Doc Bud's High Brix Q&A With Pictures

ClosedCircuit said:
Maybe speeding up isn't the word. But as you said, you are testing the soil and directly adding mineral amendments to compensate. Living Soil relies on the decomposition of organic matter to reach that state...so I see what you mean now.

Do you think the additions of silicates, oyster shell, glacial dust, saponin (Aloe Vera), and other additives which boost cytokine production and promote plant health are not as effective in Living Soil as they are in Hi-Brix?
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What indication would you use to add Potassium Silicate?
What's in your oyster shell?
What's in your Glacial Rock dust? How much sodium? Potassium?
Aloe Vera? perhaps.....why not Yucca? What about your soil is calling for those?

Again, we already KNOW how to amend soil to achieve nutrient density. While there is always room for improvement, the basics remain the same:

Foundational minerals
Trace elements
Soil Energy
Microbial action

How much Glacial Rock dust do you add based on the soil test? Well, depending on what's in the soil and what's in the rock dust.....perhaps adding ZERO is the best move, especially if the product is high in P and Na.....

Why would you choose oyster shell over limestone?

As for silica.....you should see how strong the stems of HB plants are. Why would you want to weaken the cells walls by encouraging potassium instead of calcium? Or perhaps your soil actually needs silicate......if so, how much?

How do you get enough phosphorus into the leaf tissue in order to form massive amounts of exudates without upsetting the 1:1 balance of K and P?

All of these questions and more are asked and answered with a proper soil test......and this is exactly what we do.

I made some nice organic soils in the past.....had them tested and they all failed miserably. When I used those soils, I often had fungus gnats and had trouble with mites.

Now that my soil is in spec.....no more insect pressure! That's pretty much what everyone will tell you, barring other factors.
 
Like I've stated numerous times I've yet to try this and I'll probably never pull all the way away from house and garden especially with my salt loving strains. But I'll be using it on some for sure and I'm on that cusp. It's hard to argue with the pictures and documentation not to mention the testimonials
 
Doc Bud said:
What indication would you use to add Potassium Silicate?
What's in your oyster shell?
What's in your Glacial Rock dust? How much sodium? Potassium?
Aloe Vera? perhaps.....why not Yucca? What about your soil is calling for those?

Again, we already KNOW how to amend soil to achieve nutrient density. While there is always room for improvement, the basics remain the same:

Foundational minerals
Trace elements
Soil Energy
Microbial action

How much Glacial Rock dust do you add based on the soil test? Well, depending on what's in the soil and what's in the rock dust.....perhaps adding ZERO is the best move, especially if the product is high in P and Na.....

Why would you choose oyster shell over limestone?

As for silica.....you should see how strong the stems of HB plants are. Why would you want to weaken the cells walls by encouraging potassium instead of calcium? Or perhaps your soil actually needs silicate......if so, how much?

How do you get enough phosphorus into the leaf tissue in order to form massive amounts of exudates without upsetting the 1:1 balance of K and P?

All of these questions and more are asked and answered with a proper soil test......and this is exactly what we do.

I made some nice organic soils in the past.....had them tested and they all failed miserably. When I used those soils, I often had fungus gnats and had trouble with mites.

Now that my soil is in spec.....no more insect pressure! That's pretty much what everyone will tell you, barring other factors.
Click to expand...

These are all very valid points. I will have to consider getting my soil tested in the future. I have to say, I haven't had any pest problem yet, nor do many of the other LSO growers here...but that doesn't necessarily mean their plants (LSO) are more bug resistant. I think both methods have improved overall health when compared to bottled nute grows.

What do you think the benefit of no-till is over HB if any? Does the continuous decomposition of organic matter adding and improving humic substances to soil at all course correct the mineral value of soil? How difficult would it to achieve a hi-brix grow after a couple grows in LSO soil assuming it has achieved improved humic conditions?
 
Doc Bud said:
What indication would you use to add Potassium Silicate?
What's in your oyster shell?
What's in your Glacial Rock dust? How much sodium? Potassium?
Aloe Vera? perhaps.....why not Yucca? What about your soil is calling for those?

