Combatting High Heavy Metals Testing

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Pippins

Pippins

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It does seem scary when you first look up all of your nutrients and find out how high some of them are in heavy metals, but if you go through them one by one, it's not too hard to find clean alternatives. I also had issues with high heavy metals at one point, but now my bud is clean! You can just go by what the state allows, but I aim for NDL across the board...why? More like, why not...
 
Flexnerb

Flexnerb

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It does seem scary when you first look up all of your nutrients and find out how high some of them are in heavy metals, but if you go through them one by one, it's not too hard to find clean alternatives. I also had issues with high heavy metals at one point, but now my bud is clean! You can just go by what the state allows, but I aim for NDL across the board...why? More like, why not...
I wouldnt for the life of me believe in anygov limits on safety, health, security, etc...i would be like you, aim for zero....
 
Flexnerb

Flexnerb

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ATM im using Megacrop A+B and i cant say nothing bad about it...weightwise and flavorwise...
Last run i didnt even boost the P and i feel like the main buds were bigger , harvested the same amount but i was surprised given the fact that i skipped pruning and the bottoms were full of small nugs,,
Seems that you wana stay out of everthing that is EDTA chelated...
Im actually preferring it to the old one formula version cause im starting to think that dosing the plants each time with chitosan is not the best....

I just need to get one finished quick before summer is all. Thanks for respones folks
 
Flexnerb

Flexnerb

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Not sure if anything would be useful in this thread but the video from Illinois small farms may be something of interest.

You know funny ingot into an argument with someone on here

There claim is that plants take up what they need...seems like bs to me... Id like to know how a person proved this. I doubt a plant can oh i ned ca K a lil P and some iron today ill just take that up and nothing else....lol...id like to see the proof! How could prove it? Sap tests, soil tests, proving a plant took up the elements it was short on because they were depleted from the mix. Im not say its not true. It just seems a bit fishy to me..

The plant doesnt need cadmium does it? Has anyone proven if the plant takes it up as food or its confused because of the molocules size?

Cadmium has proven to increase flavor in the finished product i do know that. Why dont they use a more healthy catalyst? Thats what cad is, or no?
 
Homesteader

Homesteader

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Well I think it depends on the nutrient you are speaking of. Plants do regulate their uptake of various nutrients but in different ways, stomata comes to mind. If a plant needs phosphorous it can send out exudates to roots to lower the pH and provide a more acidic area in the rhizosphere but this also frees up metals more in the soil too. Many heavy metals are only taken up when the pH is low and in some cases, really low. I think plant uptake is less likely the case in most cases. Yes plants take it up sometimes but most of the time heavy metals are from stirred up soil/direct contact with soil or in the case of cannabis, being sprayed with something high in heavy metals and it accumulates on the bud and leaf.
 
Flexnerb

Flexnerb

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Well I think it depends on the nutrient you are speaking of. Plants do regulate their uptake of various nutrients but in different ways, stomata comes to mind. If a plant needs phosphorous it can send out exudates to roots to lower the pH and provide a more acidic area in the rhizosphere but this also frees up metals more in the soil too. Many heavy metals are only taken up when the pH is low and in some cases, really low. I think plant uptake is less likely the case in most cases. Yes plants take it up sometimes but most of the time heavy metals are from stirred up soil/direct contact with soil or in the case of cannabis, being sprayed with something high in heavy metals and it accumulates on the bud and leaf.
Op only waters directly to soil. So the plant must be taking it up somehow. Can it be chelated and brought up? Can it be brought up with another element? Anyone know what heavy metal molcules are same or similar in size to the elements usable by the plant?
 
Homesteader

Homesteader

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Anything free in water gets brought up into the plant. Most likely the culprit is kelp but it is hard telling. To be honest, I wouldn't trust the test if the OP didn't spray anything and would have them run it again.
Arsenic and silicon both are similar to answer your question which is also why arsenic doesn't usually accumulate in fruits and often stays in the stem and roots.
 
FiZZiKKZ

FiZZiKKZ

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It does seem scary when you first look up all of your nutrients and find out how high some of them are in heavy metals, but if you go through them one by one, it's not too hard to find clean alternatives. I also had issues with high heavy metals at one point, but now my bud is clean! You can just go by what the state allows, but I aim for NDL across the board...why? More like, why not...
could you recommend some of the products you chose?
 
