What plant books do you suggest. I feel the same way about it. I insist that my doctor went to school and studied before I take any of his medicine.
Some of my favorite books are:
Reader's Digest Success with House Plants
Plant Propagation A to Z
Rodale Book of Composting for the organic guys
Gardening how to magazine
Farmer's Almanac outdoor growers
Secrets of Plant Propagation
Hemp Diseases and Pests Management and Biological Control An Advanced Treatise
http://www.4shared.com/document/vku6...ts_Manage.html i made this into a PDF file for people to down load this hard to find and very expensive book.
Here is something I am writing for my book and I use for the classes I teach here in Colorado.
The Organic Composistion of Plants and the Effects of Nutrients
It was tough thinking of were to put this thread , but after thinking about it I felt it would best be placed here in the newbie station.
For a plant to develop properly, you must feed it all the necessary elements. The main four elements that all living organism, this occurs naturally, but most people rarely think about them when looking at plant nutrients. I would stress the lack of any of the four elements will kill your plants. Feeding them a well balanced diet will keep them happy.
The Nutrient Chain of Command that plants want in order are:
Oxygen, CO2, H20, Light, Marco Nutrients, and Micro Nutrients
Plants are only as strong as the weakest link.
The Four Basic Elements
Carbon (C):
Carbon is the back bone of all plants, it can be found in every cell wall as bio molecules, sugar being made by chlorophyll, and in chlorophyll it self. Carbon is fixed through photosynthesis from carbon dioxide in the air and is in 50% of a plant's dry weight.
Hydrogen (H):
Hydrogen plays a key role in chemical which helps roots uptake nutrients. Hydrogen also is essential for the formation of sugars and starches that keep the plant feed, it is easily obtained from water.
Water keeps all plants rigid, the way it does this is called Turgor pressure.
Oxygen (O):
Oxygen is essential in cellular respiration, this is a process of generating energy rich adenosine triphosphate (ATP). When consumption sugars are produced in photosynthesis, plants produce oxygen gas when photosynthesis produce sugar (glucose). Oxygen is required for the complete aerobic cellular respiration in a chain reaction that breaks down sugars and produces ATP.
Nitrogen (N):
Nitrogen is the reason for the formation of amino acids, co-enzymes and chlorophyll.
Macro Nutrients
Your plants absorb large quantities of Marco nutrients from all growing media or nutrient solution. The best way to remember the Macro nutrients is N-K-P, you will finds this printed on every bag, box, or bottle of plant food on the market.
Nitrogen (N)
Nitrogen is the building blocks of all proteins in a plant.
Deficiency:
Include spindly plants with small yellowish leaves, Some parts of plants will turn purple, stunted growth.
Toxicity:
Exclusive growth, dark green leaves and delayed bud growth. Plants become more susceptible to pets.
Potassium (K)
Potassium is a key component in opening and closing the stomata. The regulating of the stomata reduces water loss from leaves, it also increases drought tolerances. The process is called a Potassium pump.
Potassium also helps in protein synthesis, increases root growth, and helps manufacture sugar and starches.
Deficiency:
Slow growth while lower leaves develop Chlorosis or Necrosis, also increase for fungus attack.
Toxicity:
Will cause Magnesium deficiency.
Phosphorus (P)
Phosphorus helps the plants bio-energetics. Phosphorus is a component of ATP. It is used by the plant for conversion of light energy to chemical energy by way of ATP during Photosynthesis.
Phosphorus is used to modify activity of enzymes and also used for cell signaling. The plant still uses phosphorus in flowering and seed stages.
Deficiency:
Stunted growth and turn dark green, lower leaves become yellow and may have some purplish tinge as phosphorus is taken away to feed new growth, during bloom leaves curl backwards and droop, also the roots are pron to fungus attack.
Toxicity:
Excessive Phosphorous will lock out Copper and Zinc.
Micro Nutrients
Sulfur (S)
Sulfur is a structural component of amino acids and vitamins. Sulfer is a key component in chloroplasts manufacturing. It aids in water uptake, bloom stage and seed production. Sulfur is a natural fungicide.
Deficiency:
Sulfur deficiency is rare it will turn the leaves yellow with a purple base.
Toxicity:
Slow growth and smaller leaves than normal.
Calcium (Ca)
Calcium is used to transport other nutrients to the plant. Calcium also stimulates certain enzymes in plants.
Deficiency:
stunted growth and crinkling of leaves, young shoots will die and when in bloom leaves start falling of and sometimes bud falls apart. Calcium is most of the time confused with Nitrogen deficiency.
Toxicity:
Excessive Calcium will bring bud rot in the center lower portions of buds.
Magnesium (Mg)
Magnesium is a key player in chlorophyll and plant pigmentation. It is a major component in Photosynthesis and used in production of ATP. This is done as an enzyme co-factor.