Again, we already KNOW how to amend soil to achieve nutrient density. While there is always room for improvement, the basics remain the same:

Foundational minerals
Trace elements
Soil Energy
Microbial action

How much Glacial Rock dust do you add based on the soil test? Well, depending on what's in the soil and what's in the rock dust.....perhaps adding ZERO is the best move, especially if the product is high in P and Na.....

Why would you choose oyster shell over limestone?

As for silica.....you should see how strong the stems of HB plants are. Why would you want to weaken the cells walls by encouraging potassium instead of calcium? Or perhaps your soil actually needs silicate......if so, how much?

How do you get enough phosphorus into the leaf tissue in order to form massive amounts of exudates without upsetting the 1:1 balance of K and P?

All of these questions and more are asked and answered with a proper soil test......and this is exactly what we do.

I made some nice organic soils in the past.....had them tested and they all failed miserably. When I used those soils, I often had fungus gnats and had trouble with mites.

Now that my soil is in spec.....no more insect pressure! That's pretty much what everyone will tell you, barring other factors.
Click to expand...

I love days when doc drops the knowledge bombs. So interesting and further expands my understanding of this amazing system. Big ups doc
 
ClosedCircuit said:
These are all very valid points. I will have to consider getting my soil tested in the future. I have to say, I haven't had any pest problem yet, nor do many of the other LSO growers here...but that doesn't necessarily mean their plants (LSO) are more bug resistant. I think both methods have improved overall health when compared to bottled nute grows.

What do you think the benefit of no-till is over HB if any? Does the continuous decomposition of organic matter adding and improving humic substances to soil at all course correct the mineral value of soil? How difficult would it to achieve a hi-brix grow after a couple grows in LSO soil assuming it has achieved improved humic conditions?
Click to expand...

There is no doubt in my mind that LSO, TLO or almost any other tried and tested organic gardening approach is better than bottled nutes!

I'm not familiar with no-till per se....so I couldn't really answer any questions specific to it.

However, the idea that continuous decomposition of organic matter improves the soil is dubious at best. If the soil REQUIRES organic matter, that's one thing. But most soils have way too much organic matter and far too little in the way of minerals.

With the exception of Bone Meal, most organic gardening products have little to no calcium. Manure's have very high potassium and little to no calcium.....ditto compost. So adding that over time will actually hurt the soil, not help it.

And that brings up another series of questions:

What is the source of the manures, bone meal, alfalfa meal, etc? Is your chicken manure from commercial poultry farms from chooks fed all kinds of GMO crap? Is the steer manure from a feed lot? Dairy? What were those animals fed? Were they ill?

As for minerals....you aren't going to get them from organic matter, with the exception of bone meal and oyster shell. But are these going to produce the proper balance?

Nothing beats limestone for calcium. It is, hands down, the cheapest, most effective and safest way to increase calcium in the soil. Microbes LOVE it. Why take years to increase calcium---guessing at what else is going on----when you can just add limestone in the proper amount and get it right?

If you study this, I think you'll conclude like I did, that High Brix growing is a few miles further down the same road that organic growing is traveling.

We want the healthiest, best tasting produce we can get! Organic gardening is a huge step in the right direction. Add your minerals and balance everything and now you're even further along towards your goal.

The question is how much to add? Soil testing tells us.

Be warned, your local county ag extension does a strong acid test, and caters to corporate farming techniques. If you get your soil tested, you need a Morgan Test....or weak acid test.
 
Doc Bud said:
What are you doing to mineralize your soil?

Every soil is different! That's why it needs to be tested first, before you start adding this and that.

It is critical that Ca and Mg form a 10-1 ratio. It is critical that P and K be equal, at a certain level of pounds per acre. Adequate amounts of trace elements must be present, not too much, not too little. We want calcium to be at least 2000 lbs per acre.....3000 is better. We want K and P balanced at about 240 lbs per acre.

We will keep P levels up via foliar feeding, but will avoid feeding K, due to how each reacts in the soil and plant tissue.

Microbes LOVE limestone and biochar. Organic matter is a nuissance to them......we want them to eat rocks so they can feed the plant. Organic material, especially molasses is to your microbial population like feeding crappy fast food and candy bars to athletes.....they don't perform as well.