FiZZiKKZ

FiZZiKKZ

19
3
Op only waters directly to soil. So the plant must be taking it up somehow. Can it be chelated and brought up? Can it be brought up with another element? Anyone know what heavy metal molcules are same or similar in size to the elements usable by the plant?
I also do Foliar spray but I stop once plants go into bloom cycle.
 
legitness

legitness

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I thaught the idea of organics was to avoid heavy metal ?
As im always told my salt foods are full of metals and thats why were moving living soil.

Mpk for example is a silver chunk heated and ground .

So what ia the conclusion...are chemical nites safer thann organics now dafuk?
So my chemistry days i threw in the bin should replace the organic soil i just made ?
 
Homesteader

Homesteader

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Heavy metals can be in either soil, nutrient mixes, amendments or water. Depends on the heavy metal you are talking about. Some are taken up by the plant with water, some are only present in the soil itself and only pose a danger if you or the fruit is touching the soil. Plenty of nutrients have metals in them as well but I would agree that salts would probably be the cleanest form in terms of low heavy metals on average but in organics, you control what goes in. Learn about amendments and what they consist of and you wont have a heavy metal problem.
 
Tasty Buds

Tasty Buds

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Kelp is very powerful, as you probably know. On a foliar feed, SUPER light. Well, super light in general. I'm coming off a fee year break to enjoy being with my kids. Heavy metals? You may have mentioned it, but where's your water coming from?
What nutes are you using? When I was leaving, a lot of the giant conglomerates were buying up a bunch of tried, and true companies.
Heavy metals in your flowers is concerning
 
Tasty Buds

Tasty Buds

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If you're using RO, and getting heavy metals in your plant, take a serious look at the nutes. I've never had that issue, but I'll be looking once I start up again. I'm glad I came across your thread.
 
Pippins

Pippins

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It's good to be an educated consumer about these things. I'm a proponent of organics, but I don't like the shrift that heavy metals in organic amendments/soils receives. If you are concerned about the heavy metal content of your flowers, the short answer is, if you use a known, clean source of mineral salts, like Jacks a/b, Maxibloom, etc, (and a clean media like most coco) you will end up with less heavy metals than in almost any organic grow. And I really hate that. Look up jacks and maxibloom (or flora, floranova, most GH products are very clean) here https://apps1.cdfa.ca.gov/fertilizerproducts/. Then, look up your rock dusts of choice-just search by basalt, glacial, azomite, diatomaceous, greensand, etc-there aren't a whole lot of samples for some of them. Now, look up "kelp meal" and "crab meal" in that database. See what I mean? Kelp meal is part of the reason a friend failed his heavy metal test for a dispensary grow (some liquid kelp products are safe though, you just have to check-Age Old Organics liquid kelp for example.) A lot of the most popular amendments in organic soil recipes are really high in arsenic, cadmium, and/or lead. I'm now avoiding all rock dusts-I still use gypsum and langbeinite depending on the recipe, you can find totally clean versions of those. I'm working on a batch of no till soil right now and am aiming for as little heavy metals as possible. Honestly, some organics proponents are so freaked out about pesticide residue while their soil builds up with more and more heavy metals each year, probably causing far more damage than the thing they are worried about.
 
Teslajuana

Teslajuana

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I read somewhere once that kelp is abundant in mercury, arsenic and other toxic elements. It is what they call a hyperaccumulator or bioaccumulator. I’d take out kelp. Mercury is neurotoxic. So I’d be careful with the kelp ideas.
 
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Homesteader

Homesteader

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I read somewhere once that kelp is abundant in mercury, arsenic and other toxic elements. It is what they call a hyperaccumulator or bioaccumulator. I’d take out kelp. Mercury is neurotoxic. So I’d be careful with the kelp ideas.
Some kelp is okay IMO depending on the state and testing reasons but the problem is that we are all using concentrated kelp and people often use large amounts when only a shot is needed. You also want to keep cleanliness in mind when purchasing the kelp and also search for certain types of kelp that are sourced in cleaner and colder water. Anything northatlantic is best. You may want to search out animal feed kelp also. I mean no offense to you but the term bioaccumulator is kind of silly. I used to buy into it but in reality all plants and algae are bioaccumulators. Just my two cents but having said that, I would personally only feed the kelp to the soil and not spray on to the plant. The plant will have a harder time uptaking metals so it is another level of defense compared to drenching the plant.
 
Homesteader

Homesteader

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