Anyone ever use any bud hardener? (density)

[crom]

Not trusting my math, I measured in mls last night-
1ml Gravity/1qt H2O (7.00 pH, 0.00 ec)
ec- minus 0.004 (almost nil)
pH- minus 0.70 (7.00 ->6.30)
No doubt, kelp is acidic- I use liquified kelp to lower pH in solutions that have enough room for the ec/ppm bump. Although the numbers will vary somewhat from brand to brand, 7ml liq kelp/qt H2O will lower the pH 0.70 (7->6.3) and raise the ec by 1.2 (0.04->1.20 If my figures are right, that would mean that Gravity provides 7x the acidic strength of liquid kelp and does so w/ only a minimal amount of DS's in solution. In other words, Gravity packs a lot of acidic punch in a small container. The other ingredients-phosphoric acid and the B's are complementary nute/addies w/ any kelp product and while they will help to enhance the effect of the active agent/s, they wouldn't be the major player.

This has led me to *hypothesize* that the source of the active ingredient in Gravity is exactly what the label says it is- kelp. (Truth in advertising? Now that would be a novel concept.) While I'm certain that the company has experimented w/ kelp strains and come up w/ some favorites, my thought is that the secret is in the processing- the "proprietary" extraction method- what gets separated out and what's done w/ what's left behind.

I have no ambition to uncover anyone's secret formula. I say congrats to the enterprising spirit who came up w/ a little gem that does what it says it does- makes buds denser and harder. Denser, harder = bag appeal. That being said, Gravity is not an integral part of my nute/addie program but it's good to have on hand to firm up buds that are wispier than I'd like them to be, particularly during the final couple of weeks before harvest because of the low ec.

Nice post! I agree that honesty is the best advertising, but it IS a novel concept. I just look at so much hype in ferts and addies and wonder if they are worth the price. Thanks for this info. I want to try it on my SSSDH, SLH, Chocolope, and other Sativa dom strains to see what it does for me! I'm excited to try it as it sounds like a great product. Good thread though, informative about the products potential and real world results. That's the only downside to organic products IMHO, the inability to get a ppm/EC reading.

Cheers,
Crom

 

[GanjaGardener]

Nice post! I agree that honesty is the best advertising, but it IS a novel concept. I just look at so much hype in ferts and addies and wonder if they are worth the price.

Cheers,
Crom

Thanks buddy.
I agree. The higher the stakes, the more users, thieves and liars. The membership here does a good job of separating the bullshit from the chocolate pudding but it's an ongoing process.

That's the only downside to organic products IMHO, the inability to get a ppm/EC reading.

I'm all organic and I practically live w/ a meter in my hand so I'm not sure what you're referring to. I wait 24 hrs before reading some of my teas to allow time for the solids to dissolve but other than that, I didn't realize there was much of a diff between syn and org ec readings. I use a Hanna Combo and maybe the precision is a bit off @ the very low end but whether 1ml/qt is 4, 7, or 10 ppm, Gravity is very acidic relative to the number of dissolved solids that show up in solution.

 

[crom]

I have always heard of organic nute solutions not giving an accurate reading since organic nutes lack the amount of salts to read, unlike chem nutes. I found this quote on another site for an explanation. Hope this helps.

"A note to Organic Growers:
An EC meter has fewer applications for a soil grower because many organic nutrients are not electrically charged or are inert. Things like Superthrive or Fish Emulsion, blood meal, rock phosphate or green sand cannot be measured with a meter reliably when they are applied or in runoff. Meters can only measure electrically charged salts in solution"

Cheers,
Crom

 

[Misterdirt]

I've used gravity, and found that it works better on some strains than others. In fact, there was one strain I used to grow a lot that had two main phenos. Gravity had no effect on one of them. This was Reeferman's old Love Potion #1, which had a lemon pheno (worked on that) and a root beer pheno (didn't work on that one).

More often than not, it's worked for me. Just make sure you have room to raise your light, because the plants become very light sensitive when you hit them with it.

