Why is it wrong to spray healthy plants?

[Richudlen]

Newbie here and read a couple of people mention that you should never spray foliar on a healthy plant. I have a Cal Mag and Armor Si mix that I just started spraying on my young plants. I thought I read that this will help them get stronger and help them fight off pests and other issues.

Thank you!

 

[Fr3nzy]

Its if there in light, you will burn them.

 

[Lordly]

Newbie here and read a couple of people mention that you should never spray foliar on a healthy plant. I have a Cal Mag and Armor Si mix that I just started spraying on my young plants. I thought I read that this will help them get stronger and help them fight off pests and other issues.

Thank you!

spray leaves right away when light turns off to avoid burn and also you have like 20min before pores will be closed. im spraying my plants every single day in veg, leaves will become thick and juicy. also foliar spray delivers nutrients much faster than feeding from soil. so if your plants have some deficiency,better if you foliar spray for fast nutrient uptake. im spraying my plants no matter is it healthy or not.

 

[Richudlen]

Its if there in light, you will burn them.

Ths

spray leaves right away when light turns off to avoid burn and also you have like 20min before pores will be closed. im spraying my plants every single day in veg, leaves will become thick and juicy. also foliar spray delivers nutrients much faster than feeding from soil. so if your plants have some deficiency,better if you foliar spray for fast nutrient uptake. im spraying my plants no matter is it healthy or not.

Thank you!!

 

[Richudlen]

spray leaves right away when light turns off to avoid burn and also you have like 20min before pores will be closed. im spraying my plants every single day in veg, leaves will become thick and juicy. also foliar spray delivers nutrients much faster than feeding from soil. so if your plants have some deficiency,better if you foliar spray for fast nutrient uptake. im spraying my plants no matter is it healthy or not.

Thank you. Very helpful

 

[the rrock]

Ive been using Eleanors VF11 as a foliar spray for over 35 years,mainly on sick looking plants,and I do spray them every other week. This stuff increases new growth expodentially ,done side by side comparisons years ago,and the results were there.
This stuff works for me,if you have some plants with slow growth this will revive them in two or three days noticeably. And I have never had anything burnt crisp on any type of plant from this fert. It does amazing work on tomatoes also

 

[the rrock]

Its if there in light, you will burn them.

nah

 

[Aqua Man]

There is nothing wrong with foliar spraying if you need.

I have seen many people have issues from it because it's done improperly. From cooking the plant from slightly to much nitrogen to having coated in residue after.

The issues happen when people don't do it properly. If it's for pests you spray the entire leaf if it's for nutrients you should do the underside.

There is no need to foliar spray a plant unless you have a reason. Like @the rrock said he does it for a reason.

It's not BETTER! It's FASTER means of delivery and it only works with stuff that is immediately available to the plant.

Spray some organics and you can cause bacteria and fungal infections or attract bugs

So unless there is a need I suggest there is no reason to do so.

OP why would you foliar spray cal mag and Si onto the plant when you can feed it through the roots.. it just makes 0 sense and just because you can doesn't make it ideal. If you have a deficiency you need to address quickly then that would make sense but otherwise you are just taking an added risk for absolutely no gain .

 

[Richudlen]

Thank you.

backstory: From what I have reading is that my Ph levels are too high. The pH level of the soil is at almost 8. I got ph down and it watered the plants on Saturday. I’m using the soil/light/ph meter and there is no real improvement on the ph level.

The plants are well watered and don’t want to overwater them so I thought spraying them would help. Especially with the leaves having some issues.

So the big question is how can I get the ph level down without overwatering the plants.

I just transplanted them on Monday, May 11. They are autos and outside.

Thoughts and thanks!

 

[Richudlen]

thought photos might help

 

[Vagician]

Foliar spraying is a bandaid to fix nutrient issues, the soil should have everything a plant needs. If you have good soil (or hydro solution) then foliars aren't really necessary. Spraying can even take beneficial bugs and blast them off of your plants so time your sprays and IPM applications accordingly. Also, spray in the morning about an hour before the lights come on, if you spray after lights go out then your plants sit wet in a cool and humid room all night, a great recipe for powdery mildew. You should also check if what you are spraying as a nutrient is even translaminar in the first place, otherwise you are just getting your leaves wet.

 

[Aqua Man]

Thank you.

backstory: From what I have reading is that my Ph levels are too high. The pH level of the soil is at almost 8. I got ph down and it watered the plants on Saturday. I’m using the soil/light/ph meter and there is no real improvement on the ph level.

The plants are well watered and don’t want to overwater them so I thought spraying them would help. Especially with the leaves having some issues.

So the big question is how can I get the ph level down without overwatering the plants.

I just transplanted them on Monday, May 11. They are autos and outside.

Thoughts and thanks!

Sorry man avoiding organic threads but I would say if you are having trouble with soil pH then foliar is a good option as there can clearly be an issue with nutrient uptake at that ph.

Maybe transplant to better soil rather then kill yourself trying to adjust it

 

[Richudlen]

Foliar spraying is a bandaid to fix nutrient issues, the soil should have everything a plant needs. If you have good soil (or hydro solution) then foliars aren't really necessary. Spraying can even take beneficial bugs and blast them off of your plants so time your sprays and IPM applications accordingly. Also, spray in the morning about an hour before the lights come on, if you spray after lights go out then your plants sit wet in a cool and humid room all night, a great recipe for powdery mildew. You should also check if what you are spraying as a nutrient is even translaminar in the first place, otherwise you are just getting your leaves wet.

Thank you! Makes sense. I did spray them the past two night. I won’t going forward.

 

[Richudlen]

Sorry man avoiding organic threads but I would say if you are having trouble with soil pH then foliar is a good option as there can clearly be an issue with nutrient uptake at that ph.

Maybe transplant to better soil rather then kill yourself trying to adjust it

Thanks. I might do that. Just concerned about all the talk of traumatizing the plant by transplanting too much. if I do it again it will be the third time for them.

 

[Aqua Man]

Thanks. I might do that. Just concerned about all the talk of traumatizing the plant by transplanting too much. if I do it again it will be the third time for them.

Test the soil pH with a slurry test before using it so you don't have this issue again.

My view is a short duration of stress vs the full grow duration of stress trying to change it.

Lower light intensity and up humidity for the transplant to ease stress. A few days is sufficient then bump it back up. Light drives growth and demand on the root system so in times of stress that's what you should be doing. They recover much faster.

 

[Fr3nzy]

nah

nah

Don't Use a Foliar Spray When Your Lights Are On
The plant cannot absorb the freshly sprayed liquid fast enough. The first thing that's going to happen is that the liquid will act as a lens, amplifying the heat from the lights and burning the leaf. Second, the plant will choke.

Copied and pasted from site, also in the grow bible it says same thing. Says either as soon as lights on or as soon as they go off. Says after they go off it actually has a much better absorption rate for a short time.

 

[Richudlen]

Test the soil pH with a slurry test before using it so you don't have this issue again.

My view is a short duration of stress vs the full grow duration of stress trying to change it.

Lower light intensity and up humidity for the transplant to ease stress. A few days is sufficient then bump it back up. Light drives growth and demand on the root system so in times of stress that's what you should be doing. They recover much faster.

Problem is that they are now outdoor plants. Today was very cloudy and no sun. Tomorrow is overcast with some sun. Wednesday is back to a very rainy day. Ughh