We Foliar feed everything! Corn wheat beans multi species cover crops. Best way to get natural products highest usability by letting the leaves soak it up and the biology in the soil gets some.
Its all about the soil biology . Thin out molasses w water before adding or install a recirculation valve and mix thoroughly before spraying cut molasses rate back . Healthy soil = healthy plants . W/o biology nothing is plant available . You are on the right track . Its trial and error . Keep up the good work . W biology you can cut inputs rates . Also when spraying try to use well, pond or non potable water . More balanced ph and no chlorine or chrominum in it which works against the plants taking it in and works against bio in soil. The sugar is your surfactant and feeds microbes in soil. Circle of life
Dump a bottle of dish soap in the sprayer maybe it’ll break down the solids a little better just make sure you have unfoamer in there before you fill with water 🤷♂️
I regard foliar feed materials to be a bit like a band-aid approach to deal with plant issues like damage such as aphid attack or early stages of a fungal disease attack - essentially initial First Aid support for a plant. I do not think of them as a substantial source of plant nutrients especially in a crop as developed as those beans were.
If we had a massive K deficiency, yep, probably be hard to make that up, My goal is to do several passes based on plant test, this year with the drought I didn't because I thought we might not get a crop. Next year I will. There is a lot of science on how nutrients work, also basic math. Universities say broadcast P is 15% uptake, I can foliar 7 lbs of P with a better P product and response vs hauling around 100 lbs to the acre of dap. We are learning more about K, but I need to figure that out over time N we can see how other nutrients are very antagonistic, 50% of our N money makes it to the ear. We for sure can do better
@@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754 I can directly relate to this issue of antagonistic activity. We have limestone brash over lying heavy clay soils with extreme pH levels - 8.5 is not uncommon and the worst I have seen has been 10.2 on a soil which had experienced severe frosts over winter. (These frosts break up the limestone on the surface or at shallow soils causing the massive release of alkaline materials into the soil.) The nett result is most crops need frequent heavy doses of manganese in particular, and often other trace elements, to grow to any sense. Other trace elements are also effectively "locked up" or inhibited availability due to the extreme pH levels in the soil
I use flood nozzles and always try to spray close to dusk or night. I never get going early enough to spray in the morning. I always seem to plug nozzles too so I was always looking for bigger nozzle holes. Aea's rejuvenate is basically molasses from what the label says. What kind of calcium did you use?
I have heard other guys using a high rate of water and a bigger nozzle like that, and there's theory that they cover the plant in big droplets All of the nutrients I get are either from Advanced eco agriculture or Conklin. I like Conklin because their products are made in Minnesota, and compared to Advanced eco, the shipping is basically zero So I enjoy the wisdom that John and the folks at his company can share. I believe they want you to use the product to the absolute best of its ability. But I am sure there are some products in their lineup that you could go find a competitor at less cost
If you boiled the molasses with water let it cool and added it to the tank would it not mix better. I have had to do that with sugar when I feed bee's Ive had some molasses that crystalized suspended and I have thought it might help. It could be kept in a barrel and done the day before.
@@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754 Zook molasses in honey brook pa had a spray grade they retail. It’s a bit far away not sure if there is a supplier nearby you that can pre filter it for you
Thank you so much for explaining this!!
We Foliar feed everything!
Corn wheat beans multi species cover crops.
Best way to get natural products highest usability by letting the leaves soak it up and the biology in the soil gets some.
Man I had belly high beans that got hailed on and flattened by wind yesterday. You get any bad weather? QLF has a molasses product that's less thick.
We got wind, tiny bit of hail a lot of rain, no real storm damage and I will gladly take the moisture
boost from QLF is a good molasses source that i have used.
Its all about the soil biology . Thin out molasses w water before adding or install a recirculation valve and mix thoroughly before spraying cut molasses rate back . Healthy soil = healthy plants . W/o biology nothing is plant available . You are on the right track . Its trial and error . Keep up the good work . W biology you can cut inputs rates . Also when spraying try to use well, pond or non potable water . More balanced ph and no chlorine or chrominum in it which works against the plants taking it in and works against bio in soil. The sugar is your surfactant and feeds microbes in soil. Circle of life
Thanks.
trying some of these ideas as well, curios what psi and gallon per ac you are using. Thanks
15 GPA is the total mix, the Guage is broken,
Dump a bottle of dish soap in the sprayer maybe it’ll break down the solids a little better just make sure you have unfoamer in there before you fill with water 🤷♂️
I regard foliar feed materials to be a bit like a band-aid approach to deal with plant issues like damage such as aphid attack or early stages of a fungal disease attack - essentially initial First Aid support for a plant. I do not think of them as a substantial source of plant nutrients especially in a crop as developed as those beans were.
If we had a massive K deficiency, yep, probably be hard to make that up,
My goal is to do several passes based on plant test, this year with the drought I didn't because I thought we might not get a crop.
Next year I will.
There is a lot of science on how nutrients work, also basic math. Universities say broadcast P is 15% uptake, I can foliar 7 lbs of P with a better P product and response vs hauling around 100 lbs to the acre of dap.
We are learning more about K, but I need to figure that out over time
N we can see how other nutrients are very antagonistic, 50% of our N money makes it to the ear. We for sure can do better
@@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754
I can directly relate to this issue of antagonistic activity. We have limestone brash over lying heavy clay soils with extreme pH levels - 8.5 is not uncommon and the worst I have seen has been 10.2 on a soil which had experienced severe frosts over winter. (These frosts break up the limestone on the surface or at shallow soils causing the massive release of alkaline materials into the soil.) The nett result is most crops need frequent heavy doses of manganese in particular, and often other trace elements, to grow to any sense.
Other trace elements are also effectively "locked up" or inhibited availability due to the extreme pH levels in the soil
I use flood nozzles and always try to spray close to dusk or night. I never get going early enough to spray in the morning. I always seem to plug nozzles too so I was always looking for bigger nozzle holes. Aea's rejuvenate is basically molasses from what the label says.
What kind of calcium did you use?
I have heard other guys using a high rate of water and a bigger nozzle like that, and there's theory that they cover the plant in big droplets
All of the nutrients I get are either from Advanced eco agriculture or Conklin. I like Conklin because their products are made in Minnesota, and compared to Advanced eco, the shipping is basically zero
So I enjoy the wisdom that John and the folks at his company can share. I believe they want you to use the product to the absolute best of its ability. But I am sure there are some products in their lineup that you could go find a competitor at less cost
If you boiled the molasses with water let it cool and added it to the tank would it not mix better. I have had to do that with sugar when I feed bee's Ive had some molasses that crystalized suspended and I have thought it might help. It could be kept in a barrel and done the day before.
Good question. Have zero clue if that would work. Interesting thought, though, thanks.
Jon have you tried using a blendex or some similar compatibility agent? May help to keep the molasses more flowable?
Have not. This is my first time with molasses,
@@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754 Zook molasses in honey brook pa had a spray grade they retail. It’s a bit far away not sure if there is a supplier nearby you that can pre filter it for you