 

[GanjaGardener]

Misterdirt- "Just make sure you have room to raise your light, because the plants become very light sensitive when you hit them with it."
Do you figure it's more photosensitive or heat sensitive? I ask because I run a fairly breezy room- less heat under the hood allows for a shorter light throw.

crombien211- Thanks for the help in filling in an apparent gap in my data base. I got into water chemistry at the same time I went organic so I never had occasion to read synth and didn't give it much thought... until now.

I read and record the pH and EC of each nute and addie @ their recommended strengths to arrive at a set of values. Although the undissolved organic solids aren't being read, (not unlike a supersaturated synth solution?), relative EC values are very workable and useful, if not absolute. IMHO.:cool0044:

 

[crom]

Misterdirt- "Just make sure you have room to raise your light, because the plants become very light sensitive when you hit them with it."
Do you figure it's more photosensitive or heat sensitive? I ask because I run a fairly breezy room- less heat under the hood allows for a shorter light throw.

crombien211- Thanks for the help in filling in an apparent gap in my data base. I got into water chemistry at the same time I went organic so I never had occasion to read synth and didn't give it much thought... until now.

I read and record the pH and EC of each nute and addie @ their recommended strengths to arrive at a set of values. Although the undissolved organic solids aren't being read, (not unlike a supersaturated synth solution?), relative EC values are very workable and useful, if not absolute. IMHO.:cool0044:

Very true. It is hard to burn a plant with organics anyways. I just keep a mental note that the organic nutes I add aren't represented in the ppm/EC, therefore don't keep adding them to reach the ppm wanted. Glad I helped shed some light on the situation for you :passingjoint:

Cheers,
Crom:damnhippie:

 

[GanjaGardener]

Very true. It is hard to burn a plant with organics anyways.
Crom:damnhippie:

It may be hard but it's doable- back when I first started using them, I underestimated their strength and learned the hard way that organics weren't as benign as I'd thought.

I just keep a mental note that the organic nutes I add aren't represented in the ppm/EC, therefore don't keep adding them to reach the ppm wanted.

I was w/ you up until that last sentence. Could you expand/clarify?:anim_44:

 

[crom]

I guess what I was trying to say was, I keep in mind that the organic nutes ARE in there though their ppm/EC isn't expressed as well as synthetic nutes. I mentioned this because if you just kept dumping organic nutes in to your water looking for ppm numbers to go up, you will burn the plant. I never burnt a plant with organics, but I'm sure it is possible. I just make sure that I keep that in mind when feeding. Like if I'm trying to hit lets say 100ppm I check my waters ppms prior to adding anything so I know what I am starting at, I then add my organic nutes to see what change it made to my ppms. Does that make sense? It's all just so you don't over fert your babies.

Cheers,
Crom

 

[GanjaGardener]

Hi again folks. I dug deeper into Gravity and have changed my position. My suspicion is that there's a ripening agent in the formula. I found a long running thread on Gravity here at the site and posted my opinion there. Peace.


gravity

 

[Deanna Hayes]

just surious if anyone ever used ant bud hardening additive? i want to optimize my density of my buds any input please thanks

I just starting using Mendocino Avalanche Flower Hardener Organic and Mendocino Honey. I heard these both are fabulous. I will get back to you in 3 weeks.

 

[dankninja]

wow old thread. gravity is now G10, without ripening agent i believe. I have used it with deep breath one run with good results. have also used rx bulk with good results, and bloombastic with good results. but these are supplemental to a proper feeding program. I always get better results with just bat guano throughout flower, until flush. maybe adding in some rx bulk or g10 when I feel necessary.

DN

 

[420Artie]

I seen buds grown w/ gravity they were rock hard but smelled like hay and no frost, was afraid to smoke them. I use bloomblastic off and on it does seem to harden buds or could just be the placebo affect.

 

[dankninja]

roots hp2 always makes my buds taste and smell great, and pops them out a little with late feedings in flower. just by itself probly all i need for some extra bud development, with the soil i use.

 

[Panchojr]

I seen buds grown w/ gravity they were rock hard but smelled like hay and no frost, was afraid to smoke them. I use bloomblastic off and on it does seem to harden buds or could just be the placebo affect.

how much bloomblastic you use 2 mil on week 5-7 of your sour d