As growers, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to get healthier crops with better yields. Because of this, we are always searching for new ways to improve the nutrient intake of our crops. Foliar feeding is a trending technique that’s more and more frequently used to solve common nutrient issues. It takes advantage of the plants ability to absorb nutrients through their leaves. This makes it a super accessible technique for growers of all levels of experience. It sounds great, doesn’t it? There’s a noteworthy limitation though, you have to do it in the dark. A notable disadvantage to those of us who grow under artificial lighting. That is, until Evolution 2.0 arrived.
Foliar Feeding
Foliar feeding is a method of nourishing plants by spraying a nutrient-rich solution on their leaves, instead of putting it in the soil. Plants can absorb the nutrients through their leaves and use them to grow better and stay healthy. This is a quick and efficient way to help plants when they lack nutrients or face challenging conditions. It’s like giving them a special nutrient drink directly on their leaves to help them thrive. We can harness this to address specific nutrient deficiencies, improve crop health, and optimise yields!
Plants have a protective layer called the cuticle on their leaves. It allows nutrients to easily pass through and be quickly absorbed. Foliar feeding is attractive because it exploits the cuticle to help plants absorb nutrients, making it perfect for addressing nutrient deficiencies. This way, plants can get the essential nutrients they need faster. Even if the soil doesn’t have enough nutrients or has pH imbalances.
Advantages of Foliar Feeding
Treat Deficiencies: Nutrient Intake for foliar feeding is nearly ten times higher when compared to soil. Making it a fantastic way to quickly treat deficiency symptoms.
Increased Yields: Given that plants require different amounts of nutrients as they mature, foliar feeding can improve your crops yields and quality.
Drought Resistant: Foliar spray can be applied even when the soil doesn’t have enough moisture to properly absorb nutrients.
Disadvantages of Foliar Feeding
Limited Dosage: There’s only so much you can pack into a spray. There just aren’t enough nutrients in a foliar spray to meet all the plant’s nutritional requirements. Therefore, it should be used as part of a feeding schedule with other nutrients.
Burning and Damage: Liquids can refract (bend and concentrate) light like a magnifying glass. Foliar sprays are no exception. Extra care is needed when applying foliar spray to your crops, especially when using artificial lighting. High heats can concentrate on your leaves and the liquid will only magnify them, leading to burning and damage. This means a lot of foliar sprays can only be used with the lights off.
Expense: Due to the possibility of burning your crops, it’s recommended to spray lightly but frequently. This can soon turn costly and inefficient.
Step Into The Light
As mentioned above, when growing under artificial lights, the last thing you want to do is spray your plants with a liquid. The liquid will act as a lens, amplifying the heat from the lights and burning the leaves. This is the case with most foliar feed solutions, making it highly inconvenient to use in an indoor environment. Even when using a natural light source, the recommendation is to only use it in the early morning.
But at Plant Magic we’ve been listening. Our scientists have developed Plant Magic Evolution 2.0. This foliar spray breaks the norm, providing an ideal solution to an inconvenient problem. Evolution 2.0 allows you to step into the light (literally) and apply your foliar feed at any time of day. Not only can you use it in natural lighting, but you can also use it under artificial lighting, with the lights on. All without risking damage or burning your plants.
Part of its secret is its super wetting agent that prevents droplets from beading up on the surface. The agent also aids in the rapid absorption of the product, increasing its efficiency when compared to other brands. The spray also has a super fine mesh that creates a mist ideal for application on crops.
Additionally, Evolution 2.0 can also be used to fix nitrogen leaf deficiency. This can be identified if your plants’ leaves are yellow at the top but green at the bottom.
Other benefits of using Evolution 2.0 as your foliar spray include:
- Significantly speeds up the vegetative stage, promoting growth and increasing the number of healthy new shoots produced. This gears the plant for bountiful fruits and flowers.
- Spray on mother plants to produce more shoots and leaves. These can be taken as cuttings.
- Spray sprayed on transplanted plants to reduce stress factors and promote vegetative growth.
- A RTU (ready to use) spray, so no dilution required.
- Spray with lights on or off!
- Rapid results. You can expect to see a difference within 24 hours.
In Conclusion
Foliar feeding is a useful way to give plants extra nutrients when they need it most. During important growth stages or when plants are stressed, their root systems may not be enough to get all the nutrients they need. That’s when foliar feeding comes to the rescue! It delivers the necessary nutrients directly to their leaves, helping grow faster, better, and healthier plants.