I got mine in August I believe just before the previous grow and that went very well without a hickup, sell by date is 2025.
Thanks very much.
So far we know... BIOCANNA Vega and Flores liquid ferts contain NPK and S, and are made from a waste product from ethanol production (stuff called "vinasse"), and possibly also rock phosphate.
"Vinasse is a liquid residue from the sugarcane-based ethanol industry. After sugarcane juice fermentation by yeast, ethanol concentration in the fermented broth is no more than 10% v/v (due to its toxicity). During distillation, the ethanol is recovered and everything left is called vinasse."
This sounds like fermented molasses to me, which explains why it looks like molasses. We don't know how much vinasse is in the products, but that appears to be the main ingredient providing NPK and S. We also don't know if the vinasse is from sugarcane, beets, or something else.
I just found this mineral analysis of vinasse (sugarcane type), with values in mg per liter (same as ppm). This shows high sulfur, potassium, calcium, phosphate, and nitrogen. There's substantial amounts of Cl (chloride ion), Na (sodium ion), Mg, Fe, and Al (aluminum). The rest are very low amounts. This list does show heavy metals, Ba (barium), Cd (cadmium), Cr (chromium), and Ni (nickel). (The permissible limit for Cd in soil is .05 ppm. USEPA 2004.) This list doesn't show lead (Pb), but another list shows lead at 0.02–0.48 ppm.
I'm guessing that BIOCANNA doesn't like to list a guaranteed analysis because either their vinasse source isn't consistent (i.e. the chemical analysis varies), or they want to avoid drawing attention to vinasse, and showing any of the undesirables... sodium, heavy metals, aluminum. For some strange reason, they only list sulfur on the label. At any rate, they don't provide a
guaranteed analysis.
I also found this 2013 study, albeit with regard to large-scale agriculture:
"...the direct application of vinasse in the soil can cause salinization [salt buildup], leaching of metals present in the soil to groundwater, changes in soil quality due to unbalance of nutrients, mainly manganese..., alkalinity reduction, crop losses..., increase of phytotoxicity [injury to plants] and unpleasant odor.... [fertigation] may [provide] a false impression of solving... the problem of vinasse disposal."
Vinasse is deficient in 4 important nutrients: Mo (molybdenum), Zn (zinc), B (boron), and Si (silicon). (Possibly also Mn.) Keep in mind that Fe, Zn, Mn (manganese) are interrelated plant nutrients affecting uptake/use of N and S (sulfur).
Again, we don't know how much vinasse is in these products – I'm guessing it is diluted with water, while the above chart is for 100% vinasse.
My conclusion: I wouldn't use these products, because I have a strong sense that the nutrient profile isn't consistent, and also because important nutrients are lacking, and to avoid the sodium, heavy metals, and aluminum. Granted, the heavy metals content is low, so I would need to check those levels for safety. But that's difficult, because we don't know how much vinasse is in these products (i.e. how diluted it is). We just don't know how much of particular important nutrient, like iron, are in these products. One other thing... sugarcane pulls toxins and heavy metals out of the soil where it was grown, and those get transferred into the vinasse. So, this is another unknown – i.e. where did the sugarcane come from and how was it grown? Using a fertilizer based on a waste product of sugarcane processing could mean various toxins will wind up in the cannabis resin. For example, lead is a big concern for CBD oil manufacturers, and some companies actually have processes in place to remove lead.
