Way to transition smoothly, mon
The 3 staple meals, imo, that an organic grower needs is the neem, kelp, and alfalfa ..
Bone, blood, and feather meal (for longer flowering or wilder sativas) all very optional. I'm moving away from the b & b meals personally.
The only other biggie is the worms, whether in a bin, box, tub or mini-farm, when you make your own they are on another level. Life wise, they are literally slithering with life, with microbe counts outta this world.
We (The Dons) can help you build a living mix, but we don't rely on spikes and layers anymore. We use a couple other tricks now instead.
i got neem meal & oil,karnaja meal and oil already..gotta go tomorrow actually and get 60 lbs of worm castings and 4 bags of happy frog..i got insect frass for chitin,protekt, ful-power,ful-humix and cytoplus and 1 oz of aloe for my neem oil mix plus its got SA in it and that a SAR inducer..to top it off got neptune harvest liq sea weed..im trying to make the bag soil i buy up good and make it last me a few years..that is if none my plots get found this year..thats always a worry when u can only grow guerilla..here is a thread i ran across when doing some research for makeing the plants strong..those 3 meals u state is what ever grower that i have spoke to has said.
http://www.onfrass.com/docs/One sheet_Applications and Benefits.pdf
Methods of inducing Local Acquired Resistance and Induced Systemic Resistance
Induced Resistance
(1) There is a diverse array of signals that stimulate IR.
(2) IR is a sensitization process that primes the plant for
more rapid deployment of defenses.
(3) When integrated into good agricultural practices, IR
can both enhance plant productivity and resistance to
disease.
(4) Has energetic costs
Types of induced resistance
1. Local acquired resistance (LAR)
2. Systemic acquired resistance (SAR)
3. Systemic
gene silencing (SGS)
4. Induced systemic resistance (ISR)
5. Systemic wounding response (SWR)
Systemic Acquired Resistance
Controlled by salicylic acid (SA)
Broad resistance
More durable
Relies on the plants endogenous defenses
Classically effective against biotrophic pathogens
Chitosan
Chitosan is a plant defense booster derived through the breaking down of chitin found in shellfish and mullosks.
In general Chitosan can help improve the efficiency of a nutrient or fertilizer.
Chitosan will increase the quantity, size and shelf life of a harvest product. Chitosan is also effective at providing insect and disease control.
The chitosan molecule triggers a defence response within the plant, leading to the formation of physical and chemical barriers against invading pathogens.
Chitosan possesses a high growth stimulating efficacy combined with antifungal and antibacterial activity of systemic character. Chitosan cause no damage to the plant whatsoever.
Chitosan inhibits the reproduction of pathogens. Once applied either via foliar spray or through watering, it provides plant protection against fungal infection by rapid expression of a number of defense responses, including forming structural barriers at sites of attempted fungal attacks.
It also protects against insect attack by activating genes which produce protease inhibitors.
Lastly, chitosan stimulates the plants hormones responsible for root formation,stem growth, fruit formation and development.
In addition to promoting growth and protecting against attacks, using chitosan in a garden can help to improve the beneficial microbial activity of a growing medium.
This increase in microbial activity helps in conversion of nutrients to bio-available form. Chitosan improves the root system, allowing plants to absorb more nutrients from a medium.
We expect
Chitosan to become one of the top plant health and yield products as awareness of its value grows.
Salicylic Acid
The next additive in the this new class of Natural Plant Defenders is Salicylic Acid.
This specific plant molecule has two major functions. In the first it acts as a promoter letting the entire plant know (through the use of intercellular mechanisms) that pathogens are near.
The second way in which Salicylic Acid works is as an activator. It actually heightens the alarm signal a plant experiences. In plants, Salicylic Acid serves the function of ringing the alarm bell when a pathogenic organism begins to invade plant tissues.
A whole web of immunity-enhancing processes unfold after the plants are exposed to Salicylic Acid - when that initial alarm is rung.
A whole range of proteins and enzymes become activated as soon as Salicylic Acid is released and absorbed into plant cells.
Salicylic Acid also promotes
DNA-binding proteins that initiate new
protein synthesis.
Harpin Protein
The final additive we would like to discuss is the Harpin
protein. Harpin, like the other SAR products on this handout,
acts by eliciting a complex natural defense mechanism in plants, analogous to a broad spectrum immune
response in animals. Harpin simultaneously enhances a plant's own growth systems and natural defense mechanisms
to ward off attacks by insects, common diseases and plant stresses.
Unlike Salicylic Acid or Chitosan, Harpin uses a
protein for its main mode of action. It can be safely used in a
synergistic way with both Salicylic Acid and Chitosan. Harpin is a naturally occurring bacterial
protein present in a
number of species of plant pathogenic bacteria. The first harpin
protein was isolated from the bacterium Erwinia
amylovora. To sum up Harpin’s benefits: Along with its plant inducing immune system response, Harpin accelerates
plant development. It increases root and shoot biomass, early flowering, early fruit set, early fruit maturation, and
increases fruit number.
B1 Thiamine
Strengthens plant immune systems so they better stand up to disease and stress.
B1 activates Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR)
Silicon
Silicon induces the SAR response and enables suberization (cork development in cell walls).
Using Chitosan and Salicylic Acid Together
Compared to Salicylic Acid, Chitosan is slower and less effective at inducing plant cell immunity; in combination
with a well formulated Salicylic Acid solution, chitosan has compounded effects as Salicylic Acid amplifies the
“alarm” triggered by the chitosan. The most powerful products always use both of these ingredients.