As for living soil, most of us can attest to our soils AGGRESSIVELY digesting leaf material in days....with white fuzzies forming quickly and leaves dissappearing in a week.

We're all about LIVING soil.....which is why we test, amend and feed the way we do.....and avoid the stuff that wrecks this, like compost, manures and other materials that cause problems.
Click to expand...

Can you recommend any specific reading on mineralization and its effect on microbe life? You know as an LSO'er I want to know how my microbes work! :)
 
ClosedCircuit said:
Can you recommend any specific reading on mineralization and its effect on microbe life? You know as an LSO'er I want to know how my microbes work! :)
Click to expand...

Google it! (Or bing, etc.)

EVerything by Reams, Skow, Albrecht and a few others is great reading.

But here's a blatant example:

How would a plant grow in a pile of cow manure?

Compare that to the same plant growing on the slopes of a volcano in Hawaii.....where no cow has ever pooped. Which do you think will grow better? The one in pure organic matter, or the one in highly mineralized, low humus soil?

If you've ever had properly grown produce from volcanic soil the question is very easy to answer! Plants and microbes thrive on minerals. The organic thing is a way to increase soil energy.....but not a good thing to replace minerals lost over the years.
 
Doc Bud said:
There is no doubt in my mind that LSO, TLO or almost any other tried and tested organic gardening approach is better than bottled nutes!

I'm not familiar with no-till per se....so I couldn't really answer any questions specific to it.

However, the idea that continuous decomposition of organic matter improves the soil is dubious at best. If the soil REQUIRES organic matter, that's one thing. But most soils have way too much organic matter and far too little in the way of minerals.

With the exception of Bone Meal, most organic gardening products have little to no calcium. Manure's have very high potassium and little to no calcium.....ditto compost. So adding that over time will actually hurt the soil, not help it.

And that brings up another series of questions:

What is the source of the manures, bone meal, alfalfa meal, etc? Is your chicken manure from commercial poultry farms from chooks fed all kinds of GMO crap? Is the steer manure from a feed lot? Dairy? What were those animals fed? Were they ill?

As for minerals....you aren't going to get them from organic matter, with the exception of bone meal and oyster shell. But are these going to produce the proper balance?

Nothing beats limestone for calcium. It is, hands down, the cheapest, most effective and safest way to increase calcium in the soil. Microbes LOVE it. Why take years to increase calcium---guessing at what else is going on----when you can just add limestone in the proper amount and get it right?

If you study this, I think you'll conclude like I did, that High Brix growing is a few miles further down the same road that organic growing is traveling.

We want the healthiest, best tasting produce we can get! Organic gardening is a huge step in the right direction. Add your minerals and balance everything and now you're even further along towards your goal.

The question is how much to add? Soil testing tells us.

Be warned, your local county ag extension does a strong acid test, and caters to corporate farming techniques. If you get your soil tested, you need a Morgan Test....or weak acid test.
Click to expand...

What would you say is the ideal percentage of organic matter in a soil mix?
 
Has anyone, to your knowledge, High Brix tested plants grown in LOS? Just curious, because mine appear to be stunningly healthy.

As I see it, you have found a way to create the perfect balance of organic soil for growing cannabis and a very methodical way to maintain it. Impressive. The same can be said about our basic soil recipe, although I will say yours is more fine tuned with the soil testing. I'm curious about how closely we reach the same goal with our different methods.

I believe you may be right Doc, about being the future of organic gardening. I now completely understand your passion. I have the same passion for my young no-till. In time and with proper care it's soil community will become more and more fine tuned. It may in time balance the scales. Those who've gone before me have me anticipating years of consistently outstanding harvest year after year. I'm comfortable enough with my soil mix that I likely won't get it tested. I know already that I will be quite happy with the quality of my harvest.

My deepest respect for your work guys. I will be dropping in again. because this was an educational experience. Its nice to be in your neighborhood. We're two sides of the same coin. You're the shiny side, but I suspect we're getting very similar results

You may recruit me yet. :green_heart:
 
ClosedCircuit said:
What would you say is the ideal percentage of organic matter in a soil mix?
Click to expand...

Barring other factors, right around 7%. If minerals are high enough and in proper ratio you could go as high as 9% over time.....but start off at about 5% and build.