Magnesium is the bonding agent for ATP. With out magnesium to bond with the ATP the plant will lose it main source of energy in the plants cell.
Deficiency:
Magnesium deficiency causes older leaves to curl and yellow areas to appear between leaf vanes. only the new growth will stay green do to the fact that the plant is stealing it from the old growth. also chlorosis will form.
Toxicity:
Magnesium toxicity is very rare, almost never happens.
Iron (Fe)
Iron aids in Chlorophyll formation, it also helps in respiration of sugars to provide growth energy. Most Iron is chelated do to the fact it locks out very easy.
Deficiency:
Iron deficiency is common and cause new growth to become pale yellow and young buds to fall off plants. Yellowing is observed between the veins and leaves.
Toxicity:
Excesses Iron is rare.
Boron (B)
Boron is a another key player for synthesizing enzymes, it helps transport sugar and starches and aids in cell division. This is done when Boron binds Pectins to cell walls of a plant, only boron can do this.
Deficiency:
Boron deficiency results in brittle stems and poor growth, some stream will twist and crack.
Toxicity:
Excessive Boron will cause leaf tips to yellow and die off this is called Necrosis.
Manganese (Mn)
Manganese is a catalyst in the growth process, the plant uses it in chloroplasts, it aids in the formation of oxygen in photosynthesis. Manganese is chealted in most nutrients to insure it's uptakes for growth.
Deficiency:
Manganese deficiency causes yellowing of leaves between the veins and discolored spots on the leaves, also slow growth of buds.
Toxicity:
Excessive Manganese can lock out Iron.
Zinc (Zn)
Zinc is a key DNA transcript, I not going into all the in's and out's of DNA Transcriptions, it would take a life time to under stand it, but just know this that when you take a clone DNA transcript plays a role in the genetic reproduction of the mother. Zinc is used by the majority of enzymes the plant produces for growth.
Deficiency:
Zinc deficiency results in small leaf growth and weak immunity system.
Toxicity:
Excessive Zinc will lock out Iron.
Molybdenum (Mo)
Molybdenum is a key factor in creating enzymes as well as used in building amino acids used by the plant.
Deficiency:
Excessive molybdenum are small they are small yellow leaves
Toxicity:
N/A in MMJ
Cobalt (Co)
Very little is know the effects of cobalt in plants. we know that it is a carrier of B12 vitamins and that most plants have it in trace elements in there tissue.
Deficiency:
N/A in MMJ
Toxicity:
N/A in MMJ
Copper (Cu)
Copper is used in photosynthesis, it helps in the production of ligin in cells, it help with respiration and enzymatic processes used by the plant.
Deficiency:
Copper deficiency is pale yellow spotted leaves.
Toxicity:
Excessive Copper will lock out Iron.
New Info on Other Elements
Sodium (Na)
Sodium is used to bind Carbon dioxide to dissolved compounds in plants. Sodium aids in sugar production in photosynthesis, and is used by enzymes as energy that is stored in ATP.
Deficiency:
Lack of sodium with slow the up take of Potassium. will show similar signs as Potassium deficiency.
Toxicity:
Toxicity of Sodium will be slow to almost no growth.
Silicate
Silica is found in in just about every cell in a plant, Silica is readily absorbed and is a key player in growth. Silica is found to increase mineral nutrition intake by 20%. The plant use it as mechanical strength in cell walls formation, as well as helping it fight of pest and fungal diseases. Lack of it in hydroponics will decrease the plants ability to over come some environmental stress.
Most common used in hydro is Potassium Silicate.
Deficiency:
N/A
Toxicity:
N/A
Nickel (Ni)
Nickel is used by an enzyme called urease, the enzyme is a key factor in Nitrogen intake.Nickel also helps process Urea into carbon dioxide and ammonia.
With out Nickel urea accumulates and leads to the formation of necrtic lesions on leaves.
Deficiency:
Will not process Urea properly
Toxicity:
N/A at this time.
Chlorine (Ci)
Chlorine is used to give Ionic balance in a process called Osmosis, Chlorine is important in the opening and closing of stomata. The role of the chloride anion (Cl-) is essential to chemically balance the potassium ion (K+) concentration that increases in the guard cells during the opening and closing of stomata. Chlorine also functions in photosynthesis, specifically in the water splitting system.
Chlorine competes with nitrate uptake, tending to promote the use of ammonium nitrogen. Lowering nitrate uptake may be a factor in chloride’s role in disease suppression, since high plant nitrates have been associated with disease severity.
Deficiency:
Wilting due to a restricted and highly branched root system, often with stubby tips, and Leaf mottling and leaflet blade tip wilting with Chlorosis has also been observed. Root Rot in hydroponics systems.
Toxicity:
Leaf margins are scorched and abscission is excessive. Leaf/leaflet size is reduced and may appear to be thickened. Overall plant growth is reduced. Chloride accumulation is higher in older tissue than in newly matured leaves.