So far it was only one plant and only on a tiny amount so I removed it and said a prayer, let’s see what comes through tonight :t_rex
2 Likes
Refractometer measures plant sap sugar concentration, plants above 12 % Brix will not be bothered by most insects with the exception of ones in the beetle family
6 Likes
Very multi-functional tool ! Specific gravity, viscosity, tds I think are a few . A kitridge video stated that you can guess when the pest will start attacking a plant that’s in a weaken state be monitoring Brix along the way of the life the life cycle of the plant.
2 Likes
Nice! Plus about 20 characters
Have you have come across any studies about brix levels and pest pressure? Not doubting, just curious. 
3 Likes
Those black spots look like thrip frass or “poop” to me, @PlantShepherd . The leaf damage is from very hungry thrips.
3 Likes
Imo that poop is way too big to be thrips.
That is what i was thinking 
, all dead with diarrhea 
, I had them once and checked them with a scope, not easy to see them naked eye, here you can see one and its poop … 
3 Likes
How about this concoction:
- water
- vinager
- washingup liquid just a small amount
- powder cinnamon
- Tabasco sauce or hot peppers oil
Spray and that’s it. Also essential oils from aromatic plants is supposed to help.
2 Likes
Yeah not thrips but a combo of spidermite and guessing black bean aphids, came in a night now no where to be seen and only on one plant thank fark… ironically the plant that has been showing resistance to the mites was the one that got hit by the aphids. I grow on an up stairs patio and two nights ago I changed it up and put a low pressure fan on the girls instead of the industrial one I normally use and in one night they got hammered so went straight back to the noisy metal machine. They are now back to swaying like a drunk man. Growing in the jungle ain’t no joke can’t be caught slipping 
5 Likes
Sprayed all fan leaves this morning with freshly cracked coconut water and LAB, every time I spray the coco water it seems to leave a nice glossy coating on the leaf for around 72 hours… seems like it keeps the bugs away too. Would love to know the if there’s any truth to that
2 Likes
I use my home made Mango & chilli vinegar at 1:500 mixed with garlic infused water as a preventative but that’s as freaky as I like to go… and when shit gets thick it just doesn’t cut it unfortunately. Those KOH crystals couldn’t get here fast enough
3 Likes
There some good reading up on it in my thread Which I linked in post 38 here and some older Livingwebfarms YouTube vids featuring Dan Kitridge I’d have to dig into some of my older 2017-2019 threads but maybe just search the name might produce a hit.
1 Like
Brix reading of 12 minimum seems to be the magic number to Keeps pests away Iv heard levels of 20 which is insanely high! Interesting also is levels above 12 and beyond can provide frost protection down to about 25 F IIRCC for outdoor plants .
2 Likes
Cooking and reading… only burned one tortilla lmao! Thanks for the info! I’m going to look it up in a bit. I’m always looking for ways to relief pest and pathogen pressure! 
3 Likes
Here’s a bit of info not much but a good synopsis of Brix provided by our good friend @Solowolf
6 Likes
Absolutely you can tell with plant health is at its optimal level when that shine or gloss is noted on the plants leaf surface it’s when the plant is producing higher levels of carbohydrates and forming lipid layers on your leaf surface … when things are at that level from what I recall is that you will not have issues with bud rot , and those other fungal issues either .
4 Likes
Here’s a little snip from theconsciousfarmer link
FROST PROTECTION
Plants that have higher brix levels are less prone to frost. This is because high brix plant sap has a lower freezing point than low brix sap.
We know that “pure water freezes at 0oC (32oF). However, a 5 brix water-sugar mixture freezes at -3.3oC (26oF); a 10 brix mixture at -5.5oC (22oF); and a 15 brix mixture won’t freeze until it reaches -8oC (17oF).”3 While the freezing points referred to are for sugar water – not exactly the same as sap/plant brix levels – it does give a clear indication of the effect that brix can have on frost susceptibility.
4 Likes
I have heard of good results by: just using plain water to dose the plants, just a good old wash to mechanically remove them.
But to be honest, I think the coconut water after a couple of days and the labs might just be attracting unwanted attention, because of the fermentation of the sugar present in the coconut water… just my opinion. The bugs might be kept away due to the acidity created by the labs.
1 Like