Once you get over 10%, even in mineralized soil we start to see microbial action drop off.

But with mineralized, microbe-friendly soil, everything pretty much "clicks" even with really low organic and humus content. Then the soils get better the next year, and the next....and pretty much the soil tests get very short and full of "normal" or "optimal" and the amendments get rather simple, while crop quality excels.
 
Sweetsue said:
Has anyone, to your knowledge, High Brix tested plants grown in LOS? Just curious, because mine appear to be stunningly healthy.

As I see it, you have found a way to create the perfect balance of organic soil for growing cannabis and a very methodical way to maintain it. Impressive. The same can be said about our basic soil recipe, although I will say yours is more fine tuned with the soil testing. I'm curious about how closely we reach the same goal with our different methods.

I believe you may be right Doc, about being the future of organic gardening. I now completely understand your passion. I have the same passion for my young no-till. In time and with proper care it's soil community will become more and more fine tuned. It may in time balance the scales. Those who've gone before me have me anticipating years of consistently outstanding harvest year after year. I'm comfortable enough with my soil mix that I likely won't get it tested. I know already that I will be quite happy with the quality of my harvest.

My deepest respect for your work guys. I will be dropping in again. because this was an educational experience. Its nice to be in your neighborhood. We're two sides of the same coin. You're the shiny side, but I suspect we're getting very similar results

You may recruit me yet. :green_heart:
Click to expand...

Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words. :thanks:

There are plenty of people who achieve high brix, especially outdoors in places with volcanic soil, river bed top soil and other places with good mineralization. History has recorded that the crops in the Nile Valley, before the Aswan damn was built, back to the time before the pharaohs were of extremely high quality due to the cyclical flooding of the Nile river and the distribution of all that lovely, mineralized silt that washes down from the highlands in Ethiopia. Those crop just grew on their own.

What's in your soil? I'd love to know.

My personal philosophy of my soil always comes back to music or cooking. Properly amended soil is like a tuned piano, or quality ingredients....we just need a piano player and a chef and we have something special!

Much of my time is spent trying to get all the key's action and the tune right. There's much more to the "Zen" of growing that I don't always share on my blog, but basically, for a long time I've wanted to arrive at good soil with other raw ingredients. I know it would be different and it opens up even more possibilities for top quality cannabis.

That's all I'm trying to do....get to the best. I've learned almost everything I know from other people. I'm only now starting to figure out a couple things on my own.
 
Hey Guys nice convo going there... hate to bust the groove but


Is there mention, around here, of anyone doing 3 consecutive cat drenches? I'm considering it because my room was too chilly for a while and it slowed things down. I warmed it up and the plant seems amenable to 3rd cat. I think there is time enough to get back into a energy and transplant routine after a third drench.
 
Doc Bud, you are adorable....all the best this weekend....you deserve!
 
Organic BlackberryxPurple Urkle from 2010.

IMG_13175.JPG


High Brix BlackberryxPurple Urkle, 2015

Picture_009224.jpg


I had forgotten that my "Blackberry" grow from 2010 was actually Purple Cadillac (BBxPU). Those organic buds had the most delicious smell!

But the High Brix buds also have a smell and they'll stick to your nose too. The resin distribution is a bit more liberal on the HB bud.
 
Doc Bud said:
Barring other factors, right around 7%. If minerals are high enough and in proper ratio you could go as high as 9% over time.....but start off at about 5% and build.

Once you get over 10%, even in mineralized soil we start to see microbial action drop off.

But with mineralized, microbe-friendly soil, everything pretty much "clicks" even with really low organic and humus content. Then the soils get better the next year, and the next....and pretty much the soil tests get very short and full of "normal" or "optimal" and the amendments get rather simple, while crop quality excels.
Click to expand...

Well you've given me alot to think about.

I want to reiterate that I didn't mean to sound aggressive with my initial questions, but wasn't finding alot of information on Hi-brix through google that explained it to the extent you have. What I did find was pretty much fertilizer masquerading as truly organic growing. Having seen their products in hydro stores I thought that was what Hi-Brix was all about. If I had found the ingredients in your kit earlier it would have made more sense!
 
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