to the next, it's a hardwood extract.

I understand that some folks are using G.H. Bio Marine (*Extra virgin, expeller pressed squid vomit) as a foliar spray. I've got some, but have never used it that way. I'll try it and give you a before and after pic.

Gingerbeard uses a lot of organics and has stellar looking plants, maybe he's used some sort of "*squished cod spay" that he could recommend. * His descriptions of his additives crack me up.

Before pics...Blue Dream clones at about 27 days, a week from 12/12 flip

[HappyDaze]

Hey Gingerbeard have you started something new growing in guppy poo, or is that magic purple you just finished going to hold your ass on the couch for a little while?

[Gingerbeard]

I will squish, render, and grind any water going animal into little sea going animal patties for my purple. The purple being a purely narcotic weed. I wonder what smoked fish would be like.

[Lucky13]

It seems fulvic acid is great for foliar, and Im totally sold on that after reading about it. I had the Bio Marine in my Go Box, but that was the first bottle that vanished and I only put it in the soil.. I am hoping the kelp extract I got will replace it.

Excited to see it work out as a spray! I can kelp spray a couple of autos I have going now.. They look like they are just about to stop stretching and start budding. I will take a couple of pics for a before pic and post em as well!

[HappyDaze]

100% agree with Gingerbeard about making things too complex and I think KIS is the best advice to follow. I use the fulvic on clones and plants I've phukked up with a bad batch of nutes or too much light.

I've got this stuff laying around so I'm gonna see if I can get those three in the front to catch up to the bigger one in the back. They're are all sisters started on the same day, growing in a common rez, so if there are any positive results, we might be able to see them.

I shot some Bioweed on the tomaters outside, and they didn't fall over, so the clones are getting a bath as soon as the lights go out.

[Gingerbeard]

I would shave a shark's butt-hole for nitrogen. Porpoise blow holes are full of potassium. And manatee tail fins are 90% phosphorous. Whale meal is a good substitution for chicken meal. This is mostly assumption, really.

[Lucky13]

These are in my wooden 2ft x 2ft x 3ft under a 108W draw, 600W "equivalent" LED I got from a dude in a tire shop. They are also in small plastic pots, so they wont be much bigger, but maybe the fruit will!
Currently, they are on day 36 for the one in the red pot, and day 38 for the one in the black pot. I have sprayed them once with kelp already, 2 days ago. Today, I gave them a light spritz of cold water only to help clean the leaves from the last kelp spray, and also because it was hot today.

[HappyDaze]

Happy looking garden! Looking forward to seeing them flower.

My first setup was in a homemade credenza like cabinet stuffed with T8s. I think it was around 30" high on the inside and a little over four feet long. I got a few Oz here and there out of it, and had a ton of fun growing. If there'd been LEDs available at the time, I'd probably still have it.

That dude with the sea creature poo fetish, Gingerbeard.... have you seen his micro garden output? Pretty sweet...Do what he does and you won't go wrong.

[HappyDaze]

The G.O. Biweed (Kelp) seems to make a pretty good foliar using a 2.5ml / liter of water. It certainly didn't hurt them.



I'll give them another shot after defoliation.

Lucky13 Thanks for starting this thread. You motivated me to do something I haven't done before. I think I'll try FlyingDutchPaddy's 5:2 mix on some dirt clones.

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

nice video that talks about the seaweed & fulvic acid ratio, Organic Biostimulants With Harley Smith:

https://youtu.be/bAZyBp6yJsU?t=1081

link starts where he talks about the seaweed, fulvic comes just after it. thats where the 5:2 ratio is mentioned.
overall, the entire video is well worth watching.

[Lucky13]

Ok, quick update. Ive been using a freshly made 8oz sprayer ~ 1.85 mLs Kelp, 2 drops SuperThrive, every 4 days on the plants, and damn! I wish I would have done some before/after pics of the garden outside as well! Everything is flowering and still sprouting new growth everywhere! ..at least on the veggies.. The feed water for the soil has been varied.. When in veg mode, they got better nutes, but since kicking over to flowering and spraying, they have only gotten filtered water with CalMag and molasses for support. Still showing no signs of burning, which is awesome!

[Lucky13]

Ha! My cat!

well, this is about day 70 for each of these. I moved the taller one (lemon diesel) under a better light, and that combined with spraying sprouted a whole bunch of great growth~ my last spray day was about 2 or 3 days ago, and I am done spraying them with anything while I wait for them to finish a bit more. I am totally sold on this idea. The garden outside is still sprouting tomatoes and my habenero plant is literally falling over from the weight! (I have to finish using the spray bottle the same day because I use superThrive) I believe with a better light, this technique will prove fatal to any flimsy stalks! I still burnt the shit outta them though.. I really gotta lay back on the nutes..

Thanks to everyone that chimed in, this has been a fun experiment that I have turned into routine.

If I were to add or remove anything from my particular recipe, I would add silicates to my spray bottle, and some fulvic acid to it as well.. a giant container of fulvic acid powder is relatively cheap, however, I would not put any CalMag in for foliar feeding again.
That would change my recipe for an 8oz spray bottle to;
1.85mLs Kelp extract
0.74mLs fulvic acid (5:2 ratio kelp/fulvic acid)
2 drops superThrive
2 drops Armor Si

I was going to do one plant with and one plant without, but after a few times trying that, and seeing benefits first hand, I have decided spraying is just plain better, and will be sticking with that assumption and just change up my recipe as needed.

[HappyDaze]

Lucky13 I experiment with ferts on my tomatoes and herbs outside too. I have parsley and basal that won't stop coming out of the ground.

I've got four clones just starting to show roots and I'm anxious to see how they respond to foliar feeding. Their clone moms got a couple of doses of kelp spray outside this summer and they loved it.

My version of your recipe:

500ml RO H2O
2ml General Organics BioWeed (kelp)
5ml Liquid Gold (fulvic acid)
2 drops Queen Bee (Vitamin B complex)
2 drops GroTek Pro-Silicate

Tomatoes will get a trial this week, just to be sure.

Thanks for posting.

[FlyingDutchPaddy]

Hi everyone,

Wanted to clarify the 5:2 ratio, 5ml Fulvic to 2ml seaweed.



i notice some are doing it the other way around.

saw some nice plants up there,

[HappyDaze]

Hi FDP, Thanks for noticing the typo...I managed to mix it right, but I wrote it down wrong here. The tomatoes and a Blue Widow mom both liked the bath yesterday, so the clones will get some